Chalkhills Digest Volume 9, Issue 54
Date: Sunday, 9 November 2003
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 9, Number 54
Sunday, 9 November 2003
Topics:
Mandy Moore, reviewed...
Cheshire Cousin gig
Re: Spice Milli on Ice
Re: Hook, Line and Sinker
...is Dave really?
Decemberists
Mandy Moore Working Overtime
King For A Day!!!!
Mandy NoMore, Crash Test Duds, Some album recommendations
Edit For The Right Reasons
Scooby Don't
VH1 Classics
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 17:42:39 -0500 From: Benjamin Gott <bgott@rectoryschool.org> Subject: Mandy Moore, reviewed... Message-ID: <31ABB92F-0F18-11D8-AF7B-0003931489DA@rectoryschool.org> Gang, Here's the beginning of Noel Murray's review of Mandy Moore's "Coverage." Just thought you'd like to know! The opening 20 seconds of Mandy Moore's all-covers album Coverage should tell most listeners where they stand on the project. The record opens with Moore's version of XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," which the teen pop sensation and producer John Fields have dressed up with synthetic record scratching, background singers, and a funky rhythm track. Fans of the original will either rip the disc out of their players before Moore hits the chorus orthe better choiceapplaud the singer's taste and enjoy the chance to hear a new radio-friendly pop song with more than one hook. As for those who haven't heard XTC before, it's hard to say what they'll think; for certain they won't have the fun of wondering whether, when Moore sings the words "football" and "biscuit," she has the same pictures in her head that were in Andy Partridge's. Go to http://www.theonionavclub.com if you want to read on. -Ben
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 19:38:38 -0800 From: Ian Dahlberg <idahlberg@socal.rr.com> Subject: Cheshire Cousin gig Message-ID: <8AFFDFFC-0F41-11D8-A206-000393696C30@socal.rr.com> Hey Folks, We called ourselves Cheshire Cousin, but now we're going by Drummed & Wired. Who knows what we'll be called next time (suggestions?). At any rate, what's more important is that we're the same four people playing your Xtc favorites live in L.A. Our last gig of the year is upon us and you're cordially invited! So set your PDAs for stun with the following info.... Drummed & Wired (formerly Cheshire Cousin) Nov. 21st, 10pm at Taix, 1911 Sunset Blvd (near Alvarado), Los Angeles. Admission: Free! - No Drink Minimum! http://www.taixfrench.com/ Selections from Black Sea, English Settlement, Drums & Wires, and more.... See you there!
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 22:39:31 -0800 (PST) From: Lee Owens <leenashville@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Spice Milli on Ice Message-ID: <20031105063931.92758.qmail@web12204.mail.yahoo.com> one more thing yes, i realize milli, spice and ice are things of the past...they just came to mind as some of the most monumentally stupid things of the past 15 or 20 years....
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 22:35:45 -0800 (PST) From: Lee Owens <leenashville@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Hook, Line and Sinker Message-ID: <20031105063545.79033.qmail@web12203.mail.yahoo.com> one other possibility seems to have been passed over as to the reason the labels, powers that be, etc. seem to be suffering...................... they have passed on major markets by ignoring the public's tastes by expecting the great god of payola (yes, you heard me mention the unmentionable word...) to still rule with an iron fist AND IT JUST DID NOT DELIVER. they have long crammed sub-standard garbage down the unsuspecting public's throats and we have bought it hook, line and sinker. it is the way things have always been done. "independent" record men have been hired to illegally buy radio and video time with money, women drugs (whatever it took) and they could literally break a record of someone passing gas if they wished to do so. whether or not we like it is not the issue though....it is how much they can cram it down our throats or the kid's throats...if it gets enough play...we won't have any choice but to buy it....that is just peer pressure....we will HAVE TO HAVE IT! when they did make a sound marketing decision that was also artistically pleasing as well...they would drop the ball .....well...just look what they did with Bonnie Raitt by catering to the largest group of people ever on the planet "the boomers". then what happened....did we see much more marketing to them.....SORRY....sadly, NO! the perfect example is the rap phenomenon. it has been sold for years in all its hype as "something so big...it sprang out of the urban areas and could not be stopped"....nothing could be further from the truth. in the late seventies and early eighties when the music business was in huge trouble from the excesses of that time (example: ridiculous budgets like almost a million dollars for "The Long Run" by the Eagles and most of that in drugs supposedly)...the music business had to find a way to bail out....someone saw that guys like Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash were tearing up the clubs and making a fortune selling these custom made things out of their cars and small offices and they cost very very little to make.....HMMMMMM. it does not take a genius to see that the gross profit figures on an album that cost $5000 are huge compared to an album that cost $800,000. if you are a businessman, into what are you going to place your money...the $5000 payola or the $800,000? since it is a stacked deck and you are gonig to win anyway...it is just common sense....the next thing you have is a new trend where you can control anyone you want....get the picture? every penny went into it...it became a MONEY MACHINE! the next thing you had was every kid on the planet wanting to do it, be it....etc etc etc.....for twenty years now.....AMAZING! all from gross profit....and payola....HMMMMMMMMM that may have been fine....UNTIL the corporate attorneys decided to go independent and decided to bite the hand that fed them..........WAHOO.....the "big boys" took it for granted they would always win no matter what.....well....WELCOME TO THE NEW MILENNIUM BOYS! another problem lies in the fear of the independents to create solidarity for themselves. at least ani difranco and andy and a few others say..."you know what...you sure as hell can fight city hall !" ani stood up and told several majors...."why should i give you money i am already making?" until the independents REALLY band together and stop turning on each other out of their own greed...(which makes them no better than the "big boys)...this stalemate will probably go on and the big boys will probably win out in the end and idiotic arguments like "oh, they are not ALL bad!" will win out. BULLSHIT! they have robbed the singer and songwriter for a hundred years now. it is time we made our own money. look what the Erteguns did to Ruth Brown and Ray Charles....look at Virgin and XTC. i don't buy that the public would not buy the band. i think andy may have tried at times to be deliberately obscure to protect his sanity and integrity so he could grow as an artist. i can understand that. just look what the industry did to brian wilson. we can not blame all of brian's problems on his self indulgence. anything can be made commercial enough if enough money is put behind it. i have seen it happen again and again and again. i grew up in this industry and worked in it for almost 30 years. and one more thing...recently...some idiot made the statement on this site that kevin gilbert was a perfectionist who was this and that....and said a lot of horrible things....to that i say...kevin gilbert was brilliant... admittedly he was not a very happy guy...but after all...he got used by certain people in the industry...particularly one female who got very famous and then dropped him and everyone else and took credit for everything. his work has, sadly, gone unrecognized, in an industry, full of monumental things like Milli Vanilli, Spice Girls and Vanilla Ice. Oh well....in regard to the poor unfortunate who said these idiotic things...as Emo Phillips said "i guess some days it doesn't pay to gnaw through the leather straps and get out of bed". wake up and realize just how much your minds are being controlled and make some decisions of your own. big money attempts to control our minds. JUST SAY NO TO SUB STANDARD MOVIES, MUSIC and ART! not at war with anyone....just disagreeing.... an ex-industry guy
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 10:47:01 -0800 From: strwbrry@tidepool.com Subject: ...is Dave really? Message-ID: <3FA9459A.FE796BEE@tidepool.com> travis schulz asks: >...is Dave really with the > Dukes on that new Wish List cd? This is from Dave Gregory's website: http://guitargonauts.com ""Open A Can (Of Human Beans)" kicks off the album, which features some great songs, eight of which are exclusive to this CD. Dave should also be mentioned in despatches for appearing on three tracks. He's playing electric sitar, Mellotron and electric piano with the Dukes, guitar with the h-Band and arranging and playing on "It's Alright" by the Shadow Kabinet. This is going to be a limited release, so don't hang around!" Another Steve http://www.tidepool.com/~strwbrry
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 14:02:50 +1100 (EST) From: Mark Wotton <mwotton@optushome.com.au> Subject: Decemberists Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.44.0311061359440.750-100000@gersen> Chalkers, just wondering if any of you have checked out the Decemberists. In the absence of new studio material from Our Boys, I've been casting about for the sort of pop songs that worm their way into your subconscious and refuse to leave, and I think I may have found an adequate purveyor in the Decemberists. Beautiful, slightly off-kilter pop songs: Castaways and Cutouts is my favourite, although "Her Majesty the Decemberists" seems ok too. one more quick plug: the Shins are also rocking my world. mrak -- spaceships are expensive -- Manuel Chakravarty
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 21:37:39 -0600 From: "Amanda Owens" <daveizgod@hotmail.com> Subject: Mandy Moore Working Overtime Message-ID: <BAY1-F132j5eJbLzbfy0000bcde@hotmail.com> Please don't throw Molotov cocktails at me if this has already been mentioned, but did anyone know that America teen pop princess Mandy Moore covered Senses Working Overtime on her album Coverage? To be perfectly honest, it's not bad. As far as female singers covering XTC, I prefer her song to Sarah McLachlan's "Dear God." Moving onward..... Ben Gott did sayeth: >Thankfully, Brad Roberts has stopped fucking around and has returned to >his Harlem-via-Canada roots. Five or six years of living in NYC and >listening to hip hop and R & B has changed Brad's voice for the better >(it's sexy and slinky, not just bass baritone-y), and he's reunited >with his brother Dan (a fabulous bass player) and Ellen