From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org To: fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org Reply-To: fegmaniax@ecto.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org Subject: Feg Digest V4 #207 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 207 Monday October 14 1996 To post, send mail to fegmaniax@ecto.org To unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@ecto.org with the words "unsubscribe fegmaniax-digest" in the message body. Send comments, etc. to the listowner at owner-fegmaniax@ecto.org FegMANIAX! Web Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/fegmaniax/index.html Archives are available at ftp://www.ecto.org/pub/lists/fegmaniax/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: ------- ------- Music News OTW 10-13-96 Review Pretty Good Re: only the stones... (fwd) Re: postscript Re: Goldmine article, Part II Re: Goldmine Article Part III Re: Goldmine article, Part II Re: Goldmine Article Part III Moonshine Q Re: Album Poll Results Re: Moonshine Q Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devils triangle? Frankfurt show revisited Goldmine pt IV BB/RH shows Iron Horse update Re: Feg Digest V4 #206 Song references? Re: Feg Digest V4 #206 Re: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devils triangle? BB/RH shows Re: Feg Digest V4 #206 Re: Goldmine Article Part III Re: BB/RH shows Re: Song references? maxwell's ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Oct 1996 21:25:46 -0700 From: Robert M Zarzecki Subject: Music News OTW 10-13-96 Review There's a review of the new CD at: http://www.addict.com/html/lofi/MNOTW/display-news.cgi?96-10-13#Moss The site is nice as it has sound excerpts for the uninitiated. here 'tis Rob Moss Elixir Robyn Hitchcock Warner Bros. Records Rating: Pretty Good Hitchcock's Elixir Goes Down Smooth By Seth Mnookin The first thing one notices when listening to Moss Elixir, Robyn Hitchcock's first album on Warner, and his first on any label in four years, is that it's somehow different: from the heated, urgent chord-run by violinist Deni Bonet on the album-opening "She Was Sinister But She Was Happy" to the off-key tunings Hitchcock favors here on his mostly acoustic guitar playing, Moss Elixir is a new creature in Hitchcock's pantheon, a folk-rock album by one of pop's biggest champions. The second thing one notices is that, exactly like every other Hitchcock album, a handful of melodies become imprinted on your brain from the first listen, destined to be vaguely whistled for days after. Maybe Moss Elixir isn't such a different creature after all. Hitchcock, best-known as leader of seminal real-pop (Brett Milano's term) bands The Soft Boys and The Egyptians, makes a decided effort to make Moss Elixir less cluttered, a little less exuberant, perhaps, and not as loud. The result is a slightly softer, slightly folksier gleeQalthough Hitchcock may be slowing things down a bit and changing instrumentation, he's still writing endlessly quirky songs to which one can't help tapping a foot in response. If, as Hitchcock said, he's trying to write music that's more "grown-up," it still contains all the optimistically endless possibilities of pop, even if it is backed by a slightly strummed acoustic guitar and ample violin shadings (for about the past year, Bonet and Hitchcock have been touring together as a duo, performing many of the songs that ended up on Moss Elixir.) As Hitchcock has said (to me, in fact), "I write consistently good songs." And indeed, Moss Elixir is chock full of good songs: the albums first two tracks, "She Was Sinister But She Was Happy" and "The Devil's Radio" are irresistibly catchy, filled with classic Hitchcockisms ("Her living words were her dying words / 'Yeah'"). The hooks might be based in minor-keys and teased out of Bonet's violin, but these songs alone are proof that Hitchcock is still one of the best pop-craftsmen around. Many of the other songs are less replete with unforgettable hooks, but are no less satisfying. "Man With A Woman's Shadow," a song which came out of some recording Hitchcock did with Calvin Johnson in his studio in Washington, is quietly haunting and filled with the sexual ambiguities Hitchcock seems to find simultaneously fascinating and repellent at the same time. (Indeed, while Hitchcock's musical approach makes a purposeful shift on Moss Elixir, his unease in the modern world and twisted take on the human condition remain as recognizable as ever.) Hitchcock's mournful, echoing harmonica lines combined with understated acoustic riff repeated over and over show what Hitchcock can do with his lyrical sensibilities when they're not overpowered by the