Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 63
Date: Friday, 2 February 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 63
Friday, 2 February 1996
Today's Topics:
Tidbits and Factozoids
The Chalkhills...er...animal
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-62
eXTremely ExCellent XTC shirt
Animated Andy ('fraid not)
Ben Folds Five
Dave's Classical training
Fee fi fo fum
ANDY & COLIN'S VOCALS
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-62
The Wiz, The Fish, The Horse and The Mouse
XTC = MDMA? I DOUBT IT
Censors working undertime
Towers of London picture disc
NYC musicians?/ DG with Aimee?
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-62
Cardiacs and Xtc
No Towers of London pic disc
XTC & Drugs
The future's so bright...
Top 3 D.I.D.s/Forever Knight
Dave gregory vocal talent?
The origin of xTc...the band name
lyrics to The Meeting Place
Ordering Newell/Yazbek CDs
Who Sings What, Strummer, Digital Crayolas
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But nobody can say what they really mean to say and...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ben Gott <BENG@hotchkiss.pvt.k12.ct.us>
Subject: Tidbits and Factozoids
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 96 18:25:00 est
My english teacher, who (up to this point) I thought knew nothing, got into
a conversation with me about XTC! I was mentioning how I've had an XTC song
stuck in my head for the past week, and he apologized, saying "any band
that stops touring has some big egos getting in the way." I immediately
yelled at him, saying that XTC was the greatest band in the world, and so
what if Andy Partridge has a big ego? "Partridge," was his reply, "Andy
Partridge, is that his name? He's got a few screws loose!"
I'm lending him my "English Settlement" tomorrow.
MORE TIDBITS:
"Thrak" was nominated for a Grammy;
XTC (more specifically, Andy) is mentioned in the Rolling Stone review for
Peter Blegvad's new album;
TD lights my fire; and
I got a rather nasty e-mail response from Mr. Hinz, of EMI Records
USA...After reading Danny Manners's post, it seems that the left hand
doesn't know what the right hand is doing, down there at EMI...
Ben
XTC SONG OF THE DAY: Zonked Right Out (On Life) ("Ha, ha!")
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 16:44:46 -0800 From: sljor@oro.net (Sylvia Jordan) Subject: The Chalkhills...er...animal Craig Obsborne remarked in #2-62: >the same article mentioned the view that the "horse " looks more feline >than equine and even has what appear to be whiskers. whadaya think ? I must admit that I never knew the English Settlement symbol was a *horse* until...gads, I'm so embarrassed to admit this...until I joined the list last autumn! I mean, I knew that it was ancient, and had seen photos of it, knew the region it was from, all that, but had never heard it referred to as "the Chalkhills Horse" before. I ALWAYS thought it was a cat -- right from the git-go -- no doubt about it. What a jolt to find that I'd had it pegged as the wrong species! In my heart it'll always be a cat! I'll never get past it! It has whiskers, for god's sake! Anyway, its legs are too short to be a horse! I don't believe it! Not for one minute!! *ahem* Sorry to vent -- how unutterably rude. I'm obviously in denial, and it's making me cranky. Feeling incorrect and inappropriate, sylvia
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jan 96 20:34:40 EST From: Melissa Reaves <MREAVES@KENTVM.KENT.EDU> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-62 Just a short one today. 1) Heard on the radio today that Mr. Partridge is supposed to be contributing to the forthcoming Voice of the Beehive CD. What's up with that? 2) Yes, Dignan, I definitely hear Madness in Blur. I saw the XTC comparison much better the other day listening (as I rarely do) to White Music. 3) A couple of my favorite purchases of 1995 were _Finn_ and _Ben Folds Five_,not to mention Combustible Edison's _I, Swinger_, Alanis Morrissette's _Jagged Little Pill_ and Everything but the Girl's _Amplified Heart_. Oh yes. And some obscure compilation album called _A Testimonial Dinner_. 4) Tom X., glad to hear someone mention Jane Siberry. Why I remember her >from "Waitress" in 1985. Hadn't thought about her much since, but recently I keep hearing snippets of her and want to buy something of hers now. Does anyone know what CD "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog" appears on? 5) Thank you, and good night. --Melissa
