Chalkhills Digest Volume 3, Issue 124
Date: Thursday, 5 June 1997
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 3, Number 124
Thursday, 5 June 1997
Today's Topics:
One LAST LAST (final!) call - Atlanta gathering
I know it's only rock'n'roll but I'm ambivalent about it...
Re: bassaholics
Upsy Daisy in CMJ
re : Convention
Cathy Dennis / PatroNet
The Suburbs
I suppose I ought to post this
The Alternative Opinion
Deeper Meaning isn't crap
Lost in Music
Floyd OZ connection
It's not nice to confuse the stupid.
Rustled from a lengthy, deep lurk! (Long - sorry!)
Re: Fave Bass
...Drums and Wireless...
Chalkhills' Children `96
Swindon's Latest Offspring
T-Shirts For All! (Well, *some*)
bassists
Preaching to the Converted
Why Not Gild the English Lily(white)?
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-Id: <1.5.4.32.19970603025916.0067d638@pop.mindspring.com> Date: Mon, 02 Jun 1997 22:59:16 -0400 From: Pete <pete_srd@mindspring.com> Subject: One LAST LAST (final!) call - Atlanta gathering Hey Chalkies... I'm hosting the get-together in Atlanta (Marietta, actually) on June 21. Any newbies or people who missed the previous posts - you are welcome to attend. It'll be a day thing at my house with food, swimming (maybe), and possibly live music although I have not received the final word from the band's record company or road managers (only one person will get that inside joke). I hate to think I'm competing with the convention that recently happened in England...but it should be fun. Email pete_srd@mindspring.com for more info. Pete
------------------------------ Message-ID: <c=AU%a=_%p=DPIEXCH%l=DPIEXCH/MHOEXCH/0016CE95@pibcrmexh001.pib.dpi.qld.gov.au> From: "McDonald, Roger" <McDonaRF@prose.dpi.qld.gov.au> Subject: I know it's only rock'n'roll but I'm ambivalent about it... Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 15:12:00 +1000 Dear Andy 'yours in anticipation of being completely ignored' Miller, You deserved to be replied to on the strength of your sign-off alone! I was amused to notice that you used the term 'rock'n'roll' in exactly the sense I originally intended - with a little snigger of amusement. Well, wasn't it Brian Eno who told that bunch of tossers U2 that if you're going to play rock'n'roll these days you've got to do it with a wink (as opposed to a wank!)?? I'm glad there's still people who are prepared to get passionate about important things however, you (in your haste to upset me;)) failed to note that my central thrust was - Surely there has to be a middle ground. You unwittingly backed up my point when you said: His misfortune is to be publishing books to an audience many of whom think civilization began and ended when Johnny Rotten stuck a safety pin through the Queen's nose. We're not all Doctors of Philosophy on the Chalkhills list you know. Some of us are still finishing our theses! Marcus in taking such an intellectual stance is limiting his potential audience to a few elitist trainspotters working in Universities (and publishing houses). Not all music lovers are dumb (there's some potential one liners in there about heavy metal and rap music but I'm not touching them) but nor do they want to spend a sunny afternoon wading through something that's about as exciting as an economics textbook. Look, just so you understand my point I'll say it again: Surely there has to be a middle ground. Anyway, I talked to Griel Marcus the other day and you'll be happy to know his next book concerns the parallel between the Reformation, the Spanish inquisition and David Bowie's career up to and including Tin Machine! Sounds like absolutely rivetting reading. ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............;) regards, RogerFromOz P.S. You Said: OK, Rog, let's all stay dumb, and chug a few beers, and listen to some good old "rock'n'roll" That's a terrible thing to say - I'm MUCH worse than that!