sheer strength of his melodies. Quietly disconcerting, Hitchcock, for the first-time in his career, seems to feel comfortable letting the song carry itself with a minimal amount of baggage. Even songs like "I Am Not Me," one of the few tunes on the album on which Hitchcock yields an electric ax, and one in which the chorus is almost sing-songy, is much more spacious and comfortable than Hitchcock's attempts to turn his energy level down a notch in the past. The horn-augmented "De Chirico Street" is another gem; but, to be fair, there really isn't a bad track on the album. Moss Elixir was released in conjunction with a limited number of vinyl copies of Mossy Liquor, a collection of alternative versions and songs that didn't make the final cut for the album. And while it's true that most of the "official" versions are superior to those on Mossy Liquor, there is a certain satisfaction in hearing what some of Moss Elixir's songs would sound like if Hitchcock hadstuck closer to his pop roots - jangly, upbeat versions of "Alright, Yeah" and "Heliotrope" may not ultimately be as good as the versions that ended up on the album, but they're damn fun all the same, and will find a good home in any Hitchcock lover's collection. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Oct 1996 23:52:09 -0700 From: Ryan Godfrey Subject: Pretty Good This is the opinion of the Addicted To Noise web site (specifically, the improbably named reviewer Seth Mnookin) about Moss Elixir. A quote from the review: "...exactly like every other Hitchcock album, a handful of melodies become imprinted on your brain from the first listen, destined to be vaguely whistled for days after. Maybe Moss Elixir isn't such a different creature after all. Hitchcock, best-known as leader of seminal real-pop (Brett Milano's term) bands The Soft Boys and The Egyptians, makes a decided effort to make Moss Elixir less cluttered, a little less exuberant, perhaps, and not as loud. The result is a slightly softer, slightly folksier glee..." The word "eccentric" is not used. Syd Barrett is not mentioned. Leeches aren't festooning anything. The site features sound clips of three songs from the album, in various electronic formats, as well as the opportunity to buy said album. The URL for the full "hi-fi" (uses frames and a fair amount of bandwidth) review is: http://www.addict.com/html/hifi/Reviews/44.1kHz/Hitchcock,_Robyn/Moss_Elixir.html The "lo-fi" version is at: http://www.addict.com/html/lofi/Reviews/44.1kHz/Hitchcock,_Robyn/Moss_Elixir.html There will probably be different URLs when the review is moved to archive. --Ryan ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 10:02:50 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: only the stones... (fwd) On Thu, 10 Oct 1996, Russ Reynolds wrote: > >And on the GLTHO video, I think > yes, but that was recorded way before the A&M years--the time period > originally in question. Correction to my previous response - there were two separate time periods mentioned in the assertions made: 1) Claim 1: RH did not play 'Only the Stones Remain' while on A&M. 2) Claim 2: (The one I was actually talking about) RH did not play the song during the _whole_ Egyptians (i.e. post Soft Boys) period 1984-95. I think it has been established that both these claims are false: the song continued in his repertoire right through the Egyptians and, consequently, right through A&M. Cheers - Mike ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 10:13:07 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: postscript On Fri, 11 Oct 1996, James Dignan wrote: > >Major chords and scales were once considered satanic by the clergy, weren't > >they? > > oops - missed this line. Don't know about that, but the triad of notes that > make up the augmented chord (tonic-mediant-sharpened dominant, eg, C-E-Ab) > was called the Devil's triangle. It's used to good effect in the early work > of King Crimson (who actually recorded a track called Devil's Triangle), > who were following the lead of Bela Bartok's work. It is also the school bell right at the start of Chuck Berry's "School Days (Ring Ring goes the Bell)" and also the start of "No Particular Place to Go" (different words, same tune). - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 10:24:06 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: Goldmine article, Part II I always assumed that 'I like bananas' was a cover version, but, by implication, this article suggests that it is an RH original. Surely not? - Mike Godwin PS Brian James, eh? I remember rushing out to buy "I'm Sorry" by Tanz der Youth. Whatever happened to him? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:20:46 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: Goldmine Article Part III Hi Doug Just a couple of comments on Part 3: On Fri, 11 Oct 1996, `!' wrote: > A single of "Only the Stones Remain" appeared in > October 1981, followed by the pleasantly bewildering _Two Halves for the > Price of One_ budget-priced album, which promised a song called "Black > Snake Diamond Role" alongside versions of "Astronomy Domine," the Byrds' > "Bells of Rhymney," and a new, apparently sober, version of "Where are the > Prawns." MG: I have barely heard of this record - certainly never seen a copy - it sounds great. It isn't mentioned in the 'Rough Guide Rock" Soft Boys entry. the two sides were individually titled, too; > _Lope at the Hive_ (which translates as _Live at the Hoe and Anchor_) was MG: That's "Hope and Anchor" > (Presumably to avoid spreading the confusion even further, when > the album became the Soft Boys' first ever American release, it was > retitled _Only the Stones Remain_ MG: Maybe it's another "easy to get in the US, can't find it anywhere else" record? > _Two Halves for the Price of One_ was well-received, reinforcing the Soft > Boy's psychedelic reputation, and Hitchcock lost little time in > exacerbating this linkage when he entered the studio with former Gong > guitarist Steve Hillage to begin work on his second solo album. MG: "Exacerbating" is wrong. What do they mean? > He was blessed with a budget of 12,000 pounds and armed with what, in > retrospect, seems a most impressive battery of session musicians: bassist > Sara Lee would later join the B52s [and play with the Indigo Girls; and > had already played with seminal leftist punkers Gang of Four -- dmw], MG: And Shreikback, I think. Cheers - Mike PS Did you hear that BOC are back in the studio recording a new album? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 06:04:28 -0700 From: librik@netcom.com (David Librik) Subject: Re: Goldmine article, Part II Mike Godwin writes: >I always assumed that 'I like bananas' was a cover version, but, by >implication, this article suggests that it is an RH original. Surely not? It is a cover version. The original was a novelty tune by the Hoosier Hot Shots, and on the Portland Arms LP it is credited to "Yacich." Apparently it is making a comeback, since someone on another mailing list mentioned that his kids were repeatedly singing a version of it just to annoy Dad. The Goldmine interviewer is enthusiastic but not always very accurate! - David Librik librik@cs.Berkeley.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 09:10:41 -0400 (EDT) From: "`!'" Subject: Re: Goldmine Article Part III On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, M R Godwin wrote: > Just a couple of comments on Part 3: > > A single of "Only the Stones Remain" appeared in > > October 1981, followed by the pleasantly bewildering _Two Halves for the > > Price of One_ budget-priced album, which promised a song called "Black > > MG: I have barely heard of this record - certainly never seen a copy - it > sounds great. It isn't mentioned in the 'Rough Guide Rock" Soft Boys > entry. dmw:this info appears in similar form in the trouser press guide (4th ed). dunno about the single, but the Guiness and Spin and TP guides all list it (and claim Glass Fish re-released it in 1990, though i've never seen it either) > MG: That's "Hope and Anchor" dmw: that's the sort of typo a spellchecker cain't catch ;) > > retitled _Only the Stones Remain_ > > MG: Maybe it's another "easy to get in the US, can't find it anywhere > else" record? dmw:the spin guide lists an 'only the stones remain' e.p. as a 1992 ryko release, but i think this may refer to the fact that much of this material was appended to the cd version of _underwater moonlight_. i'm virtually certain nothing was released under this title in 92. confirmations/refutations anyone? woj? bayard? aidan? anyone? > MG: "Exacerbating" is wrong. What do they mean? dmw:exploiting, i think. > > Sara Lee would later join the B52s [and play with the Indigo Girls; and > > had already played with seminal leftist punkers Gang of Four -- dmw], > > MG: And Shreikback, I think. dmw: nah, Sara replaced Dave Allen in Gang of Four when Allen left to form Shriekback. Allen played on all their records and tours, to the best of my knowledge. > PS Did you hear that BOC are back in the studio recording a new album? yah -- early '97 release supposedly. i found out two days after the show that they just played less than 50 miles from me. *sigh* i think the problem with this article is it was written and researched by one person, probably working under a deadline, and the collective knowledge of all the