------------------------------ From: ToddT8@aol.com Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 20:56:20 -0500 Subject: eXTremely ExCellent XTC shirt >Hey, many hosannas to Phil Corless, who made up one bitchin' Chalkhills >T-shirt. I am now the envy of my neighborhood. Now, they can scratch their >heads in even more bewilderment as I drive around in my car with its "XTC >FAN" license plate wearing my Chalkhills T-shirt. Couldn't agree more. I must admit I was a little apprehensive sending my money to a total stranger for a shirt I had no idea of what it would look like. It is amazing!! My wife who is an XTC fan only by osmosis thought it looked great. Great color, great graphics. I only hope that I don't wear it out too quickly! It really makes me feel better about this world when things like this work out so perfectly. Todd
------------------------------
From: Martin_Monkman@fincc04.fin.gov.bc.ca
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 21:24:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Animated Andy ('fraid not)
Richard Aaron Manfredi, in Chalkhills #2-62, writes:
> Browsing through the Chalkhills Web Site, I had a chance to re-read the
>interview with Andy Partridge where he documents being approached by Disney
>to do the songs for an animated musical version of James and the Giant
>Peach. I had let it slip my mind until a friend of mine mentioned seeing a
>preview for the movie when she saw Toy Story. She said it looked very
>good, even though it was definately British. I mentioned the Disney thing,
>and she said she didn't remember it being a definately Disney project, but
>since they seem to secretly have their hands in everything, then who knows?
>I was curious if anyone knows what is going on w/ the movie, then?
I'm a big Roald Dahl fan -- I first read "Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory" in about 1970 (I remember trying to read, but being
distracted by a new Beatles song, "Octopus's Garden", which appealed
to my 9 year old mind). Now I have kids of my own, we've been slowly
making our way through the Dahl canon. Wonderful stuff!
I digress ... but at least now you know why I'm so interested in
this film!
The forthcoming (last I heard it was an April release) "James and
the Giant Peach" film is indeed a Disney offering, although not one
of the *Disney Classics*. It is a stop-motion animated film,
directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton (the pair behind
"Nightmare Before Chrismas", another stop-motion animation film).
Randy Newman, a very adept and prolific soundtrack composer, will be
providing the music, including five new Newman songs.
(Another Dahl tidbit ... "Matilda" is set to hit the big screen in
the not-too-distant future, starring the wife and husband team of
Rhea Perlman and Danny Devito.)
Martin
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 01:08:39 -0700 From: James Robert Campbell <jrcampbe@mines.utah.edu> Subject: Ben Folds Five Just picked up an album by a group called Ben Folds Five (self-titled album). *VERY* Jellyfish-ish for those interested. The current track on the radio called 'Underground' would make you swear that Andy Sturmer or Roger Manning was in the band, but there was no connection evident in the CD liner. At least I *finally* found an album I could sink my teeth into as we await the next bone tossed our way by our favorite lads!! 8^) I definitely recommend it! Cheers, --James
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 08:02:35 -0600 (CST) From: kimw@rice.edu (Kim E. Williams) Subject: Dave's Classical training From: Ewalther@eworld.com Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 13:08:45 -0800 Subject: Classical Training or Wot? Sitting here on a cold winters day bouncing between ES and Bach and hearing very similar arrangements with strings, melody & variations makes me wonder does anyone out there know what kind of 'training' our lads (esp. Dave) have in so called classical music? *------------------------------- According to a number of sources, Dave fell in love with the guitar when he was 10 years old. His parents were classical music buffs, so they wouldn't buy him a guitar, but they did want to encourage his love of music, so they bought a piano. He took lessons, and even learned to play the cello, which have helped because it taught him music theory, but his first love was still the guitar. At 14, he bought his first and the rest, as they say, is history! Kim "...So judge me not for what I did, but for what I didn't do." Best Thing - Peter Blegvad
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 09:59:43 EST From: patty@gdb.org (Patty Haley) Subject: Fee fi fo fum I smell a new FAQ question... -Patty > From: Greg Kuchmek <gkuchmek@soho.nyc.prodigy.com> > > What is the origin of the > band name XTC? Is it related to the drug MDMA(ecstasy) [ Agreed. New FAQ answer coming up! -- John ]
