Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 65
Date: Thursday, 21 January 1999

          Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 65

                Thursday, 21 January 1999

Today's Topics:

                    Re : gribouillage
           Apple Venus Vinyl....Excellent News
                Re. Premature Ejaculations
                  Yazbek on Apple Venus
       Just Like A Mad Dog You're Chasing Your Tail
             Anyone else hear the similarity?
                       Demos Wanted
                    Origin of blowing
         Release dates and a first listen to AV1
                      Strange news!
       Top Ten Artists-I-Just-Made-Up of 1998, etc.
                RE: Canadian Release Dates
                   a couple of replies
                     La-La-Londinium
                   Re: XTC better than
                           NEWS
George Martin; XTC spottings; plagiarism; Django; "blows"
         Thanks Cooking Vinyl! Gold Skylarking...
                     Long time no see
                    Limited Edition AV
            AV1 artwork - what's the picture?
                     Re: Apple Vinyl
                  RE: Message from Andy

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Cause it's Buzzcity talking.

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

Message-Id: <9901199167.AA916743587@ccmgate.carat.fr>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 99 11:48:08 +0100
From: fsolans@carat.fr (SOLANS, Frederic)
Subject: Re : gribouillage

     Salut aux gens de la colline

     Harrison wrote :

     >Fredo: I will go to my grave insisting that Django Reinhardt was the
     >greatest guitarist who ever lived. And like DavidOh, he did it with
     >many fewer fingers than he was born with.

     >Say, Mr. Bass-Playing Francophone Person, maybe you can enlighten us:
     >What does "Gribouillage" mean?

     well !
     at last we have a begining of explanation about DavidOh mystery !!
     (big laugh when I read you !). And I agree with your Django's POV, of
     course. Little correction about him : a fellow Chalks bash me about my
     "french gipsy" mention....Django was born in BELGIUM !!(but came in
     France at 10 y.o).
     I'm not sure I'm going to enlight anything, but here it is the Harap's
     definition : Gribouillage => scrawl, scribble, doodle

     Thanks for all who have expressed indulgence about people who haven't
     English as first language...I'm very, very concerned !!!

     A la prochaine

     Fredo Fat bassman

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

Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 12:24:04 +0000 (GMT)
From: Chris Clee <cmc@sanger.ac.uk>
Subject: Apple Venus Vinyl....Excellent News
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.00.9901191221221.25169-100000@piranha>

yipeeeeeeeee they are releasing it on vinyl too, take a look at the reply
i got

ttfn...........email saves the day

chris

thought for the day; Life might be much simpler without human interaction,
but it would be pretty boring,


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 10:59:00 +0000
From: Mail Order <mailorder@cookingvinyl.demon.co.uk>
To: cmc@sanger.ac.uk
Subject: Re: xtc apple venus

Chris

I'm sure that you'll be happy to hear that Apple Venus will be released
on vinyl and that the release date should be 22 February!

Claire Munro

In message <199901180505_MC2-66FD-ADC4@compuserve.com>, Cooking Vinyl
<Cooking_Vinyl@compuserve.com> writes
>
>
>-------------Forwarded Message-----------------
>
>From:  Chris Clee, INTERNET:cmc@sanger.ac.uk
>To:    [unknown], Cooking_Vinyl
>Date:  15/01/99 13:56
>
>RE:    xtc apple venus
>As I own all of the available XTC back catalog on vinyl and you are called
>cooking vinyl as to wheather you could press a few "real" albums for us
>old fogey die hards (go on you did it for all the wedding present
>releases)...go on you know it makes sense...press us a few real LP's (or
>my custom built record containment facility will have an unfillable
>space),
>
>anyway i must admit to looking forward to hearing the finished product,

--
Mail Order

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

Message-ID: <000501be43b5$5d438440$bf5908c3@edhouse>
From: "Stuart & Pauline Mitchell" <edhouse@clara.co.uk>
Subject: Re. Premature Ejaculations
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 14:07:37 -0000

(De-lurking...)

