Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 4
Date: Friday, 7 January 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 4
Friday, 7 January 2000
Today's Topics:
Nigel In Canada
Re: How Is Nonsuch Pronounced?
Request for more sales data on XTC catalog
Fish/Marillion
XTC reviews
Re: Best of 1999
On why XTC never turned to shit.
Wall Clocks and Herbert Groenemeyer
re: #6_3 and marillion
mannequin catwalk?
Zorak reviews "Skylarking"
Re: It's Not Your Granma it's your Grammy
All things Marillion/Fish and none XTC (apologies)
Re: Melt the Guns
Stereolab fans...
Re: Hitch-Hiker's Guide
A Recomendation and a Request
I Found an Old List
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 3.7 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>).
They sailed in the shallows now they've paid the price.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 11:30:25 +0100 (MET) From: rappard <rappard@dds.nl> Subject: Nigel In Canada Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.90.1000106111751.3591C-100000@fatima.dds.nl> Got this from someone on the The The mailing list - 102.1 CFNY (apparently a decent enough station) in Toronto has compiled a listers' poll of the 1002 best songs of all time: http://www.edge102.com/program_guide/newrock30/archive/19991111.htx A certain quirky English band made #55 (Nigel), #296 (God), #740 (Senses) and #954 (Pumpkinhead), proving that some Canadians beside David Oh have impeccable taste in music (and while I write this, my mind conjures up an image of David flooding the stations email box with entries - good job!). Martin
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000106162752.18007.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "another from kristi" <beatlebird@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: How Is Nonsuch Pronounced? Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 16:27:52 GMT >>>>>>On another subject created out of boredom- is >>>Nonsuch pronounced "None-such"? This is how VH1 said >>>>it on the XTC- "Where Are They Now" segment (which I'm >>>glad I taped!). I believe it is pronounced none-such. In "Chalkhills and Children", it's Andy who sings "some none-such (sp) net holds me aloft", and he pronounces it just like that. kristi beatlebird@hotmail.com *************** "Remember when you were with the Beatles and you were supposed to be dead? That was a hoax, right?" ~ Chris Farley to Paul McCartney *************** "Look what I got for $1.85!" Damn! http://thriftgoddess.webjump.com "Never Pay Full Price!" A Diary of Secondhand Shopping in the Modern Age" ***************
------------------------------ Message-ID: <1D5033F5A9C85E4C861F053E637CB89F0747FB@postal> From: Jill Oleson <oleson@moneystar.com> Subject: Request for more sales data on XTC catalog Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 16:47:19 -0600 Since the last three XTC albums have been released (Transistor Blast, Apple Venus, Volume 1, and Homespun), several new Chalkers have confessed to having been reeled in by one XTC album then subsequently purchasing the entire XTC catalog. All this has me wondering... What have the sales of older XTC releases been like since the most recent three albums were released in 1999? Hope someone can give us some valid numbers, Jill Oleson Austin, Texas
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000106232957.007adb40@students.wisc.edu> Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 23:29:57 -0600 From: "David R. Bauman" <drbauman@students.wisc.edu> Subject: Fish/Marillion Hi everyone -- this is a message I sent yesterday to Mark, but I saw a few other messages pop up with the same theme, so I'll post it publicly. ------------------- Hello, Mark, I'm an infrequent (at best) poster to Chalkhills, so you probably won't know me. Anyway, I saw your question about former Marillion vocalist Fish and will try to give you some information about him. I actually got interested in Fish and Marillion about two years ago, near the time I started listening to XTC, interestingly. Fish has had a financially spotty decade since he left Marillion, always seeming to be just on the wrong end of luck. He's released five or six studio albums and a number of live albums that are eagerly snapped up by fans. His first solo album, "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors" seems to be considered his best. He released several less successful albums before "Sunsets on Empire" in 1996 or so. "Raingods with Zippos" (my personal favorite) followed last year. He toured through Europe almost nonstop through the 1990s, from what I gather, though never amassing more than a cult following. His music is a bit more hard-edged than that of 80's Marillion, often with many elements of Scottish folk music, but mixing genres, often very creatively. I'm a member of the Marillion/Fish mailing list (called "Freaks"), and several weeks ago Fish posted to the list (he's a member of it, as are several members of Marillion, which is pretty nice) that he's going to ease up, if not halt altogether, his live act, to concentrate on studio albums and put more effort into a newly-burgeoning film career. It's a shame he's had such a tough career; his fans are truly dedicated people, but sadly, in the U.S., no-one's heard of him. I'd recommend any of the above albums as an intriguing place to begin. Nothing like XTC, but that's part of the fun of music. Actually, I'd really recommend most of Marillion's albums since Steve Hogarth became vocalist in the late 80s. They are a completely different style than with Fish, and I think they'd appeal very much to an XTC fan -- very intelligent, complex, pop. If you'd like any suggestions from me, I'd be happy to help -- for comparison, I'd say that Marillion and XTC are among my favorite artists, along with mid-period (1974-78) Genesis, and of XTC's albums, I prefer Apple Venus, Nonsuch, and Skylarking above all others. Hope that helps-- Cheers, David R. Bauman
------------------------------ From: Robeach11@aol.com Message-ID: <5f.5f0d50ea.25a6d5b2@aol.com> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 00:37:54 EST Subject: XTC reviews Here in Southern California, we have a couple of widely read free weekly publications. One being the L.A. Weekly and the other is the New Times. In their year end publications I noted consistently good marks for AV1. BUT.... the coolest thing was seeing AV1 listed in one reviewer's list of his top 10 films! Huh? Yup. Film critic Gregory Weinkauf put AV1 as his #5 MOVIE of the year. Here is what he wrote: " 5. Apple Venus, Vol. 1, directed by XTC. All right, so, technically, this album is not a movie. But it plays like a film festival! Slide this pop masterstroke by remaining members Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding into your player, close your eyes (unless you're driving), and try telling me that lush songs like 'Frivolous Tonight', 'Green Man' and the brilliant 'River Of Orchids' aren't swollen with more visual and emotional gratification than you'd get from a week at the multiplex. Perhaps I'm commenting on the wrong medium, but perhaps it's a bit snobbish to think so." That may have been the coolest review I've read. Props to Gregory Weinkauf. Keep him in your prayers tonight. I'm getting married on the 22nd.... any ideas on XTC "marriage songs"? I've got a few clues, but would like some input. And yes, I exposed my fiancee to XTC and she really digs 'em. Rob Carson, Ca
------------------------------ From: WTDK@aol.com Message-ID: <61.61906802.25a6df6f@aol.com> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 01:19:27 EST Subject: Re: Best of 1999 Well, I picked (surprise, surprise) Apple Venus as my best album of 1999 (changed my mind since the last posting on this topic). If anyone's interested the UK website where the article appears is http://www.birdpages.purplenet.co.uk/ Happy New Year everyone! Wayne
------------------------------ From: Simon_Auger@mandg.co.uk Message-ID: <0025685F.00328E6D.00@mailgate.mandg.co.uk> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 09:23:24 +0000 Subject: On why XTC never turned to shit. Whilst in general agreement that XTC have not turned to shit, I do think that at times they have become a little inaccessible. Having bought and played to death English Settlement, I remember waht seemed like an eternity (OK, about 18 months), until Mummer arrived. I so wanted it to be good that I went out and bought it the day it was released. I then spent about two or three weeks listening to this and nothing else and telling myself that it was brilliant. A few weeks later, I realised that this was not the case. I was severely underwhelmed by it and didn't play it again for many years. This so put me off that when Big Express appeared the following year, I completely ignored it and lost sight of the boys for a while. Fast forward to early 1990, when in search of CDs (yes, I had finally abandoned vinyl), I came across Skylarking and thought, well maybe it was worth a try. Boy, was this good, I had forgotten just how brilliant XTC could be. (This was without Dear God!). Over the course of the next few months I started to try and get all of XTC on CD. I found THe Compact XTC, and couldn't believe how great 'All You Pretty Girls' was and rushed out to try and track down the Big Express, hoping for more of the same. Once again I felt a little disappointed with the end result. Another ten years has slipped by and now I have all of the studio albums on CD and now finally appreciate both Mummer and The Big Express, although they are neither of them immediate choices if I want to listen to some XTC. (Mainly AV1 or Nonsuch these days). I suppose my point in all this is that whilst XTC have not become shit, they have, imho, done some slightly patchy stuff, but despite this have come up trumps again after this, rather than going into decline. For what its worth, my two faves of 1999 were Mule Variations/Tom Waits and AV1/XTC. Counting the days until AV2 (Just over 100, if an April date is still the exoected release date). Simon
------------------------------ From: Holger.Loeschner@mkjff.rlp.de Message-ID: <22AA6F41BBBBD21193030000F877AAD6106418@ns3.mbk.rpl> Subject: Wall Clocks and Herbert Groenemeyer Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 11:48:10 +0100 Hi and a happy New Year to everyone, James asked in #6/3 for the album from Herbert Groenemeyer. He has been a singer in vain for many years in the late 70ies but a well known actor. That changed with the success of the German movie "Das Boot" (The Boat). I think it was also well know in the U.S. by the - at that time internationally unknown - director Wolfgang Petersen. Groenemeyer played the role of the Nazi war correspondent aboard the German submarine during World War II. Juergen Prochnow played the role of the Captain, the so-called "Kaleun". Following the movie was the career of a German singer/songwriter in the upcoming German New Wave in the early 80ies. Groenemeyer made a few albums with English lyrics, with the collaboration of Peter Hammill, and with Andy Partridge for an album called "Chaos". Is it worth the money? Well - many people in Germany say: Groenemeyer cannot sing. Also a fun record by some other singers was made, called "Groenemeyer cannot dance", because of his strange live behaviour on stage. The English albums were hard to find ever on the German market because of the production for overseas. But I think the foreign market was not much interested in him - so those records sank into oblivion. I.M.H.O. the earlier German songs are listenable but it'is also true: he cannot sing! Another thing I recognized browsing through the offers on Ebay: I could not understand that there are people who spent so many bucks in those XTC wall clocks. Someone produces those simple clocks and then he put those cover images on it. Is it legal - what is the profit of the band from that? I think nothing. And I do not think that this is fair. If you're really interested in things like that try your skills, make a scan of the cover and do it for yourself - that's cheaper. Holger
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3875FC6C.302C@schoollink.net> Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 06:47:08 -0800 From: dan phipps <phipps@schoollink.net> Organization: cic Subject: re: #6_3 and marillion good to see marillion (and fish) mentioned in the latest issue. i too have his "internal exile" release along with "vigil in a wilderness of mirrors." both of these albums are awesome, in my opinion. fish has one of the most distinctive voices i've ever heard on record...very similar to peter gabriel's during his stint with genesis (in other words, when they were *good*). i'd love to get some actual marillion within my music collection, but their stuff is just so damned hard to find. (aarrgghh!!) can anyone help me here? the band have a new album now, i believe, called "marillion.com" (only a matter of time -- watch out, j_tull!!), and i've read nothing but good reviews on it. can't wait to hear the new fish release, if indeed he's actually recording again. (he can play the rather elusive gentleman, too, when he wants to!) yep, glad to see marillion and fish mentioned... be well -- -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ /Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net> "I would have made this instrumental, but the words got in the way." (Andy Partridge) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------------------------------ From: Dorothy Spirito <spiritod@techmail.gdc.com> Subject: mannequin catwalk? Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.4.00.10001070908300.1613-100000@esun2028> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 09:18:01 -0500 Christopher wanted to know what a "mannequin catwalk" is. I'll take a crack at an answer. The catwalk is the stage runway that models at high-powered fashion shows strut. Models, when in full array, are unrealistic ideals of humanity -- living mannequins, displaying outward 'perfection'. Regards, --Dorothy.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3875FFC1.4E118166@biocomp.unl.edu> Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 09:01:22 -0600 From: Peter Mullin <pmullin@biocomp.unl.edu> Subject: Zorak reviews "Skylarking" CaCO3-people, Check out: http://www.CartoonNetwork.com/spaceghost/reviews.html for a pithy review of one of our favorite platters..."you will all dampen your khakis"! Peter Mullin Just another orchid in the river...
------------------------------ From: Seecarriego@aol.com Message-ID: <39.3919d246.25a7703d@aol.com> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 11:37:17 EST Subject: Re: It's Not Your Granma it's your Grammy from kev. d (yo homie what up my man) on 1/7: << there's so many people who just buy into mechanically created, formulated, pre meditated, uhhhhh... something-else-that-ends-in-ated music... why is that? >> yay i have something to say! (revel revel revel) ok, well, the backstreet boys are a product that the music industry has produced, and the audiences teeming with twelve year old teeny boppers experiencing what may be their first unfulfillable crushes are the consumer group to which these bands (or nonhuman cute-bots like britney spears!) are being marketed. so... i guess music is the art for the masses, having been embraced and produced by the underclass throughout time... in fact, controlling its production by the lower classes is one way that people (ie. african-american slaves in the south) can be supressed. or oppressed or whatever. but hey, i'm sure there's just as much commercialism and other nasty things in other art forms... graphic design for example, for commercial purposes anyway. but you can't compare van gough's starry night with some guys chef boyardee can label, and you can't compare xtc to the backstreet boys, or their fan bases! plus, this is america, and the backstreet boys are pretty sickly american boy next door or in the backstreet or something stereotypes. much like how some excellent foreign movies can have a hard time getting the publicity they deserve, so too do some import bands! it's the part that sucks about consumerism. it seeps into every aspect of our lives, but hey, i wouldn't change it for the world. besides, if a bunch of teenyboppers decided xtc rocks in that way, i'd shudder my way to an early grave and turn in my guitar at the national center for disillusioned musicians. and now for something completely different, carrie
------------------------------ Message-ID: <0D276A818C6BD311848A0008C70890E25988DC@USINTEX02JFK> From: "Cerquone, Suzanne" <suzanne.cerquone@umusic.com> Subject: All things Marillion/Fish and none XTC (apologies) Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 10:16:13 -0800 Jeff wrote: >>My question exactly. He did put out a solo album shortly after leaving Marillion say around 1987 or 1988. It was the same good stuff that you spoke of but I have not heard hide nor hare from him since. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I stopped looking. I would venture one of our European friends might be able to help with the answer.<< This American can answer. Fish has put out many solo albums: Vigil in the Wilderness of Mirrors (his best), Internal Exile (quite excellent, too), Songs from the Mirror (cover songs, and damn awful), Suits (also not to my liking), Sunsets on Empire (quite strong, produced by Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson) and from 1999, Raingods with Zippos (weak, IMO). Fish is pretty much giving up touring in 2000 to devote time to a fledgling UK acting career, but he is doing some US dates this month. Check out www.the-company.com for more info. Chris Coolidge wrote: >>I'd lost track of them after 1994's Afraid Of Sunlight, which I heard one song from and it sounded like they were trying to make a sequel to U2's Zooropa. << Wow, I'm a huge Marillion fan and I never saw the connection. Thankfully, since I hate Zooropa and I love Afraid of Sunlight. >>For those who like the idea of a cross between the most recent King Crimson lineup and later Boomtown Rats(kind of), '93's Brave might be your cup of tea.<< Uh, not really. There's nothing remotely close to King Crimson in Marillion's work. Fripp would probably agree with me. Still, I'll give you the Boomtown Rats (the "kind of" stressed strongly). Brave is indeed Marillion's finest work with Hogarth on lead vocals. >>Hogarth has a bit more of an angel with a dirty face kind of voice, and brings a bit more sex appeal into the band for the benefit of the female fans(and gay male too, presumably!). He is quite a handsome guy, really.<< I concur. He's quite the "total package," as they say. --Suzanne
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 14:24:39 -0600 Subject: Re: Melt the Guns From: William Loring <bloring@tirerack.com> Message-ID: <B49BA7A7.93C%bloring@tirerack.com> Christopher R. Coolidge wrote: > I'm glad George is alright, but until we figure out a way to keep > guns out of the hands of scumbuckets without stepping on the rights > of responsible citizens, I would recommend that any public figure > concerned about being shot by a stalker > buy a gun and learn how to use it. Then again, Rosie O'Donnell and > Babs Streisand can afford expensive bodyguards.(and Babs has James > Brolin to protect her!) So, your thought is that the solution to the problem of too many guns is to have more guns. Makes perfect sense to me. Do you honestly think that John Lennon (or George) might might have saved himself if he had had a gun? What makes you think he would have been able to shoot first? Were his attacker's intentions made that clear? Did he come up to John waving the gun around, and saying "look out, I'm going to shoot you now!" Having guns around certainly didn't help James Brady. Not only did he end up crippled for life, but the President he was with got shot too. This president still didn't come to his senses and _do_something_ about the insane number of guns in this country. Of course all of this happened within spitting distance of more defensive firepower than most of us will see in a lifetime. What good did it all do? I am speaking to Justice League of America The US of A hey you, yes you in particular... ...and if you listen quietly, you can hear them shooting from grave to grave. Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns and never more to fire them. Melt the guns, melt the guns, melt the guns and never more desire them. William Loring
------------------------------
Message-Id: <200001072058.MAA02754@sgiblab.sgi.com>
Date: 07 Jan 00 15:53:15 -0500
From: Jennifer Ralston <jennifer_ralston@tbwachiat.com>
Subject: Stereolab fans...
Reply to: Stereolab fans...
Alec wrote:
>There's also the '60s Psychedelic vocal group called The Free Design
[...]
