Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 258
Date: Friday, 1 September 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 258
Friday, 1 September 2000
Topics:
Wrapped in Grey
Re: My Brave Face
The Knotted Chord's Untying
Urgh! A Sentimentality War!
Radio-Free XTC
End Of the Rainbow
the Unintentional Chalkie?
Re: See You On The Funway
Re: Phil Keaggy
RE: It all unweaves . . .
More random rubbish . . .
Quite Honorable Mentions
they might be funny
House Warming
more fire on high
advice
Willpower
Mel From Meglaphone
Re: Mott the Hoople and XTC
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:
unsubscribe
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:
<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>
World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.7b (John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>).
Like cigarettes or new LP's.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 10:20:56 -0500
From: "Jan C. Harris" <wow@bluemarble.net>
Subject: Wrapped in Grey
Message-ID: <02ed01c01296$603a4600$4da6f5d0@janstrigem>
Gary oddly writes: <<<<Anyone else wish Andy had left the coda
off "Wrapped in Grey" ("And at the very least you can stand up
naked and grin")? To my ear, it's like Mozart ending a piano
concerto with "shave and a haircut, two bits." (I'm bracing for
flames informing me that the line is the essence of the song's
message, and that I'm a Philistine for suggesting it may be less
than wonderful, but it still bugs me.)>>>>
I like it 50% of the time. Sometimes I'm ready for the song to
be over and the coda is shocking.
Sometimes, I have to stand up naked and grin.
And the coda does move smoothly into the "Ugly Underneath...."
JanCarol
wow@bluemarble.net
www.bluemarble.net/~wow
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 08:45:46 -0400 From: "Martin, Alan" <Alan.Martin@ncxix.hcg.eds.com> Subject: Re: My Brave Face Message-ID: <B812DC6BF121D411B3FE00508B0B94222E8BB6@chowan.ncxix.hcg.eds.com> >One more entry in the bad lyrics thread -sorry, no rhyme: >Mike sez: >"I've been hitting the town, and it didn't hit back." > -Paul McCartney - My Brave Face >I think the song is aptly titled. He'd need to have a brave >face to go out in public after writing that. I think that lyric is wonderful. There is also a verse that goes: "As I clear away another untouched turkey dinner from the table, I made for two" - Which I think is a brilliant way of expressing the loss of someone who you spent each day with, so that even simple activities become big deals. You 've truly lost a friend.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 15:17:32 -0400 (EDT) From: Michael Versaci <stormymonday@sprintmail.com> Subject: The Knotted Chord's Untying Message-ID: <382181088.967663053085.JavaMail.root@web621-wrb.mail.com> Folxtc, >From Joseph Easter: >The saddest song is Peter Gabriel's Here Comes the Flood.< When I was going through my divorce, the song that cut the deepest was Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." Michael Versaci "Is that a dagger or a crucifix I see You hold so tightly in your hand And all the while the distance grows between you and me I do not understand" - Peter Gabriel
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 17:33:22 EDT From: Hbsherwood@aol.com Subject: Urgh! A Sentimentality War! Message-ID: <11.8932ff4.26ded7a2@aol.com> >From: "Joseph Easter" <easter2000@earthlink.net> >Subject: altitude >Are you people high or something? > >The saddest song is Peter Gabriel's Here Comes the Flood. > >Crackheads. Oh Pish Tosh! Gabriel's a rank amateur! In the Year of Our Lord 1985 I turned to the comforting arms of crack cocaine in order to palliate the ineffable and overwhelming despondency brought on by one single listen to the Really Saddest Song Ever, "It Makes No Difference," written by Rick Danko and performed by The Band. You remember "Trainspotting," where Ewan MacGregor is kicking smack and the baby crawls across the ceiling? Well, it's exactly like that for me too, only it isn't a baby, it's the uneasy ghost of Rick Danko, and he's singing "It Makes No Difference" STRAIGHT AT MY FACE and the only two solutions are to either kill myself or go back to the pipe. Now the suuuuuuuuun don't shiiiiine... any morrrrre... And the raiiiinnnnnnn falls down On my dooooooor..... ----- TV's Sundance Channel will be broadcasting URGH! A MUSIC WAR repeatedly during the month of September, so get those VCRs ready: From a press release Wes Hanks hipped me to: The Sundance Channel is dedicating its September FilmFest to "Sonic Cinema" by showing independent films with a