Chalkhills Digest Volume 3, Issue 12
Date: Wednesday, 23 October 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 3, Number 12
Wednesday, 23 October 1996
Today's Topics:
XTC Live
its good to be back
Re: Negro
The Negro Inside Me
Terry & The lovemen
Lots of talking, no head
Re: Skylacking
Thanks for X(TC)mas
Stall the engine...
Holiday Greetings promo cd....
A Dream
Great fire burning through...
Australian Fossil Fuels Release / XTC vs. Adam Ant
odds & ends
Live and more
Northeast USA get-together
Letters Q, U, X
thanks and...
Thanks for XMAS
Producers fees
one last time
Slowburn, Mark Owens, Heads
Hello! I'm Old fun
The Hop...doesn't hop
General Warblings
RE: Hurrah's Tape Dub
Dan Roberts & XTC
Jason Falkner
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Then you stagger down to meet the dawn.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Oct 96 14:59:13 EDT From: DaveKGold <70673.317@compuserve.com> Subject: XTC Live Message-ID: <961021185912_70673.317_FHP44-2@CompuServe.COM> There was a person who wrote that they have XTC from the 1989 radio tour to share....the e-mail address was screwy... Please write me with details so that I can contact you. DKG
------------------------------ Subject: its good to be back Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 20:33:44 +0100 (BST) Message-Id: <E0vFQ6b-0002Ms-00@sun-cc203.lboro.ac.uk> From: C Browning <C.Browning-95@student.lboro.ac.uk> well its been about three months since i last had a copy of chalkhills and little seems to have changed! i would like to thank the man who sent me the demos in the post - i'm afraid teh university have erased all my e.maisl from last year so i cannot recall his name and i've left teh letter he sent me at home! but thnaks whoever you were they've kept me entertained all summer holidays. also sorry to backtrack by a few months but when i was last on the list there was a survey to see chalkhill subscribers favourite songwriters - i had to return home before the results came through but i remember having a fascinating discussion about ray davies with the compiler who told me to try something else..... out which i did. and he was right. so if anyone can give me a copy of those results i would be very grateful. thanks chris browning
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 12:43:48 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <v01540b03ae911ef7ef93@[199.171.191.69]> From: gondola@deltanet.com (E.B.) Subject: Re: Negro >From: jhackney@facstaff.wisc.edu (John M. Hackney) > > About 3 weeks ago I was in the Virgin Megastore in Picadilly, >London. I of course checked out the CD section for releases by XTC and >found that they had a pretty big variety of titles. Within the band's >section, however, was a divider with the title "The Negro In Me". There >were no CDs after this divider, so I couldn't determine the release to >which they were referring. I've never heard of this title before! Can >anyone tell me what this might be? There's a CD -- really, it's more of a CD5 -- by Barry Adamson (of Nick Cave fame) called "The Negro Inside Me." Perhaps this is the answer? I have a feeling that the title is some sort of literary allusion, but I don't know for sure. I also don't know why that disc would be filed with XTC, unless the store tries to file related artists together and mistakenly confused Barry Adamson with Barry Andrews. GB
------------------------------ From: myke <jerk@execpc.com> Message-Id: <199610212025.PAA27289@earth.execpc.com> Subject: The Negro Inside Me Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 15:25:30 -0500 (CDT) I think you will find that the card about which you are utterly perplexed is in fact for an album by ex-Magazine/Bad Seeds bassist Barry Adamson, proper title of which is THE NEGRO INSIDE ME. What it is doing in the XTC section is probably the result of an oafish record-store employee who, not wanting to go to the trouble of removing the sticker, simply stuck the recycled divider in our boys' section. In case you're wondering, no, it doesn't sound anything like XTC.. it's like Film Noir, dark-alley electronic instrumental music.. with a few hits of funk thrown in for good measure. Really entertaining, actually, although his newest album OEDIPUS SCHMOEDIPUS isn't nearly as wonderful, imho...
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 06:18:59 +0900 Message-Id: <199610212118.GAA112746@skyhawk.asahi-net.or.jp> From: Tetsuya Shimizu <uk9t-smz@asahi-net.or.jp> Subject: Terry & The lovemen How do you do chalkhills; Thanks to the information from this site, I could get "TESTIMONIAL DINNER" CD. In this CD ,the band playing "The good things" announced themselves as "Terry & the Lovemen". Who are they? "Terry & the Lovemen" was provisional title of XTC's fourth album and the tone of the vocal is slightly like Coiln's voice and this tune was recorded at Swindon and ........ I think this band is pseudonymous one of XTC, am I wrong? Please excuse my poor English Tetsuya Shimizu (uk9t-smz@asahi-net.or.jp)
------------------------------
Message-Id: <v03010401ae91a8997f52@[206.15.131.206]>
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 18:08:07 -0500
From: Gene <isksa@ziplink.net>
Subject: Lots of talking, no head
>From: NAOYUKI ISOGAI <b9400863@cc.mita.keio.ac.jp>
>
>As far as I know, "go" is totally different from "go-moku."