In Chalkhills #5-62, John Morrish wrote:

>Anyway, I'd just like to briefly join the gloat-fest by saying that I too
>have the the AVI advance copy, but I won't be saying a dickie bird about
>it until it is actually released.

Er, you just did!

To all those Chalkhills readers who are feeling cheesed off because of
people like this (which can surely be their only intention - nice people
don't gloat), I would say just forget it, because in a few weeks we'll all
be equal and these people will have to find something else to willy-wave
about.

My wife (who is as big an XTC fan as anyone, having followed them since
their very first record) has the right attitude. She doesn't want me to buy
her the new album until her birthday, which falls a couple of weeks after
the release, as she reckons that would be the best birthday present ever
after such a long wait. So sometimes it's true when they say that he (or
she) who laughs last laughs longest...

Stuart Mitchell

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

Message-Id: <v02140b01b2ca4d82ad11@[208.251.162.222]>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 09:59:59 -0500
From: gloop@ntr.net (Yazbek)
Subject: Yazbek on Apple Venus

This is David Yazbek and here are Three things:

1. I just heard Apple Venus and it's the best album I've listened to in
about five years.

2.  That guy who said Dave Gregory is merely derivative is wrong.  He's one
of the greats.

3.  I'm playing with my full band (including horns) at Baby Jupiter in NYC
on Thursday, 1/28 at 10 o'clock.

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

Message-Id: <199901191928.UAA09068@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 20:38:18 +0000
Subject: Just Like A Mad Dog You're Chasing Your Tail

Dear Chalkers,

First of all: enough with all the arguments and disagreements!
I really think we should all try to remember that this forum is first
and foremost dedicated to discussions about or relating to XTC and
not our pet likes or dislikes in politics, religion or (dare i say
it) spelling.

Now it's only a couple of weeks before the incredible, awesome
mindblowing new album Apple Venus Volume One ( to be lovingly
referred to as AV1 from now on - agreed?) will be revealed in full
splendour to all of us, including Molly.

Isn't it time we started to plan a party instead of a fight? Some
kind of (online) event, a mega chatroom perhaps or a couple of
gatherings 'in real life' on the various continents?
For Andy's sake; it's been SEVEN years and i want to celebrate

PS: (switching to GLOAT MODE now, you have been warned!)
Once, during the very early 80's, I met John Leckie and shook his
hand. Now am i cool or what? :)

yours in xtc,

Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
 http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
     or http://come.to/xtc

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

Message-Id: <s6a47d69.054@tcwgroup.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 12:40:48 -0800
From: "Dane Pereslete" <peresd@tcwgroup.com>
Subject: Anyone else hear the similarity?

Denizens of the Diatomaceous,

W. Loring commented in #5-61:

>The "Dinosaur Egg" project
>sounds fascinating! I'd love to hear him do some of my old fave "prog
>rock" stuff. Interpretations of old KC and Genesis and other stuff would
>be interesting to hear from Mr. Gregory.

I feel that Mr. Gregory has already done this to some extent with XTC.
Just listen to the solo in "Smartest Monkeys"!!  doesn't it sound ex-
actly like Keith Emerson?  I always have to remind myself what group
I am listening to whenever I hear that solo. ;-)

XTC sotd: English Roundabout
NON-XTC sotd: Offramp - Pat Metheny Group (3 Grammy nom's this year!)

*----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Logging in from beautiful Glendale, CA  USA
 "All the Wisconsin-ites have finally gone"
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Message-ID: <E936F9674805D111BCED0000F87889809A7A65@svr02.bclc.com>
From: Neil Oliver <NOLIVER@bclc.com>
Subject: Demos Wanted
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 13:48:41 -0800

Hi folks:

Since I don't think they're likely to turn up on album anywhere, I
wonder if someone out there would be so kind as to get me copies of the
following tunes:

It Didn't Hurt a Bit
The Man Who Murdered Love
The Ship Trapped in the Ice
I Don't Want to Be Here
Where Did the Ordinary People Go?
Skeletons

I'm afraid I have nothing to offer but my gratitude...

