Chalkhills Digest Volume 8, Issue 62
Date: Tuesday, 19 November 2002
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 8, Number 62
Tuesday, 19 November 2002
Topics:
My Mom is Cool :)
"Wonderland" Shite? Na!!!
XTC In Top 100 Selling All-Time Singles Shocker
Wuzzy Fables
Of Birds and Smiths and Homicide
XTC in top 100 best selling UK singles shocker!!!!!
Beatles, Andy mention
eating familiar food
XTC in "The top 100 Selling British singles of all time"
teaching: disciplining tomorrow's leaders today
EMI Wonderland
Mastering The Beatles
Jesus is Lard
My Sister Vs. XTC / Connection Problems / More Jangle Pop
Record sleeves
Don't buy CD-R's!
Weird XTC sighting!
All the good names are taken
Alas, poor Cordwainer
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My contemporary house is all the rage.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 14:48:54 -0500 From: "Molly, the New Wave Queen" <mollyfa0000@worldnet.att.net> Subject: My Mom is Cool :) Message-ID: <007c01c28da9$3396b760$a401590c@vogmudet> Organization: AT&T Worldnet WARNING: This post has almost no XTC content. My Mom is totally cool. I just found out that she's getting into New Wave music. She told me that when she's in her darkroom processing her photos she put on the New Wave channel on Music Choice, and the first song that came on was from Kate Bush. She told me that the New Wave channel has a lot of great songs on it. For Christmas, I'm thinking of making her a mix tape of all New Wave songs. I'm going to add songs from XTC, Elvis Costello (who she really likes thanks to "The Sopranos" soundtrack) and a few other artists/groups. I'll get her into this genre. Yeah, an almost 60 year old woman loving New Wave music is great. :) Molly
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 15:05:49 -0500 From: "Molly, the New Wave Queen" <mollyfa0000@worldnet.att.net> Subject: "Wonderland" Shite? Na!!! Message-ID: <008101c28dab$9074e860$a401590c@vogmudet> Organization: AT&T Worldnet Crawford rambled: <<Wonderland is a load of poncey shite, always has been always will be,>> Crawford, my boy, why do you say that? I love the song, "Wonderland", it's one of my favorites off the "Mummer" album, and I love the video for it. I would love Colin's reaction to your comment and to those others who think "Wonderland" is a piece of shite. Molly
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 00:14:58 -0000
From: "David Smith" <ds003d1857@blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: XTC In Top 100 Selling All-Time Singles Shocker
Message-ID: <000001c28dce$5f0cd0d0$92751e3e@oemcomputer>
I don't know whether this is happening in the States, but over here in
good ol' blighty, whenever a TV station needs a cheap 3-hour filler
programme for a Saturday night slot, they trot out one of these
endlessly dull "list" programmes.
You know the sort, the "All Time Top 50 Songs Featuring The Zither", or
"Your 25 Greatest Cartoons Not By Mel Blanc", where they pay
micro-celebrities (read "discarded soap actors and actresses") to do
talking head cameos about how they "remember being moved by going to see
High Noon when it was first released", despite the fact that they're
only 21 years old, accompanied by a sneering voiceover - usually by Boy
George or John Lydon ('cos they're sooooooo anarchic).
Well, tonight it was the turn of Channel 4 to give us "The 100 Top
Selling UK Singles of All Time" - so at least this one was based on
sales, so perhaps some merit. Perhaps.
And guess what - XTC were in it!
Yes, after boring us silly with everything from Will Young to Aqua,
marvelling at the fact that the 100th best selling single was
"Mississippi" by Pussycat (three Dutch sisters singing in a
country-stylee about a place they'd never been to) and ending with
Bohemian Rhapsody (Brian May: "I don't think we invented the pop video";
Roger Taylor: "I think we probably invented the pop video"), Band Aid
(Bob Geldof: "What a waste") and, at number one, Elton's "Candle In The
Wind" (you know the "sob sob, Diana's dead, how're my sales figures
looking?" version), I was just preparing to click the remote in disgust
when the closing credits rattled past to the strains of Swindon's
finest, and the strains of "This Is Pop".
Oh well, they may never get in the charts on sales, but it was still the
best song that I heard on TV tonight.
Toodle pip for now.
