Fegmaniax Digest Volume 2 Number 8 [][][][][][][][][][] From: seven@dbis.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de (Susan Johanna Even) Subject: lucifer in frognal To: J.W.Davies@reading.ac.uk (Dr. Sticky) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 94 3:18:02 MET Cc: woj@remus.rutgers.edu (the one who understood the tennis ball), fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu (pleasure of the aching void) hey, I forgot to mention this. I think Frognal is a tube station, isn't it? Or something else on the London map. Jim? Right? (I was just trying to sing the Higson's song after reading some of those recent posts) blah blah blah in Frognal listening to the Higsons one night in November ho! and suddenly, everything made sense. (no not really) my but what are those first few words? it can't be Lucifer. what about: there's a bird in Frognal (meaning the ill-fated hen) get a clue. somebody else? susan [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 7 Feb 94 12:11 GMT From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: lucifer in frognal > > hey, I forgot to mention this. > > I think Frognal is a tube station, isn't it? > Or something else on the London map. > It's a station on BR's North London Line. I always wondered about that bit of the song - Frognal was the nearest station to my college. Since Robyn lived in Crouch End, this wasn't *totally* impossible, but... > > my but what are those first few words? > it can't be Lucifer. It's many moons since I listened to "Eaten by her Own Dinner", but that's presumably the original reference. As far as I recall, the story behind LTTHs/EBHOD goes something like this: 1982/3, Robyn is thoroughly disillusioned with the Music business et. al. since the failure of Groovy Decay, and goes to stay with Rosalind and Simon Kunath in Offham (quite near here, as it happens). While cocooning there he lays down some tracks - most of which turned up on EBHOD, Groovy Decoy and/or Invisible Hitchcock. "One night in November" :-) Robyn was listening to John Peel (does John Peel need explaining to non-brits?) and he heard "Gotta Let This Heat Out" by The Higsons. And the rest, as they say, is history. Simon and I have friends in common. The first time I met him, I said "Oh, so it was your wok on LTTH", and he replied "Yes, I still use that wok, actually". - -& [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 08 Feb 1994 11:09:15 PDT From: "Nathaniel R. Leas (602) 902.4756" To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Cc: leas@randy.avnet.com Subject: Thomas Narten Thomas Narten, if you're out there, please respond to this message as I don't have your e-mail address. Apologies to all fegmaniax. Rob [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 09 Feb 1994 12:03:12 -0400 (EDT) From: DARAMSEY@vaxsar.vassar.edu Subject: Song For Syd Barrett To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Sorry for the non-Robyn question, but I was curious if the Cleaners from Venus 7" 'Song for Syd Barrett' is any good. I saw it in a mail order ad for $4, so I guess maybe I'll just buy it. Any opinions? daveR. [][][][][][][][][][] From: p.cohen@genie.geis.com Date: Tue, 8 Feb 94 02:09:00 BST To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Ice Cream Bands Did anyone mention REM's cover of "Arms of Love"? +########################################################################+ +###+ Paul Cohen, Philadelphia, PA +###+ +########################################################################+ +###+ P.COHEN@genie.geis.com +###+ PMCOHEN@aol.com +###+ +###+ 70703.3126@compuserve.com +###+ PMCOHEN@delphi.com +###+ +########################################################################+ [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 10 Feb 1994 15:48:20 -0600 (CST) From: "Contemplatively Sitting on a Roof (or Something Like That)" Subject: Re: Ice Cream Bands To: p.cohen@genie.geis.com Cc: -feg:;@gnu.ai.mit.edu Speaking of R.E.M.'s "Arms of Love": I've heard Robyn speak about it on "Spectre," but does anyone know where/when it was released? As a b-side to something. I would love to get my hands on a copy of that.... Aaron **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ * C. Aaron Lowe | "Madam I burn for you night after day @ * "The Man With The | I'm empty without you and colder than clay @ * Light Bulb Head" | The wax on my body is making me cold @ * st3cr@jetson.uh edu | I'll never be able to go where I'm told."--RH @ **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 11 Feb 94 11:52 GMT From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu, DARAMSEY@vaxsar.vassar.edu Subject: Re: Song For Syd Barrett > > > Sorry for the non-Robyn question, but I was curious if the Cleaners > from Venus 7" 'Song for Syd Barrett' is any good. I saw it in a mail order ad > for $4, so I guess maybe I'll just buy it. Any opinions? > I didn't know it was a single. It's not in the Girl on a Swing class, but Song for Syd Barrett isn't bad. Martin tried to make the song sound like one of Syds. Comes out IMHO a bit like Octopus. What else is on the single? The two Cleaners songs which have really vanished without trace are "Wivenhoe Bells", and "The Iceberg and The Unicorn". I don't even know if they even recorded that - Martin played me an early version one evening, but I don't know if he ever finished the song. [][][][][][][][][][] From: seven@dbis.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de (Susan Johanna Even) Subject: Re: Ice Cream Bands To: ST3CR@jetson.uh.edu Date: Fri, 11 Feb 94 13:51:09 MET Cc: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu (pleasure of the aching void) > From: "Contemplatively Sitting on a Roof (or Something Like That)" > > Subject: Re: Ice Cream Bands > To: p.cohen@genie.geis.com > > Speaking of R.E.M.'s "Arms of Love": > > I've heard Robyn speak about it on "Spectre," but does anyone know where/when > it was released? As a b-side to something. I would love to get my hands on > a copy of that.... it's appeared as a b-side to REM's _Man on the Moon_ single, which has been released at least three times over here (as a 4-song collector's edition disc, a 3-song normal cd single, and most recently, as a 2-song single with only one extra track that isn't _Arms of Love_). it's also available on the _Cover Versions_ disc of REM's 4-cd singles collection that was released here during the Christmas holiday season. here == germany, susan p.s. singles aren't any cheaper here: about 12 DM. about what you'd pay for an import. the boxed set goes for 57 DM at Virgin. > > Aaron > > **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > * C. Aaron Lowe | "Madam I burn for you night after day @ > * "The Man With The | I'm empty without you and colder than clay @ > * Light Bulb Head" | The wax on my body is making me cold @ > * st3cr@jetson.uh edu | I'll never be able to go where I'm told."--RH @ > **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 11 Feb 1994 11:54:00 -0400 (EDT) From: DARAMSEY@vaxsar.vassar.edu Subject: Soft Boys review To: Fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Here's a review from the Feb. 24 Rolling Stone of the 2CD Soft Boys set...... "Filled with outtakes, demos, live shots, lost album tracks and unrel- eased versions of invisible hits, The Soft Boys 1976-81 is a secret history of one of the punk era's most unjustly ignored bands. Dreamy and complex at a time when aggressive and stripped down were norm, the Soft Boys presented an alternative before that term became a marketing strategy. Braced by the songs of Robyn Hitchcock, the Soft Boys were a twisted milkshake of Syd Barrett, Captain Beefheart, John Lennon and Bob Dylan, spiked with ringing guitars, tricky harmonies, drolly ominous humor and a piscatorial obsession that predates and outswims Primus. Cited as an influence by such luminaries as R.E.M. and the Replacements, the Soft Boys produced one of the finest albums of the 80s, Underwater Moonlight(1980). With Hitchcock's recent solo "success", the time seems ripe for a Soft Boys retrospective. Hitchcock cooperated in the compiling of this two CD, 38 track set (an interview is threaded through the accompanying booklet) and opened up the archives. Following the band's checkered career from early home recordings, where they sound like a bunch of clever, slightly arch college students, to the churning majesty of "Only the Stones Remain", what impresses is the Soft Boys facility at pastiche, picking up and shedding styles with a shrug. Witty covers of Elvis Presley's "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", the Monotones' "Book of Love" and Barrett's "Gigolo Aunt" give some idea of the influences Hitchcock melted down in his songwriting cauldron, while a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Caroline Says" reveals his limitations, his offhand reading turning Reed's tenderly fragile song brittle. Although Hitchcock is the focus, listen for the work of guitarist Kimberley Rew, who later went on to brief semi-fame with Katrina and the Waves. Like Richard Lloyd of Television, a band the Soft Boys sometimes resemble, Rew is equally adept at concise pop constructions and lunatic rave-ups. The sheer amount of material on 1976-81 can be daunting. While there's no denying the care and affection expended on this collection, some of it smacks of overkill- obscure, only slightly diffrerent