Chalkhills Digest Volume 4, Issue 86
Date: Wednesday, 27 May 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 4, Number 86
Wednesday, 27 May 1998
Today's Topics:
"REAL" XTC fans
Never done this sort of thing before...!
double LPs
Double Albums
O&L
omnibus/that wave
My Second Outpouring
Re: Dubble Bubble
Back to the video question.
XTC content, Whoo Hoo!
double albums
Re: Dub Experiments
let's kick the dead double album horse some more
Back home
Dub Experiments
Andy Partridge co-write
Double your Pleasure
Pardon My Blooper
Chalkhills Originals - Explained
XTC Record Review
The White Album
Odds/XTC
'White' BACKLASH!
RE: Double Albums
Double Trouble
Bizarre Derision
Administrivia:
The DOUBLE ALBUM thread is dead. No more. Don't even.
XTC videos? That's right:
http://www.netwalk.com/~stewart/xtcvideo.htm
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Chalkhills is compiled using Digest 3.6 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>).
I don't want to hear you've been sorry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <19980525163937.27014.rocketmail@web1.rocketmail.com> Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 09:39:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Cheryl <cxtc@rocketmail.com> Subject: "REAL" XTC fans Hello Chalkpeople, This is a small pet peeve of mine, but I need to blow off some steam here. Recently I"ve seen statements that resemble the following: "A true XTC fan..." or " A real XTC fan wouldn't, shouldn't...." I'm a bit confused. I always assumed to be a "True" or "Real" XTC fan meant one liked XTC's music. What... is there a list of attibutes that define a 'real' fan? Mr. Relph, did you forget to send me a copy of this LIST? I never realized that being a fan is a serious matter. Okay so maybe the one chap's joke about Colin was off in it's timing, but that doesn't mean he is not a 'real' fan of XTC. I don't know why I've choosen to let these statements bother me, but they do. These declarations don't leave any room for "fans" to be the people that they are. I didn't come to Chalkhills to be apart of an elite group, I came to hear what others had to say, think, feel about XTC. Ofcourse that doesn't mean I like everything I read, but that is how life is. You take the good with the bad. I don't know...being a "pseudo" fan of XTC, the only type of person I would consider not a fan of XTC is one who says, "I think XTC suck" Now, I'm not saying those who feel that "real" fans wouldn't do this, say that, or scratch this are wrong. It's your opinion and I accept that. It's just what you had to say provoked me to state my own opinions. Thanks be to Mr. Relph for free speech on this list. So it's going to be 1999 before we see the new album, eh? *sigh* Fine then. At least it will be a good start to a new year. Okay, lets' get this year over with already!!! I've had enough! Wallowing in my own "pseudo" fan existance, Cheryl
------------------------------ From: "Bob Prowse" <bobprowse@mcmail.com> Subject: Never done this sort of thing before...! Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 20:28:58 +0100 Message-ID: <000001bd8813$5f229520$5d142cc3@m00dnm00> Hi Chalksters, I now wish more of you could have been there. I was really glad I made it. Where? The 'London Gathering' of course, last Saturday. Fantastic to meet a few of the faces belonging to those digest postings. It was especially good to meet Simon (Sleightholm), one of yours and our hotlines to the boys. Also great to meet Becki, whose album I must go and seek out. After beer, some chat and (obligatory) photos, it was away from the elegance of the hotel (nice choice Tim!) and on to the Spaghetti House for our meal. What struck me was how amazingly well we could dissect some other peoples lives, in minute detail - spiritually, economically and of course musically. Mostly musically. I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised, but to *talk* the talk, as opposed to banging it out on a keyboard was the thrill. Fun too finding myself mentioning other (absent) characters such as Amanda (you got three), Harrison (two), and a few of you others besides. We'd just about got all our meal orders in when Neville Farmer appeared and made himself known. He'd brought along a selection of photos, some from Chippy Studios, (sorry, Chipping Norton Studios - its quite local to me in Oxford) and I think others from Abbey Road (?) which were duly passed round and guffawed at! A particular fave was one of Andy, posing in front of a circular mic shield, making for a halo effect round his ironic expression. Caption on the back? 'Not even in your dreams!' Polishing off the meal and wine, we trooped across the road to the pub and continued with bouts of which track should be the next single, how are they going to complete the record now that the money has run out and a particularly illuminating insight into the problems faced when converting to trailing point signalling on the London Underground (thanks Phil!) And thanks to all those I met, especially to Tim Kendrick for suggesting the 'meet up' in the first place. Hope you have a great few days in the UK Tim with that visit to the Uffington White Horse being one of your highlights. Bob
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 00:20:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: 99 and 44/100% MIKe! <flippy@yucc.yorku.ca>
Subject: double LPs
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.980526001631.9861B-100000@yucc.yorku.ca>
I can't agree more with those recommending the Clash, however I
also suggest the 3-sided splendor of Joe Jackson's Big World. Just don't
try to play the 4th side; there _really_ isn't anything there.
