Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 100
Date: Friday, 5 May 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 100
Friday, 5 May 2000
Topics:
XTC on the chart (well, a chart)
no xtc - just me
Tom, Dom, Metal and hack demographers
uncut and stuff
A Teeny, Tiny Bit of a Spoiler - Wasp Star and Defending Colin
certain Kinks-loving contributors
Lost bands
Spin.com Stuff
lost bands
I Won't Bitch Anymore *some spoilage, but not much*
From beginning to end
HMV and me me me
XTC LIVE! FREE!
the first
Apologies to all
Extra Chalk Horse Hats
Duncan Watt & The Young Cantaloupes
Newbie alert
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 09:28:50 -0700 (PDT) From: brown <mb2@deltanet.com> Subject: XTC on the chart (well, a chart) Message-ID: <200005041628.JAA19356@mail2.deltanet.com> Hola! Wasp Star is #32 on KCRW's 'Top 50 Airplay Chart' for the week of May 1, 2000. How do you like them apples?
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 10:28:37 PDT From: "Edward Sizzorhends" <skylar_king@hotmail.com> Subject: no xtc - just me Message-ID: <20000504172837.768.qmail@hotmail.com> Dear Chalkvillians, While we are all waiting patiently for WASP STAR, I would like to invite all those interested to listen and/or freely download MY new recordings on MP3.com. I just finished these and am very happy with the way they came out. If you are an XTC(duh), Grant Lee Buffalo, Elvis Costello, Pixies, Bowie/Beach Boy/Beatle fan, you might like these too. I love music and only steal influences from the best. Check it out, tell me what you think and I would appreciate it greatly as I feel this group has the best taste of any. GO TO: http://www.mp3.com/phelan Now you know the real identity of... The Skylar King
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 12:03:13 -0700 From: Ed Kedzierski <ed.kedzierski@blvdmedia.com> Subject: Tom, Dom, Metal and hack demographers Message-ID: <08B5DDC2BABCD311BFC6005004A884B013B62B@mgcservices.com> Well, I had a few things to say about Tom Kingston's post in 6-97, then Dom had a few things to say about same in the last one (6-98), and I thought I'd have a go at addressing both. First of all, Tom's Rock History 101- a overly apt title, I'm sorry to say, considering how much of the "XTC story" stuff is straight out of the "tell us something we don't already know" file; I think you misinterpreted a few flip comments as real ignorance about the bands history. "Read Songs Stories, people!!" I think that most of us have done so, as well as the scores of articles on Chalkhills, the Twomey book, etc. You might want to re-read the posts that inspired your little lecture and check for salt grains. Please imagine that I'm saying the above in a pleasant anger-free voice, because that's honestly the way I mean it. Also, it seems like genre definitions just get more bent out of shape every year. I never thought of the hair bands (poodle bands, whatever) as power pop, just as "shitty rocker bands". Metal I always related to as more of a tendency (as in "they're sounding pretty metallic in "Rain of Blows") with the bands considered as "genre heavy metal" just occupying the heavier end of the spectrum for the majority of their material (as opposed to making use of it from time to time, which tons of bands have been known to do). And I'm sure (kind of) that we're all familiar with the tendency to string together every possible combination of the words "speed" "thrash" "hard" "metal" "punk" and "-core" to overdefine subgenres to the point that you might as well just name every band you're talking about just to make it shorter. It may be that such overextended compound terms may be more prevalent in North America, hence Dom's insistence on sticking to the traditional punk and hardcore labels (though Tom may actually just have meant hardcore...). And Dom said: >In one sense, yes. In another, no. It really starts with "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, but I can already hear the sound of violent, horrified flatulence from >certain Kinks-loving contributors, so I'll move quickly on. Snigger. Where did you get that idea? My guts are perfectly calm. As a lifelong Kinks freak, I'd have to be a liar or a fool to deny "You Really Got Me"s status as seminal precurser to what eventually became metal. It's a part of history. There's a (semi) famous Dave Davies quote that goes "it wasn't called heavy metal when we were inventing it". Metal's not my area musically (nor are any of the purists' genres, for that matter), but why would I sputter and deny the role played by a band that I love in the birth of an entire genre, even if they didn't really end up being part of it. I prefer my loud guitars in limited doses myself, but I've known enough intelligent metalheads, well outside the mainstream of what people consider "rocker goon shit" to know that it's a respectable genre. (And I'm not trying to kiss your ass, just saying where I'm coming from