people on this list probably dwarfs that of almost any individual. (and most of us probably have a more accurate picture of the discography than this particular individual). i still thought it was interesting to have robyn talking about his whole career while in a very direct and lucid mood -- he didn't seem inclined to do that last year during the great rhino avalanche, when it might have been appropriate doug -- oh,no!! you've just read mail from doug -- dmayowel@access.digex.net a.k.a. dougmhyphw@aol.com -- get yr recently updated pathos at http://www.mwmw.com/pathetic/ ------------------------------ From: Terrence M Marks Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 10:03:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Moonshine Q Just wondering... In the UK, does "moonshine" have the connotation of homemade liquor or is it just a different way to say "moonlight"? [Just trying to understand various Pink Floyd and Kinks songs...] Terry "The Human Mellotron" Marks normal@grove.ufl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:16:15 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: Album Poll Results A late response to the Album Poll: Just talking A&M for a moment, I notice that none of the top 6 in this album poll were on A&M. Eye, at Number 3, is the only post-A&M contract record in the top 5; otherwise the most recent is "Element of Light" (1986) at Number 2. (If you remember, the top 6 were I Often Dream of Trains, Element of Light, Eye, Underwater Moonlight, Fegmania, and Black Snake Diamond Role). Clear quantitative evidence from fegspace that A&M was the wrong label for RH? - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:45:12 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: Moonshine Q On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Terrence M Marks wrote: > Just wondering... > In the UK, does "moonshine" have the connotation of homemade liquor or is > it just a different way to say "moonlight"? I am certainly aware of the term "moonshine whisky", but I think the word is primarily American. "Poteen" (pronounced "potcheen" is the usual term in Ireland. The bootlegging industry in Britain was stamped out years ago, so it hardly exists (as far as I know!). It definitely means _illegally_ _distilled_ _spirits_, not just home-brewing for personal use. I have also seen 'moonshine' used to mean "hogwash / nonsense" in the expression "But of course that's all moonshine". But I think that meaning is rather old-fashioned and may have dropped out of use. - Mike Godwin ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 10:35:11 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth CC: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz Subject: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devils triangle? James recently proclaimed his political affiliations by listing the contents of his CD player: > Billy Bragg - Don't try this at home > [...other sinisterly oriented titles omitted...] Anyone else notice that this particular Bragg album also includes contributions by well known Robyn cohort Peter Buck? Yet *another* Bragg-Hitchcock connection. Perhaps they are really one-and-the same!! A sort of Jeckyl and Hyde thing (...note the "y"'s!). Watch closely during this tour -- will they appear on the the same stage at the same time? Inquiring minds etc... -Nick James: Perhaps you should have turned the stereo up a little louder! - Might have improved the result! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:03:43 +0200 (METDST) From: John Smallberries Subject: Frankfurt show revisited Today I received a parcel in my mail, and it was the Frankfurt show from last week on tape. I have not had a goo dopportunity to listen to it, but it feels to good to know that I have it right out of the oven. Just thought I would gloat. James ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:25:11 -0400 (EDT) From: "`!'" Subject: Goldmine pt IV "I wanted to do what other people were doing at the time," Hitchcock has explained, "rather than do what the Soft Boys had always been associated with, which was being retrodelic. I wanted...to do something that sounded like it was of 1981." The original demos for this ambitious project had been recorded by Hitchcock and Matthew Seligman, and if that initial team had remained intact the next few months (not to mention the ensuing album) might have gone a little smoother. Seligman, however, was suddenly invited to join the Thompson Twins, then approaching the peak of their hit-making fame, and Hitchcock decided to go it alone. The result, he insists, "was a complete abortion.. I hated making it, i've never listened to it." Three years