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

Message-ID: <36A50EAF.7F15@heraldonline.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 18:01:06 -0500
From: BPeschel@heraldonline.com (Bill Peschel)
Organization: The Herald
Subject: Origin of blowing

Greetings, chalkers;

Here's an educated guess on the origin of blowing, as in "REM blows."

Consider it a shorthand for 'blowing chunks' a.k.a. vomiting (insert
stream of other euphamisms here, e.g., hurling, technicolor yawn,
opening a used-car lot ("Buick!"), driving the porcelin bus, etc.)

-- Bill Peschel
Book page editor, Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald

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

Message-Id: <36A50DFF.2C636CFF@linex.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 14:58:07 -0800
From: Ben Brand <bbrand@linex.com>
Subject: Release dates and a first listen to AV1

Regarding the small debate about the release date in the United States:

For whatever it's worth, I have an advance copy of AV1 which says:
"Release Date: 3/2/99."
In the press release material that accompanied the disc, it says that
"I'd Like That" is the album's first single (seemed an odd choice to me,
but nothing on the disc screams "single" to me.)

Because it is an advance copy, there is no cover art to speak of, no
lyric sheet, etc. Just 11 great tracks. After a six year desert, I'm
glad to have made it to the oasis.

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

Message-Id: <199901192303.AAA28253@online.no>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 00:09:18 +0100
From: karl Ovre <karloe@online.no>
Subject: Strange news!

Hello all!

I was lisening to a nationwide radiostation here in Norway today when
suddenly "Life begins at the hop" pops up. After the song finished, the dj
said that, finally after seven years bla, bla, bla, TVT in USA says feb.
22, bla, bla, AND the band is back as their orginal lineup, the same four
people that started XTC in 77 have gotten together again. She said this
twice. Hmmmm! She also said that all the info was from their american dis.
TVT.

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

Message-ID: <697A4CA51395D111A658AA00040058069D9F2A@NT6>
From: "Wiencek, Dan" <wiencek@aaos.org>
Subject: Top Ten Artists-I-Just-Made-Up of 1998, etc.
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 17:23:58 -0600

Bryce, a newcomer who is quite bright and really ought to post more,
said this:

    other than an occasional mention of Lauryn Hill, no-one seemed to
    include anything that basked on a Billboard Sales Chart for any
    significant amount of time.  Don't get me wrong--I found the lists
    informative, and the recommendations of fellow XTC fans is more
    substantial to me than a random music magazine reviewer who listens to
    god-knows-what on his free time. And it's an opportunity to hear about
    artists who AREN'T sucking up all the press.  But there's this
    underlying sense of fear of claiming to like anything that has sold more
    than a few dozen copies, or may have been--gasp, choke--purchased by a
    fourteen-year-old somewhere in the world.

Whew.  So I'm not the only one who read all those lists and thought,
"How the fuck do those people hear about these artists?"  Like Bryce
says, please don't misunderstand--I treasure the recommendations of
other Chalkhills folk, and have been turned on to some very good people
through them.  But come on!  Didn't anyone else think Setzer's "The
Dirty Boogie" was a really good, really fun album?  Doesn't anyone
listen to Lucinda Williams or Liz Phair or Beck?  These artists (and
more besides), who released excellent records last year, barely dented
the posted lists (though I was glad to see Bragg + Wilco's "Mermaid
Avenue" get some favorable attention, which it deserved).  Personally,
my favorite album of last year was "Trampoline," by the Mavericks, a
major-label (Mercury) country release without a bad song on it.  (Though
I can't attest to how many fourteen-year-olds actually bought it.)

Sure, part of my reaction is simple envy.  I live in Chicago, which
probably has the worst radio scene of any major city in America.  It's
almost impossible to hear really interesting, different new music on the
radio in this city.  To fill a year's-best top ten with little-known
artists would be impossible for me.  But I, too, wonder if there isn't
some self-consciousness at work here, a little presentation for your
fellow subscribers ("Man, I don't want them to know I listened to
*that*!").  If I'm wrong, fine, flame away.  But I can't be the only one
stuck in a musical drought-stricken area, who proudly crowned a major
release as his yearly favorite.

