Chalkhills Digest Volume 8, Issue 53
Date: Sunday, 22 September 2002
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 8, Number 53
Sunday, 22 September 2002
Topics:
Weebles do Warble
OT A New Chalkhillian Enters the World :)
XTC in paradise
The superior world of Bert the oracle.
Indeed
Re: Record companies: are they evil?
File share is good!
Record companies etc
XTC patch
treatment
Who was fool enough to throw away his vinyl?
XTC Patch Right Here
record store markups?
X-sTatiC Debut
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 15:48:43 -0400 From: DMiner <werkshop@tampabay.rr.com> Subject: Weebles do Warble Message-ID: <a05100300b9abe56edd9b@[192.168.1.100]> >As Todd pointed out, the collective 'XTC' performed on the 'Andy Partridge >Home Demos' fan club tapes, JVSB and BWtGG (that do not list the performers >nor credit 'XTC' as the 'band') There might be some other players occasionally on Jules Verne or the Bull With the Golden Guts, but the large majority is just Andy in his shed with the 4-track or (later) the multitrack and the computer. = Derek = minerwerks.com --
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 16:10:42 -0400 From: "Molly, the New Wave Queen" <mollyfa0000@worldnet.att.net> Subject: OT A New Chalkhillian Enters the World :) Message-ID: <001301c25dbd$24976960$1104590c@vogmudet> Organization: AT&T Worldnet I just wanted to let everyone know that I've become a first time aunt today. My brother and his wife just had their first child, a girl. They named her Sadie Alsish (I'll get the correct spelling soon.).. I'm totally excited, and very happy. My brother is now a father. Semi-on topic, now does anybody know of any XTC songs with the name Sadie in it? Molly
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 13:56:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Jim Smart <jimsmart1@yahoo.com> Subject: XTC in paradise Message-ID: <20020916205657.73450.qmail@web13503.mail.yahoo.com> A while back I claimed the entire Pacific Ocean as my domain in the world of XTC fandom. Since I was never challenged in this assertion, I'll assume that none of you are here in Hawaii. However, you may come sometime (it is rather nice here), and when you do, I'd like to invite you to my weekly gig in Kahala here on Oahu. This is 4 hours of me singing songs on my guitar in a faux Brit pub, and I'd be happy to do a few XTC songs for you, and whatever else you might like that I happen to know (lots of sixties and seventies stuff, especially Kinks/Beatles/Who, but really quite a lot of other stuff as well). Hopefully I can keep this gig, because it's a nice venue and very satisfying. So if you post an e mail here months from now, when you've got your tickets to paradise, something along the lines of "Awhile back some guy said something about playing guitar in Hawaii..." I'll get in touch and let you know if the gig is still going. A side benefit is that I get to pick the music that blasts when I take a break. Last night I used English Settlement. I get a thrill just hearing XTC loud in a public place, and this is my chance to do my bit and spread the love. It's the least I can do for the good of my dominion, for my royal subjects, to subject them to Knuckle Down, so they will (hopefully). Jim King of Oceania Spreader of good tunes, reader of Chalkhills, future buyer of Fuzz E War Bulls
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 22:47:08 +0100 From: "David Smith" <ds003d1857@blueyonder.co.uk> Subject: The superior world of Bert the oracle. Message-ID: <!~!AAAAAMx/YpYIwb8RlPVKaHvjNEpkHCcA@blueyonder.co.uk> Mr Millichip, In your short, but undistinguished tenancy on this list, you seem to have become convinced that arguing with everyone who takes a contrary view to yours - almost always in a sarcastic, sanctimonious, dismissive manner - makes you clever and superior. Your arguments would be much better received if you didn't give in to the urge to flip in a sly little insult, every second paragraph. I guess you do it to make yourself feel superior. Here's a couple of examples from the latest Digest: > That's a silly attempt at self-justification. I > suggest you buy an economics dictionary and look up > the difference between marginal and average costs. Why the "silly" epithet. Perhaps you feel that you're just too clever for the rest of us plebs, but it certainly isn't nice. And it certainly doesn't make people think "hmm, good point". Just to back it up, later came this gem: > Cobblers. Do you love music? Why Bert? Why? Why did you have to start with "Cobblers". You could have left that word out totally and the sentence and paragraph would have scanned just as effectively. But no - the premise of all your arguments is to start by trying to make the other person - not their views, but THEM personally - look small. You have to make it personal every time don't you? > Have you any idea how much professional recording > studios cost to hire? Have YOU any idea how patronising you sound? Do you speak to your friends and family in this tone? > I'm still miffed about that too. How dare those nasty > record company execs put a gun to my head and force me > to buy those crappy "musicassettes", when I would have > preferred to have bought those lovely vinyl records > and make my own (vastly superior) cassette recordings! Ah, e-sarcasm - adding new depths to the lowest form of wit. And yes, I'm fully aware that I just sunk there as well. Thanks for the drag. > Most artists - and of course, as an XTC fan, I know > there are exceptions - who sell a reasonable number of > records end up pretty comfortably off. And I've > already put you right about the costs of CD > production. Ooooh. Phew. Thank the Lord you were there for us Bert. We all really needed to be put right. How did I survive, thinking for myself for the last thirty-ahem years? Dammit - see, more e-sarcasm. Dang! > Another dose of unfashionable reality from: Bert. Unfashionable reality's fine my friend, It's the unfathomable hostility that we could all do without. > Got any quotes? Yep. Grow up. Smudge NP - Stardust, Nat King Cole
