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The Music Board Guide to XTC (in progress)
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:01 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:01 am
Initially, I was just going to start a quick thread for cigsmcgee, but there's just too much i want to say about the band. Perhaps this kind of overarching primer into a band's output could become a Music Board staple - I could maybe do The Beach Boys, Heady could do Phish, bobbyray could do The Beatles and Kafka could do everybody else. You all have your pet bands, and this could be a nice resource for the community.
Full disclosure: I haven't yet immersed myself into every XTC album, but I will.
Full disclosure: I haven't yet immersed myself into every XTC album, but I will.
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 10:48 am
12
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:02 am to Ray Penpillage
XTC's lineup underwent a handful of changes over the band's career. However, the two songwriters, Colin Moulding and Andy Partridge, remained throughout. Early on, Colin and Andy each composed about half of XTC's songs. Following the third album, though, Andy Partridge began to dominate the group's output. This is no small thing as I, and many others, consider Andy to be a virtuoso craftsman of pop music. Colin continued to provide two or three very good songs per album until the band's retirement - the quantity decreased, not the quality.
The span of XTC's career, over twenty years, saw the band explore various genres. New wave, alternative, psychedelia, power pop and adult contemporary were exemplified by the group's releases. Despite these forays, XTC was able to consistently produce albums of high quality. Critics routinely praised the band's works well beyond what would be expected considering XTC's relative obscurity. Exposure was certainly diminished as the band (Andy) refused to tour from the early 80s onward. As a result, XTC possesses a comparatively small, but loyal, fan base.
The span of XTC's career, over twenty years, saw the band explore various genres. New wave, alternative, psychedelia, power pop and adult contemporary were exemplified by the group's releases. Despite these forays, XTC was able to consistently produce albums of high quality. Critics routinely praised the band's works well beyond what would be expected considering XTC's relative obscurity. Exposure was certainly diminished as the band (Andy) refused to tour from the early 80s onward. As a result, XTC possesses a comparatively small, but loyal, fan base.
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 3:51 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:02 am to Ray Penpillage
1978: White Music
1978: Go 2
1979: Drums and Wires
New wave with punk and 2 tone elements
Making Plans For Nigel
Day In Day Out mobile version only
Roads Girdle The Globe mobile
Scissor Man
Contemporary single found on foreign and remastered versions of the album:
Life Begins At The Hop
1980: The Black Sea
1978: Go 2
1979: Drums and Wires
New wave with punk and 2 tone elements
Making Plans For Nigel
Day In Day Out mobile version only
Roads Girdle The Globe mobile
Scissor Man
Contemporary single found on foreign and remastered versions of the album:
Life Begins At The Hop
1980: The Black Sea
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 10:56 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:02 am to Ray Penpillage
1982: English Settlement
1983: Mummer
1984: The Big Express
1985: 25 O'Clock (EP) as The Dukes of Stratosphear
Psychedelia
25 O'Clock mobile
What In The World??... mobile
Your Gold Dress mobile
The Mole From The Ministry mobile
1983: Mummer
1984: The Big Express
1985: 25 O'Clock (EP) as The Dukes of Stratosphear
Psychedelia
25 O'Clock mobile
What In The World??... mobile
Your Gold Dress mobile
The Mole From The Ministry mobile
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 5:07 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:02 am to Ray Penpillage
1986: Skylarking (EMI has a stranglehold on this one.)
Pop Masterpiece
Summer's Cauldron (Andy Partridge Demo) mobile
Grass mobile
The Ballet For A Rainy Day/1000 Umbrellas suite is my favorite from the album, but I can't find anything worth linking on YouTube. iTunes has samples, but they don't do the tracks justice. Regardless, they're worth checking out.
Season Cycle mobile
Contemporary single included on some versions of the album (an anthem for the atheists):
Dear God mobile
1987: Psonic Psunspot as The Dukes of Stratosphear
Psychedelia
Vanishing Girl mobile
Shiny Cage mobile
The Affiliated mobile
Pale And Precious mobile
1989: Oranges & Lemons
Pop
The Mayor Of Simpleton
The Loving mobile
Pink Thing mobile
Chalkhills And Children mobile
Pop Masterpiece
Summer's Cauldron (Andy Partridge Demo) mobile
Grass mobile
The Ballet For A Rainy Day/1000 Umbrellas suite is my favorite from the album, but I can't find anything worth linking on YouTube. iTunes has samples, but they don't do the tracks justice. Regardless, they're worth checking out.
