The Readers Write Back!

Thanks for the AMC review, It was interesting to compare experiences; I've seen them a couple of times over the past 2 years and think they're a great band. As for why Bruce Kaphan wasn't present at the gig; he's left the band to continue his career as a video producer/editor, or at least that's what Mark told us when they played Glasgow in October (Someone shouted "Where's Bruce?", and that was his answer). What a band and what a frontman! - Keith A., Scotland

Please let David Landgren know that Bob Pollard is the lead singer/songwriter for Guided By Voices. Kim Deal's husband currently plays bass for the band, the Breeders have covered one of their songs ("Shocker In Gloomtown," on their Head To Toe ep), and Deal is rumored to be slated as producer for the band's next album (not the one coming out in February; that's already done - the album after that). Landgren professed ignorance at who Pollard was in his review of the soundtrack to Love & a .45. - Randy S.

(Errata caught by many. Be on the lookout for the new Guided By Voices release due out next month, to be reviewed in Consumable)

Just a P.S. to the excellent Blaggers I*T*A review - the band have reportedly been dumped from EMI (England), due to poor sales; yet another decent band gets the corporate work over. They're currently looking for a new label, and have been expecting the sack for some time. T.E.W., Durham

On Tim Mohr's Blondie retrospective, your facts are good but you are a bit off on the impact etc... Blondie had no effect on the Police. The Police hit the charts way before Blondie. Did you know that X Offender's real title is sex offender but Private Stock (their original now defunct label) was afraid of the word sex so they changed it to x. Also, at the time they released the first record the band except for Chris were all trying to go to other bands. They all actually hated each other. When the disco hit many at CBGB's called them sellout but actually they had always gone for that type of sound and I think most people were just jealous. Cheers-Karen K.

(Karen - Although I don't necessarily believe that Blondie influenced the Police, Tim's mention about Blondie hitting before the Police is true. Blondie was founded in 1975; the Police, 1977. Although the Police had released their first single, "Fall Out / Nothing Achieving" well before Outlandos D'Amour, Outlandos first hit the American charts in 1979. By that time, Blondie had released two chart-entering albums and was well on their way to their first number one hit single, off Parallel Lines. In addition, the Police were one of the many bands that played in the CB's environment; there's a widely bootlegged concert of theirs in New York City, circa 1979, of songs from their first two albums, which was recorded in the lower part of New York City - the area which Blondie, Talking Heads, and others called home.

Sellouts? Sell out, according to the definition which people usually use, means either "They've got more fans and I refuse to like a band which is actually popular" or "They've changed their sound, I don't like it, so it must be to sell out!". Closed-mindedness is prevalent in music fandom just as in all aspects of society - Bob Gajarsky)

I'm looking for fans of the mid-late 80s band, Fields of the Nephilim. They showed up during a post-punk musi movement that was taking place in London with a new sound like the so called "gothic-rock". Can anyone help me with what happened to this band? Thanks, Joao Cunha - cunhaj@merlin.nmhu.edu