Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 73
Date: Saturday, 30 January 1999
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 73
Saturday, 30 January 1999
Today's Topics:
Thank God for being late
Tyler Hewitt, Man of The Year
Look at Relph's, at the top of the digest. They're always
Minidisc, and Dutch reviews
farting rock stars
Prepare To Spend Yen
CD v MiniDisc v Vinyl
TB & bile
Dream chords
I got a response
Molly Molly Molly get your mad verbs here
A brief-off-topic post, if you don't mind ;-)
Re: Sessions at West 54th
Ranking
Annoying, eh?
Companding
Joe Pass, minidisc, and AV1
RESULTS OF XTC SURVEY!
XTC Survey results -- Least Favorite Songs
New Radical Rugrats
my daughter and easter theatre
Re: REM and taste
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-Id: <s6aef17a.005@tcwgroup.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 10:58:38 -0800 From: "Dane Pereslete" <peresd@tcwgroup.com> Subject: Thank God for being late Denizens of the diatomaceous, I don't know if it was fate or not, but just today I was fighting my way to work - not only having started late, but dealing with slick streets from the last vestiges of rain (yes, Virginia, it sometimes rains in L.A.!) - listening to a radio time slot I would not normally hear when lo and behold our local NPR affiliate played "River of Orchids"!!! (Morning Becomes Eclectic - KCRW). Having not been privy to the demos, this was my first major expo- sure to AV 1 (other than a 30 second clip of "I'd Like That" on Spin online). Wow! What can I say? This style is so vastly dif- ferent from their previous work that I don't even know where to begin. Let's just say that from the opening water-drops to the slow fade I was completely mesmerized. This song is so hypnotic with its almost bolero-like progression, plucked strings, and nursery-rhyme lyrics. The vocals are readily recognizable as Andy's, and yet half- way through, effects lend an ethereal quality so as to make his voice sound "not quite like Andy" (lacking an appropriate term, I know!). As a former trumpet player, I really appreciate the addition of muted discordant brass a la "Mermaid Smiled". It truly caused a major outbreak of gooseflesh! If this is any indication of the rest of the album, it is going to be a tough sell to the general masses! There is so much going on at all levels lyrically and instrumentally that this is one album that is going to take quite a few listening sessions to fully catch and ap- preciate every little nuance. You gotta hand it to Andy, this is cer- tainly an _eclectic_ way to kick off the album! While I'm glad to have heard the opening cut, I have to agree with TVT that "I'd Like That" is probably the best sell for the U.S. market. Let's all do our share! Call your radio station, request away, expose XTC to the unfortunate and un-initiated, and spread the joyous word that the boys from Swindon are back! Who knows how many that may be snagged by the relatively simpler "I'd Like That" will come to appreciate the rest of XTC's music?? All I know is, I will be anxiously awaiting release day...standing in the local record store...cash in hand!!! Thanks, XTC, for turning a negative into a major positive! I'll be "whistling while I work" all day now! *---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Logging in from beautiful Glendale, CA USA "It finally resembles Winter" daneperes@aol.com -or- bramage64@aol.com
------------------------------ Message-ID: <36AF6DA2.77A@bellatlantic.net> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 14:48:50 -0500 From: John Irvine <jirvine@bellatlantic.net> Subject: Tyler Hewitt, Man of The Year Thank you, a thousand thank yous, Tyler Hewitt, for giving us the bibliofind.com and gemm.com tips. The latter is exactly what I have been looking for for as long as I've been on-line. It is hands down the most useful record finding site i've stumbled accross yet. I have been looking for the Bangs (Bangles) first single for like seven years now, and I now know that I spent way too much for GO+ (Unscene Records has it for $5) or the first Neu! record. You rule. Thanks, -John Irvine