rock 'n' roll theme. The festival will include seven documentaries - including the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," Bob Dylan's "Don't Look Back" and Radiohead's "Meeting People is Easy" - as well as four programs of music videos. The videos will air each Sunday night at 8 p.m. (EST) during specially produced editions of the channel's "Shorts Stop." Here is a short look [I've snipped considerably] at some of the most notable pictures to be shown: "Don't Look Back" [Dylan...cinema verite...DL Pennebaker, classic of sixties filmmaking, definitely not to be missed] "Gimme Shelter" [Altamont, Hell's Angels, Mick's disinterested gaze, etc. definitely not to be missed] "Instrument" [FUGAZI!!!!! Dont' fukkin miss this or I'll kick yer head in. Anybody who tapes this for me (I don't get the Sundance Channel) will receive oral or verbal gratification in whatever form they prefer)] "Meeting People is Easy" [Radiohead ... etc. DNTBM, etc.] AND FINALLY THE ONE WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.... "Urgh! A Music War" QUOTE Again, Sundance deserves serious credit for unearthing this video time capsule. This out-of-print documentary - which presently has a coalition of fans trying to get it back on store shelves - is a must-see for any music fiend. "Urgh" takes viewers straight back to 1981 with 25 fantastic live performances, ranging from bigger name acts such as Devo and the Go-Go's to smaller quality acts that one might not recall so easily. The film includes two pre-Synchronicity songs by the Police -- "Driven to Tears" and "Roxanne" -- as well as a so-so rendition of "So Lonely" performed during the credits with the help of early-80s all-stars UB40, !!! ***XTC*** ^^^ and Skafish. The most impressive performances of the movie, however, come from the forgotten acts of the age. Please don't miss the songs by Invisible Sex, Athletico Spizz or Klaus Nomi. UNQUOTE [OR XTC!!!!! Who do a rokkin' (if a little over-flanged) Respectable Street in case you've been living under Iraq. Seriously, this is like the BEST movie that ever was made about New Wave or whateverthefuck you want to call it, and it's our generation's Hard Day's Night/Woodstock/Hands Across My Butt SO DON'T MISS IT IF YOU GET THE SUNDANCE CHANNEL. And if you do, TAPE IT FOR THE REST OF US!!!! Watch the interaction between Andy and Sting as they share a mike during the closing credits! (If looks could kill!!!!) Watch Andy punt pineapples into the audience! Thrill to his Mussolini schtick as he riles the crowd with stage patter! "It's in the order of their hedgerow-oh-ohs..."] Broadcast times for Urgh! (all times EST): Sept 4 - 9 pm Sept 8 - 6:30 am, 1 pm Sept 13 - 9 pm Sept 16 - noon Sept 24 - 4 pm Broadcast times for rest of the series (Dylan, Stones, fukkin FUGAZI, etc.) are available at the Sundance Channel website, http://www.sundancechannel.com Harrison "So looonely, so looonely, so lo-BA-BA-BA-BA-BA!" Sherwood
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 17:43:24 -0600 From: "Steve Johnson" <sjohnson@co.missoula.mt.us> Subject: Radio-Free XTC Message-ID: <s9ad47c8.073@mail.co.missoula.mt.us> Why does everyone seem to bemoan the fact that XTC gets so little airplay? I see it as a positive thing. What if they were on the radio all the time? Can you imagine: [hyper-caffeineated DJ voice] "That was Starland Vocal Band with their smash hit, "Afternoon Delight." Next up, we've got some Air Supply, followed by Kid Rock, and at the top of the hour...XTC!" No thanks! I want XTC to be my little secret. Okay, they can be your little secrets, too. And if there are about 300,000-400,000 of us with XTC as our own little secrets, then Mr. Partridge and Mr. Moulding can earn a nice little living, and keep serving up aural delicacies that we don't have to share them with the unwashed radio public. I'm sorry--I don't want "Mayor of Simpleton" blasting out of the tin speakers on Aunt Sally's Dodge Dart. I don't want to see XTC posters handed out by toothless county fair carnies when you pop the last balloon with a greasy dart. I don't want giant Andy and Colin mug-shot posters pasted up at Sam Goody's. I don't want them on Saturday Night Live or Leno or Letterman or exposed to Matt Lauer. I don't want them on the beach, wafting out of ghetto blasters hefted by insects in their brand new sun specs. What's wrong with relative anonymity? I'll compromise...I'll grant them wealth instead of fame. I'll throw money at them and proselytize like Jimmy Swaggart. I'll get down on my hands and knees and pray to the god of cottage cheese, "don't put XTC on the radio, please!"
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 06:36:50 -0500 From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <cauldron@together.net> Subject: End Of the Rainbow Message-ID: <l03130301b5d3f2c2e0d0@[208.13.202.23]> >Are you people high or something? > >The saddest song is Peter Gabriel's Here Comes the Flood. > >Crackheads. > >Joseph Easter Definitely a weeper, but IMO Richard Thompson's "End Of The Rainbow" tops that; how much bleaker can you get than "There's nothing at the end of the rainbow/There's nothing to live for anymore." When Elvis Costello once covered it in concert a while ago, somebody in the audience called out "Cheer up, Elvis. It's not that bad," thinking that he wrote it himself.(Elvis, I mean) Christopher R. Coolidge Homepage at http://homepages.together.net/~cauldron/homepage.html
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 07:10:51 EDT From: STakesh@aol.com Subject: the Unintentional Chalkie? Message-ID: <b8.aa7014d.26df973b@aol.com> Hi, Maddened Commuters, While checking out the idiosyncratic cultural detrititus that washes up on Memepool, I happened upon something rather interesting. Believe it or not, there's another songwriter out there inspired by Swindon's "Magic Roundabout"! He's David Craig, a youthfully middle-aged Internet jack-of-all-trades in London, and he maintains an extensive website lauding picturesque southern England. Following this link will take you to the Swindonian/Swindonite end of things, with a big, revealing pic of the roundabout, as well as his essay on modern Swindon: http://www.strum.co.uk/wessex/brunpic.htm You'll also find a link there to his many home-recorded songs in RealAudio, including the one on the roundabout. Intrigued by all this, I emailed him of my intention to link him to the far-flung, eccentric Chalkhills community; resulting in the following mini- Q&A: > Do you know this song, from their 1982 LP "English Settlement"? No. I'd never heard of it. I shall try to find it. > I've taken the liberty of drafting a notice (still unposted!) >Directing them to your site, Good work. >Is there anything you'd like to say by way of introduction to the >international peanut gallery that is several thousand devoted XTC fans? Er... Hi! I'd be interested in any Swindonites reactions to the pieces I've written about Swindon - starting at http://www.strum.co.uk/wessex/swindon.htm >if only to note how familiar you are with the Swindon area Not intimate. I just like the place (perversely). *************** Personally, I hope David joins us shortly. After all, not many people have the independent perspective of hearing "English Roundabout" as that OTHER song about Swindon's Magic Roundabout! Going round and round and round and round and round, Stephanie Takeshita
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 06:58:52 -0500 From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <cauldron@together.net> Subject: Re: See You On The Funway Message-ID: <l03130302b5d3f58e8904@[208.13.202.23]> >It seems as if it is a basic truth of life that concerts at fairs tend to >be the least entertaining show on the midway. > >Jeff "In the cage at the Omni for the Belt" Eason This year there's no free shows at the local fair except for a few local bands playing short sets on smaller stages(notably one of the better bands in Vermont, a jump blues band called Bloozotomy, not normally my thing but frontman Jim Branca is one hell of a showman and the bass player is an old friend), instead you get to pay through the nose for the privelege of seeing Tricia Yearwood, Neil Sedaka(who I'd see for free, maybe) The Goo Goo Dolls or Christina Aguilera. In past years, however, there's been some notable free shows. America, of all people did a surprisingly good show; they were tight musically(all bandmembers except the bassist, who took over for Will Robinson/Artie Barnes.Bill Mumy fifteen years ago, have been with the band for close to twenty-five years)and very personable and self-effacing, though lacking in musical content besides a few of Gerry Beckley's somewhat sappy but heartfelt ballads, a guilty pleasure in my teenage days. Another year we