Chalkhills Digest Volume 4, Issue 76
Date: Sunday, 3 May 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 4, Number 76
Sunday, 3 May 1998
Today's Topics:
Well now...
The Sad Truth...
dave, please come back.
Another post re: Dave's departure!!
Chuff *This*!
guitar for hire ?
Re: The new improved XtC!!!!
He's Leaving Home, Bye, Bye
Re: XTC Owes Us?
Whatever.
STOP THIS ANDY BASHING!!!!!!
Drumless and Wireless
Wild ponderings
Soap Box
Deep Breath
my 2 cents on Dave
some more photos from Abbey Road
Francis Dunnery
Selling Andy short
we are the xtc preservation society
Thanks, Ralph DeMarco
Band name
mailing list or support group?
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:
unsubscribe
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:
<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>
World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>
or: <http://come.to/chalkhills/>
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
Chalkhills is compiled using Digest 3.6 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>).
Let it go / Let it lay down / Let it go.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <n1318147993.46189@gateway.itic.nw.dc.us> Date: 30 Apr 1998 17:31:06 -0500 From: "Ken Salaets" <ksalaets@itic.nw.dc.us> Subject: Well now... It would be overly simplistic to say Andy = XTC, but I suspect that the bulk of us would agree that there is some semblence of truth in that statement. Dave leaving is roughly akin to George H. leaving that incidental band from way up yonder. I would have continued to purchase THEIR records even if that had indeed occurred, as I will continue to purchase XTC. Nevertheless, this soup will definitely be missing something, and their ain't no shaker no where that can add back in this essential ingredient. If the recipe remains changed, it is changed forever. Bon appetit. KS
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19980430233211.00983660@cyber1.servtech.com> Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 23:32:11 -0400 From: Joshua Hall-Bachner <harlequin@tmbg.org> Subject: The Sad Truth... Sigh. Just when things were going so well... Look on the bright side, though. There are now more *former* members of XTC than there are current members! Heck, the former members of XTC are numerous enough to form their own band. /---------------------------Joshua Hall-Bachner---------------------------\ | harlequin@tmbg.org http://www.servtech.com/public/particle/ | | "We all have our idiosyncracies -- maybe thinning hair, or gum disease."| \---- Kowanko, "Will You Come To?" ------ Thank You, And Goodnight. ------/
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3549BAC3.4905@mclink.it> Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 14:06:27 +0200 From: Alberto Castagna <a.m.castagna@mclink.it> Subject: dave, please come back. dave, please come back.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3549FB19.563C@schoollink.net> Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 09:40:57 -0700 From: Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net> Subject: Another post re: Dave's departure!! Hi all!! -- Sad, innit? Just when you think things couldn't get any worse with all this damned waiting for the new album, now comes word that Dave "the music muscle behind XTC!" Gregory has decided to strike out on his own after a "supposed" falling-out with Mr. P!! Damn! :-( Although this is indeed a devastating thing for all of us fans eagerly anticipating the next disc, I'm trying my damnedest to look at this news in the same light as John Len- non did when the Beatles broke up: "It's just a rock and roll band!" Hmmm... I'm sure though that with Dave's musical muscle and all that talent, he'll easily find "work" out there. No problems in this particular department, but is this actually "the beginning of the end" as mentioned on this listing before? Think about it. I just cannot imagine XTC as a duo, you know? Smacks somewhat of God- ley & Creme, Hall & Oates, Milli Vanilli (yeah, I know, BAD example!!), Brooks and Dunne, well...you get the picture!! Oh well, I guess we'll all just have to wait and see what goes down now that this has happened! Let the readjustment begin... Jesus, this is so friggin' sad! :-( -- * ------------------------------------------- Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net> "We are eagles of one nest; The nest is in our soul." (Robert Plant / Jimmy Page) * -------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3549E5F2.E06495A3@intermetrics.com> Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 11:11:46 -0400 From: Harrison Sherwood <sherwood@intermetrics.com> Subject: Chuff *This*! Like one of those stereo-optical visual-white-noise whing-dings--Oh, go on! _You_ know what I'm talking about! Those things in dentists' waiting rooms!