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s6af3392.080@chemonics.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 15:25:31 -0500 From: Todd Bernhardt <tbernhardt@chemonics.com> Subject: Look at Relph's, at the top of the digest. They're always Hi: Here I sit, wondering what I'm going to read besides the piece-of-crap report I'm editing whilst I eat my lunch, and what should pop into my inbox but Vol 5., No. 70. Well... She who would deify Dave said: >Laura Jones said ... that the band would tour after AV2 was released. (Now why didn't we hear that first???????)< Cause it ain't true! (Be a pessimist, says I -- you're rarely disappointed and more often pleasantly surprised.) But really, what are they going to do, go out on the road with an orchestra? Several people pointed out that AV1 is now available for pre-order online. Could we again get some guidance from those in the know whether such orders will count toward XTC's chart ranking? Ben noticed that Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh contributed to the music for Rugrats. If you want to hear more, check out old episodes (the only kind) of "Pee-Wee's Playhouse," to which MM used to contribute (and for which I think he wrote the theme music). Our pal Todd Rundgren also used to contribute incidental music to this most twisted and surreal of children's shows (and check out unknown Lawrence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis!) Backcruncher Joseph Ierano said: >TB at a cost of $80 Australian is actually an excellent price. If you compare the price in $US at amazon.com, it's around $45. DO the exchange rate calculations, and it comes to about $AUS75. Add another $10 air mail, and you have this "rip off" import store making very little profit on it. < Or, if you want, you can go to IMVS.com like I did and get it for about US$34 _s&h included_. (BTW, I'm not affiliated with IMVS, etc.) Don't know what the s&h would be to Oz, but it's gotta add up to less than $80. then he complained: >Please chaps, if you feel the need to flaunt your cunning attacks on people who cant spell or type, DO IT PRIVATELY ! The issues of Chalkhills are coming thick and fast now, so the less garbage there is to read (and that includes attacks on other garbage) the more time I have. ...I suppse I'm doing the same thing though, aren't I?< Uh, yeah. Esp. w/four posts in the same issue. But feel free to keep telling us what to do. We'll feel free to ignore you, of course. Tim the newbie wondered: >Can you all do warm and welcoming for me? < Sure ... once you buy (and certify the purchase, on a notarized document made from the flailed skin of Mark Knoffler) all albums before Mummer, prove to us that you like _each and every song_ on them (as well as on each demo, bootleg, b-side and flexi-disc), and pass our series of bizarre initiation rituals without significant physical or psychological injury, you'll be due a great big group hug. Talk about warm and welcoming... The unsinkable Molly Fanton said: >Oh boy, this is going way too far. I'm not a fan of Rush, but I really don't think he's a racist. My dad listens to him, but he isn't a member of the KKK, so I'd better watch it if I were you.< Why, will he burn a cross on my lawn if I don't? Kick my ass? Join the KKK just to spite me? What? >Not all Rush Limbaugh fans are racists. Don't generalize like that. I hate people who generalize things.< Oh, Molly, you and your ironic wit! C'mon, fess up -- you're actually Andy Partridge, and this is the persona you've assumed to safely cruise and bait Chalkhills, right? Well, the jig is up, Andy, your cover's blown, so let's get down to brass tacks and tell us how you _really_ feel about things, eh? And for dessert, Lemoncurry: >Minidiscs don't cost a lot, are rewriteable and the players aren't expensive, too. Still, they're crap somehow, some people say, as they simply cut off frequencies in the low areas (below 30 Hz, I think), when these frequencies are so quiet you can't hear them anyway (according to the Phon curves). The same is done with extremely high frequencies. Still, it's proven that humans can distinguish sounds which have these frequencies from sounds that haven't. But does one hear such sounds in pop music ? No.< Yes! Audiologists say that the general range of human hearing is from 20 to 20,000 Hz. There are exceptions to that, of course (big pipe organs play notes that go as low as 16 Hz and are felt as much as heard), and we lose some of that range, esp. in the high end, as we age or play drums in bands that always STICK the DRUMMER in THE CORNER!! WHY DO THEY DO THAT TO ME??? Um, sorry. Anyway, you _do_ hear high frequencies in pop music, because they make up the overtones that generally give an instrument its distinctive sound, or timbre. If you lose that, you lose some of the character of the instrument(s). The difference may be subtle, and it may vary from listener to listener, but it's there nonetheless. Back to the grind, Todd