> ...... They
>put a stone alternately, and who has put five ("go" of "gomoku" means
>"five" in Japanese) stones in a line wins. The rule is really simple,
>but you need a lot of techniques if you want to win. To the contrary,
>I don't know the rule of "i-go" ("go" of "i-go" doesn't mean "five"),
>but I'm sure that it is really difficult to win at "i-go."
I guess go-moku is the same as what Koreans call oh-mahk. Five in a row.
I've played many a game with Gramps, who is also a very skilled Go player
(Koreans call it bah-dook), but I find that game so mind- boggling I get a
headache just attempting it.
Speaking of five in a row, I did the unthinkable the other day and got five
CDs in a row, including The Heads' No Talking Just Head. I really like
three of the tracks, including of course Paper Snow, which is very un-XTC
but somehow very Andy Partridge, if that's possible. If you take the
Talking Heads song "Sax and Violins" (which was for the soundtrack to Wim
Wenders' Until The End of the World) and add Partridge's voice and his
clever wordplay/lyrics, you get an idea of the style. I'd venture to guess
it would be David Byrne's favorite, if he were to have one. Someone told
me he's suing the others in the band for doing this album. I wonder what
The Heads thought of working with Andy, since in my mind they replaced one
huge musician ego for another. I can't help but suspect that the voodoo
doll in the sleeve photography (it's labeled with words like "egotism"
"arrogance" and "greed" and appropriately stuck all over with needles) is
referencing their former colleague.
I also like the track with Ed Kowalczyk (from Live) which of all the songs
is the closest to Talking Heads' most popular Naked-era style. "Punk
Lolita" is catchy, with vocals from Tina Weymouth, Deborah Harry and
Johnette Napolitano--is she the one from Concrete Blonde? The rest are
rather mediocre, but it was still worth getting.
I also got the Crash Test Dummies "A Worms Life", a much better album IMO
than God Shuffled His Feet. As someone else mentioned, Brad Roberts is
borrowing a lot from the XTC platter of melody progression, but his lyrics
are still standard CTD (sometimes bordering on banal). The songs are all
very enjoyable, though.
But the best CD of all my recent acquisitions is by far "Factory Showroom"
by They Might Be Giants. A bit shorter than is usual for Them, meaning
"only" 13 songs, but every single track is strong. It's amazing what
consistent and consistently innovative songwriters John and John are.
Ironically "XTC vs. Adam Ant" is my least favorite on the album, which
isn't really putting the song down much. I was a bit disappointed with
their previous effort, "John Henry", but this new one will be a frequent
flyer in my stereo.
Well, enough of that, somehow after spending so much on CDs this week I
feel I had to write a dissertation on the music.
Gene
------------------------------ From: Keith Hanlon <ad180@seorf.ohiou.edu> Message-Id: <199610212255.SAA18491@big.seorf.ohiou.edu> Subject: Re: Skylacking Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 18:55:56 -0400 (EDT) Someone in the last digest wrote (referring to Ian Stewart's Skylacking tape): "there's only gonna be 50, and I'm getting 2. at $5.00 each ya can't lose." Actually, Ian is selling all 3 XTC tribute tapes for $12 - $15 per 3 tape set. He's selling only 50 of "Skylacking" by itself. Check the Chalkhills website for more info. My favorite cuts are Big City Orchestra's "Grass," Samarkand's "Mermaid Smiled" and Dave Stafford's "Ballet for a Rainy Day." Franco Turra's "grass" is great too, but BCO, to me, is beautiful. Anyone else get their copy yet? Opinions, anyone? Pat: Live the Chalkhills shirt!!!! =) Keith