------------------------------ From: jenny@next.com.au Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 01:11:11 +1000 Subject: ANDY & COLIN'S VOCALS ARRGRGRGRGHHGHGH!!!! It's Flame time. Are you all completely daft?!! Adam from box@nemesis.com.au wrote.... >>I'm _definitely_ sure it's Colin on The Mole From The Ministry. :) It's ANDY. He WROTE it. You can read various interviews with Andy to prove all of this. Whoever WROTE the song SINGS it. Duh. This is the second time I've had to explain this to a Chalkhillian. It's like that for every XTC album so why would it be different on Chips from the chocolate.....etc. >>Oh, and after hearing Collideascope a few times, I'm dead sure that's >>Colin as well. Arrrghghg! Come on! It's ANDY once again. He even sang it with Aimee Mann! >>Andy can't distort his voice as well as Colin can [look >>at Grass compared with The Meeting Place]. Hey, I hate to tell you but COLIN WROTE BOTH SONGS. And he sings them BOTH. Sorry to get so riled... but I like to think that if you're a big enough fan to subscribe to the digest, you would at least know the members of the band well enough to know their songs and vocal styles. Phew. OK, I feel better now. Sorry. Eliot.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 10:29:56 -0500 (EST) From: Natalie Jane Jacobs <gnat@umich.edu> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-62 I had a look at the "Front Man" column in this month's (?) "Musician" magazine concerning our Andy. It's pretty brief, and there's not a lot in there I hadn't heard before (Virgin/EMI is being a dickweed, etc.), but worth a look nevertheless. The accompanying photo shows Andy pulling a face which reminded me strangely of Joel Hodgson (of MST3K fame). One comment that Andy made had me pondering. He mentioned that he hated his "mannered" singing style from the early albums, which struck me as odd because I love that style - it's utterly silly. I love the weird hairball noises in "Spinning Top," and the various retching, hiccuping, etc. in "All Along the Watchtower." Between him and Colin, I always imagined the studio bathed in phlegm after the recording of "White Music" was over. Of course, Andy's unadorned singing voice is lovely - he has a very fine (and LOUD) resonant tenor - but his vocal tricks are pretty cool too, whether he's hiccuping, bellowing, or scat-singing. Maybe he's off the idea of using the voice as a musical instrument unto itself, and wants to use it solely as a way of conveying lyrics and melody, without drawing attention to it. That's cool, too. It's always a pleasure to hear him sing, no matter what he's singing. Natalie Jacobs ************** "If God lived on earth, people would break his windows." - Jewish proverb
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 10:44:09 -0600 (CST) From: Scott Taylor <staylor@sky.net> Subject: The Wiz, The Fish, The Horse and The Mouse Scattered responses to Chalkhills#2-62: >>the great land of Oz." Did he mean Frank L. Baum, the author of the Oz >>books? Or, who is Frank L. Richards? > >Yes, he meant Frank L. Baum. He admits he goofed -- see the Reflex >article from May 1992. There is no Frank L. Richards. He goofed even further, didn't he? I always thought the author was L. Frank Baum, not Frank L. >Jellyfish is back with a vengeance! The Umajets, made up of a former >Jellyfish member and a guy from local Atlanta faves Thing1-Thing2, >debuted in Atlanta last night at the Cotton Club. They did a rousing And while you're waiting for them to come to a venue near you, track down the Ben Folds Five. They're as near to Jellyfish as anyone I've heard yet (and I'm going to drive 50 miles through sub-zero weather to see them tomorrow night -- I won't repeat the "why bother going out to see Jellyfish tonight? They'll be back around again in six months" mistake I made two and a half years ago.). I've seen BF5 mentioned here occasionally, but I can't believe their debut CD didn't make ANYBODY'S 1995 top-ten list. It's right atop mine. >article about the Uffington Chalk Horse, as advertised on the cover >of English settlement. Last year some boffins from oxford university >dated the excavation of the horse to within the period 1400 - 600 BC, >about a thou years earlier than previous estimates. Yeah,Yeah, big >deal, i know .. but the same article mentioned the view that the " >horse " looks more feline than equine and even has what appear to be >whiskers. whadaya think ? Well, if you want a better image than the CD cover to check for yourself, check my homepage at http://www.sky.net/~staylor. Two