THE XYL FILE - CHUCK VAN ZYL
YEAR: 2016
LABEL: Industry8
TRACK LISTING: Low Glide, The Theory Changes the Reality It Describes, Nuclear Winter, Runway, Faston, Testament of Youth
IMPRESSIONS: This CD is something of a Holy Grail for me and my doddy Cheeks and this is cuz why. In 1985 (or thereabouts), Cheeks and I were road tripping (as was our wont) here and there and everywhere. He may have a clearer memory of this but I think we were parked eating McDonald's or something . . . . all I know is that we were no longer mobile and were sitting in the car. Or maybe we were driving around. How am I supposed to know when we were that fubar?!?!? Anyway, we were randomly flipping through the radio stations when we came upon some obscure station (very possibly a Christian radio station) that was playing a song called "JESUS CHRIST" (or it's equivalent) by the Flying Evangelists. Now, THIS was what one might call "an experience"! Rolling around the radio dial some more brought us to another obscure station (probably a college radio station or it's equivalent) where we heard some electronic, spacey instrumental that was pretty freaky. The DJ identified it as something called "NUCLEAR WINTER" by Xyl. For decades, we desperately searched in vain to find said music. Until last year when I absently entered "Nuclear Winter" and "Xyl" into Discogs and lo and behold there it was. And the CD was fer sale by the artist! A magical moment in our lives when we finally got ahold of it and listened to the music we hadn't heard since 1985!!!!
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Low Glide and then all of 'em!
FACT SHEET: THE XYL FILE is a CD album released by Chuck Van Zyl that is limited to 1000 hand-numbered and autographed copies. The first 4 tracks were originally released on cassette as "THE XYL FILE" and tracks 5 & 6 were originally released on the cassette "NUCLEAR WINTER".
We had been toad tripping and the got McDonald's. We then went back down to Rustler's parking lot to eat. That's when and where we heard it. If memory serves, and it's my long term memory that has always been on point, this was the same night we got out of the car and were stargazing. It was then that you uttered the question; "Am I falling of of this car?". The answer was "Yes, of course you are.", because you were. I also think it's unnecessary to clarify the state we were in at the time. Were we hanging out together? Yes. Was it any time during the second half of the 1980's? Yes it was. 'Nuff said!
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