the chills c/d?

I heard this for the first time this year, my only picks would be "Ocean Ocean" and "So Long".

Winds down all the way to "Water Wolves", which is horrible.

You wonder why, before enlisting Van Dyke Parks and a big string section, no-one told Phillipps "look, for this song, don't bother". Unless he was thinking that he was Brian Wilson, Scott Walker, Nick Drake and Randy Newman all in one, and wasn't taking advice from anyone.

wasn't taking advice from anyone

Based on the (excellent) documentary, this seems to have been the case. Ego, drugs, a misbegotten belief that the Chills had real commercial potential ...

“double summer” from soft bombis pretty

Yeah Double Summer is one of their best songs you goons.

17 songs is WAY too many songs to have on an album though, unless you're GBV or Wire.

The Chills were in that awkward position of being a great band with a small but dedicated fanbase, but it was probably too indirect to ever cross over to the mainstream so they kind of got caught in the middle. Not unlike like the Replacements, Hüsker Dü and all your other faves in fact.

Missed this - an interview with the producer behind the new Brave Words remix:

http://www.apessimistisneverdisappointed.com/2023/09/it-was-manic-street-preachers-that.html

Weird (or polite?) that that article never mentions Mayo Thompson?

The Chills have just posted that Martin Phillips has died unexpectedly.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/523409/dunedin-sound-icon-martin-phillipps-dead-at-61

In shock - in some ways I knew he was living on borrowed time, but he seemed to have some momentum back / wasn't drinking.

awful news. farewell martin x

Oh no, RIP Martin. Still processing this.

so happy I saw them in 2022, rip

I only saw them once... in 1988! Ever since I've been obsessed by the fact that Martin appeared to be playing a lap steel guitar with some kind of brush because I've literally never seen anyone do that since, but now I'm beginning to think my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Today's the day you're going away, it's the silver dawn, Danny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSiHUhOzQc

xp That 1988 tour was the only time i caught them too, saw them in Manchester (with Stitched-Back Foot Airman iirc?). Don't remember the lap steel paint brush though!

'Night Of Chill Blue' is my favourite I think

Absolutely devastating news. I'm so glad that I got to see him for a final time last year. It also looks like there may yet be a final posthumous release: https://www.thepress.co.nz/culture/350335891/martin-phillipps-chills-puts-his-house-order
RIP Martin.

well this has made me very sad

Great band. "Pink Frost", one of the greatest songs ever. So haunting and spectral.

What awful news. I almost went to see the Chills last year but they weren't playing anywhere close enough really.

Submarine Bells, what an album.

Really tragic news, saw The Chills numerous times around the late 80s/early 90s (but don't remember the lap steel/brush combo, sorry). They were never going to hit the big time as the whole approach was far too modest and un-stadium, but all the better for that. RIP

Absolutely devastating news. I'm so glad that I got to see him for a final time last year.

It was the only time for me, but I still feel extremely fortunate to have seen him at all given that I didn't even discover the band until lockdown in 2020. Really, really gutted by this, even with his health issues, I thought there was a good chance he'd swing through again.

RIP. Martin was one of the great pop songwriters for me, just classic after classic

Ah crap,truly heartbreaking. I've loved The Chills for 40 years, discovering them changed my life for the better. Met Martin a few times, was sad he was social distancing last time he came to Boston. Just wanted to shake his hand one last time.

Their last two albums were solid and often beautiful.

The book Needles & plastics : Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988 really conveyed what a tough time he had keeping a group together and building on the successes he managed to achieve, even before he tried to make the step to becoming an international act, and I guess before personal problems derailed him for a long time.
I remember reading an interview where he said he had a breakdown of sorts when he went on a songwriting retreat and the tape recorder he brought with him stopped working. It underlined for me the way that depression can manifest due to a problem that on one level is fairly minor, but on a symbolic level can really feel like defeat.

RIP, he made a real contribution to rock music

^this

Have the flying nun book unread on my bookshelf. Gonna go into that post haste. The Chills have wormed their way into being one of my favorites of all time over the past few years. Sry was never able to see 'em live. Incredible oeuvre. RIP :(

ugh, RIP to a legend... what terrible news to wake up to

Was late in seeing this . Ugh. Such a talented songwriter

OMG. I caught up with that documentary quite belatedly such that it feels like no time since the glad tidings that he'd miraculously purged active Hep virions, at least. Damn!

I found a treasured photo just now. I'll post it and more about it tomorrow and link it here.