XTC content:
Where in the *dickens* is the Apple Venus cover art?  Is this why the
release date keeps getting pushed back?  And isn't it a bit premature,
sending preview disks out for review more than a month in advance of the
album's street date?  I keep imagining that if by some fluke an
uncommitted record buyer was actually moved to pick up AV based on a
review, he'd have a devil of a time finding it: not only is it not out
yet, most record stores don't even know to expect it.  And by the time
the album did come out, Mr. Hypothetical Undecided Record Buyer will
probably have forgotten it and set his sights on another purchase.  I
worry so ...

Au revoir,

Dan
* ___________________________

Dan Wiencek
American Academy
of Orthopaedic Surgeons
(847) 384-4125
www.aaos.org

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

Message-ID: <E936F9674805D111BCED0000F87889809A7A6A@svr02.bclc.com>
From: Neil Oliver <NOLIVER@bclc.com>
Subject: RE: Canadian Release Dates
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 16:09:46 -0800

	>The March 2 release date in Canada makes sense, since release
	>dates in the Canadian market commonly occur 2 weeks after the
	>US release (sadly).

	I don't generally find this to be the case, at least not with
major label releases. However, it did seem to take a while for
Transistor Blast to make it to stores in Vancouver, so I don't know how
good TVT's Canadian distribution is. I'll be driving to Bellingham to
get mine if I have to!

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

From: pann@gate.net
Message-ID: <36A521F3.570F@gate.net>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 19:23:15 -0500
Subject: a couple of replies

Hello Fellow XTC fans, friends, and luminaries:

> From: Constantine Pappas <locp@clark.net>

> If possible, everyone on the list should try to buy two (or more) copies
> of AV-1 right when it comes out.  Give the extra to a friend.

I am really looking forward to doing this, actually. I am convinced that
I will win at least 2 new converts with this release....they are both
somewhat "ready", (I guess thats the right way to describe it...) for
Xtc, and I am ready to use them as guinea pigs... Let the experiment
begin! (cue to sound of evil scientist laughing sinisterly in
background....)

from cookingvinyl:

> the good news is that AV1 is a big release and we will do it on vinyl! - UK
> release date Feb 23rd - more info from mailorder@cookingvinyl.demon.co.uk

is that going to also be released in the good ol' US of A?

> From: Chris Clee <cmc@sanger.ac.uk>

> Phil said
>
> >Collecting CDs is an expensive business. I have lost count of how
>
> >many I have (it's over 1000), but then again I drive around in a 10
> >year old Austin Maestro (made almost entirely of rust), because I
> >can't justify the expense of a new car,
>
> Me too and I'm about to trade it in for a newish Skoda   hehe lets face it
> cars are a ripoff, gotta keep that vinyl/cd collection happy

Yes! music is a buying addiction for me, pure and simple. I make no
excuses, offer no apologies, and take no prisoners on my record
hunts...  I have always wondered why, as a visual artist ( a painter),
music has more power over me than art, I think. I love art, and the
process of painting, etc...but music moves me more than any of the other
arts...a song can get to my soul quicker than any painting I've ever
seen. A friend of mine is a writer, but she loves painting more! Is that
how it is for most everyone in an art field? Do we love a certain area,
practice it, but all REALLY love another area? Anyone have a similar
take on this? Or is it just (gulp) me?
 Maybe its because painting is not only a passion for me but its WORK,
too...music is my release. Or maybe I am just a frustrated
musician....at least I can crank up Xtc while I am in my studio
painting, (which is whats been happening a lot lately...) Which also
leads me into: how certain music can affect and influence the mood of a
painting; what I am listening to whilst painting. How does listening to
oh, Xtc or Skinny Puppy or De la Soul or Stereolab or Thelonius Monk or
whatever, feed into the creative process? Does what you listen to
influence what you see? Or would a painting be the same regardless if
music is played while working or not? Sorry to bore some of you with
this, but this list is quite simply the best one I've seen, and I always
learn something here....