Smudgeboy
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 18:31:24 -0600 From: "eriC draveS" <zoom98@mindspring.com> Subject: Wuzzy Fables Message-ID: <004901c28dd0$a9fe6250$a042f843@XLZOOM> Ryan Anthony asked me: Would you prefer this funny old postage stamp with an upside-down biplane, or Micky Mantle's rookie card, or *Action* Comics No. 1? eriC draveS replies: No. What would I do with them? Get high off of old mucilage fumes? Read all the impressive statistics of a baseball legend that he didn't earn yet? Watch some idiot in a circus costume lift an obvious prop car in the air? Now let me ask you a question. If you were a tree, what kind of dog would you have piddle on you? :) Anyway, thanks for the gone-offer. eriC P.S. I just got a pile of Duran Duran albums and am busy reliving more 80's favorites... strangely, my Beatles collection is still missing some albums. I'll get around to it when I feel like it. "Doctor Who couldn't beat the Daleks, he didn't have a stick."
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 18:51:30 -0800 From: Kyla <kyla17@earthlink.net> Subject: Of Birds and Smiths and Homicide Message-ID: <3DD70431.72577729@earthlink.net> Well now, Ben, as Amy notes, look at the great service you've done for the children of Chalkers. Silver lining and all that rot, er, I mean jazz. And Moley suggests: > Stopping eating from the Apples, Oranges and Lemons and go try some guava > and mango try kiwi, hell try dirt. Have to inject here that I recently ate a Bertie Botts dirt-flavoured jelly bean, and I can't recommend 'em. Taste *exactly* like dirt. Extremely nasty with long lingering overtones. Which makes me wonder, how is it that I can identify the flavour of dirt so well? After long thought, have to admit I think it's from eating things that dropped on the floor, or at the least, putting them in my mouth before spitting them out. Haven't done that in a *very* long time, though. Heartfelt thank yous to those who e-mailed sympathy to me, among them Ryan. Cordwainer Bird's name was after a pseudonym used by Harlan Ellison. When Mr. Ellison writes screenplays, he has a rider in his contract that if the final finished film does not resemble the script he wrote, his name is to be removed from the credits as the writer, and the name 'Cordwainer Bird' is to be used instead. The Cordwainer is indeed in homage to the great SF writer Cordwainer Smith (whose own pen name sorta translates as Shoemaker Shoemaker.) And I also was going to extoll the virtues of Homicide! I liked it so much I convinced my brother to watch, and he *hates* tv. I didn't know there would be prizes! I love prizes! Alas, for my bitten tongue! Talking Heads, yah alright, I suppose there is another well-known quartet with another Harrison. But in my heart, there's only the one.
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 12:21:21 -0000 From: "Pledge" <Pledge7@btinternet.com> Subject: XTC in top 100 best selling UK singles shocker!!!!! Message-ID: <000c01c28e33$d71eee40$182f7ad5@oemcomputer> Last night, having endured nearly 3 hours of dross, broken up by the occasional genuinely great record, I was giving up on hearing a record that I actually own and like as the UK's Channel 4 did the run down of the 100 best selling singles in the UK of the last 50 years. Luckily the sadness brought on by the mediocrity of the massive sellers was reduced by plenty of sharp, witty and sarcastic comments deriding the public and the artists for buying records by Wet Wet Wet, Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. Then it happened, the abject misery caused by realising that the record that will probably remain the UK's biggest seller, Candle In The Wind '97 by Elton John, was broken when I realised I recognised the massively uplifting piece of music being used for the end credits of the show: This Is Pop, by our boys, was being used to bring the programme to a close. Ok so a continuity announcer talked over most of it, but, hey!, any bit of exposure for XTC has to be a good thing. That's about it for now, back to lurking... Pledge
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 09:03:25 -0500
From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <cauldron@together.net>
Subject: Beatles, Andy mention
Message-ID: <B9FD0BDD.6283%cauldron@together.net>
on 11/16/02 1:30 PM, Ben wrote:
>
> Well, I'm pleased that I survived that one! At least you didn't run me off
> the list as some folk have been run off in the past. For those of you who
> care, I'm already three Beatles albums in the hole (thanks, Annamarie, for
> providing a brand-new copy of "Sgt. Pepper's"). For those of you who were
> sarcastic biznatches, I hope you get trapped in a room with the song "Put It
> In My Mouth" (which is *not* by the Beatles) playing on "Repeat" forever and
> ever until your head explodes.
>
> Speaking of things exploding, isn't "My Love Explodes" a fantastic song?
For your next Beatles album, Ben, grab a copy of Revolver, IMO the best
album they ever did and an example of The Beatles at their creative peak.
Every song on it makes Andy look like Wayne Campbell by comparison,(We're
not worthy! We're not worthy!...) with the possible exception of "Yellow
Submarine," which is a bit too twee for my taste, but great to play for
kids. I guarantee it'll rip your skull off. The musical diversity of it is
stunning, yet it all sounds like the same band.