Reid (on >vocals) for this album. Songs like "Triple Master Blaster" signal a >new, harder direction, while "Flying Feeling" and "If Ya Wanna Know" >recall the days of "God Shuffled His Feet." It's all right not to like >Brad the man, but give the new Dummies a chance. AHHHHHHHHH! I thought we were banned from mentioning that name.....I'm gonna have to run out and get Puss N' Boots. I didn't get the last album, I Don't Care That You Don't Mind, mainly because I thought Give Yourself a Hand was so sub-par. And because Brad gave off the air of having become incredibly full of himself for some reason. On another quick, non-XTC note, if anyone out there has ANY Style Council videos, I would pay ridiculous amounts of money for copies. I've looked on eBay, unfortunately, they're in PAL format and tape conversion is way too pricey in these parts. Tis all for now, Amanda C. Owens XTC song of the day-Playground non XTC song of the day-That's Entertainment-The Jam
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:12:45 -0500 (EST) From: "Cameron" <macthedad@excite.com> Subject: King For A Day!!!! Message-ID: <20031107171245.3882B29A0A@xmxpita.excite.com> It's beeen awhile so . . From the darkness . . . I have made a new friend. His name is Richard. He made a tribute to our boys. It kicks arse!!! If I sounds like I'm writing a Dick and Jane story its only because I am overwhelmed by the talent I have found on this mix of wonderful muse that is and of the fans of XTC. (I wish Sherwood wuzz here) If you are a true fan you will buy this disc of delight! King For A Day is a true tip of the hat to a group of musicians that are the very reason you are reading this now-. You'd be a complete creep if you didn't buy this CHEEP ($$) masterpiece now! Don't buy one, buy three or four to pass on to friends-.and that maybe, (don't hold your breath) Sir Richard might have a chance again to grace us with his talent! Buy it now! At: http://www.xtcfans.com/~richardpa/ Cheers! Cameron `Morningwood' Worrall aka macthedad
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2003 21:03:30 +0000 From: "*Hobbes *" <hazchem25@hotmail.com> Subject: Mandy NoMore, Crash Test Duds, Some album recommendations Message-ID: <BAY2-F117gOVN54dtDo0000c002@hotmail.com> Sorry to be so negative in this post, but these are desperate times. ;) -- PRODUCERS WORKING OVERTIME I just heard the Mandy Moore cover of Senses Working Overtime on the radio and I'm still laughing. The song is so desperate to be liked that it resorts to every over-production trick in the book, including such horrors as: a) the funked-up-but-funkless-verses that scream 'white boys with drum loops' b) the singalonga Belinda Carlisle unnecessary massed backing vocals, so the kids know when to join in c) the overactive interpretive DJ scratching that still manages to miss every beat d) the hurried tumble through the severely truncated bridge, possibly from a fear of her 13 year old audience growing bored if it's not back to the chorus within 30 seconds Enjoy it as a comedy record (for my sister, my boyfriend and I pissed ourselves laughing in the car). It's definitely appalling enough to be a huge hit, so at least it will hopefully make Andy VERY rich and we'll get a new album soon. Still, it's better than Tricky's 'Dear God'. -- THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK ON BEN Ben Gott has *never* been wrong with his recommendations before (I own four Death Cab For Cutie albums thanks to him, and frequently smile when I see him recommend something on this list I know is great). But now he recommended the new Crash Test Dummies album: "Oh dear!" I feel it is my duty as a member of Chalkhills, a music lover and a value-seeking consumer to steer everyone clear of this band. No, I haven't heard the new album. What I *have* heard is two moderately good but *wildly* overrated albums, then three albums of directionless, filler-packed appalling SHIT. I don't care that they've covered XTC! Hell, Mandy Moore has done that, but I don't think we'll start recommending her albums on this list any time soon. What's there to like about "A Worm's Life"? A clear case of freezing in the spotlight of expectation when trying to follow up a hit album without having any decent songs written. Can anyone really look at the tracklisting of that album and remember anything memorable about any of the songs? I played the album to death at the time trying to force myself to like it and now I couldn't tell you how even one of the songs go. However I probably haven't listened to The Big Express for as long, and I could sing you the entire album from memory. What's there to like about Give Yourself A Hand? A jump on the next-big-thing-that-wasn't electronica bandwagon two years after bands like Smashing Pumpkins and U2 alienated their fans with the same move. Featuring the dumbest lyrics ever written by man or woman, (which is pretty sad considering someone out there wrote 'Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep'). Did the frontman think he was being clever with horrible lyrics like "I Want To Par-tay"? Ironic? If he was commenting on how bad lyrics can be what exactly did he achieve? The lyrics are not witty, and are too dumb to be funny. He might be able to look at the album with the smug satisfaction of a private joke - meanwhile the buyer is left with 12 lyrically appalling and alienating songs that will never stand any chance of connecting with them emotionally or pique their interest or