Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 176
Date: Thursday, 15 April 1999
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 176
Thursday, 15 April 1999
Today's Topics:
We have the Pooh and you are not getting him back!
I will get this one...no I will...
Gosh! Did I get your goat or something? ;-)
*Hermeneutics* at its finest
Re:: Personal Music Confessions
Sherwood the Clay-Footed Gnat-Fucker
Responding to questions seems like a good intro...
Fuzzy muzak?
Re:"No Thugs"
Subject: AV2 delay
Dom's F***ing Nightmare
Embarrassing Songs (again)
Re: More on Gilligan
Enough threads for a quality tapestry
The Man Who Murdered Love!!!! Hurray!!!
is there anything in there...?
Most embarrassing songs
Welcoming a Yahoo
Your Imagination
Colin' Contributions
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Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.7 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>).
It's the airwaves of the world.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <19990414181853.17996.rocketmail@web601.yahoomail.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 11:18:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Jon Rosenberger <wile1coyote@yahoo.com> Subject: We have the Pooh and you are not getting him back! Dan Quipped: "Take Care Dan"Who really hates that Freakin' GROUND HOG and secretly wishes THE MOLE FROM THE MINISTRY would beat the "hell" out of him!" R. comicpub@aol.com" Hey back off you poor excuse for a three-eyed amoba. The Gopher is my brother and together he and I know all about you and that "friend" you have, and what about that thing behind the couch. That's gross. Not to even start on the Visa bill. Leave a bag of small unmarked seeds on the backporch tonight or we are going to the Enquirer. And don't look for the groundhog cause he's "not in the book". I'm the Mole from the Ministry!
------------------------------ From: Chauncy14@aol.com Message-ID: <dae4b235.24464777@aol.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 15:33:11 EDT Subject: I will get this one...no I will... <<From: "Jamie Lowe" <jamielowe@email.msn.com> Subject: Easter Theatre>> <<And while I am on the Song Stories subject. I recently revisited The Big Express playing it over and over again in my Car and The song that had my attention the most was "I Bought Myself a Liar Bird". Unfortunately, when I returned to SS to read all about I was disappointed to discover the band was unable to discuss it due to a legal entanglement/arrangement? with their former management. If any erudite Chalkhillians can shed some light on this mystery I would greatly appreciate it. jamielowe@msn.comn Thanks. Jamie>> Jamie, I asked this question about 2 weeks ago on the digest, and so I thought I would help you out. This song was written about XTC's former, ex, X, no longer, been terminated band manager Ian Reid. He was likely *sacked* by the band due to financial shenanagans (sic), and as a result of a *presumed* court order, or gag order, they cannot discuss the contents of the lyrics or anything about Ian. There is information in an article on Mark S's website @ http://utopia.knoware.nl/~mmello/index.html Cheers! John Gardner
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990414194639.27035.rocketmail@attach1.rocketmail.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 12:46:39 -0700 (PDT) From: nross <phoenixyellowrose@rocketmail.com> Subject: Gosh! Did I get your goat or something? ;-) To respond to: Chris Desmond <c_desmond@yahoo.com> Subject: ridiculous once again Nicole gushed: You make me sound like a faucet, or a southern bell. I'm very cynical, by the way. I rarely gush!!! >I'll beat my MANDY though, with this one: You want to top yourself for being ridiculous?! Might be hard but go ahead... Hey hey, now, really... is that neccessary? >How can you resist: "talk dirty to meeeeee, yeah! and baby why don't ya >talk dirty to me..." Uh, not sure what song it is you are attempting to convey, but if it sounds this bad over e-mail maybe it should have stayed locked away in your head. Poison... Talk dirty to me... 80's... like RATT, remember them? >How about moving on to something more entertaining like XTC? HEY! Just having fun here... no need to get serious! But... on the topic, I have I guess a demo... or a funky version of "Bungalow" that always makes me laugh... I'm embarrassed I like it so much. I don't much get Humanosaurus appeal... is THAT entertainment? NO? No, you say... You want relevance, don't you? hmmm... maybe next post (well, please stop posting, then) NO, I don't think so... just page down if you feel like it! = well, at least there is a little xtc in here -Nicole