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 15:06:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com> Subject: Indeed Message-ID: <20020916220643.2283.qmail@web14604.mail.yahoo.com> Hi: >From Bert to me in #8-52: >Eh? I never said you were opposed to file sharing. >From Bert to me in #8-50: >It's very gracious of you to post links to so many >articles and reports that are diametrically opposed to >your own position. Eh? -Todd
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 09:34:20 +1000 (EST) From: mwotton <mwotton@rhialto.cse.unsw.EDU.AU> Subject: Re: Record companies: are they evil? Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.33L2.0209170932010.9221-100000@rhialto.cse.unsw.EDU.AU> Bert Millichip <juan_the_man2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > "Todd Bernhardt" wrote: > > >>>If the recording industry hadnt cheated me > constantly, I'd feel less apt to download music, but > theyve been charging me too much for a CD that costs > pennies to produce.<<< > > That's a silly attempt at self-justification. I > suggest you buy an economics dictionary and look up > the difference between marginal and average costs. > Have you any idea how much professional recording > studios cost to hire? I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that under the terms of most recording contracts, all recording costs had to paid back to the record company out of royalties before the band sees a red cent. mrak -- and when the gas runs out, just wreck it, you insured the thing -- Circles, Soul Coughing
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 01:08:55 -0700 From: "dappleford" <dappleford@blueyonder.co.uk> Subject: File share is good! Message-ID: <000001c25e21$77fb12f0$5e30c050@z6m5t9> Hi, Well, its been a while but had to put my two penneth in on file sharing and it has an XTC theme-I am the proof of the pudding! A few years ago I started using Napster and searched for many things I could not get any other way, one of these things was a live track which was the b side to the "Towers of London" single called "Set myself on fire". My single had got cracked in a move and I thought maybe someone may have an MP3 of it-. I never found it, and still haven't, but I did find this track called "Dear God" which many people seemed to have, thinks "must be good if this many people have it" so I downloaded it and discovered over the next few weeks with further downloads that one of my fave bands from the old days were still around and making amazing music! I had been a fan of XTC from the beginning when a friend played me a 4 track 12" single which I think was their first release even before Go2 (correct me someone if I am wrong-and what was it called?). Anyway I lost touch when they stopped touring and assumed them gone-..how wrong I was! A search round a few websites leads me here and I learned a lot about XTC history on the way and discovered Transistor Blast-..I couldn't believe my luck!-.I had recorded the content of the 4th cd off of BBC Radio 1 when it was first broadcast and loved it-..then against my better judgement lent it to someone who swore they would return it-and of course I never saw them again! Thought I would never hear that again-so I bought it. Napster came and went so I discovered Apple Venus 1 on Morpheus-. and it could now be my all time favourite album-bought it. Cant have part one and not buy part two-so along comes Wasp Star, always loved Todd Rungdren (believe it or not my brother ran his British fan club for a while) so had to buy Skylarking (finding "Man who sailed round his soul" on Morpheus just encouraged me along with the realisation that "Dear God" came from the same sessions).Oranges and Lemons was searched for on the file share and eventually bought, talk of "Coat" on here wound me up again so I bought that via the "Idea" site - gold signatures an' all - and I am a happy guy-still got a few to go but do you see my point? None of these sales would have taken place had I not found Dear God on Napster, two quad cd boxed sets and several cds later and I am still going- sure I don't buy everything I download but I am buying more now than I have for years, the benefits (to artist and record co.) outweigh the negatives. I am a musician and my site HYPERLINK "http://www.original-buffallo.com/"www.original-buffallo.com (cue sneaky plug) has free MP3s to sample-(please go and sample them), and even if people don't buy at least they can hear it and decide for themselves-I intend to add more soon, I WANT people to hear it- long live file share, it's a good thing, honest! Regards to all, Dave Appleford. PS, Bert-I cant believe you spent so much effort defending record companies, I take your points but I've delt with them and they do artists and creative music no favours with a pure business approach-if you are uneconomical you are of no use to them-Virgin are a prime example! "File share is not dead it just smells funny" (cryptic Zappa reference).
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 09:47:39 +0530
From: "Sughosh Varadarajan" <aqualung@hotpop.com>
Subject: Record companies etc
Message-ID: <000e01c25e02$026c6940$0100a8c0@sughosh>
Someone (I think it was Bert) recently launched into quite a long speech
about how record companies have been doing such a great job and that $18
isn't a high price to pay for a CD. Well, I only have this to say in
response. CD prices in India are a bit on the high side if you consider our
standard of living, but otherwise, I'm pretty happy with them when I look at
the scene abroad..at least here the discs have a fixed price and don't
suddenly go shooting through the roof if somebody dies (I seem to recall a
significant hike in the price of Queen albums in the UK when Freddie passed
away). Also, I recently purchased an import copy of David Bowie's "Heathen"
for the equivalent of US $8, which is the normal price for all CDs under the
Sony label out here. Are you trying to tell me they feel they can make it up
on volumes in India? If I can buy it for $8, why should it cost $18 in
America, where there are a million more people who'll buy the disc
anyway..in Bombay, I'm guessing they wouldn't manage to sell more than
20-odd copies, so how can you justify that pricing? Similarly, I also picked
up the limited edition 3-disc set "The Jam at the BBC" for abt $21, and I
believe it retails on CDnow for $35 or so..can anyone explain this
discrepancy to me?
I have myself been a major downloader of music, but I do realise now that
I'd like to have all the original artwork etc..but the record companies DO
have to realise that if they can bring their prices down, especially in
countries like the US and UK, where awareness of music is good (or better
than here, anyways)..they'll sell a lot more CDs and no one's gonna
download an album if you promise them a good-looking CD package at a decent
price.
My tuppennyworth..
Cheers all
Sughosh
--
"Perestroika can be explained this way:
The people who told us that two and two is ten,
are now trying to tell us two and two is five."
- Billy Bragg
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 14:32:37 -0700 From: "Richard" <rjpa1@attbi.com> Subject: XTC patch Message-ID: <076c01c25e91$be8d5f00$05081fac@verisity.com> re: Does anyone know where I can find an XTC patch? Sorry, I sold my Prophet V and all the data discs back in December 1999 (for twice what I actually paid!) Cheers, Richard p.s. Ha! Couldn't resist a "musician's only" joke!
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 19:36:12 -0400 From: Virginia Rosenberg <vmr423@earthlink.net> Subject: treatment Message-ID: <B9AD34AC.18F%vmr423@earthlink.net> Gosh- is this like one of those nicotine patches, only for XTC addicts? And I thought I had it bad... Good luck, Virginia "" <radiosinmotion@iwon.com> wrote: >Does anyone know where I can find an XTC patch?
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 00:25:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Ryan Anthony <hamsterranch@yahoo.com> Subject: Who was fool enough to throw away his vinyl? Message-ID: <20020918072551.50169.qmail@web10106.mail.yahoo.com> Hurrah for Bert Millichip for his unfashionable defense of the recording industry. Speaking merely as a consumer (noncreative garbage, in the immortal words of John Cleese), I think it has treated me very well in my third-of-a-century of record-buying -- from 45s by Mason Williams, Ray Stevens, and the Amboy Dukes in the late '60s to CDs by Becki DiGregorio, Daryl Stuermer, and Lalo Guerrero (el padre de la musica chicana) this past month. I know you creative garbage feel different, but for every one of you to be cheated by the recording industry, I gather two of you were ruined by fellow musicians or your own shortcomings. No, I can't back that up with numbers -- it's just the result of a lifetime of reading stories about everyone from Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard to Hank Williams and Kevin Gilbert. By the way, who was fool enough to throw away his vinyl? Whether you believed all the hype about compact discs or not -- and so far, whether by luck or careful handling or both, all but maybe two of the 600-odd CDs I've bought for myself or received as gifts since 1987 are still playing nicely -- it had to be obvious to anyone that CDs were dinky suckers, and you were going to have to hang on to your LPs for their gatefold artwork, lyric sheets, zipper-covers, and green bags. Thanks to all of you who mentioned Camper van Beethoven's disgronification of Fleetwood Mac's *Tusk*. Camper is right up my alley -- a tongue-in-cheek-geeky-intellectual-white-boy band like Ween, Rockpile, Steely Dan, and our beloved Swindon outfit -- but while I've long intended to check it out, I never have. This is my cue. Fleetwood Mac is one of my guilty pleasures, and I like *Tusk* for the balls and ovaries its creators showed in foisting a not-immediately-accessible twenty-song double disc on a public that was expecting the next *Rumours*. Besides, and this harks back to my main argument for keeping your vinyl, *Tusk* sports ten, count 'em, ten glorious square feet of illustrated cardboard, some of it worthy of Hipgnosis, designed by Vigon Nahas Vigon. Look carefully, and you'll find the line score of the Yankees-Red Sox 1978 playoff game (which I'm still getting over). I thank the coke-crazed musicians, the coke-crazed artists and photographers, and the coke-crazed Warner Bros. suits who conspired to make this minor masterpiece be, and I'm eager to see and hear what Camper van Beethoven has made of it. I'm pleased to know that the quintessential Arizona mythical beast, the jackalope (a jackrabbit with antlers crazy-glued to its head, if you MUST know), has replaced the cuff-worrying dog on the cover of the new *Tusk*. I know the Camper boys hail from California, but perhaps they tour-bussed across the Grand Canyon State and took five in one of our fine souvenir shops? Ryan Anthony An independent Internet content provider
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 15:23:46 EDT From: Hbsherwood@aol.com Subject: XTC Patch Right Here Message-ID: <c5.292d2747.2aba2cc2@aol.com> >From: "" <radiosinmotion@iwon.com> >Subject: XTC Patches >Does anyone know where I can find an XTC patch? Easy: http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/0xtcp.cfm Harrison "Ever Helpful" Sherwood PS: What, did Bert say something?
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 16:44:19 -0700 (PDT) From: "jude hayden" <luckyj@elvis.com> Subject: record store markups? Message-ID: <20020920164419.20650.h022.c007.wm@mail.elvis.com.criticalpath.net> Hey all! Bert said: <<<Oh, and it's funny how everybody always blames the "recording industry" for high CD prices, regardless of the fact that record shops take a *much* bigger slice of the profits, and all they do is put the things on a shelf!>>> Oh, really? I guess it depends on which "record shops" you mean. Good friends of mine own an independent music store and their cost on most cd's from their distributors is more than Best Buy sells them for the week they're released. They make, at most, a couple of bucks per disc. Sure, that's more than the artist, but your comment makes it seem like they're making hand over fist per disc, and they simply aren't. Not the little guys, anyway. Maybe it's the distributors making all the money? And all they do is SHIP the things!!! (Bastards). See ya- Jude
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 14:34:15 +0100 From: "Edward Percival" <e.percival@virgin.net> Subject: X-sTatiC Debut Message-ID: <002501c2623c$bf894780$b964ff3e@oemcomputer> Just a note to all the chalkhills people who turned up last night and made our debut gig such a happy experience. We were bowled over to have a sell out and would like to send our apologies to those of you who were turned away. The atmosphere was very special and I don't think I have ever sweated so much. Who knows when it will happen again, but I hope it does. It felt very special to be playing the same stage which XTC did 25 years and three weeks ago. It was even better playing with such a great band. For those who might be interested the set list was: Radios in Motion Life Begins at the Hop(e) Meccanik Dancing This is Pop Earn Enough for Us Complicated Game No Language In Our Lungs Ball and Chain Senses Dear God Mayor of Simpleton Towers of London NIgel Respectable Street Generals and Majors Sgt Rock ENCORE Are you Receiving Me* We look forward to next time. Ed Percival
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #8-53 ******************************
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