Another month till the big payoff!!!!

wishing to remain anomalous,

Perry Pandrea

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

From: Melsta@aol.com
Message-ID: <61508121.36a52a20@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 19:58:08 EST
Subject: La-La-Londinium

Hey Chipmunks!

Happy New Year - the Year of the Apple.

From: "Neal H. Buck" <nealhbuck@erols.com>

> BTW, I'm planning a trip to London in mid-March, and would love to meet
> some of you native Chalkers. I'll be staying near the Marble Arch. Maybe
> a tour of Swindon would be in order. Maybe Andy would be home, who
> knows? If you're interested, you know my address.

Way to steal my thunder, Dude! Actually, I'M planning a trip to London in
LATE March, and I'LL be staying in EALING (with my non-XTC fan husband) and
would ALSO love to meet up with some Chalkers. I'm planning a solo excursion
to Swindon one of the days I'll be there. The husband is positively
mortified by this fact. Would someone mind giving me an idea what the train
fare is between London and Swindon? Haven't been able to find prices on the
web.

I'll be in England from the 19th to the 28th of March. My Swindon sojourn
has no date scheduled as of yet, but I'd enjoy meeting anyone else who feels
like visiting our heroes' hometown, even if only to raise a glass in the pub
or somesuch.  Another question -- can one get to the White Horse via public
transport? I don't plan on doing any driving. Any info would be much
appreciated.

As to whether Andy will be home, with my luck, and the fact that they've got
new material to promote, he and Colin will likely be out promoting it. I
just hope they're not in Ohio while I'm in England!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I'm here, I wanted to weigh in with my 1998 top ten. I'll just list
names, since that's pretty much all I read of other people's lists.

In alphabetical order:

Autor de Lucie - Immobile
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach - Painted from Memory
Combustible Edison - The Impossible World
Francis Dunnery - Let's Go Do What Happens
Neil Finn - Try Whistling This
Jocelyn Montgomery with David Lynch - Lux Vivens
Rialto - Rialto
XTC - Jan's Sister's Fast
Yazbek - Tock

Right now the number one pick (besides the obvious, so, okay, the number two
pick) would have to be the Elvis. I want to thank everyone who talked this
up.  It's really super. Thanks also to those who gave the heads up on
Francis Dunnery & Rialto. And to Yazbek, just for being Yazbek.

Our own fliegender Hollaender Mark Strijbos has a lovely "artist's
conception" of the Apple Venus cover art on his website. It's such a
wonderfully picturesque title -- not in that it suggests any particular
picture, but that it's open to so many possible interpretations. I would
like to see something along the lines of Botticelli's Birth of Venus with
the head replaced by a Magritte apple. I'd love to see y'all's ideas. Dare I
invite you to submit your artwork to the website?  I think I just did.  If
you're not artistic, at least describe your vision as I did.

Looking forward to new aural ecstasy,

Melissa "yes I took art history in college and now I'm an expert" Reaves

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

Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19990119201657.006bd66c@pop.mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 20:16:57 -0500
From: "Todd E. Jones" <toddjones@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: XTC better than

All this talk of bands XTC is better than got me to thinking.  Why limit
these comparisons to other bands? Here are some things we can all agree are
vastly inferior to XTC:

1) A 73 Ford Pinto with a leaky gastank and a flat tire
2) That dried ketchup that accumulates on the threads of a ketchup bottle
screw top
3) My third girlfriend with that weird smell (you know.)
4) NPR correspondent Noah Adams (smug to the extreme)
5) The third Apes sequel, "Return to the Planet of the Apes" (too fake!)
6) The Carolina Panthers NFL football team
7) The current Saturday Night live script writers (cast is good, though
still a cut below XTC)
8) That punk kid who keyed my car when it was only 6 months new
9) My old Korg Poly 61 synthesizer whose keys crapped out (plus is
digitally controlled oscillators were too sterile)
10) Your average litigation lawyer

REM, Crash Test Dummies, Fastball are all too different from our fave
Swindonians, but the above comparisons offer far more insightful parallels
into their greatness.

