Chalkhills Digest, Volume 13, Number 46

                Tuesday, 11 December 2007

Topics:

     Suggestions to reignite Music Love Affair, etc.
                  Recommended Listening
         musical suggestion - Charlotte Hatherley
                       Runt Retorts
    "Towers of London" is the MySpace song of the week

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Look at me polish these / Tools.

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Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 20:30:02 -0800
From: "brian macdonald" <macrobrian@gmail.com>
Subject: Suggestions to reignite Music Love Affair, etc.
Message-ID: <b811192b0712012030i1ba6b608y56d1ef9a9e174df3@mail.gmail.com>

It's natural for any human being to reach a point in his or her life
where music takes a backseat for a while.  How long that period lasts
varies from person to person.  So, Simon, while I missed your original
post (apologies), it's possible you're just in that phase right now,
and it could reignite randomly at any point.

However, there are good strategies for reigniting interest in music.
One thing I did was take on one of the following challenges in 2003:
Put together a CD-R of mp3s all from *one year* - *one artist per
song*.  The year I was given was 1978.   Now, I can't tell you how
many bands from the late 70s I discovered -- or fell in love with
after disliking initially.  The fun part was the research and trying
to make this CD-R as broad, musically speaking, as possible.  I wanted
this CD-R to just sum up "1978" in one disc.  That was a musical rich
year, so I had to do some editting.  Anyway, if you want to retain
your music-geek-ness, I completely suggest you take on something
similar with a mix CD with a specific theme or what not.  (For the
record: yes, I used the single version of "This Is Pop?" for the XTC
choice. :)  Also, I've done years 1975, 1983, 1988, and 1991 as well.)

As for XTC-ish music this year, I found this CD used yesterday which I
had no idea existed:

* The Mabuses "Mabused"

Now, I still have my self titled The Mabuses record that was released
on Shimmy Disc in 1993.  I love that record, and -- aside from a side
project from Kramer called Egomaniacs -- it was the last I heard from
Kim Fahy, the man behind these very XTC/Beatles-esqe songs.

So imagine my surprise to see that The Mabuses were still around and
had released a CD this year!  I previewed it, and it sounds as
glorious as the first album did 14 years ago, except much more lush in
production.

And while this may be a sore point for some, I *love* that Monstrance
2-CD from this year.  Then again, I'm a big fan of edgey prog rock,
especially King Crimson, Henry Cow, This Heat, or whatnot.  I always
recognized the amazing and odd guitar playing by Andy Partridge over
an entire career of pop rock music via XTC, so Monstrance finally got
me to hear Andy play guitar in the raw, so to speak.  If you passed
Monstrance by, you might want to give it another chance.  It's
definitely a grower.  (Although it helps if you really like the first
two XTC records as I do.)

Brian

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2007 7:11:49 -0500
From: <cmartens2@cox.net>
Subject: Recommended Listening
Message-ID: <20071202071149.V585N.186403.root@eastrmwml24.mgt.cox.net>

Jandek On Corwood!

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2007 14:52:10 -0800 (PST)
From: Happy Puppy Records <happypuppyrecords@yahoo.com>
Subject: musical suggestion - Charlotte Hatherley
Message-ID: <922853.98541.qm@web53901.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

I'd highly recommend Charlotte Hatherley's 'The Deep
Blue' album for XTC listeners.  It's got tons of
catchy smart 70s pop sensibilities, many layers and
lots to keep going back to.

PLUS...Andy Partridge did a co-wrote with her on the
album, a track called "Dawn Treader", ironically one
of the least XTC-sounding songs on the album.

Want another reason?  She covered "This Is Pop!" as a
b-side.  Check her out!

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 20:51:27 -0800
From: Vocalize@earthlink.net
Subject: Runt Retorts
Message-ID: <30812ADB-8370-4971-B81E-6F15DF7C244D@earthlink.net>

Scott Mervis with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently interviewed
Todd Rundgren about "the three signature records in his production
catalog."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07340/839334-42.stm

Interesting to hear a current take on the oft-discussed "Skylarking"
sessions. . .

"In terms of the content of the record, 'Skylarking" was probably a
standout. People just fell incredibly head over heals over the record
itself. And it was a case where Andy Partridge was actually
sabotaging the record because he didn't like the experience of making
it for a number of reasons. The band had been given an ultimatum by
the record company, which was 'straighten up and give us a record
that would shore up your audience, and you need to get a record
producer and you need to listen to him.'

"Andy's methodology in the past was just wear the producer out. ...
So I told the band when I came in that I would survive the record. I
would not be driven away. ... It got to a certain point where it was
a battle of wills between me and Andy. When it came time to finish
the record, they were so exhausted with the process. They were tired
and homesick after a few months and they just let me finish mixing
the record. ... Andy already had it in his head that this record
[stinks] and I'm going to go home and bitch to everyone about it. He
went off in the press. Then the record comes out and it's considered
one of the best XTC records in years. He's had to eat several plates
of his own words ... and eventually has admitted that it was not only
one of their best records, but it saved their careers."

  Cheers,
  Dave Mallow

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = got demos? - www.davemallow.com
i?
   "If they could do so, cows would kill
      you and everyone you've ever loved."

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Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2007 17:28:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com>
Subject: "Towers of London" is the MySpace song of the week
Message-ID: <921394.33913.qm@web32002.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi:

Over at the XTCfans MySpace site (http://www.myspace.com/xtcfans), the
song of the week is "Towers of London."

If you want to know exactly what's going on at the beginning of the
song, or who Andy was thinking of during the high background vocals at
the end of the song, check out the XTCfans blog site at
http://blog.myspace.com/xtcfans.

I've seen it in their faces
Clear as children's chalk lines on the paving...

-Todd

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End of Chalkhills Digest #13-46
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