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 21:29:31 +0100 (MET) From: Martin van Rappard <rappard@dds.nl> Subject: Minidisc, and Dutch reviews Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.90.990127211313.29548D-100000@fatima.dds.nl> Beste Krijtjers (Dutch for "Dear Chalkies"), In the previous digest lemoncurry@geocities.com (and others) discussed Minidiscs and DAT, but everyone forgot to mention two things: 1) DAT tapes degrade really fast - normal tapes last about ten to fifteen years, DAT tapes two years at the most before noticable sound quality loss sets in. That said, it should be said that DAT tapes and equipment are very handy for taping shows (excellent sound quality) and for transferring analog media (tapes, vinyl) to CD-R. 2) Minidisc has the same said advantages, but there is a drawback: apparently there is inherent sound loss with copying, much like (but probably less than) with tape. I don't use Minidisc that often, so this might just be another audiophile urban legend. Hooray! Came across a second Dutch review of TB today. The first one was in one of Holland's major newspapers, De Volkskrant, and considering the fact that it was reviewed by their techno/drum 'n bass/house/underground critic (Gert van Veen) it was remarkably error-free and appreciative. The second one was in the music magazine OOR, and was ok - not more than 150 words, and the critic (one Oene Kummer) thought that the John Peel imitation was John Peel! I'm sure he'll sure have a hard time locating the band Ear, Throat and Nose.:) I would have posted them here, but they didn't add much to other reviews posted here. Some buzzwords: "new wave", "quirky", "stage fright"....you get the general idea. Regards, Martin
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990127210234.16958.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Jason Garcia" <hhname@hotmail.com> Subject: farting rock stars Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 13:02:34 PST More of same. >Pete Buck threw himself round the stage like an American Pete >Townshend to be the focal point of the evening. And how does he DO that? I've tried to do that cool leap-in-the-air thing that he always did while playing, practiced it even, and it never came off or I ended up nearly tripping over the cord. Damn cool, that. >I think that they got so big they got like U2, where they could fart >down the mic and still sell a billion copies. No way you can compare Stipe to Bono, or the other guys to U2. R.E.M. did NOT get like U2, in fact they even condemmed U2 in interviews. But I'll stop now, because it's turning into a Monica/Bill "he said-she said" kind of thing. In some ways, comparing R.E.M.'s earlier work to their latest is like comparing R.E.M. to XTC. It's apples and oranges. Or, if you prefer, oranges and lemons (as my girlfriend wittily pointed out). I think I'll order "AV1" online, because it'll probably be $17 at Tower, and XTC or no XTC, $17 is TOO MUCH TO PAY FOR A THING THAT COSTS LESS THAN $.20 TO PRESS!!! DAMN RETAILERS!!! Okay, I'm better now. Off to order... Jason of TOP 40 fame (http://www.angelfire.com/tx/top40)
------------------------------ Message-id: <5930710@mailbox2.Hitchcock.ORG> Date: 27 Jan 99 15:08:57 EST From: John.J.Pinto@Hitchcock.ORG (John J. Pinto) Subject: Prepare To Spend Yen - Pony Canyon made 1,200 copies of the postcard featuring a watercolour painting by Andy with a message to XTC fans in Japan. - Apple Venus Volume 1 is to be released on 17 February in Japan, as originally planned. - Andy and Colin are visiting Japan in early March for promotion of the new album, making in-store appearances in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Asked if they will they bring guitars, Andy replied: "why should we if we are not performing?" or something like that. They are going to the States before that though. - The Pony Canyon is interested in putting together a compilation video to coincide with the release of Volume 2. - Cooking Vinyl has made an "...ADVANCE COPY OF THE NEW XTC ALBUM APPLE VENUS VOLUME 1" (COOK CD 172P) in a paper sleeve saying "a is for..." in front. It contains 11 tracks, just as the commercial copy will. - Cooking Vinyl seem to be considering releasing "Easter Theatre" as a single. Apparently Mojo magazine will put the song on a subscribers-only CD. Pony Canyon is considering the song as a single too.