------------------------------ From: Chauncy14@aol.com Message-ID: <b60c4328.24464e2d@aol.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 16:01:49 EDT Subject: *Hermeneutics* at its finest Hey Chalkies ~ <<Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.7 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>). I got toys like the other boys. >> at which <<Somebody wrote : >XTC : English Settlement who had to scream, <<Anybody ( sorry - ladies only ! ) out there think they love ME ? >> if and only when you should <<Be as smug as you like mate! It's made absolutely no difference to our UEFA hopes. Even if we come fifth, WE WILL NOT QUALIFY, and there's virtually no chance of us coming fourth. Mind you, being a Charlton pseudo-fan you probably need these tiny victories to keep your sanity...>> and then, Number <<2. Least favourite XTC song: "My Weapon" - if you can really call it an XTC song (and yes, I know you can...) - or that goddawful Xmas song.>> and, <<.....the list is tragically endless......>> And in came from the cold <<The squiggly synth sounds on "Fruit Nut." Almost, but not quite, ruins the song for me.>> and she said, <<Dan"Who really hates that Freakin' GROUND HOG and secretly wishes THE MOLE FROM THE MINISTRY would beat the "hell" out of him!" R. comicpub@aol.com>> and <<waspie [f. wasp n.1 + -ie.] A ladies' corset designed to make the waist appear very small; a belt of similar design.> Meanwhile, <<AP responded with "they shouldn't be mating with animals.">> and I declared, <<my house a "Greenman"-free zone for the week>> when <<-Steve (who can't listen to "Fruit Nut" ever since the misheard-lyric thread produced "spraying my butt")>> said <> The end. Just poking fun at the exigencies. Chalkies, there's nothing personal herein, I was board on a boring day in Chicago. John Gardner
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3714F72F.65D70590@cnr.edu> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 16:14:39 -0400 From: "Sarah Starr" <sstarr@cnr.edu> Subject: Re:: Personal Music Confessions Hey, good questions! Here's my answers: EEEUUUUURRGH!, or THE MOST AWFUL ALBUM COVER IN HISTORY any Deicide cover...ugghh ALBUM I'M MOST EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT THAT I BOUGHT: Wham! Make It Big....I was seven, ok? MOST BLUSH-MAKING PERSONAL MUSCIAL CONFESSIONS: I have attended a rock concert with my father. I own and love the Cabbage Patch Kids album. I had never heard Dark Side of the Moon until last month. WORST MUSICAL EXPERIENCE: Bread--arrgh!!! GREATEST CONCERT EVER: They Might Be Giants, October 16 and 17th, 1998....i saw three tmbg shows in two days....it rocked me for several continuous weeks.... WORST CONCERT EVER: none, really. "YOU KNUCKLEHEAD!" - CLASSIC CONCERTS I COULD HAVE GONE TO, BUT DIDN'T: Tori Amos last year....uggh... FAVORITE (NOT BEST) ROCK FILM: Tommy. WORST ROCK FILM I dunno. PERFORMERS MOST DESERVING OF A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH: Celine Dion N'Sync Backstreet Boys FIVE MOST OVERRATED ACTS IN HISTORY: can't decide. UTTERLY CRAP BAND I'M PROUD TO SAY I NEVER LIKED: - Spice Girls sarah faye virgin poster -- "He used to be your victim now you're not the only one...." --Elvis Costello, "Accidents Will Happen" http://lindramine.cjb.net -- The Princess's Castle
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3714FABD.EF230616@averstar.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 16:29:49 -0400 From: Harrison Sherwood <sherwood@averstar.com> Organization: Averstar, Inc. Subject: Sherwood the Clay-Footed Gnat-Fucker Before I begin, I want to present for your delectation The King Of All XTC Name Ripoffs: http://www.cs.umb.edu/~eugene/XTC/concepts.html. Just remember this sage piece of advice: "Children that have borders extending beyond the edges of their parents appear to get chopped off, and children that only exist beyond the parent's borders cannot be seen at all." I think we can all learn a lesson from this. Snipping, snipping, snipping... (I love the way the guy ends his little essay: "This document is incomplete. I will continue to improve it in time." No *way,* dude! It's perfect just the way it is!) > From: "Steve Oleson" <Steve.Oleson@OAG.STATE.TX.US> > Subject: Sherwood the Amazing > > Thanks for the Partridge/Burgess link explication! I never thought that > there might actually be such solid ties between them. Of course, only Mr > Sherwood would have found them. Woah, SLOW down, there, my horrorshow chelloveck! Much as I would love to take credit for making the connection, it was Francis Heaney in #170 who pointed out the Partridge interview where Andy reveals where he took "fuzzy warbles" from. I only tracked down the dialog from the scene from A Clockwork Orange for our choodnessy govoretts. Wouldn't want Francis taking it into his gulliver to tolchock my guttiwuts in, spill my red red krovvy from here to the Overlook Hotel. I would never krast from a Chalkie droog. > OK, Mr Smartyknickers Sherwood! Find a link between XTC and H. P. Lovecraft! Dave Gregory --> Marillion. Thank you very much! Good night! Drive safely! (http://people.zeelandnet.nl/steege/l_grende.htm) Harrison "I'll be your Ph'nglui mglw'nafh if you'll be my Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn" Sherwood