after the Hillage sessions were released as _Groovy Decay_, Hitchcock released the original Seligman demos as _Gravy Decoy_ [sic!], simply to excise the memory of its predecessor from the record racks. Hitchcock justifies his hatred of the original album with ease. "Nice producer, nice studio. But it was done in the middle of the night when I was drunk and I was recording it with a bunch of aliens, really. I'd stepped out from the usual circle of people that was the Soft Boys, and later became the Egyptians, so I was a bit isolated. "But on the whole, I think technology and I have never mixed successfully. Beefed-up productions, high budgets, big promotional things, they've kind of presented their own versions of me, but it's not really me. Maybe you've got to be entranced by the technology, because I find that once music gets into technology, it goes into the hands of other people, and I have a lot of trouble communicating with them." It didn't help, either, that much of the album featured saxophone, and instrument which Hitchcock didn't particularly like at the start of the sessions and one which he would come to despise as they continue. It is not at all coincidental that his own favorite tracks on the album, "America" and "52 Stations," are the sole sax-less songs in sight. Yet _Groovy Decay_ was not, as many of Hitchcock's early fans would agree, as bad as its creator makes out. The accompanying versions of "St. Petersburg" and "The Cars She Used to Drive" are both well-regarded within his canon today, while the flexi-disc-only _Black Snake_ outtake "Grooving On A Inner Plane" [sic] was re-recorded with fair results. "Midnight Fish" echoes the kind of thing the Rutles might include within their Anthology series of outtakes and diddly bits, while "How Do You Work This Thing" is reminiscent of an over-wrought Peter Hammill (more over-wrought than normal, that is!). Even "Night Ride to Trinidad," the most obviously dated track on the album, has its adherents, and that despite the awful disco remix to which it was subjected for an accompanying 12-inch single. Nevertheless, the sessions were nowhere near as productive as their predecessors', to the point where there were no outstanding out-takes whatsoever for the Rhino reissue of _Groovy Decay_ (to which _Gravy Decoy_ has, however, been commendably appended). Hitchcock launched himself straight into another frenzied burst of recording, with Seligman and fellow Soft Boy Andy Metcalfe, the moment his promotional duties were over. It was the only way of getting rid of the horrible taste in his mouth. These late 1981 sessions have never been released in their entirety, although several of the songs have appeared across various compilations and collections. A new version of "Kingdom of Love" which originally appeared on the Soft Boys' _Underwater Moonlight_), for instance would be appended to Rhino's reissue of _Groovy Decay_, while other remnants include "Aether," "Nothing" and "Stranded in the Future," which would emerge on 1995's _You and Oblivion_ outtakes collection. Another song from 1981, "The Abandoned Brain," was re-recorded for inclusion on _Invisible Hitchcock_ after the original tape was lost. Finally, two other tracks from this period, "Eaten By Her Own Dinner"/"Dr. Sticky," turned up on a UK 12-inch single in the fall of 1982 and can also be found on Rhino's _Invisible Hitchcock_. The sessions were productive, but they did not exorcise Hitchcock's own dissatisfaction. By the end of the year, in fact, he had essentially lapsed into a full-fledged retirement. Resparking his teen-age fascination with Bob Dylan, reliving his own dreams of Syd Barrett, Hitchcock admits, "all I really wanted was to sit there like a middle-aged dreamer, staring out over the bridge into the valley and blowing smoke out of my nostrils, reminiscing." Surprised to discover how little the commercial failure of his tow solo albums concerned him, "I though, 'Why have a career? Why not just retire straight away?'" He was aided in this grand scheme by a particularly unexpected windfall. While Hitchcock had been mourning the misery that was _Groovy Decay_, a set of songs he co-wrote with ex-Damned bassist Captain Sensible had been catapulted to quite unexpected heights on the back of the Cap's surprise "Happy Talk" hit. "I wrote the words for all the flops, all the fillers on the album it seems," Hitchcock recalls with self-deprecation, and it is true that the album _Women and Captains First_ was not an enormous hit -- it made it to number 64 in the UK. But Hitchcock's needs were not enormous either. "Captain kept me going for quite a while. I did other odd bits and pieces as well, but