Season Cycle mobile
Contemporary single included on some versions of the album (an anthem for the atheists):
Dear God mobile
1987: Psonic Psunspot as The Dukes of Stratosphear
Psychedelia
Vanishing Girl mobile
Shiny Cage mobile
The Affiliated mobile
Pale And Precious mobile
1989: Oranges & Lemons
Pop
The Mayor Of Simpleton
The Loving mobile
Pink Thing mobile
Chalkhills And Children mobile
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 10:26 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:02 am to Ray Penpillage
1992: Nonsuch
Pop
Dear Madam Barnum
Humble Daisy
Then She Appeared
The Ugly Underneath mobile
Bungalow mobile
1999: Apple Venus Volume 1
Adult Contemporary
River Of Orchids
Easter Theatre
Your Dictionary lyrics NSFW
Harvest Festival
2000: Wasp Star (Apple Venus, pt. 2)
Pop
Dear Madam Barnum
Humble Daisy
Then She Appeared
The Ugly Underneath mobile
Bungalow mobile
1999: Apple Venus Volume 1
Adult Contemporary
River Of Orchids
Easter Theatre
Your Dictionary lyrics NSFW
Harvest Festival
2000: Wasp Star (Apple Venus, pt. 2)
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 10:55 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:52 am to Ray Penpillage
reserved
Posted on 8/27/13 at 6:16 am to Ray Penpillage
Love Skylarking and Oranges and Lemons. The Mayor of Simpleton might be the catchiest toon of all time.
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 6:31 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 6:41 am to Big Chipper
I'll get there. YouTube (EMI) is hamstringing me on sample tracks. 
Eta: sorry, wasn't trying to put you off. Skylarking is a masterpiece and O&L has some great tracks too.
Eta: sorry, wasn't trying to put you off. Skylarking is a masterpiece and O&L has some great tracks too.
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 7:12 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 8:16 am to Ray Penpillage
FIREBALL XL5
There´s a really grungy version which I had on a pirate CD many moons ago, which hasn´t surfaced on Youtube.
Truth be told, I was amazed to find this one today.
also, DON´T forget The Dukes of Stratosphear!
There´s a really grungy version which I had on a pirate CD many moons ago, which hasn´t surfaced on Youtube.
Truth be told, I was amazed to find this one today.
also, DON´T forget The Dukes of Stratosphear!
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 8:26 am
Posted on 8/27/13 at 8:24 am to Ray Penpillage
Posted on 8/27/13 at 11:55 am to Ray Penpillage
I listened to them a lot back in the day. I find that only Senses Working Overtime has held up. For me. YMMV.
Posted on 8/27/13 at 12:01 pm to Ray Penpillage
excellent work. 
i can already tell im more drawn to the Dukes and post-Dukes stuff. Oranges and Lemons, Nonsuch, and the Apple Venus Vol I record sound really interesting.
i think what was kindof turning me off was the earlier new wavish sound, but some of these later albums seem unabashedly obsessed with pop and that Brian Wilson sound found particulary on Pale and Precious, but also seems to be featured in the Apple Venus stuff.
i can already tell im more drawn to the Dukes and post-Dukes stuff. Oranges and Lemons, Nonsuch, and the Apple Venus Vol I record sound really interesting.
i think what was kindof turning me off was the earlier new wavish sound, but some of these later albums seem unabashedly obsessed with pop and that Brian Wilson sound found particulary on Pale and Precious, but also seems to be featured in the Apple Venus stuff.
quote:
bobbyray could do The Beatles
Posted on 8/27/13 at 12:17 pm to Ray Penpillage
A Rocking Rockpalast Live! from Black Sea Days (with some advances from English Settlement)
This post was edited on 8/27/13 at 12:23 pm
Posted on 8/27/13 at 12:46 pm to cigsmcgee
Season Cycle and Humble Daisy, linked above, are also very Beach Boyish. Apparently, Andy discovered Beach Boys albums in the mid 80s - he was only familiar with their singles, previously.
Posted on 8/27/13 at 3:52 pm to