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 #208 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 208 Tuesday October 15 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: ------- ------- Re: Goldmine Article Part III Re: Goldmine pt. II/ what's left?/ squaring the triangle Re: BB/RH shows (2nd try) Goldmine article, Part V Re: Song references? Chicago show and social event Bragg / Hitchcock: Worry Not... CRD: Mr. Rock'N'Roll Goldmine article, part VI Re: Goldmine article, part VI ...but happy! Re: BB/RH shows etc re: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devil's Triangle Voices! I hear voices. . . Off: Bartok, Crimson, min. Robyn re: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devil's Triangle Re: Voices! I hear Voices... Re: Voices! I hear voices. . . _glass flesh_ cd sleeve ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:35:10 -0400 (EDT) From: "`!'" Subject: Re: Goldmine Article Part III On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, sister ernestine wrote: > >>> October 1981, followed by the pleasantly bewildering _Two Halves for the > >>> Price of One_ budget-priced album, which promised a song called "Black > > 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. one of the problems is that is i suspect these guides rely on each other to some degree -- so if it gets printed in one, it may be perpetuated in others. (i've read that map makers in the 60's, when all the gas stations used to give away free maps, would routinely make up fly speck towns, so that if, say, esso published a map with a town on it that, say, sunoco had fabricated, sunoco's mapmaker could sue esso's for copyright violation. wouldn't it be annoying if record guides followed suit?) > 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. me either -- but virtually all the songs that the goldmine author mentions are on the _underwater moonlight_ cd, the version of 'astronomy domine' excepted > another closet cult member? call me a heathen, but i love their albums > from the 1980s even more than the 1970s stuff. ok, woj, you're a heathen ;-) ;-) i only hope you don't mean _club ninja_ i didn't think there was a thing wrong with 'fire,' 'cultasaurus' was alright, and 'imaginos' was far far better than i thought it would be, but i thought the rest were kinda lackluster (even if ian hunter did get a co-write on 'revolution') doug n.p. hilarius bookbinder _get out of town_ -- 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: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 14:14:23 +0000 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Goldmine pt. II/ what's left?/ squaring the triangle >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? the original version is on one of the Dr Demento compilation albums, and is dated to (IIRC) the 1940s. Robyn must be olde than he looks. >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 :). I think he meant sinister as opposed to dexter somehow >> 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. not sure about that (certainly on none of the Shriekback I've got), but she was in Robert Fripp's League of Gentlemen. Which brings us back to King Crimson and the Devil's triangle! James James Dignan, Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk St., St. Clair, Dunedin, New Zealand pixelphone james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz / steam megaphone NZ 03-455-7807 * You talk to me as if from a distance * and I reply with impressions chosen from another time, time, time, * from another time (Brian Eno) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:50:30 -0500 From: pokey@uti.com (Greg Landry) Subject: Re: BB/RH shows (2nd try) >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 23:09:08 -0500 From: "John, Jacci, & Madison" Subject: Goldmine article, Part V _I Often Dream of Trains_ also contains some of his finest songs yet, "Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl," and two a cappella numbers, "Uncorrected Personality Traits" and "Furry Green Atom Bowl." Even the outtakes are impressive. A re-recording of "My Favourite Buildings," and "I Used To Say I Love You" were included among the five songs appended to the album's first British CD reissue, while "Insect Girl" (which Hitchcock would re-record the following year) features among the bonus tracks on Rhino's reissue of _Fegmania_. (what?? -jbj) Further outtakes from the _I Often Dream Of Trains_ sessions, "Falling Leaves," "Winter Love" and "Bones In The Ground," appeared on the B-side of another in the long trail of collectible Hitchcock singles, a new version of the old Soft Boys staple, the Byrds' "Bells of Rhymney." 