Sgt Pepper, on the other hand, I find overrated. A little too LSD addled,
too much Paul and not enough John. John's creative contribution to the
album, besides playing rhythm guitar, piano and singing backup vocals, was
limited to a 50/50 cowrite with Paul("With A Little Help From My Friends,"
one of the few times they ACTUALLY cowrote- usually if Paul sings it's
Paul's song, if John sings it's John's, if Ringo sings it's probably a
cowrite), half of "A Day In The Life"(the only truly great, rather than
good, song on the album) and two by himself, one "Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds," while a good song, got way too much press for its supposed drug
references, where all it was was a stream of consciousness based on a
drawing of Julian's; the other, "Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite," was
basically a throwaway and one of the Beatles most negligible full-length
songs. Sgt Pepper was Paul's concept and baby, he wrote the majority of the
album by himself. Mind you, it's good Paul, good solid pop/rock that Paul
does when he's really trying, and the quieter stuff like "She's Leaving
Home" and "When I'm 64"(written when he was a teenager, too) is downright
heartwarming, unlike later solo piffle in a similar musical style like "My
Love" or "Let 'Em In." Nonetheless, "A Day In The Life" is the primary
reason to own Sgt Pepper, it ranks with Andy's "The Wheel And The Maypole"
as one of the few examples of putting two independently written songs
together in one song and having it actually work. (The other I can think of
offhand is Badfinger's "Without You.")
-- Satan: "Saddam, you're dead. I killed you."
Saddam: "Yeah, well, where was I gonna go- Detroit?"
Chris Coolidge
visit my church at http://www.vermontspiritualistassociation.org/
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 10:05:37 EST From: Saints3Den@aol.com Subject: eating familiar food Message-ID: <14d.177b8a5b.2b090a41@aol.com> mole says... > Go buy something you know nothing about and see what > happens. If anone who in my vernacular "Eats incessantly from the same > tree" would like to resond I would love to read your thoughts cause I > really don't get it and I'd like to at least understand that mindset. > OK since you talk about eating, and use fruits earlier as an example... i'll try it with MEAT. I like meat. Beef,especially. Growing up,we ate a lot of hamburger at my house,and every Sunday, a nice roast beef. We were not well off,and eventually,the Roast wasn't there to be had any longer. Damn,I missed it. I feel it gave me strength,as well as great taste. Once I had my own income, I was able to eat Beef much more often. Not just Hamburger and Roast Beef, but other types as well. Steaks...Ribs...Filet Mignon...mmmmm...branching out to other meats as well...i like eating it, so,why abandon it to try quiche...falafel...tofu... similarly... in music...xtc reigns supreme, to me. but i felt the need to try some recommendations I have seen here as xtc like / influenced. Most i have truly enjoyed...Martin Newell...The La's...The Greys... Jason Falkner...Sam Phillips...Yazbeck...Mitch Friedman ...Some good but not really my cuppa' ...Jellyfish...jeff buckley ...some i do not like...BLUR... either way, it is trying similar things to things you know you like,which to me should mean there is a greater chance of me liking that as well. Sure, I take chances,a have quite a diverse selection of things I have tried ,and like, in other styles of music...and food... I do not like bananas, so,i won't try plantains... i do not like metal,so i won't try Gorelord you can't understand this???
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 15:05:43 +0000 From: "James McRae" <ijcmcrae@hotmail.com> Subject: XTC in "The top 100 Selling British singles of all time" Message-ID: <F133v06eMZ2E4PPw2Py00010be0@hotmail.com> To celebrate 50 years of the UK Pop charts, "The top 100 Selling British singles of all time" was on the telly (ITV or Ch4, can't remember which) last night, and XTC featured... ..Unfortunately, it was only because "This is Pop" was played with the end titles.... At least the producer had some taste, even if the people of Britain don't. (That ghastly "Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England's Rose" came top, with nearly 5 million sales.. I despair..) Time to go back down my lurky hole. Toodle pip! James
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 08:56:43 -0800 (PST) From: Jim Smart <jimsmart1@yahoo.com> Subject: teaching: disciplining tomorrow's leaders today Message-ID: <20021117165643.73253.qmail@web13502.mail.yahoo.com> Ben's unawareness of the Beatles is cause for reflection. Last summer as I drove my sons (age 10 and 12) to summer school and surfing I deliberately chose several bands and played their entire catalogs for the boys during the many car rides around Honolulu. I started with the Beatles, though that mention of the American Graffiti soundtrack has me thinking I should have started there. We also heard all the Kinks and XTC in order, and a large dollop of Beach Boys and The Who, though I don't own all of the releases by those bands. Another instance where I deliberately exposed the next generation to some good things was when I chose a list of songs to teach my students at our one week camp. In addition to the Bobs (Marley and Dylan), the Beatles and Kinks, etc, I threw in Senses Working Overtime. I had to smile on our fourth day in the wilderness when some students were trying archery and I caught them whistling the chorus. How could they help it. I think of it as grounding them in the basics. which brings me to what Kevin wrote: "a member of this band has to *DIE* before any upgrades on their catalogue becomes more than a blip on the industry's radar! George Harrison recently passed away, so *NOW* we just *MIGHT* get his entire back catalogue reissued properly! Thanks, guys." Yes, Tom Petty makes a point about this on The Last DJ. There's a slimy record executive named Joe who says something like "What do we need this old has been for? If he dies, then we can move some catalog". There's another song on it where an artist uses their song to sell lite beer. I'm always surprised when people are excited that a good band's song has appeared in a commercial. I suppose Ben might never have heard the Beatles without that commercial, but what an awful way to come to the temple. When I play "All Day and All of the Night" for my students, they all say "Oh yeah! The Jolly Rancher commercial!!" Wrong, wrong, wrong! Mole says that none of the bands that are like XTC are as good as XTC. A fair point. However, if we go on the criteria that a band must make albums where every song is an amazing gem that breaks new ground, the lyrics are far beyond what is normally found in rock music, the demos are better than anyone else's final product, and the band was totally amazing live, then one must give consideration to Jellyfish. Sure, they only did it for 2 albums, but what a pair! Britney's pears got nothing on that pair. The new box set of demos and live stuff makes it clear that there was something really special there for a short while. And finally, let's hear if for the Clash getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Jim
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 12:39:05 EST From: Huwptd@aol.com Subject: EMI Wonderland Message-ID: <12e.1b591a32.2b092e39@aol.com> Regarding the whole re-mastered Beatles albums issue, I too am surprised that EMI haven't bothered to lavish care on getting the albums re-issued properly. It's not as if they are going to lose any money on such a project. One thing they should do is re-issue the Magical Mystery Tour double E.P. set on CD which they have yet to do. The current Magical Mystery Tour CD doesn't have the songs in their original order and doesn't reproduce the fantastic booklet that accompanied the original release which is a great shame. Anyway, we should be talking about XTC here. Wonderland? No, I don't like it either. In fact I don't particularly like any of Colin's songs on Mummer and consider it to be one of his creative low points. Huw
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 13:09:39 EST From: WTDK@aol.com Subject: Mastering The Beatles Message-ID: <d0.301779da.2b093563@aol.com> I've been away for a while and haven't followed much of the list lately but am catching up... Ben asked-- > So what's up with no new Beatles remasters? Or should I even open up > that particular Pandora's box? Re: Ben's inquiry about The Beatles' catalog Some information on the hold ups, proposals, etc. http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/ Not everyone had The Beatles as the background music of their life. Kevin had an opinion --- This is partially the fault of the industry, once again. Look at the state of the Rolling Stones' catalogue. I'll bet you know who the Rolling Stones are, right? That is because (1) they are still active and touring each year and (2) there have been reissues and upgrades of their catalogue, even