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01540b00ae91b13880a9@[132.170.24.93]> Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 19:12:52 -0400 From: dcm80229@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu (Derek Miner) Subject: Thanks for X(TC)mas In Chalkhills Digest #3-10 Amanda Owens said: >Okay, last year in December I'm in Bath and Body Works in the mall in >Lafayette Louisiana, and they're playing Christmas music. The standard >fair, stuff like "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" and "Last >Christmas I Gave You My Heart", then I hear these very familiar drumbeats, >then the horns some in, and I'm almost shrieking, because I can't believe >what I'm hearing. So I take my little year-old goddaughter out of her >stroller and proceed to dance with her around the crowded store as Thanks >for Christmas blares out for all shoppers to hear. 'Round 'bout Christmas time, County Seat (clothing store, in case it's regional or something) gets an in-store Christmas tape which includes our boys doing "Thanks For Christmas" and one of my other fave Xmas tunes, "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses. That's a great feeling, like people who are "in charge" of putting stuff like that together are giving a real wink-wink to all the fans of obscure bands out there. Makes me all warm and fuzzy. "Thanks For Christmas" will be getting a workout this Christmas season, as well, because two new Christmas collections include it. Rhino's "New Wave Xmas" leads off with the track, credited on the sleeve to The Three Wise Men (aka XTC). They even include the anecdote about the "Virgin Marys" idea Andy had in the liner notes (and strangely enough, they also point out Andy is an athiest). Also including "Thanks For Christmas" is a Geffen/DGC collection called "Just Say Noel," which will be available Oct. 29. The Rhino disc was released on Oct. 15 (Can you all tell I work in a record store?). = Derek Miner =
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 19:42:29 -0400 (EDT) From: SPORTO <wood0910@mach1.wlu.ca> Subject: Stall the engine... Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9610211959.A19089-0100000@mach1.wlu.ca> Chalkhillers, A little moment of XTC-induced confusion for you. I'm driving much too fast in downtown Waterloo, Ontario late for an appointment. I pop out Big Sugar's (Canadian R&B/Rock band - excellent live, BTW) "Hemivision", and the distinct voice of Mr. Partridge is coming through my speakers, singing lyrics that I'm positive I've never heard before. The catchy song ends and to my disgust there is another song on with no back-description of this aural apparition I've just heard. Unfortunately, I reach my destination, 5 minutes late and aggravated beyond description that I may have just possibly heard a clip from a new XTC album (FINALLY) without more info. Well, a little later in the day, I just happened to pickup a copy of the Toronto-area indie paper EYE Weekly, and a review of a new Talking Heads album without David Byrne lists one of the contributing vocalists as non-other than Andy. So I presume it was this song. Can anybody else in the T.O. area confirm this for me? It was on CFNY, Monday afternoon (Oct 21) about 3:30ish. Until then, I will just have to be a little more attentive, I guess. Cheers, Gord Gord Wood, BBA "It is not contrary to reason to prefer Columnist the destruction of the whole world to The Ontarion the scratching of my finger." D. Hume 'travels in nihilon' http://tdg.res.uoguelph.ca/~ontarion
------------------------------ Message-ID: <326C4263.2A92@dpc.net> Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 20:41:23 -0700 From: Scott Anderson <scandcar@dpc.net> Subject: Holiday Greetings promo cd.... ....up for offers! Well, nobody on this list loves XTC more than I...but.. with a brand new bouncy baby girl freshly born last tuesday I could use a few extra dollars...so...I am getting rid of for "best offer" my promo only US cd "Holiday Greetings From Geffen Records" (pro-cd-4363) ....this has... XTC - Merry Christmas Song ( :36 ) XTC - Psychedelic Christmas ( :36 } ....along with other (crap) artists saying Merry Xmas and stuff...thrill to Axl Rose saying "have a merry fuc*ing Christmas" and things like that...truly the only things that make this a really cool thing are the XTC items...only found here. Any offers or advice for the first time father should be sent to... scandcar@dpc.net Thanks all!! Scott.