1984 also saw Hitchcock make his first live appearance on BBC radio, recording a solo session for broadcast on the Mark Radcliffe show Sept. 15. (note: i don't think this is right. mark radcliffe didn't have his own show till the 90's, right? -jbj) He performed four songs, all from _I Often Dream of Trains_: the album's title track, "Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl," "Flavour of NIght" and "Ye Sleeping Nights Of Jesus." (It was the start of a long and fruitful relationship between Hitchcock and the BBC, but archivists will be horrified to learn that when Rhino contacted the BBC in the hope of incorporating these session tapes into the CD reissue of the _Trains_ album, the tapes turned out to have deteriorated beyond any hope of salvage.) Suddenly rejuvenated, Hitchcock's next decision was to begin working with a band again. Initially, the intention was simply to demo some new material, so Hitchcock called up the first compatible musicians he could think of; Soft Boys Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor. The sessions went so well, however, that a full-time partnership was never far away. Hitchcock himself still expresses some surprise that his new band should so resemble his old one. "We just had one days' rehearsal, we recorded the next day and it was fantastic. Working with Andy and Morris utterly transformed the songs." Close to two-thirds of a new album, plus a rudimentary home-made video for the song "Man With The Lightbulb Head," were completed before _I Often Dream Of Trains_ was even in the shops, with the new band (briefly augmented by saxophonist James Fletcher and keyboard player Roger Jackson) making its live debut at the London Hope and Anchor during a series of shows intended to raise money to keep that venerable old venue open. As it turned out, the north London basement within which so many of the punk-era bands had got their start was beyond help, but the Egyptians, as Hitchcock dubbed his new band, were a phenomenal success. A handful of one-off gigs soon became a crowded diary and as the March, 1985, release of this next album, _Fegmania_, approached, the band was seldom far from a stage. Even so, Hitchcock was not working exclusively with the Egyptians. He and a friend, double bassist Chris Cox were constantly recording together, with three songs from these low-key sessions, "Vegetable Friend," "I Got A Message For You" and "Point It At Gran," eventually appearing on the _Invisible Hitchcock_ collection. A number of others also appeared before the public in 1995, as the _You And Oblivion_ album. Another regular playmate was Peter Buck, guitarist with R.E.M., who were then in London to record their _Fables Of The Reconstruction_ album. Cox and Hitchcock wasted little time in consummating this new friendship in the studio. "It was great," Hitchcock enthuses. "We did "Birdshead" (which would appear on _You And Oblivion_) and an early version of "Flesh #1""--a songs which wouldn't receive an official release until 1988. "Peter came round and we worked, then I took him back to the tube station in my blue-and-white VW van. I think he'd been up all night, as well. It was very quick--if you want to get two songs down in 40 to 45 minutes, those two are your men. Chris is remarkable, he can learn a song and forget it all in the same song. It's fantastic, and Buck isn't all that different. "I enjoyed working with them because they both do their best performances when they don't actually know the song. Neither of them had heard those songs before. It's incredible." Buck would also join the Egyptians on stage at London's premier late night club, Dingwalls, in March 1985, accompanying them through a version of "Bells Of Rhymney," before a checkered-suited Hitchcock led the band through an absurd game of musical chairs which ended with him playing bass, Metcalfe switching to drums, and Windsor strumming guitar. "As we near another oft-prophesied Psychedelic Summer," Melody Maker's excited review of the show pleaded, "one can only hope it'll be Hitchcock...who spearheads the rebellion." The imminent release of _Fegmania_ only amplified such pleas. Still the best-loved album within Hitchcock's back catalog, _Fegmania_ resounds with classics: "Egyptian Cream," a song which dates from the pre-Groovy Decay sessions with Matthew Seligman; "Heaven," which was also released as a single; and "The Man With The Lightbulb Head," would all be featured on any Hitchcock "Best Of" compilation you could dream of. But still there is one song which, more than any, epitomizes both Hitchcock and, via its popularity, his audience's expectations of the man: "My Wife And My Dead Wife." Hitchcock acknowledges the song's importance when he admits, "I've constantly heard a few songs from my repertoire over the years, I sing a lot of them to this day, things like "Airscape" and the "Dead Wife" song, "Heaven," they've been around so long I cant' even imagine a time when I haven't written them. And I've found that if you consistently remember one or two events in your life, that historical even becomes its own reality. So when I listen to those old songs on record, they don't really sound like I think they do. They sound younger, the skin sounds fresher, the voice sounds squeakier, you can see my eyes poking just above my collar, my nose looks very small." "The "Dead Wife" song," as Hitchcock now refers to it, has gone several steps further than that, however, not only taking on its own life as a song, but also stepping into the realms of video as well. So many people have fond memories of a "Dead Wife" video that