pictures of the Uffington horse are there, snapped from a program I happened to catch on the Discovery channel. I mentioned these images a couple of months ago here in Chalkhills but had problems sending them via email to those of you who responded. You can pull them down in .JPG format from that page. >Peach. I had let it slip my mind until a friend of mine mentioned seeing a >preview for the movie when she saw Toy Story. She said it looked very >good, even though it was definately British. I mentioned the Disney thing, >and she said she didn't remember it being a definately Disney project, but When I saw _Toy Story_ and its accompanying trailers, there was nothing presented beforehand that did *not* come from Disney. (Disney certainly is not going to give any ground to the competition when it comes to marketing & self-promotion.) Safe to assume that if she saw it promoed with _Toy Story_, it's their project. (I don't recall seeing this one myself at that time, but the preview for the live-action _101 Dalmatians_ looked interesting. Wonder if it'll feature the Replacements' cover of "Cruella De Ville".) +-----------------------------+ | Scott M. Taylor | | staylor@sky.net | | http://www.sky.net/~staylor | +-----------------------------+
------------------------------ From: g.giusti@area.it (Giovanni Giusti) Subject: XTC = MDMA? I DOUBT IT Date: 31 Jan 1996 17:09:54 GMT Organization: area bbs In Chalkhills Digest #2-62, Greg Kuchmek wrote: > What is the origin of the > band name XTC? Is it related to the drug MDMA(ecstasy)? I could be mistaken, but I'm quite sure that MDMA did not even exist when XTC released their first album. As you know, "exstasy" (in Greek: "being outside [oneself]"), was there before drugs. It just means extreme joy. Sorry for posting such an obvious answer... Giovanni
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 18:16:57 +0000 From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher) Subject: Censors working undertime I do love the democratic spirit of these discussions - everyone can have their say and all - but the thread about who sings lead vocal on which song drives me mad. Please, please accept it as fact that without exception the songwriter is always the lead singer on every XTC and Dukes track. The only room for possible debate is on backing vocals. Mark Fisher (fisher@easynet.co,uk)
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 14:48:23 -0700 (MST) From: dahaa@primenet.com (David Haakenson) Subject: Towers of London picture disc Hiya gang, Has anyone heard of a Virgin UK picture disc 7" version of the Towers of London single? I never have, but found someone on the web selling records who says she just sold one to a guy. She was familiar with the double pak 7" set, as well as the 1-disc release; she also was aware of the thick plastic sleeve around the double pak. But she says this definitely was a picture disc and was from Virgin UK. That's all she remembered. Anyone ever hear of this? cheers, david haakenson
------------------------------ From: DWSpeck@aol.com Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 17:25:01 -0500 Subject: NYC musicians?/ DG with Aimee? Oh, gee, I do hate to diverge from proper subject matter, but it seems as though a number of Chalkhillian musicians are (possibly wisely) using Our Mutual Forum as an electronic musicians' want ads page, so I'll toss in my lot. I am a paltry NYC excuse for an A. Partridge, with a Chambers-man in tow, looking desparately for a Moulding and Gregory to complete the line-up. This is far from a slavish-(and bad) imitation project, but XTC will always be my favorite touchstone. Further details gladly provided. Call 718 399 3796, or email dwspeck@aol.com. To provide _something_ appropriate, I still haven't seen a reply to the question concerning whether DG (or possibly a repeat appearance by Andy?) will be appearing with Aimee Mann in NYC. Did I miss something? Douglas W. Davis dwspeck@aol.com
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 20:18:30 -0500 From: JES <xtc@mindspring.com> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-62 Greg Kuchmek <gkuchmek@soho.nyc.prodigy.com> wrote: > I'm sorry but I need to know the answer to this old question. I've asked > elsewhere, but only relieved roundabout answers. What is the origin of the > band name XTC? The story goes that Andy chose the name XTC because it would be easy to spot in the charts. When the band was named, I don't think that ecstasy had been popularized or named. And, besides, aside from the Homo Safari tracks, I don't consider XTC's music to be X kinda stuff anyway. AT least, not White Music or the 3-D EP.