------------------------------ From: "G.M. Quinn" <lovechunks@hotmail.com> Subject: A Dream Message-Id: <96Oct21.190007pdt.253274(14)@compassion.hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 19:00:07 -0700 I have a glorious goal: There is a garden full of swinging daisies and inobstrusive insects. A small picket fence encircles its wonders. The keeper of the gate is William Blake and he shows us in through the door marked 'Innocence'. A single fleecy lamb gambols across the pathway and as our eyes leave its playtime frolicks, we see a single solitary figure in the middle of the field. As we approach, we see a nugget of pure concentrated and concentrating Andy, seated on a golf-seat, guitar in hand. His eyes are closed, his impish eyebrows knitted together, his hands sculpted around the neck of the instrument. As we sit down upon the grass, he raises his hand and strikes downward, and a chord sings out. As the song takes shape, he begins to sing - in that voice that no other can imitate - and we sit at his feet enthralled. No one joins in, no one forgets themselves and tries to break in on the melody, we just remain silent, wrapped in the private concert. Suddenly, Colin and Dave appear behind him, seeming to pluck new arrangements from the air around them. All around, people are coming out from behind trees. Thom Yorke approaches and says, "Now, that's what music is about". Elvis Costello remains silent, keeping his opinions to his chest. Brett Anderson leaves David Bowie's side and moves towards the ecstatic throng of people. Sting comes in with a swag of political and personal tirades while everyone glances at him and mutters "His early stuff was better..." Thomas Dolby kicks himself while Peter Gabriel sits crying in a corner. With a slight rustle of the wind, more people appear. They are seated at desks, their faces lit up by the radioactive glow of a computer screen. Their fingers fly across the keyboard, working faster and faster...until the music hits them. Blinking in the light, they cast off their computer chains and the Children from the Hills of Chalk walk over to the crowd. As the symphony draws to a close, another figure appears behind Andy. A figure who looks so familiar, yet distant...oh, who is he? Somone I knew in high school...what was his name? In my English class.... That's it. God. Quite dandy of the supreme being to grace us with his presence. As the newcomer leans over Andy's shoulder we hear him whisper a message..."Sorry I never wrote back...lost my pen..." So the music regned. At the end of the night, we all exchanged farewells and Blake showed us through the "Experience? I'll Say!" gate. And as the moon shone brighter and the stars plummeted to earth, we realized that even if there isn't a bit of Robin Goodfellow in every Englishman, Andy at least has a more than hefty dose. O.k, maybe it wasn't so much a dream as a foray into the bowels of my mind. One of the fellow Chalkhillsionians wrote recently about a brush with a Gallagher in a public place. For those Brits out there, two nights ago, I found myself in a pub with Sean Hughes. Not that it did me much good. I didn't have a pen. Should this wondrous dream of mine ever actually occur, I wouldn't be listening to the dulcet and strident tones of XTC. I'd be sitting there cursing under my breath and chanting, "6 pens in my bloody car...and I run into to Andy Partridge" Yours GM Quinn Melbourne Australia "Accident prevention...these aren't accidents! They're throwing themselves into the road willingly..throwing themselves into the road to escape all this hideousness...Throw yourself into the road, darling! You haven't got a chance!" - Withnail 'Withnail and I', Bruce Robinson * --------------------------------------------------------- Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com * ---------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 23:44:22 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <199610220344.XAA13699@cyber1.servtech.com> From: Joshua Hall-Bachner <particle@servtech.com> Subject: Great fire burning through... >- Turning on friends to XTC - someone said a friend said Black Sea > "wasn't any good"??!?! Gaaaaahhhh! Actually, I had a similar experience. > I loaned "Nonsuch" to a friend, and he really liked it, but O&L and > Skylarking were just a little too weird to him. I made a friend of mine an XTC tape, which she liked (I asked y'all for suggestions, remember?), but she bought O&L and didn't really care much for it. So I told her, "Go buy Nonsuch." Voila! Now I just have to get her to buy The Big Express and Skylarking, and her fandom is assured... >- MITCH - Please tell Andy that the new demos are great, and that they > must ALL appear on the next album(s), or as one of our German corres- > pondents said recently, "I shall become cross". Yes! I guess I could survive if Bumper Cars, Some Lovely, and Your Dictionary were left off, but I still like them quite a bit and think they need to be on the album. If the band were merely to re-record the demos we've gotten, and release them *in that order*, I would probably rank the album just above The Big Express (and, from me, that's some praise!) >- One last thing, before I get into a JHB-length posting (just kidding, > Joshua) My reputation precedes me. :) >How do we really know Colin and Dave's views.....Andy does all the talking! Dave does some interviews (mostly with guitar magazines and the like, from what I've seen.) Colin is really the silent one -- you rarely, if ever, see anything from him without the rest of the band there. >I don't agree with plenty of Andy's >views, but I respect them because he is entitled to them. Besides which he >doesn't rant and rave and scream them on a daily basis, and when he does >put them into his music, he at least makes the melodies and chords