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 22:56:10 -0700 (PDT) From: "J. Brown" <ringostr@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: bassaholics Message-ID: <Pine.A41.3.95b.970602224510.27228B-100000@dante32.u.washington.edu> Dave Seaman <SEAMAN@A1.ISD.UPMC.EDU> wrote: > its great to see homage given to pete thomas of the attractions and > graham maby, as well. in addition to colin and that paul guy from > liverpool, these are some of the very best. (at least in the rock/pop > genre, i think...) As a huge Elvis Costello fan (he's number 1 for me with XTC a close number 2) i must chime in on this Pete Thomas is the drummer (a great one at that) in the attractions and BRUCE Thomas is the bassist. Bruce is a divine Bass player. Along with Colin and Paul, Bruce has inspired me to become a bassist myself. And someday my band the Blase Kumquats will that the world by storm (yeah right!). Another great Bassist that hasn't been mentioned here is Nick Lowe. There is some great Bass work on his solo albums asnd on Elvis Costello's Brutal Youth Nick outclasses Bruce Thomas by a mile. Jason, who really ought to finish that Mordecai Richler Paper nl: Passages- Ravi Shankar and Phillip Glass %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % Jason Wilson Brown %% % % ringostr@u.washington.edu %% Fuck Off, You Twat! % % History & Canadian Studies %% -Paul McCartney % % Seattle, Washington, USA %% % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01540b00afb9148e1dc3@[169.132.97.131]> Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 01:51:02 +0100 From: pjmuck@idt.net (Peter McCulloch) Subject: Upsy Daisy in CMJ >Mick Karn (japan / dali's car / bill nelson) has a sound and technique that is >truly his alone. Great choice! His rubbery fretless technique is uniquely identifiable. But what's he been up to lately? I know he's got a few solo CDs out, but I haven't been able to find any of them. There's a colorful, full page advertisement for Upsy Daisy in the July issue of CMJ monthly. It shows a happy ittle lamb leaping in the air over a meadow of flowers, butterflies, and bees (I assume this is the cover art). The ad says, "The first retrospective collection from pop's greatest innovators since 1982 (!?). I don't understand that statement, except to say that there's nothing on the CD that appears to be pre-1982. It's a strange collection, IMHO, with obvious singles (Dear God, Senses) mixed in with more obscure album cuts (Seagulls Screaming, Chalkhills). I'm not sure if I'll be picking it up, although it should be more accessible (at least in the US) than Fossil Fuel was. regards, Peter
------------------------------ Message-ID: <31510B652669CF11BA1D00805F38219E02535AFC@DUB-04-MSG> From: Peter Fitzpatrick <peterfit@MICROSOFT.com> Subject: re : Convention Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 01:51:46 -0700 >> Date: 30 MAY 97 10:50:55 AST >> From: PCulnane@dca.gov.au >> Subject: Convention <<<SNIP>>> >> BTW, Peter Fitz: any plans to release a transcript of that interview held >> with Andy (the one you solicited questions for)? Yes, I have plans to make the full three hour interview transcript available. There are two small issues I have to deal with before I can do it : first, the interview isn't mine to distribute. But I'm working on it. (the bit with the questions from Chalkhills doesn't really fall here, so there shouldn't be a problem with that bit) second, the transcript was taken from a tape by a transcriber who knew nothing about music, much less XTC. So it's littered with hilarious typos. It'll need to be tidied up. Audio portions from the interview will be on Rifff.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199706031347.JAA154820@mime3.prodigy.com> From: Moonsilver@prodigy.com (MR NOBLE K THOMAS) Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 09:47:18, -0500 Subject: Cathy Dennis / PatroNet Greetings One and All! I've got the new CATHY DENNIS Am I The Kinda Girl CD in-stock and after a quick glance of the liner notes I see no reference to any of the XTC gang... could someone inform me of the connection or could it be that there is no connection? Actually, I've only heard the first 3 or 4 tunes and they're quite good! I think the RYKODISC idea is fantastic. As opposed to RHINO, a label which is so identified with oldies and therefore has a difficult time marketing new releases (ie: Rundgren / NRBQ), a combination of XTC re- issues and new releases on RYKO would be perfect. I have the complete Bowie CD set that comes with a metal Sound + Vision holder as well as the Zappa YCDTOSA box set in the wood CD holder. XTC would benefit from the big fish in the small pond treatment they would no doubt receive. Alternatively, perhaps the band should investigate the PatroNet service, an internet musical delivery system. It also includes delivery of 2 or 3 CDs a year via mail order (or whatever arrangement the artist makes with his subscription base). Cost to the fan is anywhere from $25 to $60 depending on the amount of options selected such as web site access, videos and CDs available via mailorder, etc. A good example of this can be found at Rundgren's web site <http://www.tr-i.com>. Certainly this is a pioneering area where many quirks need to be ironed out but still it's worth a look.... ====================================================================== http://home.earthlink.net/~moonsilver/Moonsilver.html SILVER MOON MUSIC P.O. Box 57565 Oklahoma City, OK 73157 (405) 340-7469 fax (405) 340-1345