--that suddenly resolves itself into a picture of a Ferrari after you've stared at it for a couple of hours, working up a whopping eyestrain headache trying to get your eyes to unfocus themselves and stare at the deepest background of the picture, the Super-Double-Secret, _sub rosa_, 33rd-Degree-Freemason, Occult, Your-Ears-Only, Kabbalistickal Hidden Song in "Crocodile" has finally, after--what? Six years? Three, four thousand listens?--revealed itself to me. I'm chuffed to fuck, although I'm also dead chuffed that I never noticed it before. Yes, kids, the eldritch truth can now be revealed: "Crocodile" contains within itself a _second song_, hidden deep within its craggiest recesses, sneaking around in there after dark and nibbling dust bunnies and lapping up cooking-oil spills. I don't remember reading any postings to Chalkhills revealing its existence or even mentioning it, and I've searched the archives without finding reference to it, so I feel confident that I can don the old morion and halberd and plant the flag on this baby: In the Name of Queen Mab, Duchess of Kilkardy and Mother Protectress of the Pale and Interesting, I claim these lands and do hereby acquiant all usurpers that they can just chuff off! [The Plain People of Ireland: "Begob, now that we've got it, what'll we be afther doin' with it, Uncle Handwringson?"] Why, we have a contest, of course! First Chunkie who emails me the correct identification of the Double-Secret Second Song in "Crocodile" wins a big, wet, well-lubricated,...well, you'll be totally chuffed when you find out what the prize is. A hint: The Second Song's not back-masked or disguised in some sneaky, Paul-Is-Dead kind of way. Nor do you need any fancy equipment or special out-of-phase speakers to hear it. It hides in plain sight. Think Poe's "The Purloined Letter." > From: michaelw <michaelw@po.twin.ne.jp> > Subject: Oops! / Harrison S, Are You Out There? > One Chalker whose posts I love reading, and who was mysteriously absent > in the last couple of posts is one > Harrison Sherwood....give us your take on this, man, and spare no tears; > there's enough to go around :-( Well, dang! Now I'm so chuffed it's painful. I'm gonna need to rub handfuls of corn starch on my more chuffed bits. Thighs and nipples, mostly. (Note to self: Key to happiness--bigger jeans, fabric softener.) Thanks, man! I changed jobs (please note new email address, everybody), and I had to go offline for a little while. But I've been lurking from the Chalkhills website. You want my take on the Dave Question? Well, far be it from me to pour cold water on anybody's big tearful group hug or anything--especially since everybody seems to be enjoying the wallow so much--but all this handwringing and piteous whimpering is about like to make me puke. Some points to consider, see voo play: 1) It's a rock group. Not a cure for AIDS. Grow up. 2) From what precious little we have heard from primary sources, the split was amicable and mutually agreed upon. Indeed, we have it on reliable authority that Dave himself contributed actively to the circumstances that led to the split. Dave Gregory is a self-determining and autonomous adult, fully in charge of his own life, fully cognizant of his responsibility for the consequences of his actions. He has no need for our unsolicited pity. Indeed, to proffer it is to belittle him. Let's instead congratulate him on his newly acquired future. 3) The members of XTC are (semi)-public figures. This being so, their true identities--their souls, if you will--are necessarily hidden from us, their audience. We cannot know what is truly in their hearts. All we can know about them is what they choose to let us know, either through their art or through the machinery of publicity and vehicles such as Chalkhills. XTC have remained less hidden than most public figures, and so we tend to form the erroneous impression that we have reliable and accurate intimate knowledge of their feelings about the world, about us, and about each other. In fact, we cannot possibly know these things. To speculate about them is pointless at best, and irresponsible at worst. For example, I'd characterize a public call for a suicide watch on Dave as pretty extravagantly irresponsible. 4) I'm probably going to be crucified for saying this, but XTC records are probably not going to sound much different A.D. (after Dave). Let's not forget that the songwriters, singers, chief arrangers and two-thirds of the instrumentalists remain in place. And where is everybody getting the idea that Andy is some drooling, Mel-Bay-remedial-level guitar-flogger? One hesitates to point out that on the shreddin' big-balled smashmouth fret-meltin' everybody seems to consider the solos on Books Are Burning, half of the arrested-adolescent dive-bombing and feedback-controlling--quite arguably the more _interesting_ half--was done by XTC's sole remaining guitarist. 