sound >good, which is a lot more than I can say for other political minded bands >like Pearl Jam and REM, who tend to preach, IMHO, and whose music doesn't >quite cut it. I find that statement quite interesting. I'm not going to speak on Pearl Jam (not being a fan) but other than one album (which has maybe four pretty explicitly political songs), most of REM's "political" songs are so obtuse that you need an interview with the band to make sense of them. Whereas, in XTC songs, both Colin and Andy tend to have an agenda and are hardly going to hide it. As someone who owns complete REM and XTC collections, I can say that XTC have many, many more "political" songs than REM (or at least many more obvious ones), and actually tend to be more "preachy," IMHO. Most of XTC's "issue" songs are done pretty well (This World Over being a great example) but in a number of places (Down In The Cockpit, The Smartest Monkeys) they start to get overbearing and the music suffers for it. >Why don't the people with the demos dub them for the rest of us, and >*charge* money, and then voluntarily send some royalty to the band? 1) We don't have Andy's home address, and Mitch certainly isn't going to give it to us; 2) The lads don't have a record company to forward their mail anymore; 3) People are greedy and suck; 4) Andy's problem with the demos is not people hearing them, but with people like Extatic making money off of them (according to Mitch); 5) It's a huge hassle. IMHO. >One last note: I'd like to publicly thank Phil Corless for a great job on >the "Chalkhills" shirts. I got mine last night and it's superfantastic. I've worn mine to school three times so far. There's one guy who's a huge TMBG fan, who really likes the "XTC Vs. Adam Ant" song...I told him, "You should listen to XTC. They're even better than TMBG." "NO ONE is better than TMBG." Still working on him... :) >Forgive me if this has already come up, but I'm new. Has anyone heard >tracks from the unreleased upcoming XTC release? I met a friend who >knows a friend and..I got most of them. Be curious to hear opinions from >other who've heard this...they're quite a departure from previous >albums, and, being a 13-year fan, I believe much better than the >previous three 8) SH. You mean there is actually a young person other than me on this list? :) Personally: like I said above, I really, really like them. IMHO, this album is going to be Engish Settlement Mark II, not in style but in quality and fan devotion. The style is a quiet, acoustic style mostly, but IMHO pulled off *much* better than on Mummer. My favorites are probably You And The Clouds, I'd Like That and Prince of Orange. Anyone who wants to discuss these with me further, you know my address. :) >So the moral of my story is this: we are all great fans of XTC and of Andy >Partridge, right? As fans, lets all hope that they never, ever tour. Why >should anyone subject him or herself to a arduous tour that could possibly >lead to another breakdown? We'd be selfish to expect XTC to do this! Now, if XTC were touring I would be first in line to buy a ticket, but I must say that I don't mind their not touring and I think it's definitely had a huge positive influence on their music. (Look at the New Demos!) Like the Other Fab Four, their departure from live performance has freed them up to put more work and effort into their studio albums (and, once they've got a new label, we can supposedly expect an album every six months! :) >The fact that they perform this way is just totally charming and will >endear you to them forever. Did me. Check out the Live XTC Cd, >BBC recording to verify. Personally, I think the "Cut It Out" jam that comes off of "Scissor Man" is the coolest thing they've done live (that I've heard), though I quite like the "Extended Watchtower Intro" they do on the Amsterdam Paradiso show. >Which brings me to a question -- other than the supposed >line in Great Fire, are there any XTC obscenities? I can't recall >any off the top of my head... Not on anything legit. A number of bootlegs have Andy getting "dirty," though. The Drunken Jam Sessions of lore, especially, have quite a bit of filthy language from our lads. > Finally, does anyone have the current e-mail address of Dave >O'Connell, from York, PA? I've tried sending several messages, but >apparently his address has changed recently. He contributed to our digest >just a few weeks ago----- Dave, if you read this, send me your new >address, I've got an offer you can't refuse. Dave has had about four different addresses in the past month. Try "Jumpthecup@aol.com"; that's the one I can think of...and speaking of this "offer he can't refuse": how can I get in on it? :) Josh, animals are panicking /---------------------------Joshua Hall-Bachner---------------------------\ | particle@servtech.com http://www.servtech.com/public/particle/ | | "The few surviving samurai survey the battlefield. They count the arms, | \--the legs, the heads, and then divide by five." - They Might Be Giants--/
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199610220639.QAA11759@warchives.riv.csu.edu.au.> From: "Simon Knight" <sknight@warchivegw.riv.csu.edu.au> Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 15:29:59 +0000 Subject: Australian Fossil Fuels Release / XTC vs. Adam Ant Oz chalkhill fans might want to know that Fossil Fuels is supposed to be released locally on the 28th October. I just picked up the import of the new They Might Be Giants album when i was in Melbourne, so i've finally got to hear "XTC vs. Adam Ant". I can't imagine why everyone's said it's nothing special - i think it's fantastic. And why has no-one singled out the incredible "Dear God"-style string arrangement??? And those mellotrons! It's a fantastic XTC pastiche! It's pretty obvious from the music which band they think wins!