nothing of note. I didn't do any gigs and I decided it was all over and I wasn't going to perform anymore." Between the fall of 1981 and spring of 1983, Hitchcock dropped completely out of sight, although that is not to say he had completely given up. Retirement itself was fine, but it was also very boring, and despite his best intentions, "I found myself stockpiling songs." In March of '82 he recorded the version of "Keeping Still" which would later turn up on the _You and Oblivion_ collection, and three months later he and Matthew Seligman convened to record "Listening to the Higsons," a tribute to the East Anglian white funk band whom many press pundits were tipping for success. The Higsons didn't make it, but the song remains a jewel, appearing alongside "Eaten By Her Own Dinner" and "Dr. Sticky" on 1982's blink-and-you'll-miss-it 12-inch. The Sussex barn where they recorded was hardly the Big Pink, but just like Dylan's _Basement Tapes_, word of Hitchcock's return was fast to get around. Hitchcock himself followed. In May, 1983, he linked up with couple of friends, James A. Smith and Simon Kunath, and began making demos in earnest. A couple of the trio's early efforts, the spacey instrumental "Pit of Souls," and "Tragedy," would subsequently emerge on _Invisible Hitchcock_; four more would be appended to Rhino's issue of the album which followed, _I Often Dream of Trains_ (or _Crystal Branches_ as Hitchcock originally intended to title it). The making of demo tapes continued over the next year, a period during which Hitchcock also girded his loins for his return to active duty, booking into Alaska Studios for three or four days in the spring of 1984 to record _I Often Dream of Trains_. Hitchcock worked largely unaccompanied -- another friend, Chris Cox, dropped by to add some bass on one track, and somewhat surprisingly, a saxophone was allowed to appear on another, but for the most part, Hitchcock's third solo album is exactly that, a solo album. Accordingly, _I Often Dream of Trains_ joins _Black Snake_ among the albums which Hitchcock says he most enjoyed recording, "probably because they're the ones i've had the most control over. You bring other people in and you start to let them take over, and maybe that's not always a good thing." -- oh,no!! you've just read mail from doug -- dmayowel@access.digex.net a.k.a. dougmhyphw@aol.com -- get yr recently updated pathos at http://www.mwmw.com/pathetic/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:51:18 -0400 From: Alex Tanter Subject: BB/RH shows Billy Bragg with special guest Robyn Hitchcock. What does that mean? Billy is the headliner, Robyn is the opener. So how much Robyn do we get? Anyone know? I like Billy Bragg but not enough to get sucky seats in the Orpheum and see Robyn for 45 mins. Marcy ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 14:52:10 -0400 From: Alex Tanter Subject: Iron Horse update Just got a call...my tickets are being refunded since the show isn't happening this week. Doesn't look like it will happen. Marcy ------------------------------ From: SGOCELTIC@aol.com Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 15:01:33 -0400 Subject: Re: Feg Digest V4 #206 'Allo all you fegmaniacs....-I've reading your musings for a while, without saying anything....-but now I want to know a couple of things. I'm kind of disgusted to see Robyn showing up as Bragg's support act....(and also the kick in the kidneys feeling of starting to find Hitchcock recordings in bargain bins....-uuunngh) What's the connection between Robyn and preacher Bragg anyway?? Of course I'll go to the Boston orpheum gig , -but surely RH will do a separate club gig or something around the Boston area?? ...man ,I miss the Nightstage gigs...-the orpheum sucks! And by the way...-is Robyn still bonking his violin player? -he looked nauseatingly entranced by her at the last Boston gigs at TT's....:) ------------------------------ From: mrd@world.std.com (Mitchell R Dickerman) Subject: Song references? Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:39:19 -0400 (EDT) I was perusing the web site and I noticed an except of 'Softcore' in the Positive Vibrations zine. That looked like a pretty good start - did it ever finish? And wasn't there someone else who did a Hitchcock A-Z song reference? I'm just wondering about this after reading the latest installment of the Goldmine article. I'd be interested in seeing some sort of recording guide compiling what we know about each session, i.e. dates, names of players, names of songs that got released on albums and b-sides or compilations, etc. Does someone have something like that already? Mitch ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 15:57:22 -0500 (CDT) From: Truman Peyote Subject: Re: Feg Digest V4 #206 On Mon, 14 Oct 1996 SGOCELTIC@aol.com wrote: > 'Allo all you fegmaniacs....