5) Nothing we say, nothing we write, nothing we think, nothing we do, is going to change Dave Gregory's, Andy Partridge's, or Colin Moulding's mind about a damned thing. It's _their_ band, _their_ lives, _their_ choices. Not ours. 6) I've played a little bit with Pro Tools. Pro Tools, in the possession of an obsessive-compulsive artistic personality like Andy Partridge's, is like a lifetime's supply of pure, uncut China White smack to William S. Burroughs. Did Andy dick around with gigasecond-tolerance movements of *this* snare hit, of *that* bass clam, on mind-bendingly expensive studio time, to the utter distraction and despair of Dave Gregory? You bet your pancreas he did. 7) If any of the foregoing makes you want to track me down and geld me with sharpened plastic eating implements, be my guest. But before you commit such a karmaically extravagant act, please review Point 1 above. Oh, and one more thing: Yazbek. Yazbek, Yazbek, Yazbek. Yazbek Yazbek. Yazbek? Yazbek! I Yazbek, thou Yazbek'st, he Yazbeks, she Yazbeks, it Yazbeks, we Yazbek, you Yazbek, they Yazbek. Look, look. See Yazbek. Yazbek is chuffed. Chuff, Yazbek! Chuff! Harrison "'Oh, chuff me chuffily,' she chuffed, as I chuffed my chuffer into her chuffing chuff until she chuffed with chufferous chuffery. 'Chuff! Chuff! Chuff! Toot, toot!'" Sherwood
------------------------------ Message-Id: <TFSMPDLG@ubk.net>> From: Jonathan Monnickendam <monnickj@ubk.net> Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 15:56:54 +0000 Subject: guitar for hire ? <<From: "VanAbbe, Dominic" <dominic.vanabbe@faulding.com.au> and quite a few other people too>> Well I have to agree with much Dominic's comments. A while back i wrote that i was looking forward to the next album already. Written because i hoped that once the Firework backlog was out of the way XTC could move on to new things ; never again. It comes down to the fact that AP does not know what he prefers more, a shed or a band. At the moment it looks as if the shed is winning ; Andy one shed Partridge or perhaps two if he wants to keep up with the Jacksons, Arthur that is. I find it odd that a band as financially inept as XTC has lost the one member capable of translating demos into beauty, instead prefering to pay those hard to get pounds to old hacks like Mike Batt. It beats me. I think of XTC as over and, yes, i do look forward to the new album but in the knowledge that AP and CM do not make a band and hope that they recognise that. To ;John Relphmeister a question ; will DG's activities will be covered by Chalkhills ? To : Anybody in the know is there any reason to expect a reconciliation on what we know to date ? Other than that I wish DG all the best, i hope he finds somebody good to play with, some one who appreciates him. Recognition is all. it'll be an odd bank holiday jon So this is what it takes to Peter Rowan, the best male singer ever, mentioned on chalkhills. * --------------------------------------------------------------- The views expressed are of the individual, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The United Bank of Kuwait PLC. * ---------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 09:18:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Stephen Mahoney <stephenm@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us> Subject: Re: The new improved XtC!!!! Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.95q.980501090110.27015C-100000@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us> Do not fret XtC fans........Daves departure is simply the end of the second chapter of the band as we knew it from '83-present ...... Its not as if we can blame Dave for leaving. I think Dave is impossible to replace so they shouldnt even try. Just get a third musician who can play several instruments( mostly stringed) very well and can sing harmony very well.I have listened to XtC regularly since just before skylarking but have found myself impatient with the wait for their new material. If they recruit a new member to keep it a trio then it means new ideas a new sound XtC will get the chance to once again reinvent themselves as they did when Barry Andrews and Terry Chambers left. As long as the core members remain, XtC will comtinue.... Oh well. that is my take on Dave leaving. Its only an opinion of mine. -stephen Stephen Mahoney "the days go on and on...they don't end. all my life needed was a sense of someplace to go. i don't believe that one should devote his life to morbid self-attention, i believe that one should become a person like other people." travis bickle, TAXI DRIVER.