> Definitely look
>for some Free Design to hear Stereolab in the late '60s. Seriously.
[...]
>It's cool that there are XTC fans who appreciate Stereolab. I wonder
>what Andy and Colin think of them. I bet they sound too "borrowed" and
>unoriginal for Andy to tip his hat even slightly.
I couldn't comment on that part...but for anyone here who is a fan of
Stereolab, it'd be well worth your while to check out a Spanish band called
Le Mans... brilliant stuff, and they manage to out-'Lab the
'Labs. Crazy. Look for a CD which combines the albums 'Le Mans' and
'Entresemana'. I now listen to that more often than Mars Audiac Quintet...
More XTC next time! Probably.
And day grows darker now, everywhere,
jennifer.
Pedant P.S. to friends, family, colleagues, businesses, and publications:
Whether you think it's the end, the beginning, or limbo, the word
'millennium' has two n's in it.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000107212429.56042.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "garret harkawik" <funktaisia@hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 16:24:29 EST Subject: Re: Hitch-Hiker's Guide Molly said: >Whoo hoo, Hitch-Hiker's Guide!!!! I love that show. I just finished reading "Mostly Harmless" which is the last book in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide book series and I just thought i'd say that I thought the way Douglas Adams ended the series was dissapointing. I was listening to O+L last night and I was wondering is the drums on the album were done by a drum machine or a person. Anyone know? And in response to all those people who said I was wrong about the definition of Jealous I must say that I probably was wrong. My mom(Who likw steven paul is a lawer) told me that that is what jealousy really meant. and just because its in a dictionary doesn't always mean its right. I remember one time, I was argueing with my friends brother about whether or not irrigardless is a word (and of course anyone with half a brain knows it isn't). We went to a dictionary and it accually had it in there! Garret "If I lived in Nebraska i'd be old enough to drive" Harkawik
------------------------------
Message-Id: <200001072131.QAA23753@nantucket.net>
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 16:29:05 -0800
Subject: A Recomendation and a Request
From: "Diamond" <arnos@nantucket.net>
Hello Chalk-mates
First off, I'd like to recomend a band that I found on MP3.com. For
those of you with MP3 capable computers, i suggest that you download some
music y a band by the name of The Fullerenes. They're really quite good,
they're like a mix off new wave, Nerd Rock, and Power Pop. Kind of like Devo
meets TMBG meets Blur. To here some music from them, go to MP3.Com and just
search for the Fullerenes. I recomend the songs Not My Girlfriend, Pity Sex,
Micky's Got A Hold On Me, Glamour, and Lowercase. I'm sure you won't be
dissapointed. Also, in a little while, my and will have music up on MP3.com.
I'll keep you posted as to when I put the music up.
Now the request. I've promised myself not to listen to any songs from
av2 before the album comes out, so I'll be surprised, but I'd be interested
in hearing some of the songs that DIDN'T make it onto either AV's, A.K.A.
the Surprise Demo Outfit. If anone can help me with any of these tracks, I'd
be extremely thankful. Any other demos you could supply would be great, too,
of course.
Kevin Diamond
____________________________________________________________________________
"la la la la la la"
- every song by Blur (almost)
------------------------------
From: Dkduncan@aol.com
Message-ID: <f5.f5f6870c.25a7bfad@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 17:16:13 EST
Subject: I Found an Old List
Upon cleaning off my desk this New Year's, I came across an old list on a
topic that was widely discussed earlier in the year, the perfect XTC tribute
album. Not knowing what else to do with it, I will force it upon all of you.
I wish all Chalkhillers and happy, healthy and prosperous 2000.
XTC TRIBUTE ALBUM
1. I'd Like That -- Barry White
2. Humble Daisy -- Duo: Kenny Rogers / Barbara Streisand
3. Optimism's Flame -- James Brown
4. Wake Up -- Bread
5. Funk Pop A Roll -- Barry Manilow
6. English Roundabout -- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
7. Ladybird -- Van Halen (w/ David Lee Roth)
8. Chalkhills and Children -- George Clinton w/ Parliment Funkadelic
9. Somnubalist -- Rush
10. Pulsing, Pulsing -- Frank Sinatra
11. Complicated Game -- Mel Torme w/ the Hollyridge Strings
12. Train Running Low on Soulcoal -- William Shatner
(...think I'm goin' SOUTH...for the WIN-ter...)
With warmest regards,
Former Bassist David
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #6-4 *****************************
Go back to Volume 6.
8 January 2000 / Feedback