Luv Ya,

Todd Jones
Manager, Producer, Insect Massage Therapist, Janitor
HUGE sound generation and capture facility
Cape Fear River Basin, NC
http://www.mindspring.com/~toddjones

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

From: "Wesley Hanks" <whanks@earthlink.net>
Subject: NEWS
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 17:22:37 -0800
Message-ID: <000001be4413$5dc1c540$0c1c1d26@wes>

Friends,
Spoke to the nice folks at TVT today and have the following tidbits to pass
on:

1) Per TVT the release date of AV1 is March 2, "with the possibility of it
being pushed back to Feb. 23rd"

2) Andy is doing the cover art, which is pending finalization.

3) Andy will be in the states for a few weeks beginning in mid February for
a "mini promo tour" which will probably consist of radio and television
appearances/interviews and record store appearances. The appearances will
consist of "anything but performing live" (Andy's wish), but are promised to
be "very creative". His interview schedule is quite full - scheduled for 20
plus interviews a week "with only Fridays off". He is however, approaching
the interviews with a very positive attitude. Due to the status of things
being negotiated, TVT could not release any further details now. This is all
I have.

TVT is very enthused about promoting the release, looking forward to the
coming weeks, so cheer up, ya crybabies ;-)

Be positive, things are going to get really interesting,
Wes

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

From: STakesh@aol.com
Message-ID: <4637d1e8.36a56e70@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 00:49:36 EST
Subject: George Martin; XTC spottings; plagiarism; Django; "blows"

Hi, Chalkfolk,

Attention, Beatles fanatics in the NJ-NY area: George Martin is giving a
"multi media lecture" on the making of the legendary Sgt. Pepper LP,
2/25/99, 8PM, at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank.  Tix are $25 (ouch!).
Comments, Q's - please email me privately.

Thanks to Vince for tipping us off to the Sound and Vision magazine high-end
speakers & Apple Venus Vol. 1 review feature, with Andy and Colin.  Good
fun, although the hardware is a bit pricey.  And no, I wouldn't (and didn't)
buy the mag for that feature, either.

I just found a cutout copy of the 1993 Rhino D.I.Y.-series entry, "Starry
Eyes: U.K. Pop II (1978-79)," which includes "Life Begins at the Hop," along
with a nice write-up on the band, and also an absolutely fabulous photo of
the Andy-Colin-Terry-Dave lineup, too (which looks circa 1981-2 to me).  The
fab four are possibly caught unawares by the photographer sharing a
semi-private moment, grinning at each other with soppy "I love you, man"
looks.  I think they were preparing to pose for the shot, but were still
winding up their conversation, and hadn't fully lined up against the
wall... Andy in particular looks like he'd has his happy pills that day.
Um, let me rephrase that...  Andy's just got this huge, sloppy, warm & fuzzy
grin on his face, awright?

Is there anyone who has this disc who can scan this photo for this website?
It's really a gem, and a document from happier times.  Sorry if this
write-up is redundant, but I don't recall this being mentioned before.

I'm including the brief liner notes write-up at the end of this email.

For what it's worth, I highly recommend the DIY series, which generally
selects interesting tracks for their various compilations, often by lesser-
known acts.

Here's the Rhino/D.I.Y. bit:
"Immensely likeable as XTC was, the group's dazzlingly clever pop music was
still struggling for a breakthrough hit in 1979.  Though their talents were
much admired, it was ironic that their first sniff of commercial success
should come not from resident genius Andy Partridge but from the rather
simpler and calmer pen of bassist Colin Moulding.  "Life Begins at the Hop"
is a nicely observed account of the underage discos 'round which the lives
of small-town English teenagers then revolved.  XTC's members themselves
grew up to make quintessential English records that are loved everywhere but
England.
***********************

And Chris Coolidge wrote in response to Amanda Owens:

     The point is, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" uses
     the same chord changes in the bridge section(you know, yimme yi, yimme
     yo, etc.)as the intro to my song. But that's OK, mine in turn
     resembles the fadeout on The The's "Uncertain Smile," which I'm not
     sure I'd even heard when I wrote the song.