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33946AC4.35F@columbia.edu> Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 12:04:36 -0700 From: ts <ts215@columbia.edu> Organization: CASA Subject: The Suburbs Just wanted Kraig Olmstead to know that the Suburbs are known of in these parts. But what happened to those guys? I can't believe they all just quit the music business - any spinoff groups? I remember a great show I saw once - The Suburbs and The Producers. Ah, the good old days... Tom
------------------------------ From: kraig olmstead <kraigo@netcommcorp.com> Subject: I suppose I ought to post this Date: Tue, 03 Jun 97 11:19:00 PDT Message-ID: <339460B6@msmail.netcommcorp.com> Pete Thomas plays drums in the Attractions Bruce Thomas plays bass in the Attractions there, I feel better already KO
------------------------------ From: BObannon@aol.com Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 13:18:16 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <970603131811_1108327473@emout17.mail.aol.com> Subject: The Alternative Opinion Since the comments about Dave Gregory's alleged gayness have without exception sought to condone, or at least excuse, the lifestyle, we need to have at least one truly "alternative" opinion: Ted wrote: >> I agree with Bob Mould on his attitude, being gay is just your sexuality, not your whole being. There's a hell of a lot more going on in a single person to define whether they are good or bad than just who they fancy. Well....it's not that easy. For some people, being gay (or any other trait) is an integral part of their person and its something which they display proudly<< To see if this rationale works, simply replace the issue of homosexuality in the above statements with any number of universally condemned immoralities: "Being sexist is just your philosophy, not your whole being." Or, "For some people, being racist is an integral part of their person and it's something which they display proudly." How 'bout, "There's a hell of a lot more going on in a single person to define whether they are good or bad than just who they molest." These are all obviously absurd statements. So if we shouldn't excuse racism on the basis that it's "just the person's philosophy," or because it's "an intergral part of their person," why should we do so with homosexuality? Ted wrote: >> What all this means is that it makes it difficult to categorize soembody without knowing/understanding them first. And this is the way it should be.<< Then be consistent, and refuse to "categorize" an adulterer, a thief, a child molester, or a murderer before you know them and understand them. Sean responded: >>Too true and very well stated. That's why I say that sexuality is just a part of a whole person, not the whole. You have to judge each by their own values...<< Using this line of reason, we could exonerate Hitler for trying to exterminate the Jews. After all, Hitler's overall intent was to improve conditions in Germany -- those were his "values." So if we judge him by his own values, we have no basis on which to condemn his atrocities. Please do not misunderstand: I am NOT trying to equate homosexuality with Naziism; rather, I'm pointing out that a relativistic, subjective approach to morality leaves you philosophically unable to condemn evil. Somebody has to say it: homosexuality is a perversion that is morally wrong. If Dave Gregory is gay, this does not mean I am going to toss out my XTC CDs, or bring together a band of bigots to burn his house down. But I will not rationalize away what is a twisted abnormality. And I don't think Dave's gay anyway. But let the flaming begin. Bob
------------------------------ Message-Id: <01BC700F.9A458940@trent.turner@mci.com> From: Trent Turner <trent.turner@mci.com> Subject: Deeper Meaning isn't crap Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 11:16:31 -0600 Artsy@sprynet.com suggested: Not to say that sometimes songs DO have some bigger, or 'hidden' meanings, but to suggest that every single line has some deeper meaning is crap. I beg to differ. Every single line does have a deeper meaning. It may not be the same meaning for one as it is for me. One may choose not to look that deep, but the 'harmonics' of the words will always ring in some one's mind. The deeper meaning may not even be the one the artist intended. (Check out the discussion on 'Dear Gott' !) But to suggest the deeper meaning is not there is ignoring the door to the inner self. It's just like music. I hear the same chord progression as another, but I love it, another hates it. The harmonics of the notes in the chords ring different strings in my hart(p) than it does another. But let's not suggest that to look for deeper meanings in any line is crap! Rather, if you want to suggest that RS' deeper meanings are crap, then that's cool, I rarely liked anything I heard that they said. You can even suggest that my deeper meanings are crap, because one man's meat is another man's poison. So, deeper meanings are there, in every line, if one chooses to explore. If one doesn't, that's cool, but they're there! Thanks, Trent Turner 800-427-0783 voice, fax, page Is this a great time, or what? ;-)
