Chalkhills Digest Volume 11, Issue 13
Date: Sunday, 20 March 2005
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 13
Sunday, 20 March 2005
Topics:
my top ten
SFA, Fuzzies etc
sorry to disturb you, but
Band to Band
Love Forever Changes
Look Who Was Featured On All Music Guide
Oooh pretty....
Belated introduction
Giant Magazine
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Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 15:34:18 EST
From: Flyuponthewall@aol.com
Subject: my top ten
Message-ID: <1e2.358869c0.2f43b6ca@aol.com>
Dear Gent's and gentette's
OK so every 6 months or so I decide to add my bit of drivel to
the newsletter. I'm so glad we have stopped praising SMILE, all the
sweetness was making me sick especially after actually buying the disk.
Yikes,I used to think my fellow XTC mates were always right about such
things. I'm gonna add my own top ten list to the discussion. Of course if it
ends up an even dozen I'm sure all will understand.
1) ENGLISH SETTLEMENT (how could it not be number 1,besdies heaven is paved
with broken glass)
2) LONDON CALLING (<heard the message in the states)
3) NEW CLEAR DAYS, The Vapors (Would list it even if spinning oriental
wasn't included)
4) WILD PLANET, b52's (had to list an American band eventually)
5) THE CORRECT USE OF SOAP, Magazine (I am a model worker)
6) MUMMER (This is the wish i wish i had)
7) SOUND AFFECT, the Jam (Was well worth the pretty green to purchase on CD)
8)CERIAL KILLER, TooMuchJoy (remake of seasons in the sun still makes me cry)
9) TALK TALK TALK,The Psychedelic Furs (I am 17 and 6 and 24 )
10) NATIVE SON, The Judybats (Don't drop the baby for he might cry)
11) ENTERTAINMENT Gang of FOUR (Anthrax; some thing i don't wanna catch)
12) COOL FOR CATS, SQUEEZE (she doesn't mind the language it's the thinking
she don't need)
I know it seems a bit lost in the 70's and 80's ,but I like to remember when
my shaven head used to wear a mohawk.
Rex Groovi (AKA Bill Goodfellow ... DA Cuse is in the house)
[ my apologies, this posting got misplaced for a month -- John ]
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 09:55:48 +1100 From: "Paul Haines" <prhaines@bigpond.net.au> Subject: SFA, Fuzzies etc Message-ID: <000601c5268d$774b6080$2c130a93@vic.bigpond.net.au> Re Super Furry Animals (SFA, what other saying has the initials SFA??), they are my NEW band since XTC aren't producing anything these days. I absolutely love "Rings Around The World" and "Phantom Power". One of those bands where after a good five albums or so they hit jackpot ala "Skylarking". Love em to death. Re Fuzzy Warbles -- I've bought them all and been a bit of a detractor for them really -- I haven't enjoyed the demos of album tracks in the past, and a lot of the instrumental doodles have been nothing but doodles. I put off buying 5 & 6 due to this, but then money seemed okay, and, more likely, withdrawal kicked in and I picked them up. 8 great tracks on vol 6! And I mean GREAT tracks! I'm over the moon. And the "Human Alchemy" demo is awesome -- very Mr Partridge "Lure Of Salvage/Takeaway" era. That is the sort of demo archive I've been hoping to hear. Haven't listened to vol 5 so much, but I was equaly impressed with the 'new' verses in 'Earn Enough For Us', and the instrumental "Mermaid Smiled" was also a highlight. (Though the version of "Young Cleopatra" isn't as good, though it is better sound quality, then the unofficial bootleg I have) And after some not so praising reviews of these two Fuzzies, I was happy with my purchase and look forward to 7 & 8 being released. Paul Haines
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 14:57:55 -0800 (PST) From: Jim Smart <jimsmart1@yahoo.com> Subject: sorry to disturb you, but Message-ID: <20050311225755.64074.qmail@web30207.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Greetings, Chalkabillies. A big mahalo to everyone who offered advice, rants, and ideas about how much to edit albums and how and where to promote Do-It-Yourself music on the web. I have spent the last year or so working on a new album which I'd like to offer up for your listening pleasure. The CD is rather fetching. It's called MiST, and you can fetch yourself a copy and find out about it at: http://www.jimsmart.net Clicking on "new album" will get you all sorts of listening/downloading/buying options for supporting an independent do-it-yourself musician in Honolulu who drives around with an XTC/Uffington Horse bumper sticker proudly displayed. There's not a synthesizer or drum machine in sight, er, sound, on MiST. Real songs, interesting words, and some experimental noises, with interesting touches of live cello, violin, and steel guitar. A slice of Americana slightly off the beaten path. My past recordings have been known for layers and layers of lush harmonies, but I'm in a kind of "cut the bull" phase; my new songs focus on a single vocal, and the supporting instruments are more sparse and bare. It's easy to tell I've been listening to a hell of a lot of Wilco lately. Send me your address if you'd like me to mail you a copy of the CD. I'm asking for a $10 donation if you order it from me, but will probably be flexible about that. You can also download the song on the net, or order it from CD Baby. That website again: www.jimsmart.net I'm not out to make money, but a little something to cover some of my costs would be nice. Mainly I want to get the songs into as many ears as I can. I'm not really worried about my songs being downloaded. I'm worried about them being ignored. I'd also love to get some help/advice about how to generate some heat - you know, reviews, buzz, and net-chatter. Perhaps there's some folks you could forward this message to, if you like what you hear. Thanks for reading this far. I'm feeling guilty, so I had better put in some obligatory XTC content. You may remember me from various XTC tribute albums. My band 3Tripper did versions of Merely a Man, Garden of Earthly Delights, and Senses Working Overtime in the past. Skylarking is my favorite XTC album. Colin was at a career high, with two sexy love songs, a wicked observation of weddings, and 2 beautiful songs about the life/death cycle. What a guy! But mainly I love this album because of the way the songs connect so well, and because Ballet For a Rainy Day is on it. I've decided that's my favorite XTC song of them all. I don't know why, and I don't want to know. This song is pure magical beauty. Nevermind Desert Island Discs; this would be one of my Desert Island Songs if I had a small MP3 player which could only hold 10 songs. I can't claim that my new album sounds like XTC, but I have listened to them an awful (well, wonderful is more like it) lot in the last 20 years, so maybe some of their magic rubbed off. Thanks for the bandwidth. Now back to your regularly scheduled topics. aloha, Jim
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 17:29:06 -0800 (PST) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: Band to Band Message-ID: <20050315012906.55656.qmail@web51703.mail.yahoo.com> Someone just posted this link to another e-mail list I'm onm: http://www.bandtoband.com/ It's basically a 6 degrees of sepreration idea for band members. Click on any two bands, and it will find linkages between them based on individual band members' side projects, etc. For example, it found 11 degrees of seperation between XTC and Cannibal Corpse!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:10:45 -0500
From: "Myers, Michael D." <mmyers@telcordia.com>
Subject: Love Forever Changes
Message-ID: <D8548091895B90428292573DCC8FCE9E12B35C1A@rrc-its-exs02.mail.saic.com>
Chalksters and Chalkettes;
While we wait for Andy and Colin to write some songs for us to listen to, I
thought I'd offer an alternative listen for you to consider.
Not too long ago, there was a whole lot of discussion on this list about
Brian Wilson's Smile project. Here we had a reclusive, troubled performer
revive one of his most celebrated works, and take it on the road with a
group of sympathetic musicians. They were able to recreate the work in
near-perfect renditions to great acclaim, and an album resulted.
It's interesting that we haven't seen much discussion about another great
masterpiece, and that is from the group Love, with the album entitled
"Forever Changes". Arthur Lee was the genius behind this group, writing
most of the songs, and singing lead. The parallels between Wilson and Lee
are intriguing.
If you're not too familiar with Love, they were a great Los Angeles band in
the 60's and early 70's. Arthur Lee was a strange kind of guy who really
acted as a dictator over the group's work. He wrote melodic material with
wonderful orchestration but also wrote what some regard as the first heavy
metal song, "7 And 7 Is". Their classic album "Forever Changes" was not a
big hit (only reached $154 in the Billboard charts in the USA) but some of
the songs got a lot of airplay on FM radio as DJ's went to an open playlist
format. I'm old enough to remember hearing songs such as "Alone Again Or"
and "You Set The Scene" on WNEW-FM in NYC back in the day.
Lee has led a troubled life, including drug addiction and a prison sentence.
Because of his troubled nature, the band almost never toured so there was
little commercial interest in the band's recordings. Musicians came and
went through this group like the wind blows through the trees.
However, just as Wilson had the support of the Wondermints, who helped him
get his complex material on the road, so did Lee have Baby Lemonade support
his recent forays into live performance. The live version of "Forever
Changes" is excellent and is worth a listen. The live album is a little
heavier and harder than the acoustic-focused studio version, but I don't
find it distracting in the least. Lee is in fine voice throughout (much
more capable than Wilson at this point in their lives), and the music is
played flawlessly, augmented by a modest group of string and horn players.
So, if you are familiar with the studio version of "Forever Changes", I can
assure you that there are trumpets, indeed! The highlights are "Alone Again
Or", "You Set The Scene", "Live and Let Live", and the strangely-titled
"Maybe the People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale" (this
WAS the sixties, remember). The album is played as an entire piece, in the
order of the original.
There are also 6 bonus songs including "7 And 7 Is" ("Boop-bip-bip,
boop-bip-bip, yeah" How did he ever come up with that tempo and key
change?). If you have a chance, give it a listen. I picked it up for
cheap at a used shop in Greenwich Village. Maybe you'll be lucky as well.
Mike
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:59:10 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Versaci <michael_versaci@yahoo.com> Subject: Look Who Was Featured On All Music Guide Message-ID: <20050315235910.50668.qmail@web30906.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Folxtc, From the Home Page, 15 March 2005 Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine During the mid-'80s, XTC developed a deep fascination with '60s psychedelia that manifested itself on their late-1986 masterpiece Skylarking. While Skylarking was filled with lush pop reminiscent of the Beatles and Beach Boys, it was generally a sober affair, since they decided to leave many of the lighter songs off the album for B-sides and future albums. During this time, they decided to develop their alter egos of the Dukes of Stratosphear, a way to let all of their infatuation with psychedelia flourish. Both the EP 25 O'Clock and the full-length Psonic Psunspot, collected on the single-disc Chips From the Chocolate Fireball, capture the sound of '60s psychedelia remarkably well. All of the sonic details, from the fuzz guitars to the cavernous echoes and sound effects, are in place, as are the self-consciously trippy lyrics. But what makes the Dukes of Stratosphear far more than a comedy band are the songs, which happen to be some of the best pure pop tunes XTC ever wrote: "My Love Explodes" has a tense, spiraling guitar line and melody; "Little Lighthouse" and "You're My Drug" are wonderful pastiches; "The Mole From the Ministry" is a devilish homage to "I Am the Walrus" and Bowie; and the group rarely wrote a song as infectious as the bright, jangling "Vanishing Girl." Despite the clever craftsmanship, XTC has never sounded so carefree or effortless, been quite as immediately catchy or consistent Chips From the Chocolate Fireball is too good to be overlooked as a side-project folly, because it truly is some of the best music XTC ever made. And, coincidentally, it's some of the best psychedelic pop ever recorded as well. *** Cool. Mv
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 17:04:19 -0000 From: "Paul" <paul@piglobal.com> Subject: Oooh pretty.... Message-ID: <51C8A2E4C8C1D948BC9BCAB79EA4AD8D56E13B@pimail-ii.pi-design.com> Just a quickie... one of those pretty flash things. Takes a word, looks it up on Amazon and returns the word written in the thumbnails of the artist/title or whatever Works well with our favourite Swindonians... or any other band with a short name and a decent number of albums. You'll need broadband (who doesn't?) http://amaztype.tha.jp/UK/Music/Artist?q=xtc Click on a thumbnail and it zooms in. You can go back to the home page at the bottom to change the parameters
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 14:14:47 -0800 (PST) From: Steven LeBeau <stevenlebeau@yahoo.com> Subject: Belated introduction Message-ID: <20050318221447.66600.qmail@web50305.mail.yahoo.com> Hello fellow XTC enthusiasts! My name's Steven LeBeau, and I'm writing today to (in)formally introduce myself to the rest of the group. I've been lurking for a while, and this is my first post! I first became aware of XTC via the "Senses Working Overtime" video being aired on the MTV in the early hours of the morning about seven or eight years ago. I bought "English Settlement" and shortly thereafter acquired the entire XTC catalog. I'm also a songwriter, and you can hear my six song streaming "EP" at http://www.stevenlebeau.com/slep/index.html (it's REALLY good! And it's FREE!). Are we still doing the desert island discs? Oh well, I'll be quick... 10. Mothers of Invention (FZ) - Freak Out! 09. XTC - Drums & Wires 08. Genesis - Foxtrot 07. Pat Metheny - American Garage 06. Radiohead - OK Computer 05. Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express 04. Kylie Minogue - Light Years 03. The Residents - The Commercial Album 02. XTC - Nonsuch 01. Sparks - Propaganda Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to present myself to you all! I look forward to hearing from you in the future. Sincerely, Steven LeBeau
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 13:56:32 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Versaci <michael_versaci@yahoo.com> Subject: Giant Magazine Message-ID: <20050319215632.75762.qmail@web30905.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Folxtc, I was waiting for my wife to finish her workout, and I was absent-mindedly thumbing through a magazine left on the table. Giant magazine? Ok, an article about Nicholas Cage, (nahh) expensive jeans advertisements, (flip) barely dressed girls selling whatever (slowww flip) ...and I see a small photo of a 20 something with the text - "...XTC pp. 84..." and I think, "No...probably the title of his 'column' about 20 something nightlife - crap american beer, cheap cologne that smells expensive, expensive cologne that smells money, nachos, how not to get her pregnant..." but I leaf to the page, and it is an article about "The Best British Pop Band You Never Heard!" with a picture of the four action figures from the early days! The article went on to say how important, influential, cool, catchy, nerdy (!), and bloody fantastic XTC have been for the last 27 odd years, and how they are gaining in popularity because of the new bands who have been naming them as influences. (New Pornagraphers, Hotdogs In Dead Cars, er... you know.) There isn't a reference on the site http://www.giantmag.com/ but it was the April/May 2005 issue. Michael Versaci
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #11-13 *******************************
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