versions of songs included for no apparent reason. And there's no excuse for "Kingdom of Love" appearing in both studio and live incarnations, especially when there are so many worthy songs (covers of "Cold Turkey" and "Bells of Rhymney" and Hitchcock originals like "Let Me Put it Next to You" and "You'll Have to Go Sideways") omitted. Still, while it does not serve as the best introduction to the Soft Boys (for that, Underwater Moonlight is heartily recommended), The Soft Boys 1976-81 is a fine addition for anyone interested in delving into the deeper recesses of this eccentric band's eccentric world. -steve mirkin -DaveR. [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 11 Feb 1994 12:30:13 -0700 (PDT) From: MARTINP@cgsvax.claremont.edu Subject: Soft Boys Review-Melody Maker To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu >From Melody Maker, January 29, 1994 The Soft Boys The Astoria, London "In this horrible age of abuse and decay/ It's good to see someone is looking okay..." ("Queen of Eyes") Okay? The Soft Boys are looking pretty good for a band that officially split 13 years ago. My generation, gender and general musical inclinations should by rights push me next door where Elastica and Echobelly are roaming, but this band, who describe themselves as "men in their late thirties playing songs written during the last Labour administration" have tied my affection in knots. The psychedelic revival was never a big topic of conversation in playgrounds down my way, but I'm almost as excited by this reunion as the original obsessives baying for obscurities. The sense of event isn't helped much by support Weddings Partied Anything, who play the sort of righteous folky rattle that could happily be made illegal and no one would complain. They do, however, inspire some frenzied dancing and are apparently Big In Australia, so they could be looming large here soon. You have been warned. Their lack of charisma is cruelly highlighted by the arrival of The Soft Boys. Singer, songwriter, and personal Zeus, Robyn Hitchcock could be used as an alternative energy source. He's something like an uptight, right on, offbeat beatnik with violet vowels and a mind like a light show. Former guitarist Kimberley Rew is notably absent, but first bass player Andy Metcalf charges around as if he's on fire, Matthew Seligman skulks elusively and drummer Morris Windsor exudes aggressive adrenalin. It's so cool to hear songs known only from second-hand vinyl spring into new life. "Insanely Jealous", with its double-headed scrabbling bass, sticks a claw in your heart, Robyn standing in a white spotlight and crackling with the static of paranoia as psychedelia topples into psychosis--"All I hear in their embrace is the kiss of skulls". It's the fire-eyed visionary side of the band that's most apparent tonight, "I Want to Destroy You" knifes marauding politicians in the head, while "Only the Stones Remain" is spiky and splendid. The spontaneity heard on old live tapes is perhaps inhibited by "the occasion", but the songs are vibrant enough. The Soft Boys look likely to remain a bloody "cult" band when they should be studied by astronomers, introduced into the water table and made gifts of your firstborn. Whether they're past or future doesn't matter--they're parallel. Like a universe. --Victoria Segal-- [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 12 Feb 1994 11:40:14 -0500 (EST) From: Gary Assa Subject: world To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Pardon my ignorance, but are there any USA Soft Boys dates set? You don't want to know why it took me so long to ask. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * The first thing we do let's kill all the lawyers _Shakespeare * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 15 Feb 1994 11:54:44 -0400 (EDT) From: DARAMSEY@vaxsar.vassar.edu Subject: Cleaners from Venus.... To: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk, fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Andy- the b. side of the 'Song for Syd Barrett' single is a song called 'Boy from the Home Counties'...I haven't listened to it yet, so I don't know if it's any good. If any USA fegmaniax are interested, on the 7" there's an address for Cleaners merchandise. Here it is: Cleaners from Venus c/o Box 6258 Hoboken, NJ 070030 Underneath it says "Tapes available"... daveR. [][][][][][][][] End of this Fegmaniax Digest. Archives can be found on ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/lists/fegmaniax. For administrative questions, subscription requests, and all that boring crud, send mail to fegmaniax-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu. Slipping you the midnight fish...