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 09:30:11 +0200 (METDST) From: "J. Isaacs" <jisaacs1@aixterm1.urz.uni-heidelberg.de> Subject: odds & ends Message-Id: <Pine.A32.3.91.961022092701.74080A-100000@aixterm1.urz.uni-heidelberg.de> Just some recommendations: I heartily endorse buying "To the bone", if you can find it. It is still import-only in the U.S. I also recommend everyone pile into a big bus and go to the nearest shop and buy "Something Else" and "Village Green Preservation Society" by the Kinks, while they still can. They are cheap, too, like "The Big Express" these days. I saw it last week for 6.99 new. Also, Billy Bragg and Robyn Hitchcock are beginning a whilrwind tour of N. America. Go stand in line now for your tickets. My brain hurts, James
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 13:51:39 +0100 (BST) Message-Id: <v01510100ae9269f6537d@[194.128.83.69]> From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher) Subject: Live and more Jeff Smelser said: >The greatest thing about XTC live is that you sit there thrilled that >they're playing these songs you know by heart then suddenly there's >something different about it. They throw in a little jam,(Battery >Brides), or sing the bridge totally different,(Burning w/Opt/Flames), >or Andy just cops an attitude,(Are You Receiving Me?) and so on. >The fact that they perform this way is just totally charming and will >endear you to them forever. Did me. Check out the Live XTC Cd, >BBC recording to verify. But it's not really true. Or not true enough. In their touring days (when I can attest they were brilliant) they generally did fairly faithful renditions of their recorded material (or should I say, the albums were fairly faithful renditions of the live sets?). This was a good balance. It was an added excitement when Sgt Rock blended with Living Through Another Cuba, or the examples that Jeff gives, but such instances were relatively rare. But it strikes me that any live or near live (like radio sessions) things the band have done since the touring days have been still obsessed with faithfully reproducing the records. And because the records have not been designed with live performance in mind, the live results tend to be pretty disappointing. The only time it begins to work is when they agree to reinvent the recorded tracks, as in the acoustic tour. This really does open up new possibilities, and new ways of hearing the songs. Elvis Costello does this kind of thing all the time, and I'm surprised how little XTC have been prepared to deviate from the originals. It's like they believe there's only one way of doing a song, which is the way it was originally done (similarly the demos change very little between home-recoding and final studio version). Any thoughts? - Mark http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~fisher/
------------------------------
Message-Id: <s26c8fc0.025@DICTAPHONE.COM>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 08:54:02 -0400
From: Tim Kendrick <TKEN@DICTAPHONE.COM>
Subject: Northeast USA get-together
Hi !
There has been some talk at different times
about getting a bunch of us from this list together.
I think someone on the west coast (USA) is planning
something for when the "Chalkhills' Children" tribute tape
is released.
I would be willing to host a similar get-together at my
place in New Haven, Connecticut. Maybe on the day Richard
releases the tape (or the weekend nearest that day) we
could meet at my place and listen to the tape together for the
first time (then maybe listen to the original versions of
those songs as well.)
In any case, it would be a good excuse for some of us
in the Northeast of the US to meet.
I have a decent size townhouse and could handle a group
of up to about 20 - 25 Chalkhillians (any more than that and
we should probably look into renting a hall or something).
If you think you might be interested in this, please email
me privately (not the list).
Later !
Tim Kendrick
tken@dictaphone.com
XTC SONG OF THE DAY: Leisure
------------------------------
Message-Id: <s26c9d36.040@DICTAPHONE.COM>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 09:51:14 -0400
From: Tim Kendrick <TKEN@DICTAPHONE.COM>
Subject: Letters Q, U, X
Okay, this may sound weird but ...
Does anyone know of any XTC songs
whose title begins with the letters
Q or U or X ???
I think these are the only letters that no
XTC song title begins with - unless I'm forgetting
some (?). (And no, 1,000 Umbrellas doesn't count,
as that begins with a "1" not a "U".)
Am I missing any ???
Tim K.
------------------------------
Message-Id: <1.5.4.32.19961022143630.0066b4ac@med.wayne.edu>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 10:36:30 -0400
From: "David A. Komjathy" <dakomja@med.wayne.edu>
Subject: thanks and...
About 3 months ago, I posted my first garbage here extolling the virtues
of my very favorite XTC opus "English Settlement". In addition, I asked if
anyone knew where I could get the original British double album, due to its
rumoUred extra-good sound. Well I just wanted to say thanks to whomever
directed me to Vinyl Ink records, because I bought it for a very reasonable
$20, plus it was not used. Not only does it sound great, but the feel, look.
smell, and refined Angic presence of it is just great. So Thanks, i can die
a happy man.
My next conquest, needed to REALLY die a happy man, is the 12"
Virgin release "English Roundabout b/w "Cut it Out" (both live). Any one
ever seen, heard, or have carnal knowledge of this obviously incredible disc?