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <36AF8605.9FA66A7B@which.net> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 21:32:53 +0000 From: Geoff Murrell <geoff.murrell@which.net> Subject: CD v MiniDisc v Vinyl Sorry that my first post to this list should be off subject, but I have read so much nonsense about this, I just had to chip in with my personal experience. I have a good hi-fi set up, but certainly not the $10,000 speakers refered to in the last list. Linn turntable, Audiolab Amp, Castle Speakers etc, all top quality British equipment, and I can tell you my 300 pound Sony CD player sounds a lot better than my 700 pound turntable, and clearly better than either of my MiniDisc players, which lack some of the CDs sonic quality when played through a decent hi-fi. Having said that, MiniDisc is great in most applications and a perfect replacement for cassette. I resisted digital for a number of years, but it has to be said, vinyl just lacks the clarity, purity and punch of CD, and if you can't hear it, I'm sorry. Oh yes, I really like XTC too :-) Geoff...M Somewhere near Swindon
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990127230035.24705.rocketmail@send103.yahoomail.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 15:00:35 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Langr <jlangr@yahoo.com> Subject: TB & bile So I finally got Transistor Blast. Using a $13 discount from Music Boulevard, it came to somewhere around a reasonable $30US. Nice packaging, really--the neon slim cases are great. Andy's liner notes are a bit difficult to follow, but entertaining nonetheless. I just don't see why this couldn't have been done as two or three CDs, and a more reasonable price. All in all it's a great set--the performances are awesome--but perhaps could have been done more in a budget vein, especially considering I've already got a sizeable chunk of this. > I'm not a fan of Rush, but I really don't > think he's a racist. Yes, but that's because you perhaps approach differing views with an open mind, as opposed to the elitist idiots out there who dismiss their opposition with hyperbole and ridiculous generalizations. Jeff L.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <002801be4a49$7aebe2e0$1d3670c2@default> From: "Mick Casey" <casey@dircon.co.uk> Subject: Dream chords Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 23:04:30 -0000 >Ryan Walsh wrote: >Listers, >Does anyone know the chords Andy uses for his demo song "All I Dream >Of Is a Friend"? What an amazing little song! Thanks. Glad to oblige, although it's just the way I play it. Feel free to experiment. intro A A(G#bass) F#m F#m B7sus4 B7 E7sus4 E7 verse F#m Fdim7 F#m Fdim7 F#m G D E (repeat) chorus A A(G# bass) Edim7 Edim7(three frets up to last chord) D D(C#bass) Fdim7 Fdim7(three frets up to last chord) A A(G#bass) F#m F#m B7sus4 B7 E7(played up on the seventh fret, picking out the twiddly bits with your little finger) Repeat: intro, verse, chorus middle F# C#7sus4 C#7 E B7sus4 B7 F# C#7sus4 C#7 E E7 Repeat: chorus twice last chord F# (major) Happy pickings. * ------------------------------------------------------------------ Mick Casey casey@dircon.co.uk * ------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Message-ID: <19990127230838.19746.qmail@hotmail.com>
From: "Molly Fanton" <mollyfa@hotmail.com>
Subject: I got a response
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 15:08:38 PST
Chalkers,
I got a response to my writing campaign to the local radio stations.
This is from 101.1 The River from Niagra Falls, Ont.
<<Molly - thanks for the e-mail. I will look into it!!
Thanks for listening!
Diane>>
I know it's not much, but it's a start. The River is one of the
best alternative radio stations out their. So that's why I wrote to
them. I was thinking of writing to WFNX in Boston, because they
broadcast over the Internet. That's another thing. If you know of a
radio station that broadcasts over the net, write to them and request
"I'd Like That". That's what I'm going to do now. Now I'm getting so
excited. I can't wait until I get AV. When I get my copy I'll post a
review of it on my web site. This weekend I'm going to sit down and
make a record review section on my site. I'll be putting a lot of XTC
albums on it. I'll let the list know when I get them done.
Molly
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/mollyfa/index.html (Please sign my
guestbook and check out my polls.)