------------------------------ Message-Id: <1.5.4.32.19970603215330.00686a94@pop.pipeline.com> Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 17:53:30 -0400 From: David Pardue <dpardue@pipeline.com> Subject: Lost in Music <4. Has anyone mentioned Lost In Music by Giles Smith, with its substantial <XTC CONTENT? (Fever Pitch lite, if you ask me, but anyway...) Well, if no one else has, then I'll certainly mention it. I owe our dear Cheryl for introducing me to this book. It's quite a fun read -- I think I sped through it in an evening. Yes, much much XTC content, a book about the common foibles of living and loving music written by a self-confessed XTC fanatic and former Cleaner from Venus (with Martin Newell, of course). It was published a couple years ago in the UK by Picador, but apparently not in the States. If I may, a nice quote from the book when the author learns that AP is producing the new Martin Newell album: "I began to see that this was precisely the reason it was Newell, and not me, who was about to be sitting in Andy Partridge's home studio for a month. Because Newell was first and foremost a musician, and I was first and foremost a fan. There was still room for Newell's relationship with Andy Partridge to become a professional one, whereas I'd have been getting him to autograph things all the time." I can relate.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199706032255.PAA22900@access.tucson.org> From: "J. D. SMX" <jsmelser@access.tucson.org> Organization: Access Tucson Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 16:19:09 -0700 Subject: Floyd OZ connection Greeting Fellow Chalkhillians: 1. The correct title for the Iggy Pop book I recommended is: I Need More. 2. With all this talk of The Pink Floyd/Wizard of OZ coincidences I couldn't help but wonder what film we should watch when listening to Oranges and Lemons (I picked it 'cause it's the longest). 3. I noticed I haven't seen Adam Clayton listed as anyone's fav bass player 'cause U2 SUCKS NOW! L8r, SMX J. D. SMX Video Engineer Access Tucson jsmelser@access.tucson.org
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199706040052.RAA12035@mail.eskimo.com>
From: "Matt Keeley" <mrme@eskimo.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 17:50:38 +0000
Subject: It's not nice to confuse the stupid.
Hello again... I sure have been posting a lot lately. Hmm.
> From: artsy@sprynet.com
> ****SWINDON, ENGLAND 31/05/97****(from the London Times)*******************
> Long-time quirky popsters XTC, long-since given up for dead, have evidently
> re-formed and are working on a new album. Due to (evidently) record label
> troubles in the past, the lads have formed their own record label, to be
> called Moulding Partridge Records, Ltd. Despite the newness of the label,
> other bands are already rumored to be in line to be added to the label's
> stable.
I thought this was real for a while... It would really rock if it
was, but like I said, it's not nice to confuse the stupid. We don't
appreciate it...8)
Actually, this was pretty good... It would have been a good April
Fools thing... but then it wouldn't of had the impact of people
thinking it's real, neh?
> From: mf@well.com (Mitch Friedman)
> Sometime in the next week or so, the band's lawyers will go over a batch of
> new contract offers with a fine tooth comb and then they will decide on one
> or two but he refused to give me any clues or hints about which labels they
> are.
Whoo-hoo!
> Andy was just getting ready to compose a letter to a publishing company in
> the US that wants to do a book in which the members of XTC discuss every
> single song they've ever recorded to date. Anyone interested?
Whoo-hoo! Whoo-Hoo!
> Although Colin isn't totally involved yet and Dave is but hasn't
> contributed, Andy has begun to work on the Bootleg Album in the Shed on his
> own so far. He got a brand new Alesis drum pad kit which allows him to
> actually play the drums with sticks on pads but this new equipment has not
> this Bootleg Album and said that anything that has been previously released,
> even in demo form, like "Find the Fox", "Let's Make a Den", "Haunted Heart",
> cannot be recorded without immense amounts of trouble and more legal
> issues. So he's come up with a list of about a dozen of the best of the
Does this even include the songs that were on those Demo Tracks CDs?