were treated to Johnny Rivers, who turned in a good clutch of roots-rocky recent originals from an upcoming album and kicked ass on oldies like "Secret Agent Man." Then there was a notably uneven oldies revue ranging from competent(The Shirelles)to occasionally sublime(The Platters)to laughably awful with backing tapes(Danny and The Juniors)to unlistenable(The Box Tops- suffice to say Alex Chilton was nowhere in sight). Christopher R. Coolidge "A Great law protects me from the government. The Bill of rights has 10 GREAT laws. A Good law protects me from you. Laws against murder, theft, assault and the like are good laws. A Poor law attempts to protect me from myself." - Unknown
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 07:12:03 -0500 From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <cauldron@together.net> Subject: Re: Phil Keaggy Message-ID: <l03130303b5d3fb89f0c6@[208.13.202.23]> >Chris Coolidge said: >>Phil Keaggy(he's recorded for Christian >labels throughout his career, with the exception of his oneoff album with >the Christian rock supergroup Chagall Guevera< > >That's not quite accurate; Mr. Missing Fingers (Keaggy doesn't have a >full complement of digits)recorded four non-Christian-music albums >with a rock band called Glass Harp in the early 70's. They were OK; I >have one of their albums. I'm aware of Glass Harp, though I was referring to Steve Taylor, if you check the original post. Phil Keaggy, to my knowledge, wasn't a member of Chagall Guevera. Christopher R. Coolidge Homepage at http://homepages.together.net/~cauldron/homepage.html
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 13:00:32 +0100 From: "Smith, David" <David.Smith@tfeurope.com> Subject: RE: It all unweaves . . . Message-ID: <4BBE67B71C1DD411A23600508B65F71E686153@tfsecmsg04.tfseur.co.uk> So it's like this - I go to Singapore for a week, come back with a severe gastric infection (4 days of riding the big white bus) only to find out a good friend has died of colon cancer on Friday 18th. This came a good four weeks before he was expected to - and therefore four weeks before I was prepared. Just hours before I got on the plane to go to Singapore I thought about calling him - but hey, there was no rush, he'd still be around when I got back. In the end, I DID call him, 'cos I just wanted to hear his voice. I will eternally thank any God who wants to listen for whatever power prompted me to make that decision. If any of you out there are in a similar position, whatever the circumstances, make that call - life's too short. *** I shall now try to lighten my mood (if not yours!) by making the following responses to nine-ish outstanding editions. Kate Burda talked about the metal "thunking" sounds on Towers of London and asked "How many other artists would take the time to add something this creative to further develop and enrich a song?" Well, if we're talking "clinking" sounds, my favourites are the clinking bottles on the instrumental break of the 80s Britfunk hit "Mama Used To Say" by Junior Giscombe. Now that song might cause feelings of revulsion in many of you, but it's part of the soundtrack to my late teen years, when me and a couple of mates used to take milk bottles to parties and clink them with spoons when that record came on. We didn't get invited to many parties . . . . *** Warren Butson, on the thread of old TXC, said the boys "even had a prime time tv documentary about the making of Black Sea". Whaaaat! Surely someone in good old blighty has a copy of this I can offer them silly amounts of cash for a copy of? E-Mail me off list. *** Songs that make me cry? Well apart from the aforementioned "Family Snapshot" by Peter Gabriel, check out "Boxing", the final track on Ben Folds Five's debut album. Come to think of it, just about anything could set me off at the mo' Laters Smudgeboy
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 13:04:42 +0100 From: "Smith, David" <David.Smith@tfeurope.com> Subject: More random rubbish . . . Message-ID: <4BBE67B71C1DD411A23600508B65F71E686154@tfsecmsg04.tfseur.co.uk> Right, I'm back, and I'm bugged! Will posters pleeeeeease stop calling it "Nonesuch". It's "Nonsuch". It's a bit like an under-12s concert, there's no "e". How many "e"s? None! Are there any "e"s? Non! Thanks *pedant mode off* Concerts . . . oh blimey, thought I could avoid this, but here goes (oh, and I'm crap at remembering dates, as you'll see . . .): First concert - Linx, Hammersmith Odeon, 1980-ish Favorite concerts - Police (somewhere) around 1981; Pink Floyd, Wembley Stadium, around 1993; David Bowie, Milton Keynes Bowl, 1994(?); oh, and Live Aid (yep, I was there!) Other honourable mentions: Adrian Legg, Ben Folds Five, Genesis, Steely Dan, Lenny Kravitz - great sound, and Phil Collins was good live on his first tour too. Worst Support - Blind Melon, supporting Kravitz (above) . . . dire! Most flawed but extremely entertaining performance (great category btw) - gotta be Madness (various times) Band most seen - Level 42, was a huuuuuuge fan and their concerts were always reasonably cheap What the hell was I thinking concert - Simply Red, 1987 This guy is either a lunatic or a genius concert - Terence Trent D'Arby Wish I could have seen - Any ELO, Beatles and of course . . . Concerts this year - Prefab Sprout (Shepherds Bush Empire); Average White Band . . . with guest appearance by Daryl Hall (Jazz Cafi, Camden); James Taylor Quartet (the funk guys), some little club - brilliant. Next concert: Steely Dan, Wembley, Sept 9th - yeeeeharr! *** For the record, for those of you who like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Keith Emerson is my sister's best friend's cousin, and I've been to his house. He wasn't there at the time, but his glass synth was. Phew, rock'n'roll, eh? *** Wayne mentioned Marshall Crenshaw. I only ever heard "Cynical Girl", which I liked. Any recommendations for a good "starting off" album anyone? *** Trevor "Beebuckle" Matthews said of Buddy Guy "he played his guitar with his teeth, his dick, his toes". His dick? HIS DICK????? Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I am clenched! *** Steve Pitts saw "Hawklords at The Fairfield Halls, Croydon, 1978??". Blimey, Steve, a few years later I was WORKING at the good old Fairfield. Though why anyone would stage a rock show there is beyond me. Ahhh, happy times . . . well, the job stank actually, it included climbing on the roof in all weathers and putting up the forthcoming attractions in those 12" high metal hanging letters. For two years I climbed out on that roof - and three months after I left they got an electronic display to replace it. Bar stewards! Sounds like you're familiar with Croydon Steve. Did you know the Greyhound (as mentioned) also saw the debut gig of ELO in 1972? Is there a budding South London Chalkhills Chapter emerging here? *** Oh, and Adrian Ransome's hollywood epic biopic of the boys . . . you, sir, are a genius. That's all, I'm back on track and up to date. Oh, scratch that, I've just seen my inbox . . . Smudge "what happens when the Immodium stop working" Boy E-Mail: david.smith@tfeurope.com
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 14:09:27 GMT From: "Ralph Simpson DeMarco" <sawpit@hotmail.com> Subject: Quite Honorable Mentions Message-ID: <LAW-F20bIr5pPcZ9FC8000006a2@hotmail.com> Dear Affiliated Members: OK, it's an old thread, but a good one. I should have mentioned these to stellar concerts. They were both at the Tarrytown Music Hall, NY. David Bromberg & Band (Fall 1988?): Picture this: one side of the stage has fiddles, mandolins, pedal steel guitar, banjo, etc. - the other side has trombones, trumpets, saxophones, etc. Center stage: the amazing home town boy, David Bromberg (brilliant blues/country guitarist). On the song Sharon he made his guitar say "Oh Daaaavid, I want to @#%& you!" What was that? Yes his guitar spoke and we all knew what it was saying. I have never even heard Hendrix do that! Richard Thompson & Band (Fall 1996): Wow. Dave Mattacks on drums, Danny Thompson on bass guitar. This show ROCKED! And, the acoustic sets were amazing. I have said before, Richard Thompson is England's only answer to Bob Dylan (nobody else even comes close to writing better songs. Just listen to Bees Wings and you shall understand). Ta!
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 13:41:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Brown <mb2@deltanet.com> Subject: they might be funny Message-ID: <200008312041.NAA16392@mail2.deltanet.com> ..O.k., so this has nothing to do with XTC.. AND it is rather insignificant.. In the 8/30 issue of The Onion (www.theonion.com) the writers have a little fun with TMBG- Amusing?.. if you like TMBG it is! DB
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 02:14:28 -0400 (EDT) From: Radios In Motion <radiosinmotion@iwon.com> Subject: House Warming Message-ID: <381472215.967788869424.JavaMail.root@web183-iw.mail.com> Ok, so I cant get too happy yet, but I made an offer on a house (lets just hope the sellers accept it!) and wanted to have a house warming party. Any suggestions of songs to use? Not just XTC, but any songs that would be relevent. I will also be having an 80's party this New Years eve (if I get the house) so if any of you are interested in attending (if you live, or are willing to travle to, California) let me know. Any word on the next single? Though I don't like the story, Standing In For Joe is a really catchy song. I picture it being used in a John Hughes film. Anyone agree? PS. I am almost done the rap compilations. One of you wrote me out a check and I can't find your address anymore. Please email me so I can ship your CD when its ready.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 00:36:41 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: more fire on high Message-ID: <20000901073641.10096.qmail@web2103.mail.yahoo.com> A couple of mentions of ELO's song Fire on High reminded me that one of the local newscasts when I was a kid growing up in mid Michigan used that song as their theme music. I didn't know it as anything but the 'channel 5 news song' until years later when I bought the album its on. Boy was I surprised! Oh, by the way, I'm really embarrassed by the fact that i once liked ELO!
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 00:44:55 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: advice Message-ID: <20000901074455.13702.qmail@web2101.mail.yahoo.com> Hi Need some advice on software for my new cdr burner. I have an Apple G4 so I need Mac software. I am specifically looking for affordable software that will allow me to record tracks with no audible gaps or clicks between them. Also looking for software to clean up sound-get rid of tape hiss, vinyl pops and clicks, etc. e-mail me off list if you have any suggestions. Thanks for your help, Tyler
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 09:19:50 +0100 From: "Chris" <bonyking@sniffout.com> Subject: Willpower Message-ID: <001501c013ed$80241880$29a0a8c0@sigta> Hi, Queen Jayne pleaded : >While we're digging up the corpses of song that had been decently laid >to rest can I add If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body- Also at the >moment something called Kissing With Confidence has somehow >overpowered the guards in my brain cell and is wandering around doing >it's worse. The brain cell keeps insisting that's it Laurie Anderson, >which I think is very very wrong, so if any of you knowlegable folks >can put me out of this horror, please I'm begging here. Wasn't the artist something like Will to Powers ? I seem to remember this hanging around the UK charts briefly sometime like 1982. Having read with interest postings to Chalkhills regarding ways various songwriters have used to make their songs more palatable and interesting to the world at large (credit must be given to Mr Sherwood especially), I wondered if anyone could answer one question for me : Why the hell do I like 'Love Circles' by Squeeze so much ? I'm damned if I can think of a good reason for it but it's one of my favourite songs ever. Chris Clarke
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 03:59:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Al LaCarte <allacarte@yahoo.com> Subject: Mel From Meglaphone Message-ID: <20000901105938.2444.qmail@web1602.mail.yahoo.com> All: >> It blew my mind when Norton and Hart switched from >> Bass to Drums and vice-versa mid set. After that the >> crowd went berserk ... Reminds me of the two times I saw Gentle Giant - all five of them swapped instruments as easily as most of us swap CD's in and out of our changers! When they performed "On Reflection," a fugue where the first round is sung Al Capella <g> and the second has an instrument simultaneously mirror each sung melody line - we were surprised to see that each member played another member's part while still singing his own. >She's one of those people who doesn't like anything that's loud and threatening,< >I'm sure she's hoping Air Supply will play a county fair near us soon.< Too bad you didn't take her to see Kevin Gilbert - perhaps she would have said: "You sound like Air Supply meets Gwar In a good way!" Al "In my way did I use you Do you think I really abused you On reflection now It doesn't matter" Ray Shulman, Derek Shulman and Kerry Minear