it comes as a stunning blow to learn that the closest Hitchcock has ever come to making such a thing is the live performance version included on 1985's _Gotta Let This Hen Out_ concert video, which itself is interspersed with mere glimpses of a dead-looking wife in full bridal drag. "Oh God!" Hitchcock ejaculates. "That was Karen! Karen and her husband were hippies from Lytham St Annes and they directed the Marquee show (source of the _Hen_ video and live album). They filmed us, then Karen went and enacted scenes from the songs. She covered herself in lilies, then lay down on the ironing board, and filmed herself for the dead wife; then she got into the shower in her bathing costume and poured treacle over herself for "I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl." "They also had some live holiday footage of themselves driving through America which they intercut with this very sweaty live footage. It was all very strange and it had nothing to do with us." Another urban legend bites the dust. "My Wife And My Dead Wife" reappeared, alongside "Heaven" and two older songs, "Brenda's Iron Sledge" and "The Car She Used To Drive," on Hitchcock's next BBC session, the first he would record for Radio One's Andy Kershaw Show, broadcast, Sept. 7, 1985, a month before the _Gotta Let This Hen Out_ album and video were released. Melody Maker continued effusive when the _Hen_ album rolled around, noting first that Hitchcock writing a song like "Heaven" was akin to George Michael (then at the peak of this teen-dream sappiness) composing "Layla," but then pronouncing, "perfection is not a word normally applicable to live albums, but this time around....what other word is there?" Recorded at the London Marquee in April 1985, _Hen_ (both in its original form, and the extended CD versions which Midnight Music and Rhino would subsequently release) is a leisurely stroll through Hitchcock's entire back catalog, from _A Can Of Bees_ ("Leppo And The Jooves") through to _Fegmania_. It is also a fair, but not entirely accurate reflection of the Egyptians' live sound. Some vocals, bass and keyboards were all "repaired" in the studio before release, but the glue really doesn't show. Over a decade on from that Melody Maker review, _Gotta Let This Hen Out_ (the distinctive title, incidentally, is taken from a line in "Listening To The Higsons") remains an excellent album, and there was more to come as well. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 00:16:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: Re: Song references? On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Mitchell R Dickerman wrote: > And wasn't there someone else who did a Hitchcock A-Z song reference? it was i. i have given an updated version to woj for the web page, and am also glad to email it to anyone who wants it. It's up to over 550 songs now. bayard ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 00:15:15 -0500 (CDT) From: Truman Peyote Subject: Chicago show and social event Ok, it's roundup time kiddos- Anyone who's going to the Chicago show and is interested in quaffing a few in the presence of other listpersons (Mr. Snyder has already expressed some interest in this prospect) pre or post show should hereby speak up. I'm not all that familiar with the neighborhood around the Vic, so I don't know what exactly would be a suitable rendezvous point, but I'm sure someone could come up with a decent enough suggestion (maybe the Old Town Alehouse- that's near there I think, unless I've gotten my geography way mixed up, which is certainly possible :)). Let's get together, neighbor. Cheers, Susan n.p. John Cale, "Vintage Violence" ------------------------------ From: RxBroome@aol.com Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 01:49:57 -0400 Subject: Bragg / Hitchcock: Worry Not... >From Nick: "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..." They ply the same emotional territory, unquestionably, and both have careers that grew out of, but were explicitly contradictory to, the early UK punk movement. My take is that the primary connection is this: both are fabulous songwriters with a deep, instinctual understanding of the "human condition" (yes, kill me, please), but neither feels comfortable with being facile or obvious about it. Hence, they cloak their most astute observations in the clothing of their respective obsessions-- for Billy, leftist politics, and for Robyn, semi-psychedelic bio-aquatic imagery (imagine Billy being loose enough to write "The President" or Robyn being strident enough to write "Cindy of 1000 Lives", just to cite two examples where each respective songwriter does a better version of what the other is routinely, lamely accused of... the parallels abound)... and both are routinely dismissed as "one-note" and neither actually is... Stress about Robyn vs. Billy as "headliner" is probably unwarranted, as they've always been mutually cordial and respectful, and we'll get plenty of both (I pray for a mutual encore, myself). It's all a pitiful, commercial consideration, and I'm sure both of them feel above it all. Fegs, stick around for Billy, even if you're not a fan. You will be. If you can't get past your right-wing political leanings, just remember that Robyn himself is a child of the '60's and that he recently felt the need to dis Rush Limbaugh, and fuck off. _________________________ M. Godwin says: "(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?" Well, I don't have the evidence onhand, but I seem to remember "Chinese Bones" landing in the top five of my own recent "favorite songs" poll... another example of songwriting existing outside of commercial frameworks (anyone seen a recent Robyn show that didn't include "Lysander"?)