------------------------------ From: wwilson@star.zko.dec.com Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 12:20:04 -0400 Message-Id: <98050112200479@star.zko.dec.com> Subject: He's Leaving Home, Bye, Bye Bummer that Dave's leaving, but at least the core writing duo of Andy and Colin remains intact. Whew! We can all be grateful for that. What I want to know is this: has Dave laid down all of the guitar tracks for "Fireworks," or is he leaving mid-session? E-mail me privately if you like. (Actually, I just read my own words, "guitar tracks," as if to sum up in two words what he added - how wrong of me!) Also, why is he leaving...? And when is the tentative release date for the new album? Wes
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01540b03b16fa1feddad@[209.86.103.43]> Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 12:30:34 -0400 From: mabrey@mindspring.com (Andisheh Nouraee) Subject: Re: XTC Owes Us? Ralph DeMarco wrote: >First - I am sick and tired of complaints about why the band >gets little media attention. You have to tour!! Every damn >record label expects it. > >XTC owed it to thier fans to tour - yes that's right - they blew it! > >Being an artist is one thing, acting like a brat is another and as >much as I love Andy, all these problems have been made worse by >his arrogance regardless of how screwed up Virgin records is. I respond: Since when should we be encouraging XTC to fulfill record company expectations. After all, it was a record company that thought parts of O&L would be a better product if it sounded more like ZZTop. XTC owes us nothing. Despite this simple fact, they have enriched our lives by giving us record after wonderful record. The only bargain that a band has with its fans is that whatever they offer for sale must be of good quality. XTC has ALWAYS kept that bargain. They don't have to tour. They just have to put on good shows if they do. Even if you hold the belief that XTC owes you something, don't you think that writing and recording several of the greatest pop songs and albums of all-time is enough to ask of anyone? What have you done for the world? Change of subject: I'm peeved that Dave is out. I'm now curious to figure out what XTC will be missing from its musical stew. With the exception of the well-linernoted Nonsuch, I am not always sure which guitar parts are Dave's and which one's are Andy's. To those in the know, I ask who is playing what on each song. Let's start with D&W. Andisheh Nouraee
------------------------------ From: LadyCPlum <LadyCPlum@aol.com> Message-ID: <886373e2.3549f908@aol.com> Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 12:32:07 EDT Subject: Whatever. Once again, cutting right to the chase..... Stephanie-VERY creative suggestions as to what Dave should do. But might I comment on a few..... Getting drunk-Bad idea for an insulin-dependent diabetic. Getting laid-Well, he's got my address! ;) Jesse-Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? Sounds like you said something along the lines of that Dave can be replaced. Pardon me while I choke on my cereal and strongly disagree with you. It's obvious the band felt Terry couldn't be replaced, and what with his only role in the band as drummer, he was apparently nothing more than a "glorified session musician" as well. Dave CANNOT be replaced, and it'd be an insult if he was to be. Oof...time to hit the hidden ciggie stash again. As to those who are saying "Get over it"-You do your thing, and let those of us who wish to discuss Dave's departure do our thing. Feel free to push the PAGE DOWN button if you wish. Amanda XTC song of the day-Red Brick Dream non-XTC song-I'll Stand By You-The Pretenders
------------------------------ From: MFa2707621 <MFa2707621@aol.com> Message-ID: <58729b24.3549fd21@aol.com> Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 12:49:36 EDT Subject: STOP THIS ANDY BASHING!!!!!! Chalkers, I'm really pissed off right now. I just read the latest Chalkhills digest, and I can't believe the comments I've read about Andy. I agree with Chris with the stop Andy bashing. We don't know the whole story. Maybe he is a bastard, but he has a lot of problems in his life. This next comment might upset some of you guys, but I need to vent my anger. If your true XTC fans, you wouldn't bash any of the members. I do think that they could've gone through this in a different way, but if goes on. I don't mean to sound cold, but that's how I feel. I've heard some people who have met Andy say he's a down to earth person, but then I read that he's a real jerk. He's a perfectionist, and when he doesn't do a perfect job he gets upset. That's the way I am. Maybe that's why I relate to him so much. I want to say this again, STOP THE ANDY BASHING!!!! Molly Buffalo, NY
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03130300b16faf900105@[12.64.118.178]> Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 10:11:46 -0700 From: David Haakenson <dhaakenson@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Drumless and Wireless After so many years of not recording, there likely have been much pent-up hopes and expectations among the band members for a new release. Andy may feel he has something to prove with the new album: prove to himself, Virgin, critics, fans, his ex-wife, you name it. He may be so focused on this that those around him matter less than molding his new aural expulsion to a level of personal perfection that he can be content with. Rather than the occasional release, maybe they should have dipped into the early energy of their careers and planned releases once or twice a year, with non-LP singles between albums. That might have provided at least a mental release for the creative energy that Dave feels. Let's face it: He likely would be content at not writing, but he wants to at least play and not just in the studio. Maybe they should have toured, with Dave and Colin on stage, session drummer in the back, and a big monitor with Andy's 2-D image wailing to the audience, impervious to stage fright... cheers and good luck to you Dave, david h
------------------------------ From: "Dr. Foulger" <damian@ceolasers.com> Organization: Cutting Edge Optronics, Inc. Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 12:22:04 -0600 Subject: Wild ponderings Message-Id: <19980501122147.99b465c1.in@ceo.ceolasers.com> Just imagine... Dave leaves band. Bands gets in Thpmas Dolby as replacment for Dave (keyboards and Guitar) Thomas gives Andy a run for his money, persaudes Andy to tour again. Andy finds out that on his terms, he enjoys touring. Dave returns to play tour. Band put out 1 or 2 albums per year. Band become (finacially) successful. World peace is acheived. The hungry are given the means to feed themselves. Global environmental disasters are cured and prevented. Okay, so I got a bit fanciful, but one never knows how a situation will turn out. It may be the best thing that happened since Helium Kidz split up! Dames tWd
------------------------------ Message-ID: <354A174F.F846BD4B@hacbm.com> Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 14:41:19 -0400 From: Neall Alcott <nalcott@hacbm.com> Organization: HACBM Architects, Engineers, Planners, Inc. Subject: Soap Box OK, it's my turn on the soap box. I've been thinking about Dave's departure, and just like the rest of you, I'm very disappointed. However, this morning driving to work, I pulled out the '96 demos to get an idea of the "future". I've been listening to it anyway, but not from this new, disheartening perspective. Now first off, I must say that this is THE best demo I've ever heard. Andy absolutely has a clear and concrete understanding of how he wants "his" songs performed. I'm not saying that he shouldn't be open to suggestions - it's just that after 6 years in the shed, he has changed in the way he writes, performs, produces. There is no going back to the way they worked before, even in the '91-'92 Nonsuch sessions. I wonder if the last straw was at Abbey Road when Mike?? arranged the new orchestrations. Anyway, listening to certain songs, it really strikes me that Andy doesn't really need Dave (or maybe even Colin). I kept wondering if Andy had brought the other two out to the shed to lay down their parts. The piano solo in "Prince of Orange" and the guitar flourishes in "My Brown Guitar" sound very DG; the bass playing thoughout, very CM (it will be interesting to compare bass-lines from demo to finished product). So let's face it, these songs are finished. Andy's playing, especially his lead work, sounds alot more fluid (like DG). The only song that sounds like Andy's solo guitar is the solo in "Church of Women". If Andy can cram more and better equipment into that shed, I don't think anyone will ever see him again (but hopefully in turn we will receive more product from him). I always felt that Dave was the glue that kept XTC together. You have two very good songwriters, with very different vocals and lyrical styles. His guitar playing and keyboard playing really made XTC sound like a "band". So Dave, good luck, and let us know your next move. An XTC fan will always be a Dave Gregory fan. So, let's start a new thread. Who would you like to see as the next XTC "session guitarist"?? My vote - Adrian Belew. Same type of wacky, Beatle-influenced pop music. Adrian works as a session musician anyway, and he may also be able to give Andy creative-criticism. I saw him in Philadelphia at the TLA a few years ago, and during Q & A, he mentioned that Andy is the person he would most like to work with. He even said that they converse via telephone occasionally. Well, cheers Dave, take care. Neall Alcott Audubon, NJ, USA
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.32.19980501140759.0069e5ac@acton.com> Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 14:08:01 -0500 From: Dave Ledbetter <dbetter@acton.com> Subject: Deep Breath Holy Cow!!! Maybe we all need to relax a little and take a deep breath. We do not know the whole story. With very few exceptions (Mitch, Peter, Simon, etc.,.), we don't personally know the band members. We hardly know anything of what has happened or what is happening now. Frankly, we're not ENTITLED to know a thing. This is a distressing time for us XTC fans. Maybe we can simply recognize that fact and hold our tongues for a little while we regain perspective. I'm certain everything will work itself out. Just imagine how Andy, Colin, and Dave must feel. They have given us the best music in the past couple decades. However, if this is the end of XTC as we know and love it... Everything ends. It's that damn Season Cycle thing. Certainly, they will all continue to produce and play excellent music in whatever form they are able. The last thing they need right now is for us to stir up the pot, take sides, or blindly speculate on their very real lives. We owe them at least that courtesy. In the end, it has always been the songs that hooked me in and kept me captive. Not the other stuff. As far as I know, Andy and Colin are the two constants in XTC, so I have faith that even though their sound may change, their music will continue to hold me captive. XTCatisfied, Dave
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03110700b16fe0609f07@[146.6.72.20]> Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 15:39:01 -0500 From: Jason Garcia <h.h.name@mail.utexas.edu> Subject: my 2 cents on Dave >don't you think that we should respect him and his decision to leave? Yes, very much so. When I first found out, it was denial, much like when I heard that Linda McCartney died. But that quickly gave way to a kind of acceptance; it's too bad, but that's the way it had to go. XTC are still about to release what I think may be their finest album yet, and I'm really looking forward to that, at least. For the guys, all I hope is that they can remain close, because they've been through so much together. And as a fellow diabetic, I give my best wishes to Dave Gregory and hope that his good health continues. And he can play on my records anytime. ;) On another note, I just bought Joe Jackson's "Night and Day" a few days ago to have the song "Steppin' Out" (which is one of the greatest songs of '82, it was one of those songs that was burned into my being at age 7) and was kind of surprised to notice how much the whole record reminded me of XTC. Some songs more than others, but listen to the melody of "Chinatown" and you're immediately thinking "Andy!" Anyway, that's all for now. Jason TOP 40 http://www.angelfire.com/tx/top40 now playing: "Steppin' Out"...
------------------------------ Message-ID: <B9B4268C8F87D11195DC0000F840FABE0203BF39@DUB-MSG-02> From: Peter Fitzpatrick <peterfit@MICROSOFT.com> Subject: some more photos from Abbey Road Date: Sat, 2 May 1998 00:17:50 +0100 I got those photos processed. They're different from the video stills for sure. Quality not 100% but....they're historical (I guess) enjoy http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/beatle go to the Desert Trolley..... Peter
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BD7554.8F64EA20@ingw129-37-160-6.on.ca.ibm.net> From: Bill Curran <bill.curran@ibm.net> Subject: Francis Dunnery Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 22:57:46 -0400 ChalkFriends, I haven't posted in some time, and the news of Dave's departure from the XTC fold is still sinking in. That being e-said, a post concerning a new Dunnery effort looms before my lurking eyes. His first cause de CD still finds its way frequently to my ears, and the second is still growing on me. This is incredible news that his latest would be compared to XTC as I heard no hint of likeness in the previous two efforts. They stand on their own as fine pieces of work with all the usual influences and some great guitar playing. But XTCish? This I gotta hear. Bill Curran Sysprog OS390/OS2/NT/95/xNix Rexx on 'em all http://www.hwcn.org/~aa131 [Attachment omitted, unknown MIME type or encoding (application/ms-tnef)]
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 20:24:45 -0700 Subject: Selling Andy short Message-ID: <19980501.202545.13198.1.deuchars@juno.com> From: deuchars@juno.com (jim d deuchars) Well, this is certainly a depressing subject for my first posting. Yes, it's sad that Dave has left. He's one of the finest guitarists our genre has produced. What's even more disturbing is this groundswell of anti-Andy emotion. Sure, Andy might be a dominant force in the studio. Well, he IS the one COMPOSING the majority of XTC tunes! Has been all along. Yes, I dig Dave. Yes, Colin is an amazing bassist and songwriter. But examine the facts: Andy Partridge is the finest songwriter of his generation, one of the most compelling and expressive vocalists around AND he's a top flight guitarist. Sure, DG is more technically sound. I would argue AP is AT LEAST as inventive on the old six string. Again, I'm in no way belittling Dave or Colin. I just feel that Andy has contributed BY FAR the most to XTC's being XTC. So I think he's earned the right to call the shots on HIS tunes. As Dizzy Dean said, "It ain't braggin' if ya done it!"