------------------------------ Message-ID: <002401be4a5d$46e6d720$db0698cf@tedist> From: "Rick Buist" <rbuist@tedist.com> Subject: Molly Molly Molly get your mad verbs here Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 17:26:11 -0800 The "Unsinkable Molly Fanton" said: >Oh boy, this is going way too far. I'm not a fan of Rush, but I really >don't think he's a racist. Don't generalize like that. I hate people who >generalize things. HATE again? Anyway, I'm with you -- I think all people that generalize are all bad. (Maybe I'm missing your irony. I doubt it.) >My dad listens to him, but he isn't a member of the KKK, so I'd better watch it >if I were you. What, is he going to appear through the phone line and kick my skinny little ass? Anagrams for Mongo: Molly Fanton: "Not all Rush Limbaugh fans are racists." Molly Rant on: "Not all Rush Limbaugh fans are fascist." Now children, let's return to love: I think it was Catherine who has the father who records in Nashville (he made a positive critique of the orchestrations). It's nice to see another person from Nash Vegas on this list (or at least a Nashvillian, once removed). Recently, on a gig with a (gasp) country band, I was surprised when our sound engineer put on a copy of Upsy Daisy for everyone. The songs he selected were: Nigel Generals & Majors Simpleton Dear God I remember them being most impressed with the bass work. Of course, anything beyond a 1 and 5 bassline is impressive to country bass players. That's a joke. I think. Thank you to whoever posted the link to the Dallas Observer music broadcast, which played "Your Dictionary". It's nice to have such a great deal of anticipation for something and then not be let down. I can't wait for the rest of the album. Sorry to slam you Molly, but everyone else has been so damn nice lately. I've got to run. There's a Hee-Haw marathon on TNN tonight! Rick Buist
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 18:25:24 -0500 Subject: A brief-off-topic post, if you don't mind ;-) Message-ID: <19990127.182755.-439163.4.skybar80@juno.com> From: Bar From The Sky <skybar80@juno.com> Howdy Chalkers Heya. I just thought I could make a reccomendation for this band with whom I have been in contact for a while, and whose album should be released this summer. The band is The Shad Hills Band. They are on indie label A&R Records (http://www.arrecords.com). They are currently working on their debut album, working title not yet known. From what they've told me, the songs they have now are kind of a mix of , as drummer Shane Hills put it, "shawn mullins,everlast,lenno,mccartney,etc..". It should be good, and it will sound waaaaay different from the sound his old band (who shall go nameless, since Shane does not want me to have people label him and his bro as "formerly of xxxxx".). I'm pretty damn psyched here! :) Anyway, to find out inf on these guys, and how to join their snail-mail list, please check out my Shad Hills Band page at http://www.angelfire.com/pa/hills Also, check out Rachel's page, which is linked from mine in the Links section. Thanks! Ken the lurker *___________________________________ "Ignore the ignorance just one last first time. You'll never get used to it, but you will." --------Mister Misanthrope-------
------------------------------
Message-ID: <19990127232850.5580.rocketmail@send102.yahoomail.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 15:28:50 -0800 (PST)
From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Sessions at West 54th
In a previous posting Charlie wrote:
PS-I still think "Sessions at West 54th" is a perfect fit for
introducing
"the masses"
to the new material.
ME TOO! It's a consistantly good show, and exposes a lot of acts on
the fringes of pop to a wide audience. I know this first hand-my
roomate HATES most rock music, listens to classical and latino folk
music, but never misses Sessions. He has actually been buying CD's by
acts he sees on that show-Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach, Joe Jackson's
absolutely amazing "Heaven & Hell" released last year, (you all really
need to hear this one-it's awesome), Lucinda Williams, Neil Finn, and
others. I've been singing the praises of XTC to him for ages, he never
gives them a chance, but if they were on Sessions aw West 54th.........
There are probably others like him too, that show seems to really
expand people's tastes in music (if in a subtle way).
Tyler
------------------------------
Message-Id: <36AFA90F.378F1E01@bowdoin.edu>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 19:02:12 -0500
From: Ben Gott/Loquacious Music <bgott@bowdoin.edu>
Organization: http://listen.to/loquacious
Subject: Ranking
A quick note...
As far as I know, Amazon.com put "AV1" on their "Advance Order" list yesterday.
As of 7:00 PM this evening, the "Sales Rank" reads 194. What, exactly, do we
think that means? Have they sold 194 copies, or is it the 194th best-selling
thing on their website?
Also: I picked up a live Captain Sensible album and Sugar's "File Under Easy
Listening" in the cut-out bin at Strawberries, for $2.99 each. Can ya dig it?
-Ben
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine 04011
ICQ 7737594 :: Telephone (207) 721-5513 :: Mobile (207) 798-1859
Someone leans in my direction / Quizzing on my jukebox selection...
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BE4A51.35BD7E10@e1c6p25.scotland.net> From: Robert Wood <wobbit@bigfoot.com> Subject: Annoying, eh? Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 22:06:21 -0000 Jo demanded in 5-70. >> if you feel the need to flaunt your cunning attacks on people who cant spell or type, DO IT PRIVATELY ! << Actually, it's ' *can't* spell or type'. <G> Man, why do people find the apostrophe so difficult?
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BE4A51.37D8E400@e1c6p25.scotland.net> From: Robert Wood <wobbit@bigfoot.com> Subject: Companding Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 23:59:54 -0000 Er, page down if you're sick of digital audio discussions! Quick bit of info on Minidisks... Minidisks are (even) poorer quality than CD, because they (digitally) compand the music, which in layperson's terms mean there's an information loss. Lemoncurry's right that you can only write CD-Rs once, and CD-RWs are expensive and unreliable, but they are higher quality. >> So, I don't hear a difference from minidisc to neither vinyl nor CD nor self-recorded stuff on a 8-track, and my ears aren't that bad. << They obviously are. Many people will here a huge difference between CD and minidisk with fairly moderate hi-fi.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <1.5.4.32.19990128001834.006a46e4@pop.mindspring.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 19:18:34 -0500 From: Pete <pete_srd@mindspring.com> Subject: Joe Pass, minidisc, and AV1 Hi Chalkies, 1. Someone mentioned that Dave G is a big fan of Joe Pass. (OK there's my XTC content). Can anyone familiar with Joe Pass recommend some of albums of his to start with? I've been into 'non-guitar' jazz lately and want to check out some of the great guitarists. Ditto for Django? (hey there's a band name...) 2. I just bought a minidisc, and I love it. The discs are so small and hold 74 mins of audio. I'm thinking it'll replace cassette. I unhooked my cassette player from my system. 3. (OK here's more XTC content) I can't wait for AV1!!! Pete
------------------------------ From: AMartin777@aol.com Message-ID: <ba9d99fd.36afad69@aol.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 19:20:57 EST Subject: RESULTS OF XTC SURVEY! They're finally here! The results to the XTC Music Survey that so many of you participated in. I would like, once again, to say THANK YOU to all who participated. I hope that the results get some firey and interesting discussions and debates going here on the list... (like it needs any help, geeesh!) Here is the link to my page and the results.... <A HREF="members.aol.com/amartin777/home.html">My Home Page</A>
------------------------------ Message-ID: <36AFC24A.6A4F@ix.netcom.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 17:50:02 -0800 From: Rich Bunnell <cbunnell@ix.netcom.com> Subject: XTC Survey results -- Least Favorite Songs I just read the "Least Favorite Songs" portion of the XTC Fan Survey 1998 (it's linked from Chalkhills) and I'll have to say...HOW did "Smokeless Zone" and ESPECIALLY "Season Cycle" end up in the "Worst 10 songs"? And Travels In Nihilon was #18? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? I swear, I know that opinions often differ, but people have let some of XTC's most well-made gems slip into their "Worst songs" list in my opinion. Also, Smartest Monkeys is listed twice on the list, once with 80 points and another with 20 points, which would give it 100 points total and put it at #1, above "Super-Tuff"'s 97 points. *---------------------------------------------- Rich Bunnell or "Metal Man," whichever sounds more insane http://members.xoom.com/taoster/ *----------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Message-ID: <01BE4A30.BF21C6A0.monkman@coastnet.com>
From: Martin & Jamie Monkman <monkman@coastnet.com>
Subject: New Radical Rugrats
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 18:17:20 -0800
Ben Gott intones:
>2) Today, I bought "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and Suzanne Vega's
>"99.9F." Both are amazing albums, for completely different reasons...I'd
>recommend them without reservation. Also, because of Dean (and other
>Chalkers), I picked up the New Radicals' album "Maybe You've Been
>Brainwashed, Too." At first, I found the single ("You Get What You Give")
>incredibly annoying, but it's growing on me.
"You Get What You Give" is, to my ears, a totally shameless Todd Rundgren
rip-off/put-on, and I fear the band will be a one-hit wonder. Of course,
I've been wrong about these things before.
Have you got Vega's "Days Of Open Hand"? It is every bit as good, maybe
even better, than "99.9oF".
>4) While babysitting last night, I saw my first "Rugrats" episode. According
>to the credits, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh wrote the music. Weren't they in
>Devo? Ha ha. "Are we not men? We are car-toons...!"
"The Rugrats Movie" features Devo themselves singing "Witch Doctor" -- you
know, the "oo-ee-oo-ah-ah, bing-bang, wally-wally bing-bong" song. Get
yerself some kids and you can watch Rugrats guilt-free every day! It's
hilarious -- at least it seems that way when you've got kids. Or maybe I
don't get out enough any more.