------------------------------ From: Stephen Gilchrist <sgilchrist@mailhost.bretton.ac.uk> Subject: Cardiacs and Xtc Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 19:40:00 PST Dear Chalkhills. I am a music student currently writing a thesis on the cult rock band Cardiacs. I have been looking at the various bands that might have influenced them including such bands as Devo, Rush and Xtc. Xtc I think has had the most profound effect on Cardiacs and their main song writer Timmy Smith as they have even entitled a whole album "On Land and In the Sea", which some of you might recognise from "Crosswires". Andy Partridge has in the past has acknowleged that he is a fan and owns their album "Big Ship" which was released in 1986. Some of you might recall Cardiacs appearence on the tube from this time. If anyone has anything on this subject that they would like to offer me then I would be more than grateful. I am also in the process of contacting Andy but am having difficulty. If any of you have anything that will help then please email me! If Louie Barfe (who I believe is a Chalkhills subscriber) is reading this please will you contact me. Thanks, Stephen P. Gilchrist
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 02:33:43 -0700 (MST) From: dahaa@primenet.com (David Haakenson) Subject: No Towers of London pic disc Just got an e-mail note from the person who claimed to have had this disc. She now says she was mistaken, which is good, because her initial e-mail that said she'd actually had this item was hard to believe. I'd been careful to buy everything as it was released and had NEVER heard of a pic disc release. So, everyone can relax again. There's nothing to see here. Keep moving... cheers, david
------------------------------ Date: 01 Feb 96 13:59:05 EST From: Simon Sleightholm <101477.1611@compuserve.com> Subject: XTC & Drugs >From: Greg Kuchmek <gkuchmek@soho.nyc.prodigy.com> >I'm sorry but I need to know the answer to this old question. I've asked >elsewhere, but only relieved roundabout answers. What is the origin of the >band name XTC? Is it related to the drug MDMA(ecstasy)? The band took the name XTC in 1975 reputedly after Andy saw a clip of film of Jimmy Durante singing The Guy Who Found The Lost Chord and shouting "Dat's it! I'm in X-T-C". As far as I know the only real drug Andy was ever involved with was valium, prescribed by his doctor to counter signs of anxiety at the age of 12, on which he remained dependant for 13 years until his then partner Marianne flushed the lot down the toilet. I suspect, like many other provincial UK towns in the '70s, Swindon achieved most of it's narcotic bliss by means of alcohol, a source on which the band reportedly drew heartily - the combination of cider and expulsion from school being something of a band speciality. Check out Chris Twomey's bio of the band if you need further info. I can't imagine a band like XTC being too reliant on drugs for inspiration; if you have the natural talent and, more importantly, imagination they possess in profusion, why waste money on drugs? Simon Sleightholm. SONG OF THE DAY "My Paint Heroes" - "All of Paris giggles with flags..."
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 12:30:54 -0800 From: mikem9@ix.netcom.com (Mike Martis ) Subject: The future's so bright... If it's true that our guys' contract mess is close to being wiped up, hallelujah! It's about time. We can finally begin to see the reflection of a new disc at the end of the tunnel. As an aforementioned Nonsuch fan, I'd be tickled pink to see something along those lines, but I won't be picky. I'm finding the current music scene a bit bland (with a large exception - more later), and would settle for an album of Go2 outtakes recorded backwards, so long as it's XTC. I know they won't let us down. Speaking of new XTC, I hope to hear AP's new demo stuff when I visit a friend who's a friend of Dave Gregory. Is this demo readily accessible, or do you have to know somebody (like my friend, who I don't want to ask for a copy because he got it from Dave and...well, you understand - good manners and such)? I would be willing to, uh, trade something (though I have next to nothing in the way of XTC stuff) for a copy. A weak plea, admittedly, but I have to try. And now for new music...thanks to y'all who'd been tossing kudos around for Ben Folds Five, I blindly plunked down my money. And I'm happy to report that it's the best $15 I've spent in recent memory. These guys have a great, great sound and are going places. I highly recommend them to anyone who likes the more melodic XTC, although I have a tough time finding any similarities in these two bands. Here's to new XTC in '96. --Mike
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 16:24:32 -0500
From: vanvalnc@is2.nyu.edu (Chris Van Valen)
Subject: Top 3 D.I.D.s/Forever Knight
Hi to all
Whie suring the 'Net, I hit Sony's homepage where they have a survey which
asked "If you were stranded on an island and found a CD player with
headphones(yeah, likely!) and had only three CDs that you had to listen to,
which three would they be" This was very difficult, but I picked these:
"Vienna" Ultravox
"Thrak" King Crimson
"Nonesuch" XTC
So to all of you out there, I'l put this question to you--Pick your 3
D.I.D.s and e-mail them to me. But PLEASE!!! send me ONLY 3, and enter ONLY
ONCE. All three will be weighed equally, so order is not important. I will
post my findings on March 1.