here). Interestingly enough, when I first started getting into music I'd read all sorts of rock-crit garbage, and not knowing what was meant by "heavy metal" at the time, I looked it up in the dictionary, which at the time only had the "pre-rock" definition of heavy metal, basically "music dominated by loud bursts of brass" (more or less), which I suppose could qualify Carl Stalling (did the music to the majority of the great Warner Bros. Cartoons) as a heavy metal artist... (Speaking of "You Really Got Me", that's what the "Stupidly Happy" riff really reminds me of, more than anything by Keith Richard, but that could just be due to the way it's so insistently repeated...) Just one other little niggling thing that I probably shouldn't bother with, that it's totally silly to even care about at all, but... Tom said... And the Gen Xrs think they have a right to be pissed. Imagine being on the fence at the greastest party in modern history, watching, and too young to join in... Just wondering, but exactly which "Gen X" are you referring to? There are two: there's the original, which a lot of people have re-tagged "tail end of baby boom" (born approximately between '56 and '66) and then there's false or "demographer's" Gen X (something like 68 to late 70's, although the hacks kept pushing it later to keep the term synonymous with "twentysomething"). When Coupland first coined the term, he was referring to the first time frame, with "just young enough to miss out on the fun part of the 60s" an inferred part of the meaning. By the time the popularity of the term snowballed enough for some hack demographers to get ahold of it, they were so obsessed with keeping it in line with people currently in their 20s that they kept shifting the "born between" years later and later; this lasted for the entire term that "gen x" was a big media buzz word, thus distoring what was originally meant by the term out of all recognition. If it ever meant anything at all; I'm not saying that it did, but I watched this whole process happen & can't help wonder why nobody else ever seemed to notice. Not even attempting to sign off in a remotely clever way, Ed K. PS: Iain said: >BTW, Kurt Vonnegut kicks Joseph Heller's arse, and anyone who says otherwise can step outside..... (Sigh) ALRIGHT, already! I though I already backed down and made peace on this one...
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 22:05:58 +0100 From: "chris browning" <chris@boodle.fsnet.co.uk> Subject: uncut and stuff Message-ID: <00f501bfb614$ccde8700$6bce883e@pbncomputer> and the wasp star reviews begin to flood in... this month's UNCUT has not only "stupidly happy" on the cover cd, giving us non wasp star owners another chance to hear something from the album in advance of the release date, but gives the album a rave review of five out of five! they like! and i cannot wait! i remember the UNCUT cover cd with "river of orchids" on, released some weeks before AV1. i had had a crap job interview, bought the magazine to console myself and then only noticed the treat in store once i got home. oh yes. we like UNCUT round here.... also all the people standing up for GO 2 made me return to it and - i concede - you were right and i was very very wrong. it is nothing short of genius. to think i have been missing out all this time.... forgive me! crispy
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 23:53:20 +0100 From: Ben Woll <bwoll@datamonitor.com> Subject: A Teeny, Tiny Bit of a Spoiler - Wasp Star and Defending Colin Message-ID: <F9097CBF3DC3D311AFFE00508B8BD57F3A7A2F@EROS> After listening to Wasp Star a couple of times, I think I understand why some people might be a bit disappointed with this record. It is, very simply, a record with a bunch of good pop songs. Fun, neat tunes, with no ambition - no big "concept" like there is behind Skylarking, English Settlement, or The Big Express. I also think that the guitars are a bit too simple (for XTC) without Dave's scribbles in the background. Q Magazine was about right. 3 Stars. Enjoyable and fun, but not as substantial as other XTC efforts. Of course, repeated listens might change my mind... On the positive side, I think Colin's songwriting is vastly underrated. His ability to tell a story, evoke a mood, etc. is unsurpassed. Colin is the most observant, astute songwriter around - at least when it comes to evoking the magic behind small moments and small towns. Lots of people bitch about My Bird Performs, Bungalow, Frivolous Tonight, etc. but they are great tunes. And the XTC songs that still mean the most to me are Runaways and The World is Full of Angry Young Men. Alright, the singing penis on War Dance is unforgiveable, but hey, we all make mistakes... Ben
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 13:37:23 -1000
From: "Jim Smart" <jismart@ksbe.edu>
Subject: certain Kinks-loving contributors
Message-ID: <391209AD.DA951745@ksbe.edu>
Organization: 3Tripper
Oh, I guess that's me.