I thought those were boots, but I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, I think
this whole bit of news is something that merits the now cliched
<insert Handel's Messiah here> bit.
> From: =?ISO-2022-JP?B?GyRCQ2YwZkJnPXUbKEI=?= <PXD07057@niftyserve.or.jp>
> IMHO, there are many good bassists who do all sorts of tricky stuff,
> lending pleasure to the ear (John Entwistle, Mike Watt, Flea) but as
> to carrying a song,really making the bass part of it, nobody has
> topped the left handed Beatle, including Colin Moulding.
Oh, Ringo? J/K, 'though he was a lefty as well... which is the whole
basis of the joke. I hate giving away punchlines like that. Oh
well.
Just a little reminder, POST TO THE RYKO MESSAGE BOARD!!
Just follow this handy link:
http://www.rykodisc.com/3/indexs.html
Rykodisc, the next best thing to They Might Be Giants making Hello
Records do national releases with bands that They know/admire, like
TMBG, Mono Puff (Flans' side band) and XTC. But since that's prob'ly
not gonna happen, Ryko is the best option.
So post to Ryko!
Matt
-=>Matt Keeley mrme@eskimo.com<=-
I Have Learnt | Visit my home page
the Value of | http://www.eskimo.com/~mrme
Human Sacrifice| I used to be temporarily insane!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now I'm just stupid! -- Brak
Yeah.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33952E39.27A9@ix.netcom.com> Date: Wed, 04 Jun 1997 01:58:34 -0700 From: Eric Rosen <rimshot3@ix.netcom.com> Organization: Digital Enterprises Subject: Rustled from a lengthy, deep lurk! (Long - sorry!) > From: Natalie Jane Jacobs <gnat@umich.edu> > Well, I'm back from England's green and pleasant land, still pretty > jet-lagged and tired, 'twas fun to read your post. Reminded me of my sojurns to Manchester for the conventions in '89 and '90. If I'm gonna make it to another one, it'll have to be stateside at this point. Hey, John, a Silicon Valley version, whaddya tink!? Here's ready to help! > From: Dave Blackburn <dblack@inetworld.net> >To any Chalk people interested in XTC's production quirks, Seems that every time I listen to them, I notice some tiny detail that makes me wonder how I could ever have not noticed it the previous zillion times I heard it. Like percussive details in Pale & Precious (sounds like "click-clok, a-clook-clok") that I never noticed until I got into Pet Sounds (vocals were always the obvious place to look)... Frequently, XTC songs have at least one guitar or keyboard part that mimics nuance for nuance, every melodic aspect of the vocal line... > James Issacs was right: "Flaming Pie" overall is a good record, but the > title track has all of the things that I HATE about the Antilennon's > production style. James, your take on Mac and the AntiLennon is bang on. Still, this phenomenon of rock g-ds being produced by someone who's never had an original moment begs the question, WHY?! I suspect that AntiLennon has a way of bringing out the best **songwriting** in these people and that it causes them to unwittingly turn a blind eye to his chesse-orama production. > >[James Dupuy] One Of The Millions...seems to have the > >sway of a boat adrift in the ocean So help me G-d alive, there's that little lead guitar bit in the middle that makes me feel the waves throw mist in my face... > Subject: Sgt. Pepper's Flying Goon Show > I don't know why, but I enjoy associating certain things with other things. > The past year especially, I've been reveling in the kaleidoscope of the > innovations of Peter Sellers / Spike Milligan in the '50s, The Beatles, and > Monty Python's Flying Circus. Heard the Beatles Anthology version of "You know My Name, Look Up the Number?" It's rather extended and hops from one genre to another. When they get thru with the ska-rocksteady part, there's some very goofy mutterings and novelty noises that conjure up Monty Python in a big way. Let's not forget Ringo w/ P. Sellers in "The Magic Christian" which also gave us Badfinger doing Paul's "Come & Get It." Of course, George went on to produce a number of Python flix... >From: mf@well.com (Mitch Friedman) >Subject: The Partridge Report: 6-2-97 >Andy was just getting ready to compose a letter to a publishing company in >the US that wants to do a book in which the members of XTC discuss every >single song they've ever recorded to date. Anyone interested? I hereby volunteer. If there's any multimedia component to this, I live, breath, eat, & sleep Shockwave and plan on converting some Director-based XTC stuff I did a couple of years ago. Of course, I'll put up the disclaimer that this is strictly a labour of love (sorry, Nick L.). I've always dreamed that one day, the lads would