... _________________________ Truman says: "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 :)." Not that I wouldn't love to share a pitcher of anything with you, Susan, or much less have something foamy contact my face courtesy of your own lovely self (could be I'm begging for just that :), ) but... ain't "Sunshine & Leith" a Proclaimers record? Knowing those guys to be twins, are they really both named "Reid"? If so, why isn't there a more public rivalry between them and the Jesus & Mary Chain for the title of "pop music's 'Reid Bothers'"? (Won't even bring the "Reed" factor into this...) Rexy Stardust PS: just commandeered a party at which the Monty Python "Rex Stardust/Toad the Wet Sprocket" bit was played ad nauseum. Don't know if it it's a call to social godhead or just geeky synchronicity... PPS to James: Hope the NZ election went well... four years ago, prior to my first eligible US presidential election, I had to play REM's "Ignoreland" over and over again until I felt okay about my decision. This time it's hopeless... ------------------------------ From: Terrence M Marks Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 01:56:53 -0400 (EDT) Subject: CRD: Mr. Rock'N'Roll @Mr. Rock'N'Roll E G A I won't breathe and I won't snarl and I won't even come C D E I'll be like a statue, I'll be serious and numb A C E See the hungry ray of light that bursts across the floor C D E Don't apologize to me, you don't know what I'm for B Mr. Rock'N'Roll, are you receiving me? A Please I won't interact with you or mess you up at all I'll just be a marionette posing in the hall here's a suit of armour, you can stash yourself inside here's a pair of telephones so you can call your bride Mr. Rock'N'Roll, are you receiving me? Please E B I used to dance through your voice I used to dance through your voice A C D I was lonely Wake up in the morning with your arms around a mist Wake up in the evening with my heart inside your fist See the hungry wolf that slopes away towards the dawn Blood in the conservatory and feathers on the lawn Mr. Rock'N'Roll, are you receiving me? Please Terry "The Human Mellotron" Marks normal@grove.ufl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 08:05:47 -0400 (EDT) From: "`!'" Subject: Goldmine article, part VI A year on from the main attraction, three tracks from _Hen_ were matched with three further performances from the Marquee show, and released as the equally entertaining _Exploding in Silence_. "That was a picture disc, which means nobody could ever play it, so it didn't matter what we put on it," jokes Hitchcock. "It's got a picture of me with the big teeth and the hat. The problem is, you can't see the radishes in that shot. On the _Invisible Hitchcock_ cover, there's a nice, moody picture of me toting some radishes, which had just been washed to make them extra-moist and globular, and I'm doing my best 'fuck off and die' look which I used to specialize in, but which is diluted by the presence of some very fine radishes. The _Exploding in Silence_ picture was from the same session, and I'm grinning in that one, I don't know why. Maybe I'd just eaten a radish." In fact, _Exploding In Silence_ is the only Hitchcock album in the last decade (the newly released _Moss Elixir_ notwithstanding) to picture the artist so prominently. Beginning with _Gotta Let This Hen Out_, he had preferred to utilize his paintings. "Pictures of me always have that 'fuck off and die' look to them, mainly because I don't like being photographed -- and it's got worse. Every so often there's a nice shot of me, which is done when I'm not expecting it, and we've used one of them on the cover of _Moss Elixir_, because having done an exhaustive photo session, we just found some old shots which my partner took of me when I wasn't looking, and they're much more relaxed. It's unfortunate, the 'fuck off and die' look, because it's not what I mean to convey, it's just the way I feel about cameras." And there were a lot of them going off now. Both _Fegmania!_ and _Gotta Let This Hen Out_ gave Hitchcock a visibility he had never previously imagined, and it was in this rarefied atmosphere of imminent stardom that he and the Egyptians set to work on their next album, the often brilliant, but occasionally labored, _Element of Light_. "Things had started to happen," Hitchcock remembered. "I was a little bit more out of the bubble I'd been in [during] the early 80's." He paid his first visits to the United States, gigged regularly to the kind of appreciation which the Soft Boys could only have dreamed about, and found people regularly queuing for his autograph. "In a way, I was starting to feel like a real person." A real person who was working with a real band. Although _Fegmania!_ was the first album upon which the Egyptians performed as a unit, _Element of Light_ would be the first upon which that unit could truly expand, the first, as Hitchcock said, to be made by the trio "as an ensemble right the way through." Unfortunately, this stability was balanced out by a certain instability in terms of the actual recording. The band used three different studios over the course of the _Element of Light- sessions, and still two tracks, "The President" and "Lady Waters and the Hooded One," could only be completed after versions performed live at the Town & Country club for broadcast by the BBC were stripped down to their rhythm tracks, then rebuilt from there. Several other cuts, meanwhile, pale in comparison with the versions which were recorded only months later for the _Andy Kershaw Show_. Broadcast May 29, 1986, this latest BBC radio session featured stunning versions of "Bass," "The President" (inspired by Ronald Reagan's trip to Bitzburg) and "Lady Waters and the Hooded One," all from the album; the B-sides "Tell Me About Your Drugs" and "The Can Opener," plus one oldie, "52 Stations." From start to finish, it has a relaxed quality which _Element of Light_ could only aspire towards. Neither was settling into the studio the only problem which bedeviled _Element of Light_. Hitchcock admitted, "it was harder to assemble material for _Element_ than it was for _Fegmania!_ After the initial sessions, there was a lot of stuff that didn't seem that strong." _Element of Light_ was Hitchcock's first album to be released simultaneously on CD and vinyl, and the CD's bonus tracks swiftly proved a serious bone of contention among his fan base. CDs were still relatively new to the rock world 10 years ago, with nobody willing to predict whether or not they would ever catch on. Forcing fans to fork out for four new songs available only in a format whose future was still open to conjecture was not a popular gambit. [dmw again, sorry, can't let that one pass -- by 86 there was *no* way that the future of CDs was any more open to conjecture than it is now. if you think this guy can get annoying to read from time to time, you should try typing it all in!] For anybody whose appetite was whetted by this initial foray into the Hitchcock archive, however, the _Element of Light_ CD was but the first course in what would soon become a gigantic repast. His next album, _Invisible Hitchcock_, was to be a complete collection of largely unreleased oddities, dating all the way back to the _Black Snake Diamond Role_ sessions. It would not be an easy meal to consume, however. Indeed, released in the U.S. by Relativity as part of a general licensing deal which covered most of Hitchcock's back catalog, _Invisible Hitchcock_ swiftly set about creating another splitting headache for fastidious collectors. The British and American vinyl versions both comprised slightly different tracks, with the British CD then adding further variety to the pot and, though it was still nine years away, the first U.S. CD version of this fascinating, if oddball, collection, only added to the confusion. It was great that all three permutations on the original theme were combined onto one disc, great that the additional bonus tracks were then taken from the _Eaten By Her Own Dinner_ EP. But all that hard work was promptly undone when one track was excised from the original running order and returned to the earlier album from whose sessions it had been snatched And there was still no room for Hitchcock's "Kung Fu Fighting," one of the most intriguing cuts produced during this entire period. "Kung Fu Fighting" was recorded for the UK benefit album _Alvin Lives in Leeds_ (Midnight Clang 4). [sic] "The wanted a series of ghastly hits from the 1970's" Hitchcock recalls, "and that was one of my particular favorites. There's a really good live version of that which the Egyptians did as well, which has never been released, but if we ever do a posthumous Egyptians live album, that should go on. That was really good fun." This apparent propensity for delving into his archives, says Hitchcock, is in fact one of the pitfalls of the cult status which he enjoys. "The fans love the unreleased material. It doesn't matter what it is, if it didn't come out, they have to hear it." He leaves unspoken, but ominously obvious, the belief that there was often a very good reason for it not having been released in the first place. "Some of it was rubbish. Some of it was on a cassette tape which broke and I never got it repaired." That was the fact of much of the material packed onto 1995's _You and Oblivion_. Following _Element of Light_ and the attendant touring, the Egyptians broke for a short hiatus, during which Hitchcock continued recording, solo, and with Chris Cox. It was during this period, too, in October 1986, that he recorded another BBC session, comprising "Fun in the Sun," [sic!] "Lock Away Your Eyes," [sic!!] and "Where Angels Fear to Tread." [sic!!!] Unfortunately, details of this session, not to mention the tapes themselves, appear to have been lost long ago, and Hitchcock acknowledges that _You and Oblivion_ might have shared that same fate. [well, under their more familiar titles, "Acid Bird" and "If You Were a Priest", sorta showed up on the Kershaw Sessions disc, didn't they? -- interrupting 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/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 14:42:41 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: Goldmine article, part VI Thanks again Doug! The best part of this series is the way that your editorial comments get more and more irate as the mistakes get bigger and more frequent! - Mike Godwin PS Oyster Boys: sorry, I can't agree about those 80s albums. Nothing beats Secret Treaties and Tyranny & Mutation! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 09:59:52 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth CC: Vyrna Knowl Subject: ...but happy! On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, Truman Peyote wrote: > 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=20 > :). sinister (s=EEn=B4=EE-ster) adjective [...other meanings deftly omitted...] 4. On the left side; left. [...from Latin sinister, on the left...] - sin=B4isterly adverb - sin=B4isterness noun (The American Heritage=AE Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright =A9 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic versio= n licensed from InfoSoft International, Inc. All rights reserved.) -Nick (Eyes closed, mouth open, awaiting pitcher of foaming beverage...) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 10:34:42 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth CC: mbrage@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu Subject: Re: BB/RH shows etc Micheal and Marcy moaned: >> 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 >disappointed. If it's any consolation, my ticket for the SF show definitely shows equal billing for our two boys. Both names are in caps in the center of the ticket, separated by a line in small print with date/time/venue information. Billy above, Robyn below. Maybe it varies by location. If he/she thinks Billy is the bigger draw in a certain place I imagine the promoter will try to leverage that name attract more people. I expect the contents and format of the show will be the same everywhere, though. I also think the spate of good reviews for ME augers well for an equal slice of airtime, not to mention the obvious good relationship between the two (i.e. I don't expect any "who's on first" bickering) Meanwhile, later the same digest, woj opined: > 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. ["fish"?] I agree. I also have a copy of that album. "Black Snake Diamond Role" on the other hand has been re-released numerous times both in Europe and the US (I know of at least three versions; there are probably more) -Nick PS Thanks to Doug and John for the excellent Goldmine stuff. No doubt we'll be starting the carpal tunnel surgury/Fegmaniax scanner fund very soon. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 11:07:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Griffith Davies Subject: re: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devil's Triangle Although I have never seen the three of them together, I do have a recording where all three of them are performing together. Check out the REM live recording (boot) from The Borderline in 1991. It features REM playing a mostly acoustic set with Robyn Hitchcock, Billy Bragg, and Peter Holsapple sitting in with them. It is very cool. Unfortunately, the version I have is missing the Robyn Hitchcock songs (the one I have is an REM only kinda thing). If my ears can detect properly, Robyn, Billy, and Michael alternate singing lead on the Dylan song "You ain't goin' Nowhere." Now that I think about it, the accompanying booklet has pictures of everyone BUT Robyn. Hmmm.... griffith ______________________________________________________________ Griffith Davies hbrtv219@email.csun.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 16:22:10 -0400 Subject: Voices! I hear voices. . . From: Hello . . . Having been only a recent member of this List, I have tried to restrain from constant posting; and I have dutifully looked through archives, etc. But there is one little thing I have noticed that I did not see mentioned yet - so please forgive me if this has already been brought up a zillion times. (or just go ahead and mail bomb the newbie anyway. . . ) I have listened to the Ryko CD "You and Oblivion" many many happy times since acquiring it, but it wasn't until recently - while driving in my car - that I began to hear strange voices, somewhat like those of a little girl. I was quite confused, thinking that I was, perhpas, channeling Alice. (Which was indeed confusing, seeing as I usually channel the Mad Hatter instead.) Then I realized that I had taped YaO over an old cassette; maybe it was the Dukes of the Stratosphere or something. So I forgot about it . . . Then a few weeks later I was listing to the actual CD im my car, and again the voices . . . in between songs, turned down, strangely calling to me. Ahhh . . . I imagined sunny fields where little Edwardian girls played with intelligent animals and Julian Sands declared the eternal YES from treetops, not to mention the party games, al lthe delightful party games! I still can't *quite* make out what the voices are saying, though, and I do not want to, because I like it better that way: so I will not turn the volume all the way up and write down every cryptic message. (Ahhh . . . back in my anal retentive Pink Floyd high school days, though. . . ) So the only reason for my posting is to share the presence of these voices with you, just in case you haven't noticed them. . . . By the way - I assume most of you have noticed that the song "Unsettled" fades out with a ghostly "Ghost Ship?" Yes? Sorry, Old hat. . . . Hat? Uh-oh. In this style 10/6 . . . Gotta get to that tea party. . . . ---------------------------------+-------------------------------- The Great Quail, K.S.C. | TheQuail@cthulhu.microserve.com | "Keeper of the Libyrinth" | Sarnath - The Quailspace Web Page: riverrun Discordian Society | http://www.microserve.net/~thequail 73 De Chirico Street | Arkham, Orbis Tertius 2112-42 | ** What is FEGMANIA? ** "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." -- H.P. Lovecraft ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 16:21:33 -0400 Subject: Off: Bartok, Crimson, min. Robyn From: Just a few notes on some of the threads I've been following: >>It's [Devil's Triad] 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. >King Crimson and Bela Bartok, not only in the same post, but in the same >sentence! This list gets better all the time! As a certified King Crimson fan (University of Cigarettes and Ice Cream) I feel almost compelled to add that Fripp - the founding member and guitarist - is quite the Bela Bartok enthusiast. Many aspects of the Hungarian's style can be detected in some of Fripp's stranger guitar excursions, most notably those on the albums Wake of Poseidon, Islands, Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, and of course Red. (Inforbit: Red was one of Kurt Cobain's favorite albums.) For anyone wishing to really hear this, get yourself a copy of Bartok's String Quartets. There are some interludes in there which go exactly the same places as Fripp's guitar. Quite nice. Additionally, for those of you who justifiably need a Robyn reference, just think how much the title "Lark's Tongues in Aspic" sounds like a Hitchcock lyric, and you'll be happy. . . . ---------------------------------+-------------------------------- The Great Quail, K.S.C. | TheQuail@cthulhu.microserve.com | "Keeper of the Libyrinth" | Sarnath - The Quailspace Web Page: riverrun Discordian Society | http://www.microserve.net/~thequail 73 De Chirico Street | Arkham, Orbis Tertius 2112-42 | ** What is FEGMANIA? ** "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." -- H.P. Lovecraft ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 96 14:27:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: re: Bragg-Buck-Hitchcock: Devil's Triangle ======== Original Message ======== Although I have never seen the three of them together, I do have a recording where all three of them are performing together. Check out the REM live recording (boot) from The Borderline in 1991. It features REM playing a mostly acoustic set with Robyn Hitchcock, Billy Bragg, and Peter Holsapple sitting in with them. It is very cool. Unfortunately, the version I have is missing the Robyn Hitchcock songs (the one I have is an REM only kinda thing). If my ears can detect properly, Robyn, Billy, and Michael alternate singing lead on the Dylan song "You ain't goin' Nowhere." Now that I think about it, the accompanying booklet has pictures of everyone BUT Robyn. Hmmm.... griffith ______________________________________________________________ Griffith Davies hbrtv219@email.csun.edu ======== Fwd by: Russ Reynolds ======== Are you sure about the booklet? I've seen a "From The Borderline" boot and it has two or three pictures of Robyn in the booklet. In the front he's listed as "Violet" in the photos of the Bingo Hand Job members. Robyn's verse on the above mentioned tune is one of the highlights of that disc, IMO. That show is was kind of like the underground version of "Rock&Roll Circus", wasn't it. Wish I had been there. -russ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 96 14:53:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: Re: Voices! I hear Voices... I'm pretty sure that's the first Russ Ballard reference on this mailing list. >I still can't *quite* make out what the voices are saying, though, and I I'll probably be corrected, but I believe that's Maise singing nursery rhymes when she was younger. Russ R. ------------------------------ From: Terrence M Marks Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 18:24:25 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Voices! I hear voices. . . Yep...there are voices on the CD Why? 1) It was a delibarate thing, a stroke of genius on an album of outtakes 2) The album was made from archived tapes and wasn't recorded properly. Some bits probably became corrupted, or the tapes were recorded over without being cleared properly, etc. I vote for number 2. The voice you hear is generally attributed to Maisie, Robyn's daughter. Terry "The Human Mellotron" Marks normal@grove.ufl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 18:38:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Bayard Subject: _glass flesh_ cd sleeve last chance to make additions/changes! Nocturne (Prelude) John England Bethesda, Maryland Brenda's Iron Sledge Kevin Slick (please provide data!) Listening to the Higsons MARK GLOSTER Aptos, California Mark Gloster and Big Rubber Shark have just released their first full-length CD, entitled _Monday's Lunch_. Enjoy it with your favorite beverage! Mark Gloster: Voice, 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Bass Guitar, Production, Engineering. Catch 23 ANOTHER BUBBLE Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada "Another Bubble" Recorded Oct. 1994 at Mono Valley Studio 4-track courtesy John Born Catch23 is: Philip Clark Kristiana Green Write: 127 George St. Apt. 4; Fredericton, NB E3B 1J2; Canada. Send 2$ for tape and sticker. Dave Brown ONE LONG PAIR OF EYES (please provide data!) She Doesn't Exist Vic Chestnutt Athens, Georgia Vic - vocals Scott Stuckey - instrumentation Dana Downs - backing vocals produced & engineered by Scott Stuckey Vic Chesnutt appears courtesy of Texas Hill Records Box 72449 Davis, CA 916-756-8959 Bradley Skaught QUEEN OF EYES Figured out, produced, engineered, played and mixed in about the time it takes to listen to it. I don't know all the words, but I'm sure they're really good. Yammer-Jooks OLD PERVERT (please provide data) The Transparencies TRASH Ottawa, Ontario, Canada hand-made. Daryl - guitar, keyboards John - guitar Caroline - bass, vox James Dignan and the Beaker People SERPENT AT THE GATES OF WISDOM Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand (5'10") Acoustic , Echoey and Twang Guitars, vocals - James Dignan Whirly thing - Sam Campbell Happy Cactus & Other Rotting Flesh AIRSCAPE Recorded "live" to 4-track, Christmas 1990, in David Casey's bedroom in Helena, Montana USA. The players: Paul Montagne sings and might play guitar Colin Meloy plays guitar David Casey plays keyboards Darrell Casey plays bass Jordan Anderson plays keyboards There may be some backing vocals by Colin and Dave (I can't recall) Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds was also recorded during this 'session' with the same lineup. Happy Cactus materialized later featuring the talents of Colin Meloy, David Casey, Deidre Casey, and Mark Schummer. Other Days INSANELY JEALOUS Boston, Massachusetts Jeff Aufiero - Drums Mike Breen - Guitar, Lead Vocals Nate Dunne - Bass, Backing Vocals with Dana Ashworth - Keyboards Produced by Kevin Lawson and Other Days Recorded at Blue Tones Studio, Cambridge MA on 10/12/94 and 10/13/94 For information write: Other Days PO Box 625 Boston, MA 02129 Or via internet: mikester@bix.com mikeb@usa1.com visit the Other Days home page! http://www.channel1.com/users/mikeb/odays.html Modest Mr. Brown I SOMETHING YOU Namedropping will get you anywhere. Modest Mr. Brown - vocals, acoustic, Amiga 1200 synthesizer produced & engineered by MMB John Hedges- St. Petersburg (please provide data!) Edward of Sim- Clean Steve (Knack Dennis) (please provide data!) VERGE BALLOON MAN (RUBBER EDIT) Toronto, Ontario, Canada "Verge - the band that brought you the things that aren't comes back at you with the B-movie rendition of "Balloon Man" - you've read the book, you've seen the movies, now hear the song in glorious Flabo-vision! CONTACT : Jeff Lawrence/(519) 439-1794" Meat Ruiner LOVE Athens, GA Along with Kevin Slick's bluegrass "Brenda," one of the most-requested songs for the CD. M.R. - Guitar, piano, cheesy keyboard, vocals & hiss engineered & produced by M.R. mixed by M.M.B. and S.P. Nismo S. Rebrot FLAVOUR OF NIGHT Cardiff, Wales "Flavour of Night", "Glass Hotel" and "I Used To Say I Love You" were regurgitated, in that order, by Nismo S. Rebrot, during September and October 1994. Rawdoh T. Whirg sung and cogurgitated "I Used To Say...". Mr E., son of Ensoniq, codename SQ1+, sung most electronic voices, accompanied only by sporadic cries from TX802, daughter of Yamaha, on "I Used To Say...". All operations were performed within a stones throw, as the crow flings, from the green bells of Cardiff if if if if, Wales, UK. Thanks to Rawdoh and the University of Wales. Dolph Chaney WAX DOLL/CYNTHIA MASK (live) Currently at work on demos for his third album (working titles : LAWN; HUMBUG GLORY; DOLPH HAS A POMEGRANATE SALAD WITH KISSINGER AND BARKIS), Dolph will be glad to send you a tape of either of his first two albums, RIPPLES and INFINITY DOGS, or a 90-minute tape of rehearsals, odds and ends that show the more electric side of his work. He's recently relocated to the Atlanta area to take a day gig as yet another Feg librarian. Write at: Dolph Chaney 134-D Bentley Pkwy Woodstock, GA 30188-5543 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .