Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 50
Date: Tuesday, 28 March 2000

          Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 50

                  Tuesday, 28 March 2000

Today's Topics:

                A Survey (Non XTC content)
                WIMP (What's In My Player)
                       XTC in Mojo
           from Was a Yes to 1,000 umbrellas...
Have some XTC discussions at my Forums! - for the newsletter
                       Other Kinks
  Residents, XTC, Frith, Snakefinger, YMO, Martin Denny
                      On rotation...
                  re: xtc & space ghost
              Directing people to Hitchcock
  Gorky's, Venus, XTC, the Kinks, and other Ingrediants
                         veetube
                     The Orchid Show
                      Residents/Andy
                  Where's My L.E.??????
                   happy vernal equinox
                   happy vernal equinox
                 Peter Blegvad for y'all
                      Re: What's On
                 The Hills are alive....

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The wisdom of the ancients in a box.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 03:40:44 EST
From: BrainiacsDaughtr@aol.com
Subject: A Survey (Non XTC content)
Message-ID: <17.361563c.260dd58c@aol.com>

Hey fellow Chalkhillers,

I need a favor.  I'm doing a survey and I wanted to poll the opinions of
people who have good taste in music.  Naturally I came here!  There's this
local band here in L.A. that some friends of mine have gone ga-ga over and I
just don't get it.  So I've set up a webpage to get some impartial opinions
of the music.

If you don't mind giving a review, please go to 
http://www.ixpres.com/dailyscoop/bandreview.htm

I really trust the musical tastes of everyone here and would really
appreciate getting some feedback from ya.

Thanks

Laurie C

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 04:40:36 PST
From: "Duncan Kimball" <dunks58@hotmail.com>
Subject: WIMP (What's In My Player)
Message-ID: <20000325124037.35403.qmail@hotmail.com>

Good thread. (No this is NOT a list, Iain....)

1. Talk Talk - "Spirit Of Eden"
(I have NO idea what this record is about, but it makes a good noise)

2. Abdullah Inbrahim (Dollar Brand) - "Voice Of Africa"

3. Various artists - "So You Wanna Be A Rock'n'Roll Star" (utterly essential
3-CD Aussie 60s/70s collection)

4. Beck - "Midnight Vultures"

5. Bonzo Dog Band - "Gorilla"

6. Supergrass - self titled

7. Cold Chisel - self-titled (just bought the boxed set)

8. Scritti Politti - "Anomie & Bonhomie"

9. Sherbet - 30th Anniversay Collection
(Aussie pop gods of the 70s; one of those bands we thought were *so* uncool
as a kid, but who I now realise were really rather good)

10. Mason Daring - "The Secret of Roan Inish" soundtrack
(My St Pat's Day celebration. See the movie, get the soundtrack. Just plain
beautiful.)

Dunks

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 11:33:16 EST
From: FOPP1@aol.com
Subject: XTC in Mojo
Message-ID: <62.1eeb050.260e444c@aol.com>

Greetings From Germany!
April's issue of Mojo has a XTC mention. In the 'What's Happening in
Reissues' they
write that Virgin has "plans for expansive box set retrospectives on
Magazine...and XTC."
Also there is a nice 2 page spread How To Buy...Power Pop. They list some
'essential buys' and good purchase sources (Not Lame).
In their 'essential buys' section, I'd humbly substitute their Posies
selection of 'Frosting on the Beater' with 'Dear 26.'

Throwing another log on the fire...the contents of my CD player for the past
few days:
Lovin' Spoonful - Anthology
Elvis Costello - Two's Company*
Crosby/Nash - Wind on the Water
Talking Heads - The Big Country*
Taj Mahal - Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home
Octopus - From A to B
T-Bone Walker - Low Down Blues
Neil Young - Down By the River*
Richard Thompson - Mock Tudor
Richard Thompson - A Rare Thing*
  *live
Cheers from the lurker section - Marty Fopp

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 11:42:33 -0800
From: "Diamond" <arnos@nantucket.net>
Subject: from Was a Yes to 1,000 umbrellas...
Message-ID: <200003251643.LAA02331@nantucket.net>

Well, I thank XTC for helping them let me ask that girl out. Unfortunetly,
Even thier great power couldn't help in the situation that developed... it
seems that she really like my friend, and only said yes to me cause she
wants to remain friends with me, and didn't want to scare me off by saying
no. Sigh... but I have finally realized the ultimate power of 1,000
umbrellas... great song... well, I must now sulk, ... I really liked this
girl, too.

Kevin Diamond

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/79/the_french_electric_all-st.html
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/84/bass-cleff.html
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/85/starving_artists.html
--
"The universe does not have laws, it has habits, and habits can be broken."
            -Tom Robbins

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 16:08:26 +1100
From: "Dracon" <cliff@mullum.com.au>
Subject: Have some XTC discussions at my Forums! - for the newsletter
Message-ID: <004101bf9618$279c4f00$290ffea9@dracon>

http://www.strategicgaming.com/forums/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi - Go to the music
section in my forums, and let's start some XTC discussions happening.
Cheers,
Clifford Smith
Loyal XTC Fan

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 11:38:56 EST
From: RiknBkr@aol.com
Subject: Other Kinks
Message-ID: <a4.21b6995.260e45a0@aol.com>

>And there may be more, but I haven't ventured into any
>others yet. If anyone has any other good kinks recommendations, let me
>know, as the reviews and such get a little spotty after Muswell, and
>their catalog is huge...

Don't know who posted this above, but try out "Face to Face", the release
before "Something Else".

Phil C.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 07:54:42 -0800
From: awa <errora@earthlink.net>
Subject: Residents, XTC, Frith, Snakefinger, YMO, Martin Denny
Message-ID: <38DCE142.1A7C@earthlink.net>

Thank you Colonel for bringing up The Residents and XTC's
connectedness!!  It's a very good point.

I was actually a Residents fan before I was an XTC fan and got hooked
into XTC because of the "Drums and Wires" and the "Go2" record covers
giving me a Residents vibe at the local record store.

I started to notice how these XTC albums fit in pretty well some other
Ralph Records albums I had by those Brit ex-pats Snakefinger and Fred
Frith.

The Residents/XTC connection seems to be the most evident around the
early '80s. It's around this time that Andy and Colin demonstrated that
they were fans because there are a few pictures of them in Residents
T-shirts.

I would also have to add that the Andy (Mr. Partridge) solo LP from 1980
"Take Away"/"The Lure of Salvage" is EXTREMELY Residents sounding (give
a close listen to the track "I Sit in the Snow."  It could be right off
of "Commercial Album.")  Actually, the so-called dub album that Andy did
with John Leckie is the strongest evidence that there's some
appreciation for The Residents coming from Andy.  The cover's also
pretty Ralph-ish.

What about the whole "Exotica" connection between XTC and The Residents?
Somehow Tiki culture made to both camps, albeit via fluorescent
pigments.  Not unlike Tiki in the '50s in America, the scene that gave
birth to "The Flintstones".

That story of an acoustic XTC showcase that featured Terry on buckets
instead of drums, where they were dressed up in day-glo Hawaiin shirts
and called themselves The Psychedelic Hawaiians makes me think of things
Residential.  Along with everything else, it's the Martin Denny factor
that they share.

Here are some more points of connection:-

Both are stubbornly loyal to their home towns!

Both operations wear their Beatle fandom proudly and irreverantly.

Both are kind of Bonzo Dog Band at times.  Hey, didn't Partridge and
Neil Innes appear on that Kevin Coyne comp?

What about Slapp Happy?  Partridge and Blegvad, Dagmar and Anthony Moore
and The Residents. All fans of XTC and The Residents owe it to their
ears to invest in all Slapp Happy releases.

Both have some connection to the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) side of
the pop music landscape: Andy has worked with Riuichi Sakamoto; Yukihiro
Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono have worked on projects released on Ralph
Records.  YMO acknowledges some Beatle influence, some smirkingly
Dennyesque aesthetic and a Pythonish appreciation for the obscure and
arcane.

Speaking of this Beatle stuff, I once had a dream quite a while ago
where I was looking at a Residents vinyl and an XTC vinyl and noticed
that they were both Apple Records products, complete with the Apple
label but the XTC apple was pale green and the Residents' apple was dark
red.

Love,

Alec

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 15:35:46 -0600
From: "Bob O'Bannon" <batchain@earthlink.net>
Subject: On rotation...
Message-ID: <200003252135.NAA08541@hawk.prod.itd.earthlink.net>

I can't resist comment when people start talking about their latest
listening habits, so here's what I've been listening to:

Sparklehorse -- "Good Morning Spider." Rocks blisteringly hard, then gets
real sad and quiet in a hurry. Hard to categorize.
East River Pipe -- "The Gasoline Age." Amazing what one guy can do with a
4-track.
Nick Drake -- "Pink Moon" (the album): Amazing what one guy can do with an
acoustic guitar.
Sleater-Kinney -- "The Hot Rock." Combine Sonic Youth with the Go-Gos and
this is what you get. Sometimes great, sometimes annoying.
Magnetic Fields -- "69 Songs." This was on about everybody's "Best of 99"
list, and deservedly so, except he could have done as much with 2 CDs
instead of 3. Classic songwriting.