MIKe
Playground Justice in effect at www.journalx.com, if you dare
________________________________________________________________
"If you really want to hurt your parents and you don't have
nerve enough to be homosexual, the least you can do is go into the
arts."
--Kurt Vonnegut
------------------------------ From: AMS5 <AMS5@aol.com> Message-ID: <da650774.356a4862@aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 00:43:13 EDT Subject: Double Albums As several people have pointed out, ENGLISH SETTLEMENT is a great double LP. In the waning days of vinyl, ORANGES & LEMONS got limited release as a double LP. I'll second the mention of LONDON CALLING by the Clash and argue that SANDINISTA by the Clash is a brilliant single album (or a pretty good double) that the Clash felt compelled to pad into a triple LP. I'd also like to get technical and ban greatest hits and live collections, but then again, maybe it's not my place to make the rules. Alex
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BD8889.A1068CA0@e2c10p10.scotland.net> From: Robert Wood <Wobbit@bigfoot.com> Subject: O&L Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 09:07:20 +0100 Richard Pedretti-Allen wrote: >> Now I find someone claiming Oranges & Lemons was a 2xLP?! I never knew! I thought it was a double EP or some such thing (i.e., could fit on one LP) .<< But it was old chap! Those of us who listen to music in the proper way (i.e. in the analogue domain, not some inferior digital medium! <g>) will tell you so. There's far too much to fit on two sides on an LP! Same with ES and Nonsuch. Many vinyl double LPs would fit on one CD. (Actually, for some obscure reason some of the songs from the ES vinyl version were left off the CD. I'm sure it's not a space thing, you can get 74 mins on a CD.) Come to think of it my brother had O&L on a *three* CD pack! (sic)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 01:42:02 -0700 (MST)
From: short1@aztec.asu.edu (LINDSAY DIANE WARREN)
Subject: omnibus/that wave
Message-id: <9805260842.AA21632@aztec.asu.edu>
Steven Graff <slapdash@earthlink.net> wrote:
During the last digest I read an allusion to the Holly Up On
Poppy/Crocodile transition on Nonsuch. When I bought the album, the
first thing I learned were these two great songs. I think the fade
between Omnibus/That Wave is more awkward. When I learned HUOP, and
Croc, I actually played them as a single piece. I like the abrupt change
over the messy cross fade. Plus, going from a slower song to a fast song
is more natual to me than vice-versa.
Oh my gosh! That wave used to scare the piss out of me every time, just
because of the silence between them was so long! I knew it was coming,
but it still made me jump... dunno why....
Lindsay
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s56a97b3.066@parliament.uk> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 10:20:47 +0100 From: Dominic Lawson <LAWSOND@parliament.uk> Subject: My Second Outpouring It's always nice to be proved right. Having expressed concerns about the often terrifyingly safe and predictable tastes of Chalkhills contributors, what do I read in the latest digest, as part of the "double LP" debate? Sting, Bob Dylan, Genesis and Jesus H. Christ Superstar!!! It's sad enough that as people get older they lose the ability to listen to anything remotely challenging or imaginative, but Jesus Christ Superstar??? This is too much - I sincerely hope we get a good explanation! Aside from the obvious fact that anything Lloyd Webber does is vile by definition, what the lushly-carpeted arse is an XTC fan doing recommending such pitiful drivel. Mendelson's Greatest Hits I can do without, thank you very much. Go away and listen to "Travels In Nihilon" for fuck's sake. Dom Lawson.