-I've reading your musings for a while, without > saying anything....-but now I want to know a couple of things. I'm kind of > disgusted to see Robyn showing up as Bragg's support act....(and also the > kick in the kidneys feeling of starting to find Hitchcock recordings in > bargain bins....-uuunngh) STARTING to find them in the bargain bins, I sigh wearily, having long gotten used to that particular unpleasant sinking sensation? I can relate to that! > What's the connection between Robyn and preacher > Bragg anyway?? They're long-standing buddies. Don't be too hard on Billy B., his newest is pretty good and hardly preachy at all :). Besides which, I'm pretty sure he himself doesn't think of Robyn as a "special guest". > Of course I'll go to the Boston orpheum gig , -but surely RH > will do a separate club gig or something around the Boston area?? ...man ,I > miss the Nightstage gigs...-the orpheum sucks! > And by the way...-is Robyn still bonking his violin player? -he looked > nauseatingly entranced by her at the last Boston gigs at TT's....:) Was this gig PM (pre-Michele)? As far as I know, Robyn's current squeeze (or partner, as he would have it) is not a violinist, and furthermore........if you're talking about Deni Bonet, isn't she married? Susan P.S. I think I can relate to the part about being nauseatingly entranced with someone.......um, hi.... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 16:04:10 -0500 (CDT) From: Truman Peyote Subject: Re: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devils triangle? On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Nick Winkworth wrote: > James recently proclaimed his political affiliations by listing the > contents of his CD player: > > Billy Bragg - Don't try this at home > > [...other sinisterly oriented titles omitted...] Like "Sunshine on Leith", for example, which I've been listening to a lot lately too. It always cheers me up mightily to hear the gusto with which the Reid brothers cover such diverse topics as Scotland, God, Women, Nature and um..... well, that's it pretty much, but I love them anyway. So don't call them sinister again or you'll get a pitcher of something foamy in your face :). > > Yet *another* Bragg-Hitchcock connection. > Perhaps they are really one-and-the same!! A sort of Jeckyl and Hyde > thing (...note the "y"'s!). Watch closely during this tour -- will they > appear on the the same stage at the same time? Inquiring minds etc... I'm still waiting to see them do "You're The One That I Want". I'm dying to see which one of them takes John Travolta's part! Susan ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 17:10:23 -0600 From: mbrage@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu (Michael Brage) Subject: BB/RH shows Marcy wrote: > >Billy Bragg with special guest Robyn Hitchcock. What does that mean? Billy is >the headliner, Robyn is the opener. So how much Robyn do we get? Anyone know? >I like Billy Bragg but not enough to get sucky seats in the Orpheum and see >Robyn for 45 mins. > On my tickets, Billy Bragg is in all capital letters, Robyn Hitchcock is in lower case and below Mr. Bragg. Looks like Robyn opens in Chicago. How long he will play is anybody's guess. I have a feeling I'll be dissapointed. Michael ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 15:20:22 -0700 (PDT) From: "Dot, the Itchy God." Subject: Re: Feg Digest V4 #206 On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Truman Peyote wrote: > > > On Mon, 14 Oct 1996 SGOCELTIC@aol.com wrote: > > > kick in the kidneys feeling of starting to find Hitchcock recordings in > > bargain bins....-uuunngh) > > STARTING to find them in the bargain bins, I sigh wearily, having long > gotten used to that particular unpleasant sinking sensation? I can relate > to that! > hey, easy there, this little doggie thinks that finding 3 of the a&m albums in the bins was a very cost saving measure. yet, there is truth to the fact when you find it and equate the price with the worth of the artist of work. over, .chris ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:12:24 -0400 From: sister ernestine Subject: Re: Goldmine Article Part III >>> A single of "Only the Stones Remain" appeared in >>> October 1981, followed by the pleasantly bewildering _Two Halves for the >>> Price of One_ budget-priced album, which promised a song called "Black >>MG: I have barely heard of this record - certainly never seen a copy - it >>sounds great. It isn't mentioned in the 'Rough Guide Rock" Soft