DAK
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 09:52:24 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199610221652.JAA19394@mail.calweb.com> From: Steven Reule <steven@obsessed-with-music.com> Subject: Thanks for XMAS For the XTC completist, "Thanks For Christmas" is slated to be on a compilation CD called, if I recall correctly, "Just Say Noel" due at the end of this month. Just passing along the info... Steven Reule Obsessed With Music http://www-obsessed-with-music.com "It's such a cpmplicated game..."
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199610222007.WAA15031@utrecht.knoware.nl> From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl> Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 22:45:31 +0000 Subject: Producers fees Dear Chalkies, Regarding the recent thread about producer fees: Chalkhills & Children, the excellent book on XTC by Chris Twomey, says Todd Rundgren asked (and was paid) $150.000 for Skylarking. But this included accommodation & expenses, studio hire, session musicians and himself. Not a very common arrangement... And for those of you who are interested in trading/swapping XTC items: I have started an online XTC Trading Post. So if you have anything to offer or want something real bad, check out this URL: http://utopia.knoware.nl/~mmello/tpost.html bye, Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse http://utopia.knoware.nl/~mmello/index.html ===> Mark's useless XTC quote for today <== And all the media will fiddle while Rome burns, acting like modern-time Neros
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 17:28:21 -0500 (CDT) From: "Jeffrey with 2 f's Jeffrey" <jenor@csd.uwm.edu> Subject: one last time Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.961022172655.30830C-100000@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu> Irony: message sent asking that Word X not be used, resulting in fact that next ten digests contain Word X many more times than usual. Lesson: why censorship doesn't work. --Jeff Jeffrey J. Norman <jenor@csd.uwm.edu> <http://www.uwm.edu/~jenor/> Dept. of English & Comp. Lit. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ::Some see things as they are, and say "Why?" :: ::Some see things as they could be, and say "Why not?" :: ::Some see things that aren't there, and say "Huh?"::::::::::::::::::::::::
------------------------------ From: ZITTEL@aol.com Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 22:35:29 -0400 Message-ID: <961022223506_1112906953@emout04.mail.aol.com> Subject: Slowburn, Mark Owens, Heads I recently got a tape of an interview that Andy did on London radio (thanks Mick!). One of the things Andy says is that Dave Gregory has recently done some guitar for an upcoming Mark Owens album. I have never heard of Mark Owens. Is anyone familiar with him? Is he any good? The DJ kind of laughed and gave the impression he didn't think much of Mark Owens. By the way, if anyone else has taped any of the interviews Andy has done to promote Fossil Fuels, I would love to get a copy. Please e-mail me so we can work out a trade. I also recently got the new CD by Slowburn (thanks Joe!) that has a cover of "Complicated Game" on it. It seems odd that three bands (Slowburn, Moonshine Willy, Icehouse) in the last two years have chosen to cover this song. Slowburn's version is pretty true to the original. Enjoyable. I must admit that I hate the new Heads CD "Not Talking, Just Heads". I think the track that Andy co-writes and sings, "Papersnow", is the best track on the CD. But most of the CD, in my opinon, is very bland. I think the band definitely misses David Byrne's unique songwriting, singing, and personality. I can see why David Byrne would be so upset over the release of this. Also, could anyone tell me if the new Cathy Dennis CD that Andy co-wrote a song for has been released anywhere yet? I am always looking for others to trade XTC with. My XTC listings are available at: http://members.aol.com/zittel/xtcmain.html
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 12:21:02 +0900 (JST) Message-Id: <199610230321.MAA06268@soda1.bekkoame.or.jp> From: acappela@tau.bekkoame.or.jp (TAKEUJI IGA) Subject: Hello! I'm Old fun Hello, I am a new subscriber to this list but I am a long-time XTC fan. it's about 12 years ago.I heard"english settlement"first.I think It's Great! they must be the beatles'successor,I think so.And I surprised"Skylarling"with todd,But in Japan,They are not popular like Michael Jackson(Japanes Media Always Follow only No.1,Stupid!),I expect this maling list so I did not have enough infomation for them For this 12 years.
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 23:32:11 -0400 (EDT) From: kathryn lynne burda <klburda@umich.edu> Subject: The Hop...doesn't hop Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.95.961022232646.11067A-100000@gorf.rs.itd.umich.edu> Does anyone else out there think that Life Begins at the Hop is one of the dumbest songs they've ever heard? Especially the "ooh-ooh ooh ooh" part. Anyone willing to comment on other songs they just should NOT have recorded (like Jump?).