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990414223132.13533.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Megan Heller" <hellerm@hotmail.com> Subject: Responding to questions seems like a good intro... Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 15:31:32 PDT Hello. I just re-subscribed to Chalkhills after a two and a half year absence, so I thought I'd drop in my response to the list that has been circulating-- >1. Least favourite moment on Apple Venus1: "Fruit Nut". That intro is just kind of off-putting for me. >2. Least favourite XTC song: Maybe "My Weapon"-- it made me uncomfortable the first time I heard it (nine years ago, when I was thirteen), and I never seem to have gotten past that. >3. Artist most people seem to think is pretty naff, but you actually >quite enjoy: The two Stone Temple Pilots albums I own are what I tend to hide from everyone. There's a variety of pop stuff that comes out that I kind of like and will listen to on the radio if I'm alone. Then there's the Spice Girls...don't ask. >4. Worst Beatles song: Don't own enough to answer on this one. The Beatles were more a background for me-- what I listened to before I started listening to XTC. >5. Songs that should have been strangled at birth: "My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion (hopefully it will go on a plate) "Ooh That Smell" - Lynyrd Skynyrd (the first song I ever hated) >6. Extremely popular artists that you can't see what all the fuss is about: Celine Dion Alanis Morrisette Jewel >7. Musician you'd like to kick hard: see above and Britney Spears >8. Whackiest Title for a song: "Whitney Houston Joins The Jams" - The Jams >9. Most Unpleasant Musical Experience: hrm. I started listening to XTC and became a goth at twelve (I know they don't go together, but XTC was somehow how I found music like Bauhaus and Joy Division. Long story.), when all my friends were listening to New Kids on the Block. That was disturbing at the time. Now I just tend to be disturbed by what the incoming freshman college classes are listening to. In the meantime, just to finish up my introduction, I'd like to mention that I re-joined the list because I'm moving halfway across the country after I graduate from college in May-- Virginia to San Antonio, Texas-- and I'd love to know if there's anything interesting out there. I mentioned listening to Bauhaus and Joy Division, but the goth thing being more a part of my past, I'll mention that I also listen to Momus and Magnetic Fields. In addition, of course, to XTC. megan.
------------------------------ From: pann@gate.net Message-ID: <37151A38.2BB1@gate.net> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 18:44:08 -0400 Subject: Fuzzy muzak? Chalkaphones, > From: "Steve Oleson" <Steve.Oleson@OAG.STATE.TX.US> > Thanks for the Partridge/Burgess link explication! I never thought that > there might actually be such solid ties between them. Of course, only Mr > Sherwood would have found them. > > Droog Oleson Yeah, I've liked the recent Literary mentions (also, thanks, Harrison for the Pynchon info a few digests back...) Just this past week I had a ROO experience in Phillip K. Dicks "We Can Build You" pg 83- ..."See? See how you have to be logical all the time? Stop the car at the next intersection and we'll both get out and leave it, or go to a flower shop and buy flowers and throw them at other motorists"... nice little coincidence, or something....bigger?....... and, Oh my brothers, what did my glazzs' viddy on page 195 but: ..."Do you want to sit and have the vichyssoise and be quiet?"... Now, on to the embarrasing song stuff. I never change the station when these appear (in fact, I turn it up): Ventura Highway- America Aubrey- Bread (see also; Guitar Man) Me and Mrs. Jones----??? In the Summertime-Mungo Jerry Groovin'---Young Rascals Don't Fear the Reaper--BOC Tom Sawyer--- Rush Everything I Have is Yours-New Stanton Band---think cheesy early to mid seventies game show music crossbred with Kmart muzak, and you have this. Wonderful-Johnny Mathis---how the %$#@ did this happen? Actually, I think a lot of my muzak, um, "inclinations" may have come from when I was a high school kid working at the local supermarket. The importance of a good muzak system cannot be stressed enough, while toiling away for The Man/minimum wage, and saying "Plastic or paper" ad infinitum. This was good muzak, late 70s/early 80s, with session cats who could play those standards! Funky bass, cheesy horns, lush, sentimentally-dripping strings, the odd oboe....all instrumental, all day! An 8-10 hour shift could go a lot faster with some good muzak playing..."Oh, Wichita lineman...nice..." Sadly, they don't make them like they used to. Now, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah, etc are played there.....think of the poor kids! Bah! Xtc content: whats up with the Space Ghost appearance? And, I've been listening to my Jules Verne and Bull cds (thanks again Mark), and I have a question: How did "Everything", "This is the End", "Obscene Procession", and "Work" never make it through the final cut? These songs are classics! Paper or plastic, Perry
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3714E76C.1D95@bhip.infi.net> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 19:07:28 +0000 From: Brian <mattone@bhip.infi.net> Subject: Re:"No Thugs" Tschalkgerz! >Perhaps I've misinterpretted this, but I've always thought that the song was referring to the *woman's* father, or Graham's grandfather. The lyrics are kind of ambiguous, but it works out better for me that way.< Man, Curtiss, did you ever listen to (or read) the lyrics to "No Thugs In Our House"? They are quite clear on the matter. Juvenile delinquency of the typical order, with Judge Dad yanking No.1 son's ass out of the fire. -- BRIAN THOMAS MATTHEWS * Digital & traditional illustration/animation * Caricaturist-for-hire * RENDERMAN ~ One-Man Band Ordinaire SAPRINGER CENTRAL ~ http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer
------------------------------ Message-ID: <000701be86ce$b02d5b20$8c4c4382@oemcomputer> From: "Arnstein Friling" <afriling@online.no> Subject: Subject: AV2 delay Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 01:29:48 +0200 Hi-diddely-ho, fellow Chalkhillians Just got back from the Moneychester U - Arse-anal 2. semifinal. Great game. Too bad one of those "popular" and "sympathetic" team had to reach the final. A colleague of mine at the Aftenposten newspaper in Norway had (much to my envy) a 25-minute phone-interview with Colin Moulding yesterday. CM confirmed reports that they are not going to start work on AV2 until this summer, and the album will definately not be in the shops until about this time next year. What I want to know is: If the songs for AV1 are from 92-94, and AV2-songs are from 94-96, what about the songs from the last two years? Are AP and CM currently writing? When will the songs from 96-99 see the light of day? In 2002, perhaps. But then what about the songs between 99 and 02? Will our friends be caught in some perpetual time-lag? Somebody suggest for them a release-schedule that will help them catch up. CM also said he had fond memories from playing live on radio in 89, and that AP and him were seriously pondering the possibilities of doing radio-concerts in Europe sometime in the near future. An exciting prospect to say the least, but from everything I've read from AP concerning this, I suspect it's more like wishful thinking. Beforhand I had suggested to the interviewer that CM probably wouldn't be very talkative, but that certaintly wasn't the case at all. Our hero was in fact very upbeat and frisky. BTW, AV1 has gotten suberb reviews in all the major Norwegian newspapers, but is, not surprisingly, nowhere to be found on the charts. Passing thoughts on AV1. The swirling organ on I L T is straight out of Beatles' "Benifit for mister Kite". K I S K reminds me a lot of "Night Game" by Paul Simon. The opening chords of F T makes me think of "Go Now" by the Moody Blues. Somebody on the list said "long live derivative art", and I couldn't agree more. Here's the six, sorry, make it eight, albums (apart from all the post-79 ones from XTC) that has meant the most to me: Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks The Beatles: Hard days night The Jam: Setting Sons Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen (Two wheels Good) Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the edge of town Neil Young: Decade Joy Division: Closer Jeff Buckley: Grace Now, will any female reading this be catching the first flight to Oslo to make a den with me? Oh Well, that's this posting over. Regards, Arnie Friling
------------------------------ From: Iain.Murray.70428176@army.defence.gov.au Message-Id: <4A256753.007DA849.00@stagemaster.army.defence.gov.au> Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 09:01:48 +1000 Subject: Dom's F***ing Nightmare >> Finally I attempted to complete a tape of AV1 for a friend at the weekend, and decided to try and put one track from each of the other XTC (studio) albums as a very-nearly-exciting prequel to the new album's melodic delights. What a fucking nightmare! Well, what would you choose (and playing time is not really an issue <snip> I did much the same thing a few months ago for a friend - the tape came back the following week, presumably unplayed. Ungrateful sod..... From White Music : it'd be a toss-up between This Is Pop and Statue Of Liberty From Go2 : Meccanic Dancing From Drums & Wires : Complicated Game From Black Sea : Love At First Sight From English Settlement : No Thugs In Our House From Mummer : Ladybird From The Big Express : The Everyday Story Of Smalltown From Skylarking : Earn Enough For Us (or maybe Another Satellite) From Oranges & Lemons : The Mayor Of Simpleton From Nonsuch : Wrapped In Grey This is assuming that the tape is for someone who has heard the more "obvious" XTC tracks (Senses Working Overtime, Generals & Majors, etc), and might enjoy some of the album tracks. I think that was the mistake I made with the tape I did - it didn't have Making Plans For Nigel on it, so the guy lost interest (tw@). Iain
------------------------------ From: Iain.Murray.70428176@army.defence.gov.au Message-Id: <4A256753.00819330.00@stagemaster.army.defence.gov.au> Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 09:39:54 +1000 Subject: Embarrassing Songs (again) I have a cassette copy of a 1977 radio show that Kenny Everett did for Capitol Radio in London, which features a Top 30-style countdown of the worst songs ever released (as voted by Capitol listeners). This tape could be the most hideous, revolting and cringe-making (and therefore, by extension, hilarious) 90 minutes I've ever experienced - it includes versions of "Spinning Wheel" and "A Lover's Concerto" that have to be heard to be believed. If anyone wants a copy of this cassette (and believe me, it's worth it just to hear Jimmy Cross singing "I Want My Baby Back"), let me know by private e-mail. Iain