------------------------------ From: btm@ns1.mindmagic.com Message-ID: <356AB3C7.7FA9@ns1.mindmagic.com> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 13:21:30 +0100 Subject: Re: Dubble Bubble Tschalkgerz! Double albums worth having? How about Be Bop Deluxe's 'LIVE! In The Air Age' Oingo Boingo's 'Farewell' And I agree with 'English Settlement', of course! S'pose I'll think of others later... Hey, Mark. -Brian
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v04003a04b1906aec5f01@[134.32.48.166]> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 13:02:19 +0000 From: Stephen Varga <varga@ferndown.tt.slb.com> Subject: Back to the video question. Once again XTC appeared on VH-1 on Sunday afternoon. It was a 1970's themed weekend and the programme in question was the Beat Club. To my amazement there was an XTC video of Science Friction with the studio soundtrack (not a live version) which I didn't know existed. This brings back the question of a new XTC video compilation. Not only is it possible to now feature virtually every virgin single (+ others) on video, but when is it going to see the light of day? The forthcoming biography should certainly complete the literary account of the band, but the video part is still the biggest missing piece in the XTC jigsaw. Does anyone know whatever happened to Fossil Fuel - The video? Stephen Varga
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199805261629.JAA09345@access.tucson.org> From: "J. D. SMX" <jsmelser@access.tucson.org> Organization: Access Tucson Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 09:41:00 -0700 Subject: XTC content, Whoo Hoo! Hi Chalkmonsters, Forgive me if this has been mentioned here before, but even if it has it bears repeating: CD Books (you know, the ones exactly the same size as a jewel case,) has a series of books out on popular rock bands like the Beatles, Stones, Nirvana, NIN, etc. Well, I picked up the one on Nine Inch Nails and there on page 24 is a full color, full page picture of Swindon's finest, XTC. It has a caption, "Trent listened to UK songsters, XTC." In the text it also mentions that Trent was influenced by Ministry, XTC, Severed Heads, and Prince. This brought the question to my mind: Have any of the younger members of Chalkhills come to XTC by way of NIN? Knowing Trent was influnced by XTC did you explore XTC because they influenced NIN? Just curious, JD SMX
------------------------------ Message-ID: <356AF1ED.6B1CAD52@lucasdigital.com> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 09:46:37 -0700 From: "HALSTED :: the monkey claw is smelly" <halsted@lucasdigital.com> Organization: Industrial Light + Magic Subject: double albums David Sylvian Gone to Earth Japan Oil on Canvas Husker Du Zen Arcade Husker Du Warehouse: Songs and Stories
------------------------------ Message-ID: <009201bd88cb$36cec0e0$058bb0d1@JH3.alternatech.net> From: "JH3" <jh3@alternatech.net> Subject: Re: Dub Experiments Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 12:25:01 -0500 Mark D. Irvin <mdirvin@gate.net> asked: >I just picked up a copy of the Dub Experiments aka Explode >Together. I bought it when it was first released, but it was >a little much to handle for a then 15 year old just discovering >Drums and Wires, Go2 and White Music...so I returned it. <snip>... My question is, however, what was the purpose or >reasoning behind the recording and the release of the Dub >Experiments? Anyone know? Well, of course you have to remember that dub remixes were all the rage back in the so-called "new wave" era; XTC got on board that particular trolley-car earlier than most (1978). I may be totally wrong, but as I recall, the reason for doing the first dub record, Go+, was mainly to put together a bonus EP to help spur early sales of their awesome masterpiece, Go 2 (and maybe to use some leftover studio time). As for Take Away/The Lure of Salvage, that was Andy's project; he did it because he'd had fun with Go+ and because XTC was fairly hot at the time, commercially - they'd had a US hit of sorts with "Making Plans for Nigel" and they were touring constantly, so Virgin probably figured that such a record would sell. (This was also around the time Colin was doing his own solo project, i.e. the "Too Many Cooks" 45.) BTW, Mark, try not to feel too bad about returning that copy of "Take Away" - we all made mistakes when we were that age... Anyway, Explode Together was released several years later and was, unless I'm terribly mistaken, part of XTC's effort to get out of their Virgin contract by releasing as many albums as possible (I think they owed them, like, 752 albums on a one-time advance of about 5 quid) without having to spend what little money they had recording anything. John Hedges
------------------------------ Message-ID: <356AFF95.C359C8C8@ket.org> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 13:44:53 -0400 From: james isaacs <jisaacs@ket.org> Subject: let's kick the dead double album horse some more Hate to mention, but here are three more: Zen Arcade and Warehouse: Songs and Stories, by Husker Du Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart. And, IMHO "Freak Out!" deserves merit only because it was Zappa's first- but even it is far from his best. James BTW, what happened to all the other James out there?