"In one sense, yes. In another, no. It really starts with "You Really
Got Me" by The Kinks, but I can already hear the sound of violent,
horrified flatulence from certain Kinks-loving contributors, so I'll
move quickly on. Snigger."
No problem there. Ray Davies said his solo show that You Really Got Me
is not the first heavy metal record, though. Says it's a blues
song. RD claims the follow up "All Day and All of the Night" as the
first heavy metal. Just his opinion, of course.
Thanks to the sushiman for sticking up for War Dance. The other cool
thing about it is the percussion, the chukka chukka that blends nicely
with the acoustic guitars. I have no problem with the lyrics being
dated. Heck, the Kinks have a song that consists mostly of quotes from
Winston Churchill as the lyrics, and it works for me (That's on the
Arthur album, for those about to Kink). It's not one of my criteria
for a song that it be "timeless" or never sound stuck in a certain
period. I care more about if it's good or not, or if it peases me.
Colin's song is an effective comment on the way everyone in a country
begins to move ("dance") and change and choose sides when there's war
a-brewing.
Jim "and there's a photo of me with W. Churchill at
http://www.cguweb.com/bigblacksmoke/jim.geoff.html" Smart
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 16:42:43 -0700 From: Ed Kedzierski <ed.kedzierski@blvdmedia.com> Subject: Lost bands Message-ID: <08B5DDC2BABCD311BFC6005004A884B013B62C@mgcservices.com> In 6-99, Tyler said: >I know, what do you think is a great lost band or album? One that is really good, and should have been huge, but somehow didn't make it? It should be one >that's fairly obscure. Ten Foot Faces. They had one album "Days of Corn Dogs and Yo-Yos", on Camper Van's Pitch-a-Tent label (sometime in the late 80s). A friend of mine originally had the album, which I finally found a used copy of some years later. The same friend went to a Camper Van gig and, figuring that there might be a connection, asked one of the Camper Van guys about this band, and was told "oh, those guys all have day jobs & only play local gigs" (wherever they were from). I guess that it stayed a part time thing & fizzled, because I never saw anything by them again. Still love that one album, though. Ed K.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 19:59:49 -0400
From: Ben Gott/Loquacious Music <gott@tmbg.org>
Subject: Spin.com Stuff
Message-ID: <B5378734.2226%gott@tmbg.org>
Gang,
I stumbled upon this while surfin' the Net
(http://www.spin.com/noise/news/2000/05/04/1/index.html#item4). There's
also a really funny piece on the Bloodhound Gang...
***
XTC on Meats, Gary Glitter, and Napster
XTC's Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding stopped by Spin yesterday to discuss
a variety of topics--including their favorite meats! (Andy: "billie sausage"
and Colin: "lamb"). They also shared funny jokes. Here's an example: "What's
the most common thing that Gary Glitter hears at the beach? Excuse me but
you're in my son!" Partridge also shared thoughts on contemporary country
music: "Does such a thing exist? It's never contemporary, it's always at
least 30 years behind. It's like English intelligence-it's an oxymoron!" And
of course they had their say about Ebay (where an advance to their new CD,
Apple Venus Vol.2: Wasp Star, recently sold for more than $200). "People are
always going to bootleg you, someone sent me two bootlegs recently including
one of the Helium Boys (a pre-XTC band circa 1973) demo sessions with a
singer who sang in a cheesy niteclub voice...It could be us selling those
things on Ebay you'll never know," quipped Patridge. And then there was
Napster. Partridge: "Oh yea yea yea I've heard all this. Well I think that's
kind of low. Musicians are trying to pay the rent by selling their record
and they get crappy enough deals as it is. So don't steal the last pennies
from them or else no one will make music anymore."
- By Dan O'Conor (doconor@spinmag.com)
***
Love,
-Ben
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott . Loquacious Music . Brunswick, ME 04011
AIM: Plan4Nigel . Tel: (207) 721-5366 . http://listen.to/loquacious
You can feel it all over / You can feel it all over, people...
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 02:18:32 +0100 From: John Peacock <johndrewp@zoo.co.uk> Subject: lost bands Message-ID: <39122161.82263352@zoo.co.uk> Organization: The Nice Organization > Tyler Hewitt asked: > > [W]hat do you think is a great lost band or album? One that is really > good, and should have been huge, but somehow didn't make it? It should > be one that's fairly obscure. Got any good ones? I'll post mine later, > my partner is trying to get me off the computer so he can check his > mail. How about Sudden Sway - definitely lost, if not necessarily great. Until recently, a search of the internet turned up no significant reference to them. First heard of on the John Peel show doing a sort of new age lesson called "Let's Evolve" (pretending to be a fish leaving the water and growing legs - "tell yourself - it's good, but it's getting better, and... LET'S EVOLVE!"); First album, Spacemate, a self-help method in a giant cardboard box (double album, one side of each 33 rpm,the other 45 rpm) side four is all advertising jingles. Second album, 76 Kids Forever, a musical about boring twentysomething people in a newtown somewhere. Third album, relatively normal, quite good ambientish techno. Unheard of for about ten years. Last thing I heard of them doing was something called Klub Londinium (the patrons of which went on guided walks listening to prepared tapes on their walkmans).Pretentious? Oui. Pretentious things and artists are often the most fun. Eno takes accusations of pretentiousness as a compliment. I'd much rather pretentiousness than the down-to-earth "honest" Paul Weller or Oasis. I swear, I can feel those records draining my life force. I always knew that the Poison Girls were unlikely to break into the stadium circuit, particularly as stablemates of Crass, but would recommend their album Where's the Pleasure? a huge Brechtian slab of protest and complaint, and quite stunning. Scritti Politti's 1982 album Songs To Remember was almost all "real" instruments rather than the sequencers that their later records were celebrated for. Robert Wyatt plays keyboards on some tracks. As well as being a lovely record it is also impeccably intellectual - many of the tracks show deconstructionist tendencies, displaying parts of the recording process that are usually hidden - a sketchy guide vocal is played alongside the final vocal take; an overenthusiastic double-bass player continues long after the fade out (and defiantly resolves the track); two totally dissimilar takes of a song are spliced together in the middle. It isn't necessary to know all this in order to enjoy the music (and it is hugely enjoyable music) but it does add a lot. If possible, listen to the version of A Slow Soul from the 12" of the Asylums in Jerusalem single. Would Young Marble Giants count as a lost band? Probably the most influential band that no one's ever heard of. Made minimalist, quiet, melodic music at a time (1980) when everybody else was being loud. Bands like Portishead or Moloko are directly descended from YMG, even if they are unaware of it. Last release was an E.P. of instrumentals dedicated to test card music, predating loungecore by at least fifteen years. When I was young, and the band were still extant, I thought they were going to be huge. How naive I was. I still don't understand why Peter Blegvad isn't famous. Or me, for that matter. And of course, as far as the general public is concerned, XTC is a great lost band. John -- In the spirit of shameless self promotion, my songs may be found at: http://www.mp3.com/peacock "sell yourself, sell yourself, expect nothing" as a sage saith.
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 18:44:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Molly Fanton <mfanton99@yahoo.com> Subject: I Won't Bitch Anymore *some spoilage, but not much* Message-ID: <20000505014459.21021.qmail@web1304.mail.yahoo.com> As some of you know, I've been bitching about spoiling the new album before people get it. Well, thanks to a reliable source I've got my own promo copy. I'm listening to it now. I like it so far, but this is my first listening since I got it today. I love the song, Playground. It has a great poppy sound to it. It has a (excuse this) Squeezy feel to it. *ducks* I'll give a better review after I hear it more. Molly ===== Molly's Pages http://www.angelfire.com/mn/mollyfa99/index.html
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 22:39:14 -0400 From: "Cheryl" <mcgregoc@mindspring.com> Subject: From beginning to end Message-ID: <002701bfb63b$1b250580$6401f7a5@mcgregocmindspring.com> Hello, An interesting question was posed on another e-mail digest I'm on. Asked was: Which albums do you absolutely have to hear in their entirety? Albums that you don't skip any songs because it's good from end to end. I thought, "Oh! This will be easy!" But as I thought about each album I own, including XTC, there weren't many that I listen to all the way through. These are the albums I could think of that I listen to completely from end to end: Trash Can Sinatras- A Happy Pocket XTC- Skylarking and Apple Venus Vol.1 Jill Sobule- Jill Sobule Beatles- Abby Road and Rubber Soul Squeeze- Singles~45's and Under So tell me, Chalkhills people, what albums do you listen to in their entirety? Take care, Cheryl
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 22:42:08 -0400 From: fheaney@erols.com Subject: HMV and me me me Message-ID: <003301bfb63b$8359f660$a3df7ad1@default> > XTC is HMV's artist of the month (http://www.hmv.com/). They have a > great interview on there site plus an offer for a free 3 song single > if you pre-order the album. Check it out. The single has The Man Who > Murdered Love (Album version) plus a home demo of the song. It also > includes a home demo versoin of the song "Don't Hurt A Bit" Ooh, tempting. It'd be cheaper and quicker for me to buy Wasp Star locally, but if "Didn't Hurt a Bit" wasn't going to show up on Fuzzy Warbles and there wasn't going to be a Wasp Star demos CD, I might go the CD + free single route. Anyone have any opinions on the matter? Meanwhile, if I may indulge in a bit of self-promotion, here's a humor piece by me which you folks may enjoy: http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/0005/anagram/index.cfm -- Francis "Your fifteen minutes start now." -- Kirsty MacColl
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 22:04:26 CDT
From: "vee tube" <veetube@hotmail.com>
Subject: XTC LIVE! FREE!
Message-ID: <20000505030426.2655.qmail@hotmail.com>
Phab Phour In Filly!
Say,Wha?
Nab-sta?
No!
The only people who will lose money on this are,
"Dirty,Stinking Low down Pirates!"
Here is a link to an ok sounding 'boot' of a,
GREAT!
XTC gig at a club in Philly! It's a Black Sea gig and
it blows the chuckies out of the Hammersmith show on 'BLAST'
http://www.idrive.com/xtfab (tracks 1-15)
/fabx (track 16)
}---:)
P.S. Jill,Chris,and,Joe. Thanx for the Kink!
Yours,Seabasstian.
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 19:57:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: the first Message-ID: <20000505025756.15413.qmail@web2106.mail.yahoo.com> RE: Who was the first Punk band? What was the first Rock and Roll record? Should we care? 1. The Stooges. Runners up: THe Ramones 2. Probably something by Louie Jordan 3. No
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 00:29:50 EDT From: KINGSTUNES@aol.com Subject: Apologies to all Message-ID: <14.3249dc4.2643a83e@aol.com> Dear Chalkhillers, I was just chastised by Mr. Relph for my use of caps in my inserted reply to Mr. Dom's reaction to my last posting. I am new to this list, and it was not my intention to 'yell' or overshadow Dom's positions at all. The cap insertion is a technique I employ with various Email cohorts. I wished to reply to so many of Dom's points that I chose to insert rather than copy and paste, and used the caps merely to differentiate individual lines of discourse. Upon reviewing the issue, I admit it does look overbearing. I was surprised it was allowed on! Anyway, I extend my humblest and deepest apologies to Mr. Relph, to all of you, and especially to Dom if you find the cap usage offensive, and I will cease and desist said technique. If I feel impelled to insert, I will use italics or some other less offensive and democratic device. I feel the debate is very vital and important, however. Musicology, which puts everything in a historical perspective for proper apprecation, is not functional without the acknowledgement of known musical genres and their evolutions and influences on each other. Thus extraordinary music, like XTC's, can be seen, understood and appreciated with greater clarity. Of course labels can be odious. The dark side is that the recording empires who control the release of product have greater control of their customers and ultimately their profits by concisely pigeonholing music genres and preferences. I know this all too well. But to pretend that there isn't and shouldn't be any difference between, say, Country and Classical (ad infinitum) is not realistic. Besides, the beauty of it all is to see the constant interplay and influences that each genre has on the others. Musical evolution, with all it's ups and downs, is a miracle to behold! And when this great mish-mosh creates a gem like XTC, to understand their influences with as much clarity as possible is to make them shine all the more brighter!!! So when someone proposes an observation such as XTC is really a heavy metal band, then clarity of thought and known historical perpective needs to prevail to get to the truth. Excuse me for playing musical cop, but I do have extensive input in these matters. I am big enough to stand corrected if my data is wrong, but if my data and experience are valid, then I will give my two cents! Conversely, if I claim that an opposing viewpoint is operating on invalid data and poor logic, it is up to the proponent of said viewpoint to demonstrate that I am wrong. This is the essence of a good argument, with the outcome being focused by both parties, hopefully, on producing as objective a truth as possible. I will do my best to hold to this standard of research and conduct. A quick note - I've been making informal 'man on the street' interviews as to whether KISS and ACDC are metal. While not objective in a historical sense, it does provide a look at people's perceptions in general, taking the argument away from my and Dom's lockhorn debate. I work in a music store with large retail, shipping, office, school service and repair deparments. Musicians of all backgrounds, and some non-musician employees of varying lifestyles. Not one agreed that KISS was metal, and only a couple were dubious on ACDC, with the general consensus of 'not really'. A couple of these people have played KISS, myself included. If this sample pool is not sufficient, I'd be willing to expand to a properly organized opinion poll. By the way, when asked about XTC, they were identified as either punk or new wave. Respectfully, Tom Kingston
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 21:27:58 -0600 From: Phil Corless <philco@micron.net> Subject: Extra Chalk Horse Hats Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000504212758.00a3bb10@pophost.micron.net> I've got a bunch of extra Uffington Horse hats! View all the info at: http://netnow.micron.net/~philco/chalkhat.htm - Phil I'm selling a bunch of DVDs on eBay... Check them out at: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/philkar/
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 01:53:08 EDT From: WESnLES@aol.com Subject: Duncan Watt & The Young Cantaloupes Message-ID: <6.58c1605.2643bbc4@aol.com> Liar Birds: Harrison "Harry Harry Quite Contrary" Sherwood requested some lyrics, and here they be: It's how we're built, love (let the groveling begin) I just discovered that Duncan Watt & The Young Cantaloupes are gonna be hittin' the states in the next few months supporting their new album; CASE SENSITIVE TESTICLES! You've gotta pick up a copy of this one folks, it's an ultra-heady amalgamation of MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES, MAHUVISHNU, HAYDN, XTC (actually a metal band), and ELVIS! (Jesus & Richard Petty are pretenders, E was THE king) If you order the album from HMV you'll pick up a free 3 song single which includes the tunes: Six-Pack Abs (Album version), and home demos of DEATH TO FALSE MUSIC and the forty-seven minute epic DEAR SIR - READ ON; I'M IN CAPS. This is a must have for the true fan, and a damn good place to start for the false one! Rolling Stone said of the new release: "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll deposit your eggs in decaying flesh just like any self-respecting Metal fan." Hmmmmmmm, purple-knob-on-a-blue-veiner thing tell me what you think thing (doesn't work, does it?) wesLONG http://members.tripod.com/~The_Last_Balloon/index.html