Although I was already an established fan I still regret not seeing them on the Submarine Bells tour. I had to wait until 1996(?) to see them for the first time. It wasn't a great gig, Martin was in a bad way and there were lots of technical issues - I remember him hurling his guitar across the stage in frustration and storming off. However, I've seen them on each of their subsequent trips to the UK and they've been joyous - even when playing to a dozen people in Leeds with Martin commenting "the other day we were playing to thousands at Primavera. I'm not saying it was better, just different".

Oh no, I was devastated when I read about Martin's death on Simon Reynolds blog this morning. What a gifted songwriter. I am glad I saw the Chills in Berlin in 2014. One of the most original and special bands of all-time. Their music was too mellow, too dreamy, too beautiful for this earth. It came from another, nicer planet. And there was so much hope and promise in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx-upbC2dHs

Stinging Blow, this all is.

"Pink Frost" is always cited as the Chills' emotional peak, but it's "Dream By Dream" that always gets me. I assume that song hits pretty hard with anybody who's ever been kicked out of a band, justifiably or not.

My little bit on Phillipps.

That photo of mine I mentioned, and the words I can find:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-AyZcavreH/

The recent-ish documentary is free to stream on DocPlay until August 5th, for those that haven't seen it:

https://www.docplay.com/shows/the-chills-triumph--tragedy-of-martin-phillipps

His death was one of the headline stories on last night's 6 o'clock news here, and there's been so many stories shared; still fumbling my way through.

Apparently his funeral will be held Friday 9 August at 2pm at Hope and Sons Dunedin, and live-streamed for those who can't be there in person.

xpost: that was very nice

Thank ya

Chills resurgence over the last ten years among the most incredible and unexpected music happenings of my life, forever grateful to have witnessed it

NZ music archive AudioCulture have put up a two-part article with lots of former Chills and other NZ musicians remembering Martin:

https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/martin-phillipps-remembered-brave-words-1
https://audioculture.co.nz/articles/martin-phillipps-remembered-brave-words-2

AudioCulture site is really a treasure

george h's substack tribute

https://open.substack.com/pub/georgedhenderson/p/i-guess-we-are-angels?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2cavq5

Pretty amazing story from a fan on another message board:

I may have posted this story before. Back in 2000 I visited New Zealand to see and do as much as an absurdly short one-week vacation would allow. Determined to make a pilgrimage to Dunedin (long-time FN and 80s Kiwi rock fan), i took a train, ferry and tourist bus to get down there. I didn’t know who Roi Colbert was, but locals told me he and his record store (Records Records) were the epicenter for all things Dunedin music. Roi turned out to not only be affable, humble and generous with his time, he also knew what and where everyone involved in the scene were doing. “You could drop in on Graeme over at University of Otago if he’s got office hours, Bob is over in Port Chalmers…” it went on and on. I had only mentioned being a Flying Nun fan, but Roi must have felt I’d traveled an awful long way not to meet the bands I loved. He mentioned Martin’s name, looked a little sad and said, “the only person who can help Martin is Martin.” After a moment of thought, “Let me call his sister and see what he’s doing”. “Rachel, there’s an American here who’s a big Chills fan, can you ask if he wants to meet him?” So through Rachel and Roi, I was given Martin’s street address and told to go see him. I seriously contemplated not going over, I knew he had health problems and I didn’t know what I could possibly say to him anyway. I did go and my biggest regret was not bringing something along, beer, wine, etc. Martin appeared at the door, gaunt and head nearly shaved, but he seemed genuinely pleased to have a visitor and immediately invited me in. He showed me his astounding comic book, VHS and action figures collections. His house was a pop culture museum of records, posters, tapes, books. You may have seen that in one of the documentaries. Over beer and pizza we talked music and world politics, family. He clearly cared deeply about a lot of things going on in the world. When I told him that my mother had just died, he asked “Is that what brought you to New Zealand?” He had identified some rationale that I wasn’t myself aware of, the need to get on with doing the things you wish for because life is short. I think Martin was acutely attuned to this at the time, and probably remained that way to the end. I am deeply grateful that, even in his diminished state of health, he welcomed me, a stranger, into his home to share food and conversation. Wherever you are now, Martin (mingling inseparably with the stars, perhaps), you will be missed. A good soul and brilliant artist who’s music will continue to touch peoples’ lives.

Beautiful story. Thanks, bird

I let Martin under similar circumstances, an American in Dunedin. Francisca Griffin was working at Records Records and gave me his mother's phone number. What mother doesn't like hearing great things about their son? So she gave me his number and we met at Arc Cafe and chatted for 2 hours and he signed my copy of Secret Box. Just a wonderful man.