Well, IMHO Peter Murphy's "Cuts You Up" [or whatever that song was called]
bore a fundamental resemblance to "Uncertain Smile" -- if memory serves.  I
kept waiting to hear about the plagiarism lawsuit after I heard that one...
but I don't think one ever materialized.

And as for Paula Cole and that genuinely dreadful song of hers (which has
the same effect on me as acrylic nails shredded on 12-foot-long
blackboards), the less said of any presumed XTC influence on her, the
better.  Not to wax censoriously, though.  Just because she thinks she's
influenced by XTC doesn't mean she has, or has managed to learn anything
from them.  Hey, I'd like to be able to write erudite short stories in the
manner of Borges, or go totally apeshit like Harrison Sherwood, but there is
such a thing as genius "sui generis".  Not to mention "non compos mentis".
8 )

As for Amanda's privileged ear, I have to admit I'm green with envy, and
I'll never eat jambalaya again.  (Nawww...)

As for Django Reinhardt's missing fingers -- according to the liner notes of
a 2-CD set of his, when he was 18, his left hand was badly burned and healed
deformed, but he hadn't really lost any fingers.

Yes, Robert Wood, if something "blows" it also "sucks".  If that's crazy
enough to raise an Englishman's eyebrows (or is that "raze"?)  8 > , imagine
how Americans react when Brit crits (like writers for "Time Out" and "Q")
dismissively refer to things as "cod".  I take it that isn't "Cash On
Delivery".  Is cod supposed to mean "fishy," as in suspicious?  Or
half-baked, not competently or satisfactorily executed or completed?  Or
otherwise stupid, warmed-over, plastic, formulaic, predictable, unrealistic,
expedient, etc. etc.  Any English person is invited to drop me a line on
this...

[sigh] time to punch the clock,
Stephanie Takeshita

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

From: "Gerardo Tellez" <gtellez@access1.net>
Subject: Thanks Cooking Vinyl! Gold Skylarking...
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 22:24:46 -0800
Message-ID: <000001be443d$9381be40$686768cf@ns1.access1.net>

> how many minidiscs will you buy?

Sorry, but I don't own one (or know anyone that owns one). Does anyone on
this list own a minidisc player? What's so good about them, besides that
they are "mini"? If it's because you can record on them, can't you just buy
a CD-R?

> the good news is that AV1 is a big release and we will do it on
> vinyl! - UK
> release date Feb 23rd - more info from mailorder@cookingvinyl.demon.co.uk

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

One more thing....
The gold Skylarking CD has one thing that is cool. The way that the case and
the CD looks are much better. I don't know how O&L is though.
Gerardo

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

From: Blushift@aol.com
Message-ID: <bca16775.36a57805@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 01:30:29 EST
Subject: Long time no see

Hello all, haven't posted for awhile, but have been reading aplenty.

Old stuff:
-Meant to send back more reviews of Chalkhills Children 98 sooner, but the
holidays and work left my creative phrasing ideas rather flat.  Let it suffice
to say that it has remained by the side of my cd player since November with
its new trusty sidekick Transistor Blast as part of my 'Must Have To Play At
(A Moment's Notice)' stack.

-Thank God we're off the Phil Collins rope

-Molly: Chill a bit girl - We're mostly friendly people here and some of us,
I'm sure, have worked hard to get to point where we can indulge a bit to buy
something special.  Make it a goal.

New Stuff:
>From Neal Buck:
>>I heard a short clip of Andy & Colin saying hello to
>>the morning guy, Lou (Lew?) Brutus

Sounds like this might be the same jock from the late Rock103.5 here in
Chicago.  If it is, he was good at his work as long as he didn't try to mimic
all of the other Howard Stern-ish idiots on the station.

>Cooking Vinyl!!
How cool is this to have someone who actually reads our messages and responds
as a normal person should by bypassing all of the usual corporate rhetoric.
Please keep in touch.  You have all of my respect.