Martin
Our homepage: http://www.coastnet.com/~monkman
------------------------------ Message-ID: <018401be4aa8$770c2b80$765791d2@johnboud> From: "John Boudreau" <aso1@mocha.ocn.ne.jp> Subject: my daughter and easter theatre Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 19:02:49 +0900 Hi all , I am sitting here listening to Easter Theatre via my free MOJO CD for the umpteenth time and am STILL getting goosebumps !!! I asked my 10 year old daughter Mika - a music lover and gifted pianist in her own right if I do say so myself - to sit down , listen , and give her opinion of ET . Bear in mind that although she is bi-lingual her command of English is still basic if compared to that of a native speaking 10 year old in say America or England . Anyway , here is her evaluation , and I am paraphrasing ... " Well , it's like the writer was unhappy , and then something in his life changed to make him happy again " . Then she added , " I really liked the thumping bass line and drums and the mixture of various instruments and tones " . Yes , I occasionally glanced over in her direction while she was listening and watched her right foot bopping to the beat , obviously digging what she was hearing . " Well " , I said , " do you think XTC's new CD might be a hit ? " . Mika answered , " If all the songs sound as good as Easter Theatre , they're gonna be as big as The Beatles ! " Have I got a wonderful daughter or what ? John in Japan
------------------------------ From: CCooli9575@aol.com Message-ID: <271a4467.36b0458e@aol.com> Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 06:10:06 EST Subject: Re: REM and taste >Dunks said of REM: >waffly,unintelligible wilfully obscure meanderings of such yawn-inducing >ordinariness >Then said: >I and many others who liked the band's earlier work... >These statements are contrary. In your diatribe, I found *one* thing to >nitpick about. See, I'm getting in the spirit. Great post, though I defy >anyone to recite the lyrics of "Gardening at Night" Good point. I enjoy REM's earlier stuff myself; I think they peaked with Life's Rich Pageant, I never really got into Document much, I consider it one of those highly overrated hugely successful albums(U2's The Joshua Tree is another one, both better than 99% of what's out there but not as good as they're supposed to be; both bands have made better albums). With their later material it's not so much that they sold out, but they had to tailor their sound so it could be heard in larger venues. They've still been experimenting and taking chances, though; Out Of Time left me cold, as did those songs from Hifi I heard on the radio(that piece of crap that Patti Smith sings backup on is one of the worst singles I've heard from a major recording act I respect; Patti's backup is the best thing about it). Automatic and Monster are both very wellmade albums, though, and about half of Green is good.(I dislike "Pop Song '69," "Stand," and all three of the caterwauling acoustic ones)Haven't heard anything from Up yet. A more apt comparison with XTC to me is The Church; both have been without their drummer for a while and lost one of their guitarists more recently(though Peter Koppes may have rejoined The Church by now, but I noticed he wasn't on Priest/Aura, their last album I'm familiar with), though lyrics-wise their lyrics are mostly rather abstract; they rarely if ever seem to actually write "about" anything. What struck me about The Church when I was listening to Gold Afternoon Fix in the car yesterday was how brilliant the guitar work was, which I'd never noticed about them before. On one song on the album, "Russian Autumn Heart" one of the guitarist plays this extremely intricate guitar line as the main hook in the verse and the wierd thing is, it works! I was thinking if XTC wanted a second session guitarist to play the more intricate guitar parts Dave used to play, they could do a lot worse than Marty Wilson-Piper, who plays most of The Church's leads, I believe. Plus, since I think he still lives in Australia, maybe he could talk Terry into coming back. I know, but I can dream, can't I? >Re: People can be so touchy >Backstreet Boys, eh? And you married this guy. Is his name Jonathan? Or >perhaps Mikey. Does he sulk around the house in a tan bandana and acid >washed jeans? Does he say "Yo" a little too often (like, once)? Just >teasing, you did ask for it. Hey maybe we could trade? My wife with her Air Supply fetish might see eye to eye with your husband. No accounting for taste. Still, I didn't marry my wife for her taste in music, I knew what I was getting into. I married her for her values and personal qualities, and she has numerous good ones. I'm sure your husband does too, or you wouldn't have married him. Differences keep us from getting bored, and they won't matter so much when you're both old and gray and your grandchildren are listening to annoying music that NEITHER of you understand. Chris
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