On a totally tangential topic, one of my favorite TV shows, Forever Knight,
is being threatened with termination. If anyone is interested in joining
the very heavy letter writing campaign underway, you can also e-mail me for
info.
Cheers, CV
If you have an unpleasant nature and dislike people
this is no obstacle to work.
--J.G. Bennett
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 1996 13:10:51 +1000 From: jenny@next.com.au (Eliot Fish) Subject: Dave gregory vocal talent? Hey folks. After my nasty flame about Colin & Andy's vocals being mistaken for each other... I thought I'd drop this in the pot for a bit of a bubble. We all know that the composer of the song is the singer... however... does anyone really know what Dave Gregory's voice sounds like? Take this for instance... on the whole of Chips From The Chocolate Fireball, it's quite easy to pick who is singing due to their unique techniques (and accents). In some cases it's both Andy & Colin mixed together (like on the Chorus of 25 O'Clock), BUT BUT BUT... on Bike Ride to the Moon, even though at times you can hear Andy's vowel delivery... the accent is unlike either him or Colin. Maybe.... just maybe we're hearing Dave Gregory singing here? Thoughts? Have a listen.... maybe it is still Andy... but... gee... it just could be DAVE!!! Eliot.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Feb 1996 10:54:56 -0600 From: Erik Anderson <Erik.Anderson@city.saskatoon.sk.ca> Subject: The origin of xTc...the band name >From: Greg Kuchmek <gkuchmek@soho.nyc.prodigy.com> >Subject: origins >Date: Fri, 26 Jan 96 00:11:39 +0000 (GMT) >I'm sorry but I need to know the answer to this old question. I've asked >elsewhere, but only relieved roundabout answers. What is the origin of the >band name XTC? Is it related to the drug MDMA(ecstasy)? This -- and rumors that Andy actually "collapsed" on stage -- are the most common myths around. They are both totally FALSE! In Chris Twomey's biography *Chalkhills,* Andy explained that they chose the name because "it looked good in print." Nothing more... Good question, Greg. Like most of us, I am often offended by the association between xTc the band and ecstacy the drug, especially considering the fact Andy has never experimented with narcotics. Erik
------------------------------ From: GROOVE25@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU Date: Fri, 2 Feb 96 10:57:14 CST Subject: lyrics to The Meeting Place Hi. Can someone out there tell me what the back-up singers are singing after Colin sings the line "Strolling under grimey skies..."? It's something like "[indistinct] smoke get in your eyes". It's the word before "smoke" that eludes me. I've checked the Chalkhills lyrics archive and this line is mysteriously omitted. Also, is he really singing "Chimney never looked so good..."? It sounds more like "Chimley", whatever that might be. Thanks, Doug Downing
------------------------------ Subject: Ordering Newell/Yazbek CDs From: wwilson@mail07.mitre.org (Wesley H. Wilson) Date: Fri, 2 Feb 96 13:45:08 -0500 DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affilated with the following store; just reporting my experience as a service to Chalkfolk everywhere. I had a lot of trouble finding David Yazbek's "The Laughing Man" CD as a Japanese import; however, a local (New England) music chain called Newbury Comics was most helpful and did (finally!) find me the CD. I just ordered Newell's "The Off-White Album." Hope they get it in soon! Check out their web site at http://www.newbury.com for cool album reviews, etc. You can call (or stop by) any of their stores and talk with them about what you're looking for. I don't do mail order with them, but I think it may be available. They stock a variety of indy and mainstream CDs, includng many titles discussed here in Chalkhills. Tally ho! Wes
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 02 Feb 1996 12:14:10 -0800
From: dfranson@mail.execpc.com (Dave Franson)
Subject: Who Sings What, Strummer, Digital Crayolas
I realize that I'm gonna be just One of the Millions who responds to this
one, but I can't help it... in Chalkhills 2-62, Adam (box@nemesis.com.au)
said:
>I don't know for sure, but I think it's Colin on 25 O'Clock, I'm pretty
>sure it's Andy on Bike Ride To The Moon, and I'm _definitely_ sure it's
>Colin on The Mole From The Ministry. :)
These are all Andy, in keeping with the songwriting credit=lead vocalist
equation. Listen again. It's part of the fun!