Boys >>entry. >dmw:this info appears in similar form in the trouser press guide (4th ed). >dunno about the single, but the Guiness and Spin and TP guides all list it >(and claim Glass Fish re-released it in 1990, though i've never seen it >either) according to carolyn hamilton's discography, _two halves for the price of one_ was released on armageddon in 1981 and never re-released. i know that her information is correct since i have a copy of the armageddon album. i suspect that the guides are confusing _two halves_ with _portland arms_ which was re-released on vinyl in 1987 on glass flesh. >>> retitled _Only the Stones Remain_ >> MG: Maybe it's another "easy to get in the US, can't find it anywhere >> else" record? >dmw:the spin guide lists an 'only the stones remain' e.p. as a 1992 ryko >release, but i think this may refer to the fact that much of this material >was appended to the cd version of _underwater moonlight_. i'm virtually >certain nothing was released under this title in 92. there was a "only the stones remain" single (b/w "the asking tree" -- one of the most brilliant soft boys tunes, imho) on armageddon (as029, 1981), but, unless there was a ultra-rare ryko promo, i don't know of any ep such as you mention, doug. >> PS Did you hear that BOC are back in the studio recording a new album? >yah -- early '97 release supposedly. i found out two days after the show >that they just played less than 50 miles from me. *sigh* another closet cult member? call me a heathen, but i love their albums from the 1980s even more than the 1970s stuff. woj ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 19:18:35 -0500 From: pokey@uti.com (Greg Landry) Subject: Re: BB/RH shows >Marcy wrote: >> >>Billy Bragg with special guest Robyn Hitchcock. What does that mean? Billy is >>the headliner, Robyn is the opener. So how much Robyn do we get? Anyone know? >>I like Billy Bragg but not enough to get sucky seats in the Orpheum and see >>Robyn for 45 mins. >> > >On my tickets, Billy Bragg is in all capital letters, Robyn Hitchcock is in >lower case and below Mr. Bragg. Looks like Robyn opens in Chicago. How >long he will play is anybody's guess. I have a feeling I'll be >dissapointed. > >Michael > > > Was listening to WXRT a few nights ago, and following a song from ME, it was announced that Robyn would be at the Vic with BB as the opener. I already have my tickets, and noted the same billing as already discussed. I don't know if the announcement was a mistake, or a change in billing. If anyone has heard more . . . do tell. GL Greg Landry Morris, IL U.S.A. http://www.uti.com/~pokey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Trout departed, he sent this telepathic message to the Creator of the Universe, serving as His eyes, ears and consience: "Am headed for Forty-second Street now. How much do you already know about Forty-second Street?" * * * K. Vonnegut BoC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:22:29 -0400 From: sister ernestine Subject: Re: Song references? also sprach mrd@world.std.com (Mitchell R Dickerman): >I was perusing the web site and I noticed an except of 'Softcore' in the >Positive Vibrations zine. That looked like a pretty good start - did it ever >finish? all of softcore that i have been given has been put on the web. i'd like to eventually have an intereactive softcore-like thingie on the site which would allow folks to post comments about specific songs. aidan? >And wasn't there someone else who did a Hitchcock A-Z song reference? bayard's songlist is on the ftpsite somewhere. i need to htmlize that and add it to the site sometime. >I'm just wondering about this after reading the latest installment of the >Goldmine article. I'd be interested in seeing some sort of recording guide >compiling what we know about each session, i.e. dates, names of players, names >of songs that got released on albums and b-sides or compilations, etc. Does >someone have something like that already? i have about a zillion discographies: the one aidan published in positive vibrations, the one carolyn hamilton used to send out to fegmaniax the fan club, russ reynolds', and a couple other too, i think. russ has the most details about recording information, but i don't have an electronic copy of it yet. this is another project for the web site.... woj ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:28:49 -0400 From: sister ernestine Subject: maxwell's just talked to maxwell's. the gigs that were scheduled for tonight were officially cancelled last week sometime. they have not been rescheduled. guess that jives with the iron horse info fairly well. woj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .