Chalkhills Digest Volume 11, Issue 34
Date: Wednesday, 20 July 2005
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 34
Wednesday, 20 July 2005
Topics:
It must have been fate....
Red Rummer
FW ... 7 & 8?
Re: You're So Right
Ringo-a-go-go
Wonderfalls on US TV
Re: Matthew Sweet
Here Comes the Tourette's!
Money in 7/4, 5/4 and 4/4 or 28/4
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:
unsubscribe
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:
<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>
World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.8c (John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>).
The humble and the great, even those we think we hate, need the loving.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 08:47:37 +0100 From: "Steve Morton" <steven.morton4@ntlworld.com> Subject: It must have been fate.... Message-ID: <000a01c58c36$220c9620$0100a8c0@mshome.net> Good day Chalksters, There has been much talk on this list recently of Ringo drumming skills (I think "eminently suitable" sums him up) as well as Ian Macdonald's book "Revolution in the Head". Last Saturday I was visiting our local shops in a state of domestic reverie when I decided to visit oneo f our many charity shops to see what goodies they had on offer (the occassional hidden gem of a CD turns up in these places you know!). Whilst browsing the books, I came across a well thumbed copy of "Revolution in the Head". After handing over the princely sum of 0.99p, I am now enjoying this Beatles masterpiece. Serendipity indeed. Steve Morton :-) PS: We have a community based Internet soap opera produced in the housing estate below the chalk pits that surround our fair city. Its name? "Chalkhill Lives"! www.chalkhill-lives.co.uk
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:48:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Steve <ste7phen@yahoo.com> Subject: Red Rummer Message-ID: <20050719074840.33202.qmail@web53302.mail.yahoo.com> Balhamrovers@aol.com wrote: > My best example of a drummer totally suiting a band has to be Stewart > Copeland in the Police. Never heard any other drummer make so much > use of cymbals - they were almost a seperate instrument in the > band. !! Pity we don't hear more of S.C. these days. No need to pity. Visit the discography at: http://www.stewartcopeland.net/ and buy his CDs. He's been busy. Another Steve
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 06:44:15 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: Danny Phipps <phipps117@earthlink.net>
Subject: FW ... 7 & 8?
Message-ID: <613943.1121769855710.JavaMail.root@wamui-norfolk.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
please forgive my ignorance, but does anyone know when "fuzzy warbles
7 & 8" are planned to be released - if at all now?
just wondering .... thanks.
__
"You can't say anything bad about the people you love."
~ Ray Charles
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:08:54 -0400 From: Duncan Watt <dwatt@fastestmanintheworld.com> Subject: Re: You're So Right Message-ID: <3d96ab3c75c44593efea753db0bf86e0@fastestmanintheworld.com> On Jul 18, 2005, at 8:49 PM, Ryan Anthony <hamsterranch@yahoo.com wrote: > A Chalksibling (name deleted because this isn't about > the writer, and incidental typo corrected) ...thanks for that, I do appreciate your point and discretion - but I'm happy to point out it is (was) I (me), Duncan "it's not my fault I'm sooo good-lookin'" Watt. > writes: > "XTC sighting: 'I'd Like That,' on Laura 'just bomb > 'em all' Ingraham's incredibly far-right-wing radio > show. Beyond ironic. Wish she knew. Guessing she never > will. > > Had this sighting been announced this way -- "XTC > sighting: 'I'd Like That,' on Laura Ingraham's radio > show." -- the number of smears and Tourette's syndrome > outbreaks on the Hill could have been reduced to a > genial, collegial, zero. I've read it over again, brother - can't see your point. I'm guessing you've heard Ms. Ingraham's show before, but if'n you haven't, she'd be the first person to tell you it's incredibly right-wing, she wears her ultra-conservatism proudly. No smear there... and she's proudly suggested many times (I listen to her during my commute), among countless skits accusing, in a fake-Arab accent, all Muslim 'towelheads' (her term) of being potential terrorists, that she would solve the Iraq situation by simply bombing the entire country to bits. Many times, cat - so no smear there. I had no intention of smearing Ms. Ingraham, and of course i apologize if I somehow did - but really, both she and those who listen to her are *proud* of her position, which i just recounted. i apologize if I was too cryptic in my post - the point wasn't the sighting, the point was the irony. I was attempting to point out that Ms. Ingraham, a self-proclaimed right-wing radio host who has supported the complete obliteration of Iraq through bombing raids, used XTC's "I'd Like That", a simple love song written by Andy Partridge, a songwriter known for his general pacifism and at times extreme contempt for diplomacy through military action as a 'theme song' on her radio show. It's ironic, as I'm completely sure AP would not like his simple, peaceful song to be used to promote such views. Add to that Ms. Ingraham's pro-Christianity stance (again, something she brings up all of the time, not my construct. Here's a quote from her book: "True Americans are white, southern, Christian, and Republican." (Shut Up and Sing, p. 32, 63)) and the same songwriter's views on deities in general (see "Dear God", one of XTC's most-recognized pieces), the irony doubles - which was my point. Had she (and her audience) known exactly who she was using to promote her show, she'd probably have chosen someone else. Lastly, considering Ms. Ingraham's constant berating and ridicule of anyone who doesn't share her point-of-view, the fact she was caught-out unknowingly playing a pacifist's love song invites comment, yes? So sweet and juicy, so you-so-deserved-that, such a comeuppance - but alas, no one knows the song, no one understands the irony, there's no way (at least in America) to keep someone from playing your song on the radio in any situation, so it's sad. The only people i could think of that would 'get it' were the Chalkhills Contingent. Genial? That's me. Collegial? Me again. Squeaky-clean for no apparent reason? Fuck no! We're all adults, don't f'n censor me. I'll respect the list in the way The List Boss has asked me to, and it's up to me and him if I decide to break that rule. You're completely welcome to skip past my little opinions. Lastly, Ryan - I'm surprised it's you that's so sensitive to language (which, I'd like to point out, I didn't use, and i checked the archives, there were no other responses i could find to my post, so there's no language there, either). Your Independent Content is, in my opinion, smart, funny, well-written, strongly opinionated, and quite radical in position. That's why I thinks it's F'n Cool. I'd suggest to anyone who hasn't received Independent Content from Mr. Anthony goes ahead and asks him for some - he's quite a writer, and a pretty damned good draw-er, too :) Duncan "couldn't think of an appropriate analog - "Ingraham playing Partridge is like..." Watt
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 06:39:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com> Subject: Ringo-a-go-go Message-ID: <20050719133956.90628.qmail@web32010.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi: Lots of talk about Ringo and appropriate drumming ... glad to see it being discussed. IMO, Ringo was awesome. And when it came to technique, he was no slouch. Listen to the BBC sessions, and you'll hear a top-notch bar-band drummer doing some *very* fast shuffles and really driving the band. The boy could play. Then, when the Beatles' music changed and became more complex, he had the intelligence and good taste to play in a more-simple manner, to let the music shine through. To draw an XTC parallel, we should look no further than our own Terry Chambers, who was perfectly willing to play simple, repetitive, wide-open parts, to give the other players the space and opportunity to move around. As he says in an interview found here (http://chalkhills.org/articles/TBTerry020705.html): "As things became a little bit more experimental for Andy, playing an empty drum pattern allowed him the room to put some ideas on top later in the recording process, if he wasn't sure of exactly what he wanted to put down himself. If I'd put in drum fills, and they were recorded there in certain spots, it didn't allow him very much space to have an alternative thing there later. So it became pretty much a set pattern -- he'd say, 'I'm going to do this, and if we leave it a bit open, that will leave us a little bit of scope later on.' So things were actually getting solved at a stage where some of them were actually getting put together in the studio, in a 'let's see what we can come up with' type of mode." Andy's dissed Terry as "not one of God's musicians" (just as Lennon dissed Ringo), but he's also admitted what a gift it was to have such a generous drummer in the band, one who was willing to listen and leave openings for the other musicians, rather than filling every gap with lookit-me fills. I think if you caught Lennon in a moment of candor, he'd say the same thing about Ringo. Simon Knight said it well, I thought: > his playing supports the song rather than dominates it: He wants to get > the song across, not try to impress everyone by showing off. Listen to the > subtle percussion variations usually found in the 2nd verses of the early > Beatles songs. Pure class. 'nuff said. On another note, Ryan Anthony objected to someone pointing out -- in what he viewed as a disparaging way -- the political orientation of a radio host who recently played an XTC song. In wanting to sanitize this post (for whose protection, btw?), I think you're missing the point, Ryan. After all, the post was about the irony of a right-wing radio host playing a love song written by a man whose political POV falls somewhere to the left of Che Guevara (it's a joke, but you get my point, right?). "Smears and Tourette's syndrome outbreaks"? WtF? I didn't see any cursing in the post, and such hosts are not shy about wearing their politics on their sleeves (and telling us what to do and how to live), so why should be we shy about pointing out their political orientation and the gaps of logic in their choices? Enquiring minds, etc. -Todd "If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." Thomas Pynchon, writer (1937- )
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:58:45 -0500 From: "Richard" <rjpa1@comcast.net> Subject: Wonderfalls on US TV Message-ID: <001401c58c72$5cd5c100$6801a8c0@hsd1.tx.comcast.net> >From Yahoo: ====== Wonderfalls (Logo, starts July 28): Behold, the wonder! Like little Stewie of Family Guy before them, the cast of Fox's tragically short-lived Wonderfalls has made a triumphant comeback on the Logo Network. Sadly, they won't be producing any new episodes, but all 13 originals (nine of which never aired in the U.S.) will be shown starting July 28. Wonderfalls creator Bryan Fuller tells me he's thrilled: "With political conservatives and the religious right peeing themselves about the 'homo problem,' it's an honor to see Wonderfalls be a part of Logo's launch. And since Fox kept telling us we couldn't have two women kiss, it's ironic to land on a network where the ladies can kiss all they want." ====== By the way, I still have copies of the King For A Day XTC tribute if anyone is interested. This morning, I got my first order in months. I hope all is well... I live in hell. Cheers, Richard
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:31:07 -0700 (PDT) From: The Colonel <captainextraneous@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Matthew Sweet Message-ID: <20050719163107.75354.qmail@web41211.mail.yahoo.com> >From Matt Kulak: >On one such recent listen, I >decided to re-acquaint myself with Matthew Sweet's >"Altered Beast", and then immediately following, his >"Girlfriend" release. I have to agree that Matthew Sweet produced some great power pop (and occasionally still does)!! "Girlfriend" is still one of my favorite albums ever, just one great song after another. If you don't have it, get it! If you like that, then check out "100% Fun," which is more concise, but possibly not quite as brilliant. "Altered Beast" (the album that came between the two aforementioned releases) has several great tracks too, though it's a little more hit-and-miss, and the production is a little strange. As for Sweet's more current work, the Japanese import release "Kimi Ga Suki" is (almost) on a par with those above... I was a bit disappointed with his most recent album, "Living Things," which is very laid back and seems to fall into songwriting complacency at several points... But again, I highly recommend "Girlfriend" and "100% Fun" if you have a power pop craving. -The Colonel
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 15:29:39 EDT From: Hbsherwood@aol.com Subject: Here Comes the Tourette's! Message-ID: <215.50eef6f.300eaea3@aol.com> > From: Ryan Anthony <hamsterranch@yahoo.com> > Subject: Chalkhills: a nearly Tourette's-free zone > [snip] > Had this sighting been announced this way -- "XTC > sighting: 'I'd Like That,' on Laura Ingraham's radio > show." -- the number of smears and Tourette's syndrome > outbreaks on the Hill could have been reduced to a > genial, collegial, zero. I'm going to be charitable and assume you didn't mean to imply that Duncan Watt's post was the result of an attack of Tourette's, but unfortunately that raises another question: Did you just tell the rest of us to *zip it*? To present it your way, Ryan, without adjectives, neutrally, _sotto voce_ so the children don't hear Mommy and Daddy fighting, is to remove *absolutely every atom of meaning the post contained.* A genial, collegial Stepford Post. Is that what you want Chalkhills to be? And would you please inform us, Ryan, at what point does subject matter assume topicality such that it must be subjected to the Ryan Anthony Gag Rule and have all adjectives surgically removed? Can you please let us know? What's the tipping point? Because I'm having a very hard time figuring out how you would expect the contributors to a newsletter whose chief subject is the men who gave us "Terrorism," "Books Are Burning," "Wrapped in Grey," "Generals and Majors," "This World Over" "My Land Is Burning," "No Thugs," and many more besides, to feel constrained from commenting negatively (if passingly) on a woman whose chief contribution to the world's literature is a messy, cramped little sub-Ann-Coulterian, anti-intellectual, musician-insulting tome called "Shut Up and Sing." Oh. Sorry. Too many adjectives. (Jesus. "Shut Up and Sing." The title alone makes me feel like streams of concentrated bile are going to shoot out my tear-ducts. And I should just *zip it*?) How would Laura Ingraham judge Andy Partridge? What would she tell her audience about a sex-positive, pagan, dirt-worshipping European atheist? What *adjectives* would she employ? What mercy could Andy expect at her hands? Harrison "Andy Partridge wants his song back" Sherwood PS: "xighting" was not a typo. PPS: I've looked high & low, and for the life of me I can't figure out what you mean: Who else mentioned in #11-29, besides Ingraham, holds (or held) "extreme political views"? Ringo? Ian MacDonald? Kevin Gilbert? P. Hux? Owsley? Who? Ahhhhh... You mean... LENNON. Anybody?
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 13:23:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Ed Miller <miller80112@yahoo.com> Subject: Money in 7/4, 5/4 and 4/4 or 28/4 Message-ID: <20050719202328.99445.qmail@web50306.mail.yahoo.com> >From the last 'hills... (snip) From: Chris & Melany <ellaguru@comcast.net> Subject: shocked & stunned Re:From: "Dave Smith" <David.Smith99@blueyonder.co.uk> Subject: Great drummers in great bands? Once again, however, few could argue that the songs on, say, "Dark Side of The Moon" or "Wish You Were Here" would sound as good without Nick's steady, metronomic 4/4. I have always thought Mason's strength is that steadiness. Even his back and forth switch between 5/4 and 4/4 in "Money" is the very model of a "backbone" on which the real virtuosity of the other Floyders can be showcased. ***hmm..i thought 'money' was in 7/4? slingerland & zildjians here.. chris (end snip) Okay, now you've got me thinking. I picked up the bass line to Money and it seemed like 5/4 to me, with a couple of 4/4 measures stuck at the end of each verse. Now, I'm not so sure. It could easily be 7/4. But... just sitting here tapping my foot and running through the song in my head, 7/4 seems to work out better. Or is this akin to one of the XTC songs... can't recall which one.... where one guitar plays in 5/4 and the other is in 4/4. Only Andy could come up with that one. Regards.... Ed Miller
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #11-34 *******************************
Go back to Volume 11.
20 July 2005 / Feedback