Very High on the To-Get List:
the new Yo La Tengo
Cotton Mather's "Contiki"
Wasp Star (of course)

Charitable contributions to my CD collection are gladly accepted.

Bob O'Bannon

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 09:42:41 -0500 (EST)
From: DJSterling@webtv.net (Sterling)
Subject: re: xtc & space ghost
Message-ID: <20439-38DE21E1-4209@storefull-238.iap.bryant.webtv.net>

if my memory serves me correctly this episode has already aired.  from
what i remember it wasnt all that.  i beleive that only andy appeared
and not much worthwhile discussion was to be had.  nevertheless, it was
very humorous if you dig space ghost.  sorry i cant provide more
concrete details.

jim

ps-this is my first post to this list.  im very happy to be a part of
it.  ive been subbed for 4 months or so.  and ive only been listening to
xtc for about 5 years or so(im only 22 years young).  so i guess im a
newbie compared to the majority of you.  but xtc/the dukes is by far my
favorite band.  i especially love the love songs.  andy is such a
brilliant writer.  it just amazes me how similar some of his song lyrics
are to things that ive experienced in my own life.  sigh....

Sterling - afrofunk/hardjazz/funky drumnbass - life 9
For booking info, contact:  Jim Reed / dj_sterling@yahoo.com /
www.angelfire.com/oh/tonology

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 12:12:16 -0500
From: fheaney@erols.com
Subject: Directing people to Hitchcock
Message-ID: <003801bf9746$71665520$58e27ad1@default>

A fellow Chalkhiller wrote me for information on finding the new Robyn
Hitchcock outtake CD, which I'd neglected to provide, and I realized how
cruel it was of me, to tantalize people with the promise of a new Robyn
Hitchcock, and not tell them how to buy it.  I forgot, it's only being sold
online and at concerts.  So if anyone else is interested, here's where to
get it:

http://www.robynhitchcock.com/giftshop.htm

They deliver quite promptly, too.  I learned about it from my favorite Robyn
Hitchcock fan site, http://fegmania.org/ -- frequently updated.

-- Francis

"Sometimes a bomb is not enough to express the way I feel."
   -- Robyn Hitchcock

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 14:54:17 EST
From: "Seth Frisby" <vagueyear@hotmail.com>
Subject: Gorky's, Venus, XTC, the Kinks, and other Ingrediants
Message-ID: <20000326195417.63611.qmail@hotmail.com>

Hello,
  Wow since this is my second post within a week or so I guess I can't say
i'm delurking anymore...i'm a *gulp* regular? Seems like a good time of year
for birthdays mine was on the 23rd or last thursday if you don't go by
numbers. Someone was recommending Kinks albums and failed to recommend Face
to Face as one of the best; the others he mentioned are godly too but Face
to Face is one of Ray's most cohesive (Check out the song Fancy..pure
heaven..drooool)
    To add to the mythologizing on the hill about Venus, i'll mention that
the greeks equated that particular star with the God Hermes; and they
thought Venus' erratic dropping below the horizon line was Hermes delivering
Souls to the Underworld. (Hermes pretty much did all the hard work)
      and no more talking about that upcoming title, its not going to change
the album's content is it? At least its better that the title of an album my
brother tried to order once... he of course liking obscene amounts of death
metal (and isn't any amount obscene?) tried to order a cd entitled "This is
Death Metal..F*ck You" after which the man working behind the counter at the
Cd store promptly retorted "well, up yours!"..it took some more explaining
before my brother got the cd he was looking for! Well Gotta Go thanks for
letting me Climb the Hill'... or whatever...

Seth "the Wild man of Borneo" Frisby

p.s. I know there are a few Boston area Chalkers, are any of you heading
over to the Middle East on Wednesday to see Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (I don't
even know if Xtc fans like them but I know that I do..)  I think everyone
should see them..they're lovely...

------------------------------

Date: 26 Mar 2000 22:07:14 -0000
From: "Murgatroyd Llewellyn" <murgatroyd.llewellyn@scotland.com>
Subject: veetube
Message-ID: <20000326220714.32219.qmail@whitfield.chek.com>

An Open Letter To VeeTube:

Sir,

I do not owe you 2 grand.

whoever that is,

Murgatroyd

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 18:11:54 EST
From: "JANE SPENCER-DAVIS" <janesunfish@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Orchid Show
Message-ID: <20000326231154.60712.qmail@hotmail.com>

Hey Chalkies!

Any 'hillers planning on attending the Orchid Show? I'd love to go and hook
up with any 'hillers before or after for a chat/nosh/drink. Haven't called
the contact number yet- with my luck the performances are all sold out!

Re: the current CD rotators: Hmm, last week got my new player installed in
my motorized roller skate, and I grin (hopefully not naked) when I drive
now, gesticulating inside the car whilst I sing off-key.

In it: Modern Life is Rubbish, Blur (trying it out from Chalkie's
recommendations)
       We Live Here, Pat Metheny
       Remain in Light, Talking Heads
       Two Against Nature, Steely Dan
       Aja, Steely Dan
       Seal, Seal
       Soundtrack to Austin Powers
       Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, mostly Rockapella
       and of course, Chips..., Skylarking(it was a glorious sunny day
today) and AV1.

                  enthusiastically erecting the estrogen edifice,
                                                            Jane

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 18:47:11 -0500
From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <cauldron@together.net>
Subject: Residents/Andy
Message-ID: <l03130300b5044ebc4f42@[208.13.202.123]>

>8. Partridge & the Residents each contributed projects
>for John Flansburgh's Hello CD of the Month club. A
>similarity of interests & styles could account for
>this, but who knows?
>
>Well, I could ramble on a lot longer about what is
>probably a silly topic to begin with, but I won't. I
>realize that the above could all be amazing
>coincidences, or a case of one band influencing the
>other, but please do give me your thoughts.
>
>The Colonel

  As a fan of both bands, I can say it's an interesting theory, but a bit
far-fetched. What I do know about The Residents is that there's two
founding members who've been making homemade tapes for their own amusement
since the late 60's in their native Louisiana(the Cryptic Corporation won't
say where in Louisiana), and sending occasional tapes to record companies,
often without leaving a forwarding address. On one occasion a tape they'd
sent to a record company who'd already rejected them at least once came
back to them anyway despite no return address addressed to RESIDENT.
Thereafter they called themselves The Residents figuring they could work
the anonymity in their favor. If you visit Ralph Records in San Francisco,
chances are one of the middle aged guys who run the office is one of The
Residents. As for their names, they're still cagey about that, but I'd say
that rules out Andy being a founding member of the Residents, unless he
lived a double life in Louisiana and Swindon simultaneously and was somehow
able to leave Swindon unaccompanied at the age of fourteen. Somehow a bit
far-fetched. However, It's somehow more likely that Andy has been involved
in the recording of some of their later work, post-early 80's based on your
theory; I'm not as familiar with their later material. My Residents
collection stops at the Commercial Album. Considering Andy hasn't been
touring and has more time on his hands it's more likely he's been helping
The Residents out on a semi-regular basis; others such as Snakefinger and
Fred Frith have been frequent session musicians with them over the years,
with Snakefinger especially often accomanying them on tour until his
untimely demise some time in the 80's. So that's the story as I see it.

Christopher R. Coolidge

Homepage at
http://homepages.together.net/~cauldron/homepage.html

"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: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 15:46:13 -0800 (PST)
From: travis schulz <xtcisadarngoodband@yahoo.com>
Subject: Where's My L.E.??????
Message-ID: <20000326234613.28235.qmail@web1103.mail.yahoo.com>

Has everyone recieved their final copy of LE?  I'm
still waiting for mine....

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 18:24:01 -0700
From: "May O'Mahoney" <may5272@gte.net>
Subject: happy vernal equinox
Message-ID: <38DEB832.6AD0@gte.net>

....that's what the first day of Spring is technically called, right?
Wow......it seems like years since I've visited....I don't really know
what to say other than, "hello, again".  I'm feeling a bit shy, frankly,
it's been so long.  But you look as handsome as ever......

Ok, what was that question?  What's in my player.....oh, I love these
kind of questions because I love finding out what other people listen
to.....(not that my list is going to get any huge ooohs and aahhhs but
what the hell)....

Blur - The Great Escape
Blur - 13
XTC - Mummer
Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
Esquivel - Music For A Sparkling Planet
Bob Marley - The Complete Upsetter Recordings (I think that's what it's
called.)