------------------------------ From: "Wesley Hanks" <whanks@earthlink.net> Subject: we are the xtc preservation society Date: Sat, 2 May 1998 09:05:46 -0700 Message-ID: <000001bd75e4$2b97bdc0$0d4b2599@default> Friends, I had this clear visual during the heady days of learning of the new record deal, reports of the guys actually IN the studio, forthcoming book news, merchandising arrangements and <gasp> the possibility of some live performances. The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas utilizes the same template for its newspaper ads for all shows. The visual that kept playing over in my mind was actually seeing XTC's name appear in one of their ads announcing a gig at the Hard Rock. (I have no affiliation w/the HR, just think it would be the best venue for shows in LV.) I went from that happy thought to the other extreme of chucking XTC into the most bitterest of bins -- bands that you can kiss goodbye the notion of ever seeing perform live, e.g. the Smiths, Husker Du, the Clash, the list grows ad nauseum. I know this sounds selfish on my part, but as our favourite college freshman(?) Ben stated, XTC's music has so intertwined with my life -- following their ups and downs (since 1978), buying all product faithfully, talking about them to anyone who will listen, etc. I guess I am going through the anger stage of loss. Thanks for the vent Wes PS: Dave Gershman, its in the mail!
------------------------------
Message-ID: <354B9B9B.DD6EE127@earthlink.net>
Date: Sat, 02 May 1998 15:18:03 -0700
From: Steven Graff <slapdash@earthlink.net>
Organization: SLAPDASH
Subject: Thanks, Ralph DeMarco
Hey there, Children,
Dave's departure is equivalent to the band breaking up to me,
because even through Dave never wrote a song, he helped make good songs
better with his guitar, and imput. I feel that he was just as essential
(especially in these past years of non-touring)as Andy or Colin to
maintaining the band's sound and perspective.
I want to thank Ralph deMarco for his commentary. He made sense,
and I'm hopeful that other members of this list realize that, or already
realized that. Andy seems a bit self-indulgent and inconsistent at
times. He tries to satisfy too many people, or just himself. I
understand how badly XTC needs to make a place for itself in the market
now that it's gone indie, but I fail to see the point in being so
precise and tedious about it. XTC has always had the impression of a
band who takes time to get things right, but how much time would be
saved with actual musicians and actual playing? Programming takes quite
a while, and as any of you who have a word processor know, you could
conceivably take longer editing and re-editing your self ad infinitum,
with perhaps worse results as you go.
Real musicians, a real drummer, actual takes, less
programming...all good things. The Big Express was hard for me to
swallow because it sounded so mechanical...same with O & L.
I hope Dave shows up somewhere fitting. He's an excellent musician,
and have the best sense I've observed in any musician (except for Paul
McCartney perhaps). He deserves to spend some time getting fresh air and
touring...not locked up by the whims of a brat and his shed. I love Andy
and his work more than any other current music, but enough is enough
already!
I'd hate to think that all our positive comments about all the demos
hasn't adversely affected the way Andy sets up his expectations. He's
said he's "trying his best to live up to the demos, " but this seems
very backward, as one would hope the demos would live up to the final,
produced, fully realized track! (That's what bands do for songwriters,
act as catalysts)
Best wishes Andy!I'd rather hear songs more often and "perfection"
sporadically, but it's your money!
I'm gonna miss you 'til I hear you again, Dave. It won't be the
same. Best wishes!
Don't get any wierd ideas Colin....
Depressed and nonplussed
Steven Graff
--
MZ
------------------------------
Message-ID: <354B9E51.A53B9AE0@earthlink.net>
Date: Sat, 02 May 1998 15:29:38 -0700
From: Steven Graff <slapdash@earthlink.net>
Organization: SLAPDASH
Subject: Band name
And one more thing....
Dave Ledbetter seems confused as to the band name. Upon viewing the
early work of the band, the name seems fitting with all the jerky,
angular stiff. Andy's hiccupping voice, Barry's tangled keyboard, and
the hyperactivity of all four. It came to Andy while watching a film
with Jimmy Durante, when Durante apparently is excited about something
or other and says "Dat's it! I'm in XTC!" A much spiffyer name for a
very energetic band. The meaning seems to have become less fitting as
the years of studio only mellowed out the band.
They're XTC as long as Andy is involved.
Glad to help
Steven Graff
--
MZ
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 May 1998 20:29:14 -0700 (MST) From: short1@aztec.asu.edu (LINDSAY DIANE WARREN) Subject: mailing list or support group? Message-id: <9805030329.AA18170@aztec.asu.edu> Is it just me, or does it seem this mailing list has turned into a support group?? Lindsay
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #4-76 ******************************
Go back to Volume 4.
3 May 1998 / Feedback