intelligence the way a good lyric can. (Don't think i'm exaggerating... walk down to your local used CD store and have a look at one of the lyric sheets from among their *many* unsold copies. You'll be relieved *you* didn't buy the album). What's there to like about "I Don't Care If You Don't Mind"? A bunch of American south country-fied joke songs (again with the 'cleverly ironic' lyrics) that were easily worthy of the one-listen investment I gave the album before writing the band off completely. I haven't heard Puss 'n' Boots. I don't intend to. Nothing in their past albums shows me they have any particular songwriting talent or even give the slightest shit about the horrible half-arsed albums they expect people to spend money on. There are bands out there who care about the music they write, who try to connect with their audience, who don't treat album as private jokes. Music can be transcendent, and a great album can be something you can treasure for many years to come. Why settle for anything less? (If you all think I'm being a drama queen I can guarantee you haven't heard those last three Crash Test Dummies albums). Ben, take Puss'n'boots back to the store and get your money back. (I'm sure the store clerks know by now that's par for the course with selling a Crash Test Dummies album). If you like power pop (as evidenced by your "Adventures of Jet" recommendation), pick up "The Good Way" by the Waking Hours. Hear soaring melodies and harmonies and get dizzy with excitement! Realise albums can contain one great song after another with no filler! Try "Kontiki" by Cotton Mather and realise the Beatles are alive and well! If you're of a theatrical bent and don't mind lo-fi sound pick up '69 Love Songs' by the Magnetic Fields and enjoy some truly witty lyrics and hear how stylistic experiments can *trascend* irony to become great songs. If the Dukes of Stratosphere musical forgeries are your thing pick up the *amazing* "The Complete Pet Soul" by Splitsville, a 30 minute pastiche of Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds that even won my Beatle-obsessed sister over on her first listen. Pick up any Aimee Mann album! Anything by The Negro Problem! Buy "Recurring Dream" by Crowded House and realise they have a back catalogue well worth exploring! Try "Castaways and Cutouts" by the Decemberists and hear how literary lyrics can be! Try the truly beautiful `XO' by the dearly departed Elliott Smith and lament that now he'll never shake off the Nick Drake comparisons. Then feel the blood drain from your face when your it registers that all these albums all cost the same as "Puss 'n' boots" and contain infinitely more entertainment value and bang-for-your-buck! Trust me. Life's too short for the Crash Test Dummies.
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 12:28:07 -0000 From: "Dave Smith" <ds003d1857@blueyonder.co.uk> Subject: Edit For The Right Reasons Message-ID: <IGEEJFHKELOHNILGLHPFMEJPCEAA.ds003d1857@blueyonder.co.uk> Dearest Dr Pilpy Editing is a good thing. Paragraphs are fun too. Take care now ;-) Smudgeboy NP - Mrs Crowe's Blue Waltz (Adrian Legg)
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2003 14:02:23 -0500 From: Steve Dockery <sdockery@mac.com> Subject: Scooby Don't Message-ID: <404455E0-12E7-11D8-93FC-0003930F3416@mac.com> Hey Folks- Just de-lurking to post a short review of last night's Scooby Don't show in Arlington, VA. First off, it was good to see Todd again, and to meet Harrison and Charley, and also to meet our very own John Relph, who also turned out to see the show. I couldn't stay for all three sets, but the two sets I saw were great. As I told the band, "I know this sounds trite, but YOU ROCK." They did indeed rock, belting out excellent high-energy covers of everything from "Crush Story" by Too Much Joy to the latest by Fountains of Wayne song. They also did lovely versions of a few Beatles tunes, aided greatly by the jangle of Harrison's 12-string Rickenbacker, which became a 11 string in short order (which made it only a tiny fraction less jangly). But what about XTC? Well, they did an excellent cover of Ten Feet Tall, as well as a Fuzzy Warbles number that I had never heard before (as an XTC fan, I am ashamed of myself), and Mayor of Simpleton. One highlight of the show was the unlikely psychedelic psegue from "Driver 8" by REM into "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds. Sweet! It was a great show, with a wonderfully varied song selection, and impressive musicianship. If you're anywhere near the DC area, check these guys out some time. -Steve Dockery
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2003 14:07:06 -0500 From: Steve Dockery <sdockery@mac.com> Subject: VH1 Classics Message-ID: <E937FBE8-12E7-11D8-93FC-0003930F3416@mac.com> Hey, two posts in one day from Mr. Lurker? Say it ain't so! Had to poke my head in again to exclaim that I saw the video for "KIng For A Day" on VH1 Classics' request show. It was a rare treat seeing the fellows playing and singing on my very own TV. The video itself, if you haven't seen it, isn't particularly exciting (well, except that it's XTC), it's just the four band members sitting around in funny hats playing the song with funky false-color effects applied to them. Yes, I said four band members- anybody know who that is sitting in on drums for the video? -Steve Dockery
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #9-54 ******************************
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