see fit to publish all of their "trade secrets" (as Dave refers to them in the KROQ interview) in an oversized, way too long, detailed bible that dissects every blip and bleep in their musical canon. >So he's come up with a list of about a dozen of the best of the >leftover demos to begin work on and everyone will participate. So far he's >thinking about "This is the End", "Broomstick Rhythm", "Everything", "Goosey >Goosey", "Jelly Baby" (a bubblegum album outtake), "End of the Pier" (a >'new' one to me!) and others. Colin will choose a few of his own like "Car >Out of Control" While so many artists of the '60's to '80's are busy re-hashing their established work, it's truly mind boggling how much unfinished meisterwerk remains collecting obscurity dust in the AP-CM backlog. When We Get to England, Obscene Procession, Didn't Hurt A Bit, the Ocean's Daughter Series, Disque Bleu, Rocket, Where Do All the Ordinary People Go? to name just a few more. Now about all this bass talk... Colin defintely ranks with PMac, etc. With bass, the gaps one leaves are as important as the ones that are filled. Listen to the subtle gaps left in "Me & the Wind." "You're My Drug"'s bass takes on a melodic and rhythmic life all its own without overpowering anything while achieving aggressive, full throttle delivery AND subtle, restrained gaps. FINALLY, in an interview of XTC for Toronto's "Command Performance" in '89 Andy discusses how he had "Mayor" around for years in advance but that it didn't work until he took it out of a minor key and sped it up and presto!! To this he said, and I quote, "Someone up there must really like me." Now what do you suppose he meant :) Many thanx for the bandwidth. I promise shorter spurts going forward. I don't like how that came out er, never mind...
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 07:34:23 -0400 (EDT) From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <ccoolidg@zoo.uvm.edu> Subject: Re: Fave Bass Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.970604073027.975062D-100000@gnu.uvm.edu> I'm amazed nobody mentioned Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick, who plays custom-made ten string basses(or some weird number like that, I'll have to check my Trick albums)and sounds like nobody else. Also, like Rush or not, I have to admit Geddy Lee's a hell of a player.(my main problem with Rush was his voice and Neil Peart's Ayn Rand fixation, both of which have moderated lately) Christopher R. Coolidge Eleventh Hour Cauldron Publications
------------------------------ From: Matt_Kaden/CAM/Lotus@lotus.com Message-Id: <852564AB.007238A9.00@mta2.lotus.com> Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 08:57:48 -0400 Subject: ...Drums and Wireless... Dave Blackburn said: "Every time I listen to Drums and Wireless, the English BBC compilation, I'm really impressed by the engineering and mix by the BBC studio folks" So true, my friend. This CD is a dream come true (except for the fact there must be more). My favorite bits are Dave's whimsical 'painting' in You're the Wish You Are I Had and all of the Drums and Wires songs, Andy's blurred annunciation in Meccanik Dancing and the reverie jam in Jason and the Argonauts. The overall sound is simply edible. I think Oranges and Lemons is just plain badly produced. I don't mean just the way it sounds, but Andy is to blame for certain arrangements that sound suspiciously chameleon-like or catering to the current radio formula. It sounds like a mutant of XTC; it never quite did it for me even though I like most of the tunes. Nonsuch is much better I think. It's not as mimetic / desperate and although it has a few misses, it has no cheap shots (with the exception of War Dance). Needless to say, I like demos like Good-bye Humanosaurus and Difficult Age infinitely more. They call it a tangent. EVERYONE should have Drums and Wireless, no question. "I love the different vocal effects Andy uses on different songs throughout the XTC epoch." It's the most clear on Rag and Bone Buffet. The earlier songs still had a raw, punk edge to them, but they couldn't have been more experimental. They achieved a perfect balance there. "If anyone would be into discussing production or engineering aspects of the XTC oevre it might be a more fun way to exploit this wonderful website than banter back and forth about French trombone similes or who's flaming whom." Careful, you seem to be falling right into it. My take on Mr. Partridge's dub experiments: G+ is fantastic. Now that I've grown up, Take Away is not a good time (except for I Sit in the Snow). Thought for the day: Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson and Bob Dylan are all still alive despite all odds. Let's get them all in the same room (it would probably have to be Syd's place) for 5 minutes. Anything's possible.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <c=US%a=_%p=Octel%l=EX-CAMPUS1-970604165535Z-7782@ex-campus1.corp.octel.com> From: "Pedretti-Allen, Richard" <Richard.PedrettiAllen@octel.com> Subject: Chalkhills' Children `96 Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 09:55:35 -0700 >All orders shipped. ...and in the words of Robin Myrick, "AMEN!" Enjoy! Now... about Chalkhills' Children `97... >