------------------------------
Message-ID: <356B096F.EBF25567@usa.net>
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 16:27:10 -0200
From: Ben Gott <loquacious@usa.net>
Organization: Loquacious Music - http://www.bowdoin.edu/~bgott
Subject: Back home
Howdy, Chalkhills:
I finished the trek from Maine to Connecticut a while ago, but wanted to
drop a line to say three things:
- If you haven't contacted Ian Stewart for the videos, you should (if he's
still accepting offers). I received my "O&L/Nonsuch" tape today, and am
enjoying it immensely.
- Buy the new B-52's CD. It's actually a compilation, but one of the new
songs, "Debbie," is the best thing they've put out in years. Cindy Wilson
has also re-joined the band (it was she who left during "Good Stuff,"
right?), and "Debbie" has the great vocals and great production of any
fantastic B-52's song. It's also nice to have all the hits on one CD, of
course. The album is called "Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation."
- A few months ago, I luke-warmly recommended a CD by Baby Bird (aka Steven
Jones). I recently found out that Jones had sent over 40 demos to Andy
Partridge; this discovery coincided with the epiphany that I *really* like
this CD. It's called "Ugly Beautiful," and was released a few years ago on
Atlantic. Buy it or perish.
Hope everyone's doing well. I'm going to New Haven for a tonsillectomy on
Thursday 28 May, so I'll be out of commission for a week...But I'll still be
reading Chalkhills, so don't say anything bad about me, OK?
-Ben
+------------------------------------------------------------+
Ben Gott :: Loquacious Music :: Salisbury, CT 06068
http://www.bowdoin.edu/~bgott :: (860) 435-9726
And you may ask yourself, "How did I get here?"
+------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03102800b190ca81b817@[207.104.109.139]> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 12:44:49 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn <dblack@access1.net> Subject: Dub Experiments Mark wrote <My question is, however, what was the purpose or reasoning behind the recording and the release of the Dub Experiments? Anyone know?> Dub reggae was all the rage in the U.K around '78-'80. Studio effects and music twisting techniques were coming of age as the technology allowed. My guess is that Andy thought he'd try his hand at remixing in the dub style, with material he already had at hand; I assume his budget for the album was peanuts. For my part, it was records like this and "Take Away...Salvage" that got me interested in the whole world of recording, something I now do for a living. I loved hearing the original songs and then listening to the morphed versions. Dave Blackburn ^/v=<
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 13:19:50 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199805262019.NAA12558@mando.engr.sgi.com> From: John Relph <relph> Subject: Andy Partridge co-write It took me a few weeks, but I finally noticed that Andy Partridge co-wrote, with the esteemed Peter Blegvad, the song "Child Then" on the recent Slapp Happy album _Ca Va_ (cedilla omitted in ASCII). Speaking of a long time between albums, the previous Slapp Happy album (with Henry Cow) was released in 1975 (and was probably recorded in 1974). By the way, I think we've all seen enough on the "double LP" thread. -- John
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v03007800b190e5317c0c@[198.53.6.200]> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 17:45:54 -0400 From: Erich Walther <enrico@fox.nstn.ca> Subject: Double your Pleasure Thought I'd jump in with some double album ideas before John puts the kibosh on the thread ;-) Electric Ladyland was a 2-fer. The British release had about 24 of the most unatractive naked ladies on the cover. Live/Evil and Big Fun by miles Davis. He released a bunch of doubles in the early seventies but these two have the least 'filler'. Ummagumma - Pink Floyd Many John Coltrane albums Re the Snake Charmer song; up here in Canada (where here in Ottawa there's no problem getting things XTC - Canucks can e-mail me privately if they need some shopping assistance) we learned it as: There's a place in France where the ladies where no pants And the men wear glasses just to see their dirty asses Hey, I didn't write it! And that's all I have to say about those threads. Now back to standby..
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199805262159.OAA10159@access.tucson.org> From: "J. D. SMX" <jsmelser@access.tucson.org> Organization: Access Tucson Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 15:06:49 -0700 Subject: Pardon My Blooper Hi Chalkherds, I'll probably get a good stiff reaming from someone for mentioning this here, but a Double Album I think is worth owning is Melon Collie and the Infinate Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins. It was the only one I thought of that wasn't already mentioned. As a child, I remember having a fondness for Roadwork by Edgar Winter but I wouldn't mention it here, it's been so long since I heard it, it might not be worth owning anymore. Yes, Tommy does sound dated and IS history. Still love Smash the Mirror from it though and EC's version of Eyesight To The Blind from the film version. Bottom Line: I get the point, RPA, and I agree; most multiple albums deserve some editing. Back in the day of LPs, I would always question the song order of an album as I would, 95% of the time, dislike the order and feel I could've done better. Thank GOD i can program a CD to play in it MY order nowdays. I can even leave songs off! L8r, JD SMX
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s56ae068.091@phjw.com> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 15:30:10 -0700 From: "MARK G. CUEVAS" <MGCUEVAS@phjw.com> Subject: Chalkhills Originals - Explained There have been a few postings recently which question the process for the Chalkhills Originals project. Let me explain how this project came about, what it is, and what it isn't. Firstly, I'm informed that the person who began the "Originals" series years ago, has long-since deserted the project. I know that he has been MIA for years. We thought that was a shame. From what we've heard, there are a number of Chalkers who submitted works and either had them returned as "unsatisfactory," or had their works accepted only to have nothing come of it. Of course, neither of these results is appropriate. For the record, we have no affiliation with this person -- or with Richard Pedretti-Allen, for that matter, although we wholeheartedly support Richard's tireless efforts. These projects were done independently. And just so we're clear, these projects are *not* subsidized by Chalkhills in any way. They are *entirely* a result of individual efforts. Jeff and I will very likely lose money on this, but we don't really care. It's not *that* much, anyway. Jeff and I decided to put this project together because we enjoyed the CC '97 process and wanted to hear what some of the contributors, with whom we had been corresponding, could do with their own material. It was never intended to be a "come one, come all" type venture. I have nothing against those, it's just that this isn't one of them. As you can see from the list of artists, this project consists almost entirely of past contributors to the CC series. That was the intention from the start. Why? Because unlike the CC series, these are *originals*. We're not recreating XTC songs that people already know and love. These are *originals*. People are more inclined to go with what they've heard before (and presumably liked) than to embrace an artist they know nothing about. If someone else wants to go that route, be my guest. Nothing stopping you. We simply put together a collection we thought people might like. There has also been concern that some of the artists are not "Chalkies." Let me explain. Mike Foster is the only one of these artists who *no longer* receives the Chalkhills digest. All other artists are Chalkies. The reason he doesn't receive them is that he *no longer* has access to a computer. However, as many of you know, Mike was the organizer of the XTC convention in Basingstoke, England last summer, performed there himself, and was instrumental in getting Martin Newell to perform as well. He is obviously a rabid XTC fan and is a Chalkie in the highest sense. In fact many of you bought his Basingstoke T-shirts from Simon's website, Bungalow. In short, this project is the result of friendships that have developed over time from musicians of like mind. Through the genius that is XTC, and John Relph's time and energy, we all have a "Meeting Place" that has "Fostered" many relationships. That's a good thing. May it continue unabated. It is regrettable that space is limited in these releases, but cut us a break. This is our first effort here. And I think you'll like the results. - Mark and Jeff
------------------------------ From: MFa2707621 <MFa2707621@aol.com> Message-ID: <743d636.356b43a2@aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 18:35:13 EDT Subject: XTC Record Review Chalkers, This is my first installment of my XTC record reviews. The first album that I'm going to review is "Skylarking". I think this an amazing album. All the songs seem to flow into one. Both Andy and Colin wrote some great songs, especially "Summer's Cauldron" and "Grass". Every time I put it on, I go into a dream state. It's great when I'm not feeling that great. I know that didn't sound like a regular CD review. I'm not good at putting words into sentences. I just think "Skylarking" is the best XTC album out there. Bye for now. Molly
------------------------------
From: "Bob Dunn" <rjd55@mail2.nai.net>
Subject: The White Album
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 21:12:47 -0400
Message-ID: <001101bd890c$8fa044a0$0100a8c0@rjd55.nai.net>
>William Wisner: I might also mention the White Album.
>Richard: Play side 2 and then 4 and tell me what you would have missed
>if it had not been there? As great a release as it is, take the best 45
>minutes of the work, put it on one tape and take a wonderful ride with
>nary a bump in the road.
I must disagree. There is nothing from this double album that I would have
dropped. I love Revolution #9. The Beatles really broke new ground on this.
I wish that had not seen fit to drop "Not Guilty" from this set. "Cry Baby
Cry" is one of my all-time favorites. Ringo's drums are exceptional. What
songs would you have dropped?
Bob
.*'|'*. | Bob Dunn
* /|\ * | rjd55@ct2.nai.net
`*,|,*` | http://nw3.nai.net/~rjd55
------------------------------ From: "Frank McDonnell" <fmcdonnell@email.msn.com> Subject: Odds/XTC Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 23:10:39 -0400 Message-ID: <02ca04104031b58UPIMSSMTPUSR02@email.msn.com> JStrole wrote: Odds even lifted Complicated Games on their Neopolitan CD on a >song called Horsehead Nebula. And don't forget the "influence" of Making Plans For Nigel on their song Break The Bed, off of Good Wierd Feeling. See you sunday. Frank McD.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <356B9AF7.8433B20F@concentric.net> Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 00:47:51 -0400 From: DonSueP <DonSueP@concentric.net> Subject: 'White' BACKLASH! Avert your eyes and ears (chalkhills and) children, because I've got some serious ass kicking to do! Dom Lawson outpoured - emphasis added: > > I have been a little disturbed by the somewhat narrow musical view shared > by many of you. As a proud fan of heavy metal, hip hop, various strands of > dance music and pretty much anything with imagination, I'm puzzled as to > whyeveryone seems to be solely into white, commercial, adult-orientated pop > music, albeit of an often vaguely quirky nature. Acoustic guitars are not > necessarily a prerequisite for good music, and nor is sounding like The > Beatles. TMBG are a prime example. Excuse me, *mf'er*, but starting your first post by wrongly concluding that "many of us" have a "narrow musical view" and "white" predilections because our minds happen to associate XTC with TMBG or The Beatles shows tremendous chutzpah . . . and makes me like you already! But first, let me pause from the coming demolition of Dom to put a boot upside the head of Richard Pedretti-Allen for his callous dismissal of HALF of The Beatles' White Album as merely a "bump in the road" compared to his *improved* 45min version. (THWACK!) Then again, he's another of my favorite chalkhillbillies, so let's make that more of a friendly dope slap, shall we? (CUFF!) Damn it, even with the 'anonymity of the internet' thing going for me I still can't quite pull this ass kicking thing off, can I? I guess I'm just too darn nice. Anyway, back to Dom. First of all, thanks for offering that amusing little non sequitur of heavy-metal/hip-hop/dance music and "imagination". I mean, 'to each his own' by all means, but, in my opinion, it is ironically possible that it is precisely because "many of us" think these currently "in" types of music LACK imagination that we find this "left of centre" stuff so liberating. And don't think me totally naive either, I was heavily into Black Sabbath too . . . twenty five years ago. I'll even admit that Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin were well nigh GODS to me at an earlier stage in my life. But so much of what passes for 'new' music these days sounds to me like a rehash of these same three groups. But I guess as long as there are still fantasy seeking insecure adolescent males buying this stuff, we can expect an unabated torrent of this shit! But what really got me chuffed (in this case meaning both angry AND thrilled at the thought of being able to really let loose here) was the "white" comment, which was really just 'beyond the pale' so to speak. My own "narrow musical view" (and let me go way out on a limb here and and suggest that this may hold true for at least a few other XTC fans here) includes innumerable Blues, R&B, Soul, Jazz and Reggae artists which I would just LOVE to stack up against these hip hop (rhymes with rip off?) artistes. And, I hate to do this to you Dom because it is probably below the belt, but besides country, could there possibly be a 'whiter' genre than metal? And, no you didn't annoy me at all. Thanks for a *fresh* new voice, and welcome to Chalkhills! Respectfully yours, Don Parker p.s. Have we really uncovered the full origins of "Little Egypt", i.e. was the song named after (or written for) the belly dancer, or she after it? And now we have a possible earlier version of "Istanbul" too! Can someone confirm this, and more importantly did it actually include a bit of the "Little Egypt" tune as did the version by my second favorite 'white, commercial, adult-oriented pop' group? [Attachment omitted, unknown MIME type or encoding (text/x-vcard)]
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03130302b191b8af602c@[200.250.246.146]> Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 09:44:55 -0300 From: Paulo X <paulox@bastecnet.com.br> Subject: RE: Double Albums Hello everyone, delurking for a while... Some of my favorite double albums, along with ES, are: OIL ON CANVAS - Japan GONE TO EARTH - David Sylvian URGH! A Music War - Various (the video and the album include XTC's "Respectable Street") WELCOME TO THE CLUB - Ian Hunter The whole ATLANTIC RHYTHM & BLUES collection BEING THERE - Wilco VALUABLE PASSAGES - The Durutti Column THE COLE PORTER SONGBOOK - Ella Fitzgerald CONCERT PROGRAM - Penguin Cafe Orchestra Paulo, from Brazil XTC song of the moment: "Fly on the Wall" Non-XTC song a few moments ago: "Let the Happiness In" - David Sylvian "It's a well-known fact that although the public is fine when taken individually, when it forms itself into large groups, it tends to act as though it has one partially consumed Pez tablet for a brain." -- Dave Barry
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199805272048.WAA29003@mail.knoware.nl> From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl> Organization: The Little Lighthouse Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 22:49:16 +0000 Subject: Double Trouble Dear Chalkers, Last issue our friend Richard P. ate his words regarding the lack of decent double albums and added this: > Wings Over America was never mentioned. Ahh, but that's a triple album, no wonder! I once loved this album to bits... Hey, i was young and didn't know better ;) True Confessions Pt. Two: I absolutely hated the first XTC record i ever played ( Go 2 ). As far as i can remember i didn't even get to side two. yours in triplo, Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse the XTC website @ http://come.to/xtc and http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello
------------------------------
Message-ID: <356C9A7D.D998835E@netwalk.com>
Date: Wed, 27 May 1998 18:58:05 -0400
From: Ian C Stewart <stewart@netwalk.com>
Organization: AUTOreverse
Subject: Bizarre Derision
Richard Pedretti-Allen said:
To that I can only advise caution based on the derision cast upon
Bizarre Depiction's XTC tribute tape contributor selection process.
From what I understand, BD chapped quite a few butts by calling for
contributors and then sending tapes back with a "Thanks but no thanks."
when it didn't meet their approval. I attempted to circumvent those
types of situations by requiring CC contributors to "register" their
song.
Derision? Where was I when Bizarre Depiction was being derided? Oh yeah,
I wasn't even online yet. Let me hereby offer up a few facts that might
shed some light on the continually-misunderstood assembly process for
the XTC tribute tapes I put together back in the olden days.
(for the record: I=Bizarre Depiction. Same thing.)
The first XTC tribute tape I was ever aware of was put together by
Martin Fuchs in Germany, who did an "XTC And Related" cover-version
project, whereby XTC fans could cover their favorite XTC cuts and then
offer up one of their own tracks as well. I didn't actually get to hear
this tape until much much later, Martin wasn't even actively dubbing the
tapes anymore at that point... this was 1990? 91?
Completely (well, relatively) unrelated to that, in early 1991, after
seeing the KISS tribute album "HARD TO BELIEVE" in record stores, I
thought about doing an XTC tribute tape. I mean, who didn't think of
that? I ran a couple of ads in the LITTLE EXPRESS and drummed up a
little interest and soon found that everybody and their mom also wanted
to do their own tribute tapes. It still happens, everyone wants to do
tributes, all the time, forever. I had trouble finding contributors
until the first XTC fans convention in Barrie Ontario in late 1991.
From the very beginning, I wanted cover versions that would somehow be
different from the original versions. Weird, quirky, offbeat, unusual
versions. That was the main criteria from the word GO. Hence too the
name BIZARRE DEPICTION.
So when I assembled the first XTC tribute tape ("OBSCENE COLLECTION"), I
was delighted to have Peter Murray's impeccable reggae "Ladybird," and
Paul (brother of Austin Powers) Myers' A CAPELLA version of "Bushman
President," and slightly less delighted to feature my own silly
faux-heavy metal "Great Fire."
When the second tape ("BEASTS I'VE SEEN") came together, the internet
was still something most of us just read about. CHALKHILLS was
definitely going, and I was definitely aware of it, but it was (and
continues to be, I think) a separate entity from the LITTLE EXPRESS,
which (for better or worse) I felt more affiliated with. Only because
I'd exchanged letters and tapes with Peter and June Dix and I knew them
better than anyone or anything on CHALKHILLS. But, again, the selection
criteria for BEASTS was solely 1) the cover version shouldn't be exactly
like the original, and 2) it had to rock me. There were a couple of
tapes that were sent from somewhere in California, with no return
address, with no band name or artist name written anywhere on the
package---one tape had "Somnabulist" written on it, and it was a
condenser-mic recording of a couple of guys laughing and playing "The
Somnambulist" on a casio for about ten minutes. Obviously something like
this would never be considered for inclusion by anyone who's truly
interested in hearing awesome, weird *interesting* versions of XTC
music. Blah blah blah. And I started getting duplicate versions of some
songs, which is when I started telling everyone to pitch me their idea
before they started rolling tape, before they started spending money in
studios (god forbid), before they got it in their heads that no one else
would do "Travels In Nihilon"!
I wanted to wrap up the XTC tribute tape series with a bang, so that's
what "SKYLACKING" was. Construction began in 1994, even before "BEASTS"
was done. And it was about 75% filled with crazy, wonderfully inventive
versions of The Greatest Album Ever Made... when John Neil suggested
taking the plea for more versions to CHALKHILLS. And that, I'm guessing,
is where the derision started.
It was clearly stated from the absolute beginning of the project that I
was looking for absurdly specific results with "SKYLACKING." John Neil
did the best job he could, acting as my CHALKHILLS mouthpiece for a few
months, but miscommunication ensued anyway. The "pitch me your ideas"
part never made it to CHALKHILLS, which is totally my fault. How could I
have known how vitriolic and spiteful complete strangers could be?
Leaving any room for doubt is the quickest route to being derided.
(for those who don't know the rest of the story, "SKYLACKING" was
released and sold out completely, as did the box set of all three
tributes, "ATMOSPHEAR TO OCEAN". The end.)
If you don't like how Bizarre Depiction did it, try doing it yourself!
*You* try putting together some compilation tapes! Wait until someone
sends you something you really strongly, passionately dislike and THEN
let's talk about derision!
No BIZARRE DEPICTION XTC tribute has ever made claims of being at all
related to CHALKHILLS in terms of how it was assembled. I never said any
of the BD tributes would include or exclude anyone's submissions based
on whether or not they subscribed to this newsgroup. Covers just had to
be weird and had to rock me, the end. And if they didn't do either, I
have to say I'm not interested in financing or promoting it in any
capacity. Sorry.
This is why I think Fritz' CHALKHILLS ORIGINALS tape should continue to
be cut some slack. A whole lot of slack. I know there's not a lot to
talk about apart from double albums and who should play Andy in the
Broadway musical version of "Chalkhills And Children," and what other
obscure pop stars we'd like to see take Dave's place BUT hacking up
Fritz because he did or didn't live up to his "word" is boring. It
doesn't matter. If his project was important enough to him, he would've
made it happen, that's the bottom line. If it isn't, then that's fine
too. Life goes on. He doesn't owe anyone anything. I feel for the guy,
that's all. Deride me not! I'm only human!
Phew! For fear of sounding too much like a big mean meanie, um... hey!
Everyone who ordered videos from me last week... they all went out in
today's mail. I had strep throat over the weekend and wasn't able to
mail 'em till today, but they oughta be there by Saturday! Happy
viewing!
yours faithfully,
Ian C Stewart
xtc videos? that's right:
http://www.netwalk.com/~stewart/xtcvideo.htm
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #4-86 ******************************
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