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 11:43:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Allan Hislop <Allan_Hislop_at_UKCDEE01@ccmail.bms.com>
Subject: General Warblings
Message-id: <9609238460.AA846080203@ccgate0.bms.com>
Hello fellow Chalkhillians,
Being a new subscriber to Chalkhills I've been reading the postings
with interest and amusement for just under a month now and it has been
a revelation that there are so many other fans out there, even if
there doesn't seem to be many from the band's home country.
Is this to do with the current computer capabilities and availability
in the UK I wonder? Or is it British apathy that stops us writing in?
Which brings me to my situation. I do not have access to the Internet
myself. I've obviously got e-mail, but it's a works address.
I happened to stumble upon Chalkhills when using one of the few World
Wide Web connected computers around my workplace. The powers that be
do not take kindly to us using this facility for private use so I'm
relying on these postings for all my up to date info on XTC. Which
isn't always a lot as I presume most of it is presented on the
Chalkhills Archives. Can anyone help me?
I also want to take up a point registered by DeWitt Henderson in
Chalkhills #3-10, re people not liking XTC. I'm 31 and surrounded by
people in their early 20s who have never even heard of XTC! I
remember buying my first XTC album, ES all those years ago, on the
basis of the "Senses.." single. I thought it was crap! And that's
the way I've always thought about each new XTC album on first hearing.
However, after another couple of listenings, they're my favourite
ever! And if I can get anyone else to listen to an XTC album more
than once they always feel the same.
People are lazy, everything has to be instant. With a couple of
exceptions, XTC songs are not catchy enough first time round for the
majority of the general public, IMHO (got to get that acronym in
somewhere). Hence their generally large critical acclaim, but
relatively small record sales.
Sorry to ramble at length, hope I haven't bored you all.
Allan Hislop
Chester, UK
------------------------------ Subject: RE: Hurrah's Tape Dub From: wwilson@mail07.mitre.org (Wesley H. Wilson) Message-Id: <961023081639.628@mail07.mitre.org.0> Date: Wed, 23 Oct 96 08:16:43 -0400 I have received a few requests for a dub of the 1/16/80 (yes, the date has been confirmed) "Hurrah's" show, and I will reply to everyone who sent me e-mail asking about a tape trade. By the way, this show also appeared on a two-record set called "The Rhythm." I don't believe it has been transferred to CD format yet. However, I am going on vacation for a few days and will be back sometime next week. The other thing is I just bought this cassette deck and still haven't hooked everything up. So, bear with me for a little while. I want to produce the best possible recordings. Finally, I will dub onto Maxell XL-IIS tapes. My experience with these shows they stand up well and are reasonably priced. Please wait for my post to the Chalkhills list for further info. Thanks for you patience, Wes
------------------------------ From: Ben Gott <bgott@mail.hotchkiss.pvt.k12.ct.us> Subject: Dan Roberts & XTC Message-ID: <SIMEON.9610231134.A@muahost.mail.hotchkiss.pvt.k12.ct.us> Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 11:03:34 +0000 Just thought you'd all be interested in what Crash Test Dummy Dan Roberts (the bass player) has to say about our friends, XTC: (In response to the question "What are you listening to now?"): "Yeah, that's a tough one because there's your - "stranded on a desert island CD" [!] or what do I listen to right now. I go in sort of phases. I listen to records to death and then I don't listen to them at all. But, I'd say that one of my all-time favorite records is -- again it's redundant because people always hear this from us -- but XTC is clearly one of my favorite bands. "Oranges and Lemons" and "Nonesuch" are two of their newer ones that I like. They're really strong songs with bass playing that I wouldn't change a note of. It's just perfect to me." If you don't have the new CTD CD, "A Worm's Life" (I got it Amanda! It was a gift!), get it ASAP. Regardless of whether or not you like Brad's "throaty" vocal style, the album is full of absolute *gems*. And - not only do they thank Andy Partridge, but also David Yazbek! Neat, huh? Ben ---------------------- Ben Gott The Hotchkiss School "Success is being a quote." -Andy Partridge
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.16.19961023182425.41273d84@cic-mail.lanl.gov> Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 12:24:25 -0600 From: DeWitt Henderson <dewitth@lanl.gov> Subject: Jason Falkner Hola amigos - I just wanted to thank those of you who've recommended Jason Falkner to the group. I picked up his CD last weekend, and it's good - very eclectic. "I Live" reminds me a lot of the Smithereens (if you don't like 'em, sorry), but there's a big variety of material on there. Check it out, folx!!! * ------------------------------ DeWitt Henderson Los Alamos National Laboratory CIC-13 MS P223 Los Alamos, NM 87544 505/665-0720 **(NEW phone #)** * ------------------------------
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #3-12 ******************************
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