I hope everyone is well.  I'm currently buzzed.

- May

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 18:24:01 -0700
From: "May O'Mahoney" <may5272@gte.net>
Subject: happy vernal equinox
Message-ID: <38DEB832.6AD0@gte.net>

....that's what the first day of Spring is technically called, right?
Wow......it seems like years since I've visited....I don't really know
what to say other than, "hello, again".  I'm feeling a bit shy, frankly,
it's been so long.  But you look as handsome as ever......

Ok, what was that question?  What's in my player.....oh, I love these
kind of questions because I love finding out what other people listen
to.....(not that my list is going to get any huge ooohs and aahhhs but
what the hell)....

Blur - The Great Escape
Blur - 13
XTC - Mummer
Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
Esquivel - Music For A Sparkling Planet
Bob Marley - The Complete Upsetter Recordings (I think that's what it's
called.)

I hope everyone is well.  I'm currently buzzed.

- May

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 01:16:07 -0500
From: David Gershman <dagersh@pobox.com>
Subject: Peter Blegvad for y'all
Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20000326011211.0096f260@chelmsford.com>

Howdy all,

  It's been months since I've posted, and wouldn't you know it, I'm posting
now only to promote an Ebay auction. Terrible, isn't it? But then again,
some of you may find this of interest, since I know there are quite a few
Peter Blegvad fans among you (and if you're not one, you should check him out).

I've got Peter Blegvad's "Knights Like This" LP (yes, that's as in
"vinyl"!) up for bid, in near-mint condition. Check it out!

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=292985005

Over and out,

Dave Gershman

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 18:40:32 +0100
From: "Smith, David" <David.Smith@tfeurope.com>
Subject: Re: What's On
Message-ID: <802EE5D7277AD21188D10008C728D44803255CE9@TFSECMSG02>

Hot wax, currently playing, what's on the turntables, whatever you
want to call it, it seems to have started a wagon full of bands
(rock'n') rolling down a hill (oh, how p(f)unny, there goes another
rib!).

Actually, in all seriousness can we stop this now, 'cos going on the
premise that people who like what I like probably means that I'll like
what they like (?)  has the inevitable result of me wanting to find
out whether all these bands I'd either never heard of or never
investigated are actually any good.

Hence me wandering into my friend's second hand record and CD shop next
week with a long list and emerging with a load of CDs and minus me life's
bloody savings!

So could I feebly (and ever so 'umbly) attempt to start a new thread, which
goes thus:

"Macy Gray - emperor's new clothes or what?"

Smudgeboy
E-Mail: david.smith@tfeurope.com

Obligatory plug-type PS (feel free to remove oh grand PooBah): My mate's
second-hand record/CD shop - "Wanted Music", Clockhouse Road, Beckenham,
Kent, UK. It's the biz - ask for Adriaan, an' tell 'im Smudger sent ya!

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 10:10:54 -0800 (PST)
From: Nick Howorth <nik_h_1999@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Hills are alive....
Message-ID: <20000327181054.4996.qmail@web3206.mail.yahoo.com>

On the subject of recent postings concerning non-XTC
musicks I heartily concur with the Elvis
Costello/Radiohead and especially TRAVIS inclusions -
Yanks beware coming your way very soon the legendary
TRAVSTERS and their massive soul-shattering 'The Man
Who...' album - check it and them out immediately.
Just another thought however, I read, on Mark
Strijbos' website I think (check past Chalkhills for
details!)that Andy's favourite singer circa Black Sea
was Malcolm Mooney (the Looney) of early 'Can' fame.
(Mooney was an American citizen deprted from Germany
when diagnosed as 'bonkers') Fans of Andy's more
experimental leanings (Go+/Take away the Lure of
Salvage etc.)could do worse than check out the albums
'Monster Movie', 'Delay' and the compilations
'Canniblaism' 1 & 2 and 'Unlimited Edition' for Mr.
Mooney's mad ravings (best Mooney tracks are 'Soul
Desert', 'Father Cannot Yell' and the 20-odd minute
mad epic 'Yoo Doo Right') with the German musical
geniuses who basically invented every post 1970
musical genre ten years before anyone else thought of
it including House, Trance, Indie-rock, Electro and
Dark Side of the Moon era-Floyd.

'Dance With Me...Germany.'

Nick.

------------------------------

End of Chalkhills Digest #6-50
******************************

Go back to Volume 6.

28 March 2000 / Feedback