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 10:49:09 -0400 From: "Roger Fuller" <fullerfamily@sprintmail.com> Subject: Re: Mott the Hoople and XTC Message-ID: <006001c01423$ca8e2ce0$d94dd63f@hp-customer> >From: WTDK@aol.com >Subject: The Ballad of Xtc (and others...) > >> Mott the Hoople, on the other hand, I feel, musically I knew what they >> were pretty much going to sound like, as evinced by their live version >> of Little Richard's "Keep 'A Knockin" from their previous album >> "Wildlife". Slam-bang, basic rock-n-roll, but unfortunately now Mick >> Ralphs was no longer with them, so, it wasn't as well played musically >> (wrong guitarist for the band- Luther Grosvenor from Spooky Tooth), but >> the basic format was still there. (Fewer overdubs on record than Queen, >> anyway.) The band looked unhappy, and the music sounded it > >Finally another Mott fan! Actually they sounded worlds better with Luther vs. >the line up once Hunter left the band. Did Luther AKA Ariel Bender still stick around after that? I remember the truncated band added a couple of members, incl. Ray Major, a guitarist whom the band had wanted to have join before but could not acc. to contractual obligations. The later band, now dubbed "Mott", went on to make a couple of albums, have more people leave, subsequently retitile themselves "The British Lions", achieve a minor hit with Garland Jeffreys' "Wild in the Streets", then off to break-up land. > Although Mick Ralphs has often been >taken to task for his guitar playing he was a good example of a player that >fit in perfectly. Exactly. He was very conservative in his playing and tasteful in his leadplaying- didn't bother to get into the musical spaghetti and synthesiser sludge which every guitarist got into in the mid-70's. Unfortunately when he joined Bad Company, all bets were off, after the great first LP. His playing became generic and stadium-oriented. I saw them in 1975 or 1976 and the playing, esp. when Paul Rodgers was playing along, sounded wiry, tinny, and awful. Oh how the mighty do fall..... >Mick Jones would actually have fit Mott better than Luther >(and would have been comparable to Ronson) Mick Jones of Spooky Tooth ( a later incarnation) or Mick Jones of the Clash? I know, it's a a facetious, rhetorical question, but the latter, like Colin Moulding and Andy Partridge, was a stone Mott fan, and his "School of Guitar Blare" playing style would have been a great addition and revitalised the band, despite the disparity of ages. (Oddly enough, Ian Hunter ended up working with the Clash at various points...).. I have heard tapes of Mick Ronson playing with Mott the Hoople in Sweden in 1975 when he joined briefly before heading off with Ian Hunter to solo success- REALLLL good! Mick Ronson missed his calling by playing with Bowie instead of Mott the Hoople, IMHO. Q for all: What sort of influence did Mott the Hoople have on oor lads, then? >Same with Ian as vocalist. He's not a great singer but does very well >with what God gave him. God I wish Ian would tour the US again. He is still touring and recently recorded a CD for a Norwegian label. Like Ian Anderson, he has lost a lot of his range, due to heavy smoking as well as singing technically wrong (ruins the vocal cords, as well as other things...), but he still writes some great songs. There is a really good Mott The Hoople webpage run by a guy from New Hampshire: http://.public.logica.com/~perkinsa/hunter-mott/ >as well as many others, too. > >Even if Xtc were to tour for a paying audience I'd be willing to cut them >some slack if the performance didn't quite live up to the album. They are, >after all, two very different beasts. Besides, with all the technology now I >don't doubt that they could reproduce all of Wasp Star and most of AV1 >without a problem. If they had the money and the desire. Right now, I think they have not only sworn off any sort of touring, but are trying to steer themselves as far away from the music biz machine as possible. (XTC nowadays really are the embodiment of Robert Fripp's prediction of "small, mobile, independent units", and I'll bet they are making more money now, even w/o hit singles, than when they were at the top of their corporate game for Virgin Records. It's not the income, it's the "out-go"that counts!) I might pay to see XTC as well, and cut them some slack if they gave us a duff performance, but I don't know if I'd do it for anybody else. Roger Fuller >neener, neener "Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.." --PAUL MCCARTNEY.... :^)
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #6-258 *******************************
Go back to Volume 6.
1 September 2000 / Feedback