>From Robert Wood:
>>Whether the CD is made of gold, platinum or Cadbury's Dairy Milk, the
>>numbers that are read will always be the same

As I understand it, the difference between Aluminum and Gold is that the
particles/molecules? for aluminum are of inconsistent nature, whereas gold is
very consistent.  For Example (side views of cd pits):

ALUM:
OoOOooO         ooOOooOoO
       OooOoOoOo

GOLD:
OOOOOOOO        OOOOOOOO
        OOOOOOOO

This leads to a more 'correct' reading of the cd in that the laser doesn't
have to compensate for as many mis-directed beams.  I doubt that this actually
makes the cd sound better, but it makes your player work less hard.  BIG DEAL!
Although "you can't polish a turd", you can put a nice shiny ribbon on it and
get $28 bucks for it on eBay.

>From Bryce:
>>There's a fickle 'cooler-than-thou' atmosphere which
>>permeates this list

I don't think reading through the wealth of musical diversity should be
considered at all an attempt at snobbery.  Why go on here about about the
latest Black Crowes, Marilyn Manson, Jewel, Alanis Morisette or (insert
favorite Top 10 artist here) when every other entertainment news show is more
than glad to give their half-hearted to semi-glamorous reviews of them every
weekend.  Let alone the radio stations that will play them to death in heavy
rotation.

As an ex-music store manager, I took great comfort in finding those obscure
nuggets of bands/artists that never got their true shot from lack of promotion
or otherwise.  These days, there are literally thousands of songs out there
that my ears are dying for, but will never hear of unless brought to my
attention.  As soon as my year end bills are paid up (take note Molly), I will
seek out some of the more interesting ones I have seen here in the past 3
months.  Some will suck, some will rock.

Still shoveling in Chicago,
Cheers, Spanky (sometimes goes by David)

P.S.  Would love to see Andy's review of CC98 >>
Andy: "Please let me procure Spanky to produce the Y2K remix-retrospective XTC
compilation"
Me:  "Sure lad, I'll pop over on the next Concorde out"
(just dreaming)

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

Message-ID: <007901be4451$cadbe140$715791d2@johnboud>
From: "John Boudreau" <aso1@mocha.ocn.ne.jp>
Subject: Limited Edition AV
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 17:48:47 +0900

I PROMISE THIS WILL BE THE LAST MESSAGE RE: JAPANESE LTD. ED. APPLE VENUS .

I just received a call from XTC's label in Japan PONY CANYON . They NOW say
that AV with the 24 page photo booklet ( and thicker case ) IS the LTD.
EDITION .

Phew ....

John in Japan

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

Message-Id: <s6a59e54.074@plextek.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 09:13:45 +0000
From: Philip Lawes <PJL@plextek.co.uk>
Subject: AV1 artwork - what's the picture?

Calling all AV1 promo copy owners: what's the artwork of the new album
like (if it's the finished product that you have)?  Is it another AP
concept?  How will it expand to the promised vinyl release?

Only a few weeks to go I know, but I'm curious.

Phil.

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

Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 04:35:21 -0500
From: Cooking Vinyl <Cooking_Vinyl@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Apple Vinyl
Message-ID: <199901200436_MC2-6746-C615@compuserve.com>

Message text written by INTERNET:<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>
>I haven't had my CD-player connected to my stereo for several months. But
I have put the plugs in today and are now only waiting for Apple Venus.
Even a vinylfreak has to surrender when it comes to the worlds best
popgroup<

why - we will release it on vinyl???

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

Message-ID: <36A5B493.6FAA4A64@dlr.de>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1999 10:48:51 +0000
From: "paul hosken" <paul.hosken@dlr.de>
Subject: RE: Message from Andy

Peter Fitzpatrick said:

> He's off to France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Belgium, America & Japan
> over the next several weeks to promote APPLE VENUS....so keep your
> eyes peeled - you just never know where he's gonna turn up.

Does anyone know who's handling the release of AV in Germany so
that I can try and find out where and when Andy'll be promoting
the album?  An email address or telephone number would be great.

Paul

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

End of Chalkhills Digest #5-65
******************************

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21 January 1999 / Feedback