------------------------------
From: therobot@netcomuk.co.uk
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 19:06:07 +0100 (BST)
Message-Id: <1.5.4.16.19970604190923.3dd7983a@popd.netcomplete>
Subject: Swindon's Latest Offspring
Just thought the Chalkies might like to know about the latest (all) Swindon
band to be signed. First since XTC, unless anyone knows better. This is
taken from the Alan James PR Web site at Demon. They manage PR for Sleeper,
Divine Comedy amongst others.........
* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
New signings to Mother Records (Island), Cinnamon Smith, a three piece from
Swindon, release their debut single for the label, 'Back To Her Mother' this
week. The CD single features extra tracks 'Walking The Dog', 'I'm Coming
Home', and an extended mix of the title track. The 7" 'Back To Her
Mother'/'Walking The Dog' is limited to 2,000 copies on yellow vinyl.
The Swindon three-piece Cinnamon Smith are currently finishing off their
first headline tour:
JUNE
Mon 2nd - LEICESTER Princess Charlotte
Tues - 3rd READING Alleycat
Thurs - 5th LONDON Falcon (NME 'On' Night
Mark Smyth - vocals/guitar
Kieran Battles - drums
Graham Mattingley - bass
Cinnamon Smith - "Straight Outta Swindon"
* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pug (Mark Smyth) and I used to go to school together. We played in various
bands around Swindon and we were drinking partners around Old Town.
He's a talented song writer with a unique singing style.
Me? I still play keyboards but the the mortgage snare hit, followed swiftly
by a Titantic Marriage. Wonder if Pete Best felt like this?
The Robot E--[:]
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.32.19970604220710.006bfcac@popmail.dircon.co.uk> Date: Wed, 04 Jun 1997 23:07:10 +0100 From: Simon Sleightholm <nonsuch@dircon.co.uk> Subject: T-Shirts For All! (Well, *some*) Hellooooooo Cleveland! Mike Foster called me last night to say that he still has about a dozen convention T-Shirts available, and to ask if I'd add this offer to my Convention report on Bungalow. He's offering them for the original price of 9 pounds, plus 1 pound for postage and packing for all those in the UK. Anyone outside the UK will probably have to pay a little more. I'm hoping to get some graphic representation of the garment in place on my page today for anyone who wants to check it out beforehand. The URL will be http//www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/tshirt.htm but there might not be anything there yet. But there could be. Go on, take a peek. You never know... He's also asked me to include some details of the "Black Sea" studio tapes that he played at the Convention. I haven't received the details from him yet, but the owner of the tape is hoping, we think, for around 50 to 60 pounds for it. My thoughts exactly. Once I have more details of the content I'll let you all know. I'm not entirely happy with it - this kind of sale goes against all my own views on tape trading and such - but when the Convention first came to my attention I did offer to help Mike in any way with publicity and this sort of comes under that umbrella, so I do feel an obligation. People who were there will recall that the tracks we were allowed to hear weren't all that special - an instrumental take on "Living Through Another Cuba" and a "Towers Of London" that sounded pretty much like the finished version, it wasn't the "Leonard Cohen" original Andy has mentioned. For T-shirt orders or enquiries about the tape, contact Mike Foster at : 41 Coronation Road Basingstoke Hants RG21 4EZ While in the immediate aftermath of the Convention Mike was a little reserved about organising another one, he's eased into the idea again and is hoping that some of the contacts he made this year might help him put together something larger in the future. Martin Newell, it must be remembered, has some close ties with the band and could prove to be a mighty ally in actually enticing a band member along to some future event. No promises or plans as yet though, just idle thoughts and dreams. Any letters of support for future