with mini-LP sleeve editions here in the U.S. If Capitol even cared one bit about what the Fab Four have done, their entire catalogue would have been given royal treatment beyond what the Stones are now seeing. Of course, I'm not denying that there were expensive bits of Beatles audio and visual memorabelia out there, like two large sets devoted to Beatles singles and U.K. e.p.'s, but the fans were waiting for the full and complete albums, with original cover art and the whole nine yards of attention that we've seen given much lesser (but still as interesting)bands! Hey, the '70's group, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA or Chicago) are treated better than the Beatles! Could you imagine how wonderful the stuff would be if it was reissued from the absolute *ORIGINAL* master tapes? It almost seems as if a member of this band has to *DIE* before any upgrades on their catalogue becomes more than a blip on the industry's radar! George Harrison recently passed away, so *NOW* we just *MIGHT* get his entire back catalogue reissued properly! Thanks, guys. --The End of Kevin's Opinion It's a bit more complicated than that. Much of it has to do with Apple and The Beatles themselves as much as Capitol. My understanding is that the former members of the band (and their widows) didn't want their back catalog constantly remastered as 1) They felt it take $$ from fans and 2) When they remaster it they want to get it right (much as they did the first time--even though they were issued some time ago on CD, at the time they were state of the art). Go to the above link and you'll find out quite a bit more. Capitol/EMI/Apple are in the process of doing something about it. What? Well, no one really knows. Supposedly much of the debate has to do with 1) How they will presented (UK& US albums on the same disc, in mono or remixed stereo) 2) The format (CD, HDCD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD). Despite my apprehension over The Stones reissues, they sound terrific. There are no bonus tracks or outtakes and the packaging is pretty shoddy (no comments on the making of the album, etc.). Against my better judgement, I have to praise Abkco for waiting to reissue them. The Stones albums the band owns have been reissued/remastered roughly 3 times. Was there any noticable improvement? Only on the batch remastered using Apogee's system. An example of, perhaps, what is in store is the Yellow Submarine songtrack album (remixed, remastered). In that instance, they considered it a new compilation because there had never been a proper soundtrack with all the songs from the film. I'd also like to remind everyone how long it took the Xtc catalog to be remastered/reissued. That was with a band that had 1) Less fans and 2) Little say so about their back catalog. By the way, this remix process was started some time ago. George Martin was never happy with the mixes on Help! and Rubber Soul. He felt they were rushed (given that the band was touring, making movies, etc.) and he went back and remixed them for stereo himself. There are those who carp about the fact that they don't "sound" the same. Well of course not. They still sound pretty damn good even when compared to the original vinyl mixes. Harrison was in the process of going through his back catalog and putting together discs similar to All Things Must Pass with bonus tracks, etc. That process will continue according to Harrison's son Dhani. McCartney owns his own masters and overseas his catalog was remastered in 1993 (Band on the Run received the royal remaster treatment at the 25 year mark). Macca's Venus and Mars and Band on the Run were both remastered for DTS 5.1 some time ago. Lennon's back catalog has been remastered (with the exception of Walls and Bridges and Rock 'n' Roll) with exceptional sound quality. Yes, there is some debate about remixing the tracks but comparison's between the recently reissued Mind Games and the previous CD (or vinyl) versions demonstrates it was a pretty good idea. Ringo's stuff--well the better CDs will hopefully be reissued although his niche is so marginal who knows when they'll reissue them. <A HREF="http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/">Abbeyrd's Beatle Page</A>
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 19:03:05 +0000 (GMT) From: Dom Lawson <britishsteel666@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Jesus is Lard Message-ID: <20021117190305.98968.qmail@web40502.mail.yahoo.com> Gadzooks, >>how dare you speak of my own personal Lord in that manner? My apologies. Seriously. As a good Christian boy, I should have known better. What a c*nt, eh? Actually, we all know that Wes is really in the employ of the omnipotent goatlord, so be careful when reading his posts...it's those hidden messages you've got to watch out for. The spooky bastid... >>DOM! I missed ya, god did I miss ya- welcome home! Noted. Now get your feet off the goddamn coffee table! >>It ain't their worst song, least not on my list. I might have to think about this one...bear with me... >>Is this really even a Band or is my chain on perma-yank? I am SOOOO out of touch with metal No perma-yanking going on (well, except for the occasional recreational hand shandy...). Gorelord is oh so real, and oh so ace. I don't suggest for a minute that you check out their 2 albums to date - 'Force Fed On Human Flesh' and 'Zombie Suicide Part 666' - but it's not just the product of my sad brain. At least I hope not. Incidentally, I've been invited to contribute backing vocals to the next Gorelord opus...hardly a claim to fame, but f**k it, a man needs to VENT! Crawford, baby, you're playing my tune! >>Wonderland is a load of poncey shite Amen, brother! He speak da plain truth. Still trying to work out if there's an XTC song more deserving of a quick boot to the gonads...this could take a while. There aren't many to choose from, let's face it... Right, I'm off to Stockholm to freeze my nuts off in the name of rock journalism. Behave yourselves while I'm gone... >>Why is Wonderland so bad? And this, my friends, is what I have missed these last two or so years...Chalkhills f'kin' rules! Where else could you find someone who isn't compelled to vomit blood at the sound of that godawful plinky plonky atrocity? Ralph, I love you. Salut! Dom ===== DOM LAWSON East Sussex
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 22:28:33 +0000 From: "*Hobbes *" <hazchem25@hotmail.com> Subject: My Sister Vs. XTC / Connection Problems / More Jangle Pop Message-ID: <F191418wPkh7Usw6cfg0000b2b2@hotmail.com> Hey All, XTC Content: My Sister vs. XTC My sister was given a Vinyl Beatles Boxset by our father for her 9th birthday, which made it practially about the only music she ever played until her hormones kicked in and she discovered Duran Duran a few years later. But after her and her friends lost interest in the every ovement of Simon Le Bon (circa 'View to a Kill') she still played the Beatles endlessly and had the posters and calenders on her wall. I always attributed her devotion to them as having been In Utero during early 1968, when all my father ever played was Sgt. Pepper (at least according to my mother, who still cringes every time she hears 'Getting better' on the radio since she associates it with morning sickness). So, obviously, when i first became obsessed with 'Skylarking' in 1986 I figured she'd become as obssessed with it as I was. (I had an intense teenage love affair with that album, as only a 15 year old can... where you play it three times a day and decide that a certain song on it is the best song ever written until suddenly you realise so is each song either side of it, and you wonder why everyone else is listening to Bon Jovi when this music is just SO good, but at least that makes it YOUR album, this big secret that only you discovered... ...Which is why, Pawnee Q Ribber, the music that excited you in 1982 can never be equalled by what's currently out there, because who has time to devote to listening to an album with that kind of intensity after your teenage years, when jobs and family intervene?) So eventually I gave my sister the cd and waited for her to go 'wow'... ...and she didn't! 'But don't you think it sounds like the Beatles?' i'd ask, to be met with a resounding 'NO! He sings strange' I'd point out the strings on 1000 Umbrellas, the chiming guitar of 'earn enough for us', the guitar / violins on 'Grass', the intricate harmonies. No luck. Not that my sister has bad taste - at the time she was similarly obssessed with Crowded House's eponymous album (which always sounded like it was playing on the wrong speed to me, and took me until Woodface to realise their greatness), and had a later teenage obssession with Michael Penn's 'March'. (2 years later in 1991 that album suddenly clicked for me). Oranges and Lemons and Nonsuch came and went... surely she'd click to 'The Loving'! How could she pass up 'Then she appeared'? She could and did. No amount of 'isn't this like the Beach Boys' poking and prodding re: 'Chalkhills and Children' would work (she'd just purchased 'Pet Sounds'). In the mid 90's i managed to convince her to duet with me one of the Chalkhill's Children fan tributes, only to find she hadn't learnt 'summer's cauldron', meaning i had to sing out of my range and give her the easier part of 'Grass' to sing. What would it take to make her realise? Then It Appeared: Apple Venus Volume 1. The first XTC album since 1983 where the production isn't distracting... And the songs! Andy channelling McCartney circa 'Two of us' with 'I'd like that'. All of 'Easter Theatre', which is still the only song i've ever heard that makes me shiver EVERY time i hear it! The intricate melody and baroque strings of "Your dictionary". Surely this would be the one to make her realise... So i wait on eggshells... then she calls me. "I listened to that album you gave me." "And?" I asked. "Oh it's SO good, that Easter Theatre song gives me the shivers!" It may have taken me 13 years to convert her but I'm proud to say I succeeded! Can anyone else on the list top that? There's a postscript to this story: she phones me up few weeks ago to say "I heard a song on tv the other day and it sounded JUST like XTC!!!!" and proceeds to rave about said song for ages, and says she had to run out and buy it and has been playing it ever since. 'It' being Silverchair - "Luv your life". No, no, no! Didn't she learn anything??? How can Silverchair sound like XTC? How can she have ignored my trying to convert he to the joys of Cotton Mather's 'Kon Tiki' and Silver-bloody-chair catch her ear as sounding XTCish? So i listen to the song. Oh dear. Maybe i'm too prejudiced against them since their previous work bored me to tears. (The dearth of melody and over-earnst white boy whine rock of grunge made the early 90's a tedious time for me musically). It seems like a weak song melodically, lots of repetition of a simple melody line, overinflated with a over-the-top orchestral score that the body of the song is just too weak to support. (Van Dyke Parks? Really? On Crack?) It wants to be "A day in the life" when it's really "Sowing the seeds of love". (Popular band with Beatlesque pretensions and craving critical appreciation gets out of their depth). It'll be interesting to see how it does on the charts since all the artists i admire who currently are working in the beatlesque pop field seem pretty much ignored by the radio. But XTC? Where? How? Does anyone else hear the connection? CONNECTION PROBLEMS It's strange, no-one on this list seems to be answering my emails anymore! I don't know if they're not going through or if i have started to smell or something. I know we're in the midst of a bad drought here in australia but let me assure you i'm still using soap and water! Hopefully it was just hotmail acting bizarre, so i'll see if this goes through to the list. Try this address to contact me if we've been speaking and i've suddenly vanished: hazchem25a@yahoo.com MORE JANGLE POP Ben Gott, i emailed you a fortnight ago about swapping some jangly songs but haven't received a reply, so just in case it didn't go through, here's some songs well worth checking out: the Minders - Hooray for Tuesday Aimee Mann - 50 years after the fair Doleful lions - Hang around in your head Beachwood sparks - Confusion is nothing new Flashing lights - Summertime climb Umajets - Feathered girl the Greenberry Woods - #37 (Feels so strange) Hole - Heaven tonight Cotton Mather - She's only cool June Panic - David Poe Teenage Fanclub - Ain't that enough the 6ths - Falling out of love (with you) Ric Menck - Perfect day the La's - There she goes Big Star - September gurls Magnetic Fields - Love is lighter than air Lucksmiths - Broken bones the Orgone Box - Judy over the rainbow Merrymakers - I'm... in love! Nines - Days and days Mutton Birds - While you sleep You Am I - Mr. Milk Velvet Crush - Star trip the Mockers - Comes as no surprise Divine Comedy - the Pop Singer's fear of the pollen count (1st version) Neil Finn - She will have her way Super Deluxe - Holly's dream vacation Elliot Smith - Bled white Archer Prewitt - Gifts of love Voice of the Beehive - Don't call me baby the Church - Almost with you James - Getting away with it (all messed up) REM - Driver 8 Matthew Sweet - I'll be waiting Pernice Brothers - Working Girls (Sunlight shines) Have fun all, Simon Knight / "Hobbes"
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 05:03:30 +0000
From: "Paul Culnane" <paulculnane@hotmail.com>
Subject: Record sleeves
Message-ID: <F266DGC51a6D2Y2TkPC000146a7@hotmail.com>
Hi
Sugosh asked:
>Oh, and if anyone on this list happens to own a vinyl copy of
Steeleye Span's "Ten man mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler rides again", I'd sure
like to know what the cover's like...recently got the CD and it says that
was probably one of the most expensive record sleeves ever made!<
And somebody else replied much upon the lines I intended to. It's a very
lavish maroon textured affair, with gold embossed lettering and beautiful
old sepia pictures embedded in the cover like an old photo album. Steeleye
often had flash sleeves: "All Around My Hat" had distorted shots of the band
members, which only came into proper perspective when you viewed the cover
through a special insert card device with peculiar holes in it. Hard to
explain, but it's fun.
Some other noteworthy (and sometimes cumbersome) LP sleeves:
* "Speaking In Tongues" - Talking Heads. An unwieldy plastic outer with a
strange pinwheel which always fell off.
* "Somewhere I've Never Travelled" - Ambrosia. Apart from being an
unheralded orch-prog masterpiece, the cover of this assembled into a nifty
pyramid, so you could listen along safe in the knowledge that your razor
blades would remain sharp and your cheese sanger would keep fresh.
* "Once Upon A Twilight" - The Twilights. This splendid sophomore album
from one of Australia's finest-ever pop groups (future member of LRB, and
future hit songwriter for the likes of Tina Turner and Michael Jackson among
their ranks - but don't let that put you off). At the time of its release,
EMI were alarmed that the cover actually cost FIVE TIMES what the music cost
to record. And while the idea is cool, its execution was a tad gauche,
depicting as it does, the six band members dressed in medieval gear,
frolicking about with lusty wenches, around a badly drawn castle, in a
pop-up display that has to be seen to be believed.
...there's more I could cite. Anybody else got a favourite fancy record
sleeve to nominate? I guess quite a few of us have lamented the loss of
enjoying a full-size elpee sleeve, versus the tiny CD format. I miss the
12" (ooo-err). And I must say this: what band or artiste other than XTC
can you name who has consistently, from the word go ("3D-EP", indeed in 3D)
up to the present (the brilliant presentation of "Coat Of Many Cupboards"),
housed their musical wares in such a series of beguiling sleeves? Even the
singles have had fun sleeves. Sometimes, when I may have over-saturated
myself with the music, I still enjoy looking at the pretty covers. And full
marks for the replica card sleeves on the recent remasters. Even though for
a poor ol' sod like me, with coke-bottle specs, the print is impossible to
read in the reduced form!
To close:
>Molly, who can't wait to get her Beth Gibbons and Rustin' Man CD<
Oh yes Molly. What a combination of Beth Gibbons' (Portishead) singular
voice with the musical prowess and imagination of Rustin' Man (aka Paul
Webb, former bassist for Talk Talk, for it is he). Lovely music. You won't
be disappointed Molly.
Okay, I'm off to cook some chunky stew...
Paul
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 07:57:36 -0800 From: "Jonny Pop" <jbkxtc@ev1.net> Subject: Don't buy CD-R's! Message-ID: <004b01c28f1b$37bff090$37525d3f@johnjulie> Hi all, A long overdue post, but I'll keep it brief. I was in Amoeba Records in L.A. yesterday and I saw a CD-R for sale that was a "Best of Apple Venus & Wasp Star" compilation. Whoever made it had taken the photo from inside the "Wasp Star" CD, run it through Photoshop to jazz it up and then put a few tracks from each CD and made a back cover with a scan from the CD Single of "Easter Theatre". Talk about taking money out of Andy & Colin's pocket! I made myself two different compilations from the two CD's, but I would never have dreamed of trying to sell them. I know no one on this list would buy anything like that, but I wanted to spread the word. I also heard the XTC appearance on Howard Stern (hey, it's better to listen to in the morning than most everything else - he's actually funny sometimes) so I'm glad that Brendan posted it. Lastly ... I think ... apologies all around, especially to Jayne, for our no-show at the X-sTatiC show in London in September. We had decided to take advantage of our stay in London to visit Paris for the day via the Eurostar train through the Chunnel, and got back late. I was actually thinking of heading out, but when we returned to our hotel, someone had broken into our room and stolen a few things. I'm not sure how long the show lasted, and I didn't know how to get in touch with anyone in London. Appy polly loggies all around. Glad to hear it was a packed house, even without us Yanks. Ta, J
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 18:53:08 -0500 From: Ben Gott <bgott@rectoryschool.org> Subject: Weird XTC sighting! Message-ID: <B9FEE793.6CFC%bgott@rectoryschool.org> Gang, I was watching a wonderful documentary about turntabling and DJs, "Scratch," when I spotted a very strange piece of XTC. The part of the film in which our boys "appear" is in a segment about "digging," which is the practice of going through piles and piles of records in order to find the perfect "break." There are, obviously, many scenes of record stores, including a scene of a store run by a very cool, crochety old guy. The camera pans across the showroom floor and, when I watched the movie in class today, I though I spotted some red, yellow, and green in one of the bins. Sure enough, after taking the DVD home and using some "slow mo" action, my suspicions were confirmed: in a four-second shot that pans across the store, the top 1/3 of "Drums and Wires" is displayed amongst hundreds and hundreds of other records. Does this mean that I'm an XTC "freak"? -Ben
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 21:28:24 -0600 From: Chris Vreeland <CVREELAND@austin.rr.com> Subject: All the good names are taken Message-ID: <a05200f02b9ff5ab3d7eb@[66.25.161.220]> Layerheads, As per usual, the most difficult thing about starting a new band turns out to be naming it. Steve Oleson took it upon himself to burst my bubble about using the name Scarecrow People for our new tribute band, since that would have been a good name, which means it's already taken, of course. He purports to have seen a group by that name in Corpus Christi, a mere (booooring) four-hour drive from here, and said that they even played "a couple" xTc songs, though you'll have to ask him which ones, as I neglected to, and he didn't volunteer. Where does this leave us? After three rehearsals, I'd say sounding pretty good, growing, (up to 7 1/2 members, now) and... nameless. So.... it is with great relish that I announce to you (the viewer) the Great Chalkhills Name The Band Contest, with a grand prize for the contestant who successfully names the band, including an "All expense paid* trip for two" to our first performance, provided we find an establishment willing to put up with 2 hours of XtC. Tell me, faithful, what should an XTC tribute band call itself? Let 'er rip, Chris "read the fine print" Vreeland *offer void where not prohibited, excludes airfare, travel expenses, lodging, and all meals and incidental expenditures. -- Oh, joy. It's another website. http://chrisvreeland.com
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 08:43:13 -0800 From: "Steve Wilcox" <shwonline@hotmail.com> Subject: Alas, poor Cordwainer Message-ID: <F66gs1MwlifNvN7VdoJ0001e422@hotmail.com> <delurk> To Ryan Anthony: I'd bet real cash money that Kyla's bird (condolences, Kyla!) was named after Cordwainer Bird, which was a pseudonym that Harlan Ellison used when he wanted his name pulled off a project. His way of flipping someone the bird. Steve </delurk> <relurk>
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #8-62 ******************************
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