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 23:11:29 PDT From: "Beverly Cash" <plutomoon@hotmail.com> Subject: Newbie alert Message-ID: <20000505061129.42182.qmail@hotmail.com> Hi Everybody...errr...Chalkhillittes! My name is Beverly and have become an Xtcaholic.. Now you're all supposed to say something like,"Hi Beverly,we love you" Oh thank you thank you!! I've been subscribed for a while,and have tried to post but end up cancelling out of lack of time or brain power,but this one I will complete. I can't begin to remember all the things I've seen I wanted to comment on but I'll remember a few with what few brain cells I have left.. Nina,you're awesome,you crack me up and have a similar story as I.For a long time all I had was The Upsy Daisy Assortment,despite actually being fond of XTC since first seeing the video for Senses Working Overtime when it first came out,and after that hearing Generals and Majors and Making Plans for Nigel frequently on San Diego radio after moving there.Then Dear God,then Mayor of Simpleton etc etc.At those times,everytime I found XTC albums at stores,they were so incredibly expensive,I never bought them. Even though I've known little about them,I have considered them one of my favorite groups for the fact that they have a consistent amount of work I like.Where as most groups,I like a song or two and thats it,in fact,there's really only one group I like even more than them. Now the really funny(and kinda humiliating) part...The only videos I had ever seen of them were ones Andy fronted,the only interviews were ones with Andy,so I always thought he was the only singer.Until earlier THIS year,I had a big list of videos I wanted to record off MTV2 from their 'every video from a-z' thing.High on my list of videos(of which I didn't even know what songs actually have videos,XTC and non, I missed ALOT!)was my new XTC fav of King for a Day( which I never paid much attention to until I read the lyrics off the chalkhills website,just perfect!)...much to my surprise,there was no Andy(at this point I hadn't looked at all the archives of interviews with them to see that he wasn't the only singer/writer)..I was very shocked after almost 20 years of thinking Andy was the singer.So upon further investigation(mostly on the lovely Chalkhills site and lovely LittleLighthouse site)I discovered that Colin penned many classic XTC songs I have mentioned earlier.You know,I felt really really dopey.But,before having this computer I knew very little of them or my other favorite groups,but I still felt reeeeeally dopey that I never knew for soooo long!I always thought XTC were pretty mainstream and successful!Especially being I always heard them heavily played on the,shall I say "alternative" stations where ever I happened to be living.It really gave me a greater appreciation of them when I found out how the complete opposite was true,I was actually quite shocked! Ummm....you know,this current heavy metal thing....I think that what is referred to AS heavy metal changes AS the times and sounds change.A whole lot of music changes "labels" as time goes on,as sounds expand and morph.Much of what was considered metal in the early 80's,wasn't in the mid 80's,what was in the mid 80's wasn't in the late 80's,what was in the late 80's,wasn't in the early 90's etc etc.definitly not in all cases,but it seems when people actually stop and look at it afterwards,they seem to think that maybe it really wasn't 'metal',especially when it is followed by music that sounds MORE metal than what was previously considered metal.I figure,the way things go,everything eventually becomes either easy listening(as everything else becomes harder and rougher)or becomes classic rock HEHE.I'm not even 30, yet feel old when I hear The Clash on classic rock stations!And the "retro"80's thing!To me "retro" is atomic 50's or at most 60's. Anyway better stop,it's becoming one of those really long post that I have a hard time reading HEHE..I'll continue on stuff I've wanted to comment on another time when I actually have the tenacity to sit here and do it...But do want to say how much I've really enjoyed reading everyones posts.I'm on another bands list and this one,even amongst some of the mudslinging of late,is much nicer and has more of a feeling of community on the whole than the other one I'm on,it's just lovely hehe. Cheers**** Beverly(yes,but very very very distantly related)Cash PS:Yes Andy does have a certain charm and animal magnetism,but along with the other gal,my vote is for Colin!And Dave is WAAAAAAY too happy in the Mayor of Simpleton video!!!And Nina,you rule(and I'm sure you know it)I also have a similar little fantasy about doing their songs.But I feel too silly to tell anyone!!!
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