events, or thanks for his work on the recent one would, I'm sure, be greatly appreciated. The turn-out wasn't quite what he expected - it seems more people paid than actually turned up, but he was pleased to hear that there had been so many happy reports in the list, edited highlights of which (basically I removed each and every mention of me and Nat winning that blinking trophy) I have forwarded to him. He offered his thanks to all those who attended, as I offer mine to those who said such nice things about my very long and rambling convention report post. Oh, and big thanks to Paul Wilkinson for letting me use his Martin Newell photographs on my web page. And I checked out the "Melt The Guns" MIDI file, and it seems pretty faithful - though it sounds a bit "plastic" on my SB32 Wavetable card - the guitar parts are especially well done. With the right sound module it'd sound just peachy, well done. For great hoots, you should drop your wavetable cards into FM mode and enjoy "Captain Morgan (And His Hammond Organ) Plays XTC". Find yourself something solid to hang onto first, though. I haven't giggled so much since I found a MIDI file of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" and tried playing that on my old 8-bit SoundBlaster. Guts were bust. How soon is now? Are you receiving me? What time is love? Who drove the red sports car? Do you know the way to San Jose? And other pop-tastic questions. Find the answer within. Simon +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bungalow.htm +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ XTC? Are they still going? Follow me and find out..
------------------------------ From: T8903545@donau-uni.ac.at (T8903545) Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 13:09:04 +0000 Subject: bassists Message-ID: <19970605110429796.AAA147@pcl_2.donau-uni.ac.at> Hello after a long while again from Austria! I agree with all of you concerning stuff about good bassists. CM, Paul McCartney, Bruce Thomas, Tony Levin and so on. But I can't remember anyone of you mentioning Yes' Chris Squire. I'm sure someone mentioned Entwhistle. Some other great guys are Manne Praeker of German band "Spliff" and former KajaGooGoo's Nick Beggs (both also on Chapman stick). No-one mentioned Mark King - he is still a must for bassists! Although I like Colin's style best. Best wishes from Austria Klaus
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33972522.4DF1@columbia.edu> Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 13:44:18 -0700 From: ts <ts215@columbia.edu> Organization: CASA Subject: Preaching to the Converted XTC has always gone in trends for me. And I think I may be entering another one. So, I spent some time checking out some XTC related sites, and was reminded of an astounding fact: 77 78 79 80 82 83 = WhiteMusic Go2 D&W BlackSea ES Mummer. And ES was a double. What a tear they were on. Have any other bands put together a streak like this? How come bands, sadly including the latest XTC, feel compelled to stuff a bunch of filler on top of a couple good tracks? That said, I have become a big Martin Newell fan (please, someone, send me more info on this guy), and thanks to Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory's involvement with him, I have high expectations that XTC will return to form. But it's been so many years, and they must have so many songs written, I'm afraid they will overdo it in the studio again. I hope one of you connected folks will talk some sense into them. Less work and more play, more feeling and less twiddling around is what they need. Martin Newell does it right, simple songs, great sing alongs, nice warm mellow and round about the edges. Who needs the O&L bombast, or the Nonsuch doo doo. I'm anxious for XTC to make me forget their most recent indiscretions, and force me to become a huge fan again. Tom
------------------------------ Subject: Why Not Gild the English Lily(white)? From: wwilson@mail07.mitre.org (Wesley H. Wilson) Message-Id: <970605131051.2027@mail07.mitre.org.0> Date: Thu, 5 Jun 97 13:10:52 -0400 I won't bother with the gold-plated copy of "Oranges and Lemons." I don't think that this particular rendering was necessary. Even though in many respects I'm an XTCompletist, I'll pass. Instead, this treatment should be given to "English Settlement," arguably the band's best album after "Skylarking." Wes P.S. Noticed in a recent issue of 'hills that Michael Penn's name came up. Just got his new one yesterday, "Resigned." Under 40 minutes, but *very* good.
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #3-124 *******************************
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