------------------------------ Message-ID: <37155F82.DD79FD16@pobox-u-spam-u-die.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 23:39:46 -0400 From: Jefferson Ogata <ogata@antibozo.net> Subject: Re: More on Gilligan "STEVE PERLEY" <steveandlauren@grolen.com>: > One of my old bands discovered several years ago that The Ballad > of Gilligan's Island also happens to go very nicely with the music > from The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. > We called it (of course) The Wreck of the SS Minnow... For me, the classic example of this phenomenon (pointed out to my by my friend Brad) is to sing the words of Amazing Grace over the tune of Gilligan's Island. Try it, but not in church, not even in your head. I like to alternate verses. Start with "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound" for the first verse, then "The weather started getting rough" and so on. This is a good way to pass the time while sitting in a doctor's office or waiting to board an airplane. Colin does a really cool bass thing at the beginning of the last chorus in Easter Theatre. Actually, he does a lot of cool things. Colin is a very cool guy. There: XTC content. -- Jefferson Ogata. smtp: <ogata@pobox.com> http://www.pobox.com/~ogata/ finger: ogata@pobox.com ICQ: 19569681 whois: jo317@whois.internic.net
------------------------------ From: ElizaS33@aol.com Message-ID: <fc57c690.2446cc14@aol.com> Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 00:59:00 EDT Subject: Enough threads for a quality tapestry Catching up on waaay too many digests here to actually look back and see who said what: Someone mentioned the person who worked at a record shop on the Promenade - that's me. Or was me... I'm afraid I've sold out very recently for a gray cubicle and a middle-class salary. Glad to hear you found your copy of AV1 anyway! I have new Sgt. Peppers so often I can hardly even remember what they are. But I find more often than not it's a live performance that really whacks around my way of thinking about music. I will say that I just realized this Christmas, while forcing my in-laws to watch "A Year Without A Santa Claus" during dinner, I realized just how influential the Cold Miser/Heat Miser song was on my future musical taste when I was a tot. I'm still a sucker for music-hall piano and slightly silly horn arrangements... Over that same Christmas dinner, we decided anyone who doesn't love at least one embarrassing thing probably has their taste catered by reviewers. My thing: Tom Jones. Not the new, hip, dance-groove Tom, but the Tom of my childhood. I have a box set of his that I truly believe is the most wondrous thing on the planet... FOUR CDs of the man cluelessly belting out such '70s hits as Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, I Love A Rainy Night, Sexy Eyes, and of course, I Write The Songs. Best song title ever for a song that only tenuously exists: "The Last Temptation of Porkfist (Noodles and You)". A reggae song composed by Jon Brion and Robyn Hitchcock on stage. On your parents liking the same music as you: It can be highly amusing. My mom likes some great stuff, like the Beatles, and some scary stuff, like '80s Bette Midler, and doesn't really know the difference... anyway, I took her to see Jon Brion, and David Poe was the opener, and from that night, got these two great moments: After Poe finished his set, she said, "He seems like he's smoked way too much pot, and I think he might be a serial killer." (Nobody could really disagree.) Then recently, when I told her Jon's album was coming out in July, she was really excited. She wanted to know if he'd be doing all that crazy stuff like he does on stage. When I told her not really, he'd be pretty much playing songs, there was a moment of silence, then this very disappointed, "...oh." I can't wait to tell him my mom thinks he's not edgy enough! And, on a grand XTC note, the last trades I read at my old, cool job indicated that AV1 was kicking some butt on the Adult Post-Modern charts; also, that it had Soundscanned 40,000 copies in the first three weeks, which the magazine seemed quite impressed with. Elizabeth The Gallery of Indispensable Pop Music http://homepages.go.com/~popgallery www.frigidisk.com \ the coolest cds on the Internet
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990415050358.14793.rocketmail@web122.yahoomail.com> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 22:03:58 -0700 (PDT) From: K D <hentoe_xtc@yahoo.com> Subject: The Man Who Murdered Love!!!! Hurray!!! Just wanted to thank Mitch for informing me that my favorite all-time demo is going to be on AV2!!!! and, of course, thank you Andy & Colin!!! (I'd love to think my pleading had something to do with their decision--but I know that's wishful thinking!) AV2 is going to be amazing! I am so glad XTC is my favorite band! -the Baltimore Kate (currently in L.A.) P.S.--Neal, I caught up on my Chalkhills a few months ago, and all I have to stay is: THE BIG EXPRESS ROCKS, YOU BIG BLUE MEANIE!!! (don't worry, I know you were just trying to get me out of lurkdom--and it would've worked had I seen it before! very clever!)
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 15:09:36 +0000 From: Sebastien Maury <MAURY.SEBASTIEN@a2.abc.net.au> Subject: is there anything in there...? Message-Id: <E1223IWL3BT8Y*/R=A1/R=ABCNET/U=MAURYS6G/@MHS> Re: kevin_j_donnelly@hotmail.com "Anthem for the Year 2000 - Silverchair. So they're only 18, who gives a shit? Their stuff is still wank. [whatever that means]. "We are the youth.../And we are knocking on death's door" yeah, really, well change the record guys, we've heard it before (Joy Division did a _much_ better job of being the youth and knocking on death's door)." [and look where it got them] This is irony. And if you don't give a shit how old they are, why the fuck mention it at all (shakes his head at the blitheringly obvious)? On a brighter note, lead singer Daniel Johns is/was anorexic and has been quite candid in interviews about this, also recording a song about the traumas it entailed on the new album. I'm *not* a fan by the way, but it's good to correct these uninformed little misconceptions that get bandied about with veritable impunity..until now. Ha! But hey, as a musical experience, I *can* think of better, that's true. For any Australian readers out there, the import version of Easter Theatre is out ($19.98 at Red Eye-Yeouch!), beautifully packaged, and with, gasp, LYRICS!!! Haven't seen it anywhere else yet, but I'm not exactly expecting HMV to order truckloads of it in... On the Street has AV charting in the "Alternative Albums Top 20" (don't get me started...don't worry about the fact that half the albums on it mirror the National Top 20) in its 5th week at number 17 (highest: 11). does anyone know what sales have been like here? Thanks to everyone involved in the BBvsB debate for making me feel young again. Seb.
------------------------------
From: JEFFREY.THOMAS.JT@bayer-ag.de
Subject: Most embarrassing songs
Message-Id: <0006800010367325000002L052*@MHS>
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 10:45:31 +0200
Hi from Germany, all you "Kreideberger",
*Hallelujah!!*, NOW I understand! My choice of "Sugar Sugar", or any Abba
song, was way off the mark, it has to get *really embarrassing* here.
"Gilligan's Island" doesn't really qualify either, since TV themes are
apparently by definition required to be bad (think of "F Troop", "Brady
Bunch", etc.), except when they make some sort of mistake (like the
"Avengers" or hiring Quincy Jones ["Ironside"]). You might as well start
citing TV commercials. No, but alert Chalkhills contributors have made me
see the light!
Jeff R. wrote:
>Embarrassing? Two words.
>Muskrat Love.
Wow! Excellent choice! This crowning achievement, actually a cover of
someone else's work, was recorded by a band that by itself was only able to
write songs with grammatically exciting lines like "You're the most
brightest star that comes my way", or songs like "Tin Man" -- that is to
say, songs that *weren't quite embarrassing enough*! I know, I have these
records! So they went out of their way to record someone else's song.
Don't forget, folks, this is the group George Martin produced, about which
he made a comment to the likes of "I can't make just any group sound like
the Beatles." No wonder.
BTW: "Muskrat Love" was actually a hit for *two groups* -- double your
pleasure, double your fun!
Tyler wrote:
>Oh, and Air Supply (didnt pay for that one. went for
>free to laugh, but it was WAY beyond laughter-really
>pathetic).
Ohhhh yessss! Or as Leonard Pinth-Garnell would have said, "There there now
--
that wasn't so good, was it?" To think, "Lost in Love" was their *best*
song!
And then Bob wrote:
>Regarding those songs you are embarrassed that you like: if
>you are into this music like I (ahem) am, then you are probably
>familiar with the "Have A Nice Day: Super Hits of the 70's"
>series put out by the good folks at Rhino Records. The first
>song in the series is immensely overqualified ("More Today Than
>Yesterday" by Spiral Starecase), but all the darlings are here:
>"Precious And Few", "The Night Chicago Died", "Billy Don't Be A
>Hero", and others. As usual, Rhino found most of the first
>generation tapes of these songs, so the "quality" is unmatched.
>If I had to choose one, it would be "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary
>Goes)" by Hall of Fame Band Edison Lighthouse, followed by "Joy"
>by Apollo 100, an instrumental based on ":Jesu, Joy of Man's
>Desiring" (didn't think I'd see that song mentioned twice in the
>same week in Chalkhills!)
>"Mandy"? Sheese, that's a tough one. You should have at least
>picked "Weekend In New England".
Ohhh God! Yes! Truly orgasmically bad. "Weekend in New England" just
*kills* "Mandy" for sheer awfulness. And God bless those people at Rhino
for their constant efforts to provide just what the customer needs. I
*have to* buy this record! I assume it also has "Having My Baby", "I've
Been to Paradise", "You Light up My Life", etc. etc. etc.
Probably the worst song of all time is yet another one that should be on
there, but believe it or not, the trauma of hearing it must have been so
great that I have actually forgotten it. It was recorded by a guy named
Freddy Fender, and it SUCKED!!!!
But ok, now it's time to fess up -- I now know what I should have admitted
in my last post: I liked "Torn Between Two Lovers"! I really did! (And,
if my memory serves me, this was written/produced/performed by a sort of
pre-Stock/Aitken/Waterman -- and even worse than S/A/W -- "hit factory"
that also produced several others mentioned in Bob's post, eg. "Seasons in
the Sun", under various names).
Oh yeah, and "I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family (no relation, I
hope; BTW, that was all the XTC content in this one!).
I feel so much better now that I've let it out!
One last thing here (sorry Belinda, I have to tell this one after all):
"Seasons in the Sun", a truly horrid song, brings back a great memory.
When I was visiting in New Jersey, a radio station there (WPST?) decided
that they'd had just about enough of the song, so they played it non-stop
for **12 hours straight** -- and then, live and on mic, took it up to the
roof of their building and threw it off, never to be played (or seen in one
piece) again.
Really bad.
- Jeff
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3715C146.543A9E97@erols.com> Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 06:36:55 -0400 From: Todd and Jennifer Bernhardt <toddjenn@erols.com> Subject: Welcoming a Yahoo Hi: First, Chris Desmond, with his appropriate e-mail domain, said: > Don't you worry, Harry...I'll have plenty to say soon enough, now that > I've begun my maiden voyage into the 'hills... ... and then threw out this little bon mot as a response to Nicole: > How about moving on to something more entertaining like XTC? Wow -- thanks for the contribution, Chris. Not only am I pleased that there is one more member of the Relevancy Police on the list, but knowing that you're going to be posting even more in future issues of Chalkhills assures me that I'll be able to keep up with the volume, since I'll be able to get through each digest more quickly. --Todd
------------------------------ From: "Michael Versaci" <stormymonday@sprintmail.com> Subject: Your Imagination Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 09:14:03 -0400 Message-ID: <000001be8741$d69fbf50$bda21e26@laptop-mversaci.mtwconsulting.com> Folxtc, - Derek - "jeered" me: >Whoever said the Beach Boys were better singers than the Beatles, I think >was right on the mark - and allow me to qualify that in a moment. First, >jeers to Michael Versaci for dismissing that claim with no stronger >substance than a "HA!" This conveyed my sentiments exactly. I could've pointed to particular songs, vocal lines, passages, records etc., but the net result would be the same: in my opinion, the Beatles were better singers than the Beach Boys, in Mr. Dunks' opinion, they were not... While I'm on the subject, Mr. Dunks incorrectly assumed that I sold The Beach Boys short in the eyes of Jimi Hendrix: >Penultimately, to Michael Versaci - I appreciated your Hendrix quote, but I >suspect Hendrix actually had more respect for the Beach Boys than you might >imagine. And yes, they were indeed a "psychedelic barbershop quartet" - I >think it's actually a compliment disguised as a putdown. Where did you ever get the idea that I "imagined" Hendrix had less respect for the Beach Boys than he actually had? While I have no specific information on the subject, I believe that anyone with an appreciation and understanding of popular music can recognize the talents and influence of Brian Wilson. I think you incorrectly drew an inference colored by your own prejudices and expectations. I quoted Jimi Hendrix because I thought it was an amusing way to describe The Beach Boys. The fact is, I am a fan; I just take exception to comments that cast Brian Wilson as a peer to Lennon & McCartney or Partridge & Moulding, and to the sentiment that "Pet Sounds", and the unreleased "Smile" are somehow