>Oh, and after hearing Collideascope a few times, I'm dead sure that's
>Colin as well.
Definitely Andy, but I was also mistaken about this one for a couple years.
I think it's because it sounds like the type of song Colin would write.
(See "What in the World, in particular.)
>Andy can't distort his voice as well as Colin can [look
>at Grass compared with The Meeting Place].
Uh, I don't get your point... Colin is the vocalist on both these tracks.
>This album's [Chips] full of Colin gems...
Agreed! Just give Andy his due!
*------------------------------------------------
In the same digest, Phil (ee92pmh@brunel.ac.uk) wrote
>Just grabbed a copy of 'London Calling' on (French!) CD single, on the
>basis that "hmm, classic song, haven't heard it for ages, gotta be worth
>having". Is it just me, or is Joe Strummer Andy Partridge's long lost
>cousin or something? I'd forgotten just how good that song was...
>
>Any views?
Gee, I never thought of putting Joe and Andy in the same sentence, but Joe
certainly had his moments as a songwriter. I agree that "London Calling"
remains as urgent and exciting as when first released. (I won't say it
"holds up," because I don't think it was ever in danger of losing impact!)
BTW, I was amused to see Joe pontificating as one of the grand ol' men of
the punk movement in one of the recent half-dozen or so "History of Rock 'n
Roll" documentaries. (Has creating those become a cottage industry, or
what?) I have this twisted dream that WHEN (we must believe!) XTC release
their new album, the world will suddenly discover them and they'll be feted
on VH1 and the like. It's the perfect Cinderella story-- band achieves
early recognition, labors in obscurity for 15 years, then (backed by
aggressive marketing from their new label) release a breakthrough album that
goes on to win a Grammy and <gasp!> an American Music Award! (I told you my
dream was twisted!)
*------------------------------------
Miles Coleman (coleman@cougarnet.byu.edu) wrote...
>BTW, I unexpectedly found and purchased the BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert for
>a mere $15.00!
This is available domestically for about that price. (Presumably, the
domestic product is what you encountered. Good news for all the rest of you
in North America who are looking for this item on the cheap.)
>"Burning with Optimism's Flame" never sounded so good!
Agreed! That one always sounded great live!
Digression for prospective bootleg buyers or tape traders... I long put off
picking up a copy of the "Fab Four in Philly" boot because it was of a
similar era as the BBC Radio 1 release and the song selection was near
identical. Big Mistake! I would submit that the performance captured on
FFIP is livelier than the Beeb release. In addition, the sound quality,
>from a radio broadcast, is excellent. And I should probably also mention
that this boot includes a live version of "Ball and Chain."
Oh, speaking of bargains... yesterday I picked up the UK "Ballad of Peter
Pumpkinhead" digipack for $1.99. ("BOPP," "Wardance," "My Bird..." (demo),
"Always Winter..." (demo).) OK, I already had the stuff a couple times
over, but the collector in me overcame the cheapskate. Check those cut-out
bins!!
*--------------------------------------------
Danny Manners <100637.2212@compuserve.com> was kind enough to write of his
recent conversation with Dave Gregory...
>The good news is that XTC are *not* folding, and have *finally* agreed a
>settlement with Virgin/EMI. I didn't get any of the details, but Dave said
>the paperwork would be signed in a couple of weeks. Then of course they'll
>have to start seriously looking for another label, so we're still going to
>have to wait a while for a new album. But for now at any rate the band have
>every intention of continuing.
Thanks so much for passing this on! As another poster noted a couple
digests back, Andy is featured in the "Frontman" piece in the March issue
of Musician, and he echoes the sentiment that XTC will continue.
*------------------------------------------
Finally, a plug for a personal project of mine. The Nonsvch Colouring Book
is available as a diversion at:
http://www.execpc.com/~dfranson/nonsvch.html
If you've never visited, or you haven't been 'round for a while, you may
especially enjoy the XTC-centric "front-end."
Dave
http://execpc.com/~dfranson
_______________
"People used to say BRAZIL was all an invention,
but I thought it was a documentary." --Terry Gilliam
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #2-63 ******************************
Go back to Volume 2.
2 February 1996 / Feedback