superior to "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". It is my opinion that they are lesser works, and that he is not as talented as the gentlemen that I just mentioned. The Beach Boys fanatics always think that people who prefer the music of The Beatles are ignorant of their "best" work, and are only acquainted with songs like "I Get Around" or "Surfin' USA". This is not the case with me, although I would argue that their light-hearted pop is their most satisfying music, with "Good Vibrations" being the best record that they ever made, released or otherwise. While I haven't heard the "internet version" of "Smile", I have had the access to many of the tracks as released on the "Good Vibrations" boxed set for 4 years. (For those of you that are wondering, "What is all the fuss about?", this is a great collection of The Beach Boys hits and unknown gems as well. Join "BMG" and wait for one of their "boxed set sales" to pick it up at a reasonable price.) I have to say that the music culled from this now famous "mysterious" project was wildly experimental, and may have made a splash had it been released in 1967. But, it also makes me wonder, "What if The Beatles abandoned the tracks from either "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's" or "Magical Mystery Tour"? If any of those were "lost" until the mid-nineties, and suddenly unearthed, would it occupy the same "cult" space as "Smile" does today? Or would it have turned the industry on its ear? We can never know, but I believe that it would have been much more relevant and exciting than any unreleased Beach Boys music. Tracks like "Tomorrow Never Knows", "I'm Only Sleeping", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "A Day In The Life", and "I Am The Walrus" were all very innovative and experimental at the time of their release, but because of the brilliance and accessible nature of the works, they have become part of the pop landscape. What other artists can make the same claim? Mr. Dunks also suggested to me: >I would suggest to you that it's pretty unlikely the Beatles would have come out with a piece >like "Because" had it not been for the prior existence of records like the Beach Boys "Our >Prayer". Well, you may be right, but I don't think so. Angelic harmonies have been around for centuries. John may have been influenced by "Our Prayer", or he may have been listening to Gregorian chants. Or, anyone of them might have heard the demo for "Because" and suggested that they sing beautiful angelic harmonies. Who knows? Influences are sometimes difficult to trace. John admitted that the pop masterpiece "Day Tripper" was an attempt at writing a Muddy Waters tune! Once you know this, it makes sense, but, it still remains a distant relative to songs like "Trouble No More" or "Hoochie Coochie Man". I can say that without "Abbey Road", there would have been no "Dark Side Of The Moon". I am acutely aware of the subjective nature of the arts. I know that I bore the piss out of some "Chalkhillians", but the ones that have been reading my contributions know that I have written extensively on just that point. Having said that, I would like have my last words on this thread, and then I'll move on. The Beatles were very special. I hear magic in their music that is very hard to describe. In fact, the only other recording artist that comes close for me in the "baroque pop music" spectrum is XTC. That is why I am here. I could go on for hours, but I'll just give one example. During the filming of "A Hard Day's Night", the suits decided that they needed another song. John left the room with his guitar, and 10 minutes later returned with "Tell Me Why". The Beatles learned the song, played the basic tracks live and then overdubbed the vocals. No studio trickery, (except the freedom to sing without playing at the same time) no "hired gun" session musicians, no fancy George Martin arrangements. Just The Beatles. Even today, 35 years later, I can go to the stereo, put that song on, and be amazed all over again at the sheer power of those four boys. For my ears, there isn't even one Beach Boys song that can move me to the degree of a song that was literally "crafted on demand" in 10 minutes. Michael Versaci
------------------------------ From: WWi8064839@aol.com Message-ID: <5f8f77c3.24474707@aol.com> Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 09:43:35 EDT Subject: Colin' Contributions Even though Colin contributes a mere two songs to AV1, I really like both. Andy's pieces, though beautiful, can feel like huge pieces of dessert at times. I look forward to Colin's songs; they bring the album back to earth. Also, "Knights in Shining Karma," though pretty, fails to grab me. "Frivolous Tonight" should appear sooner on the record; "Knights" should replace "Your Dictionary." YD should be a B-side. "Dame Fortune" should be somewhere on this album. Something like: RIver of Orchids I'd Like That Easter Theatre Frivolous Tonight Dame Fortune Green Man My Brown Guitar Fruit Nut ... I LIKE OASIS. After a disappointing third album, my faith in them is reaffirmed with "The Masterplan." Liam Gallagher's voice rules! One of the few bands that I still crank up to "11" on my stereo. Wes Wilson (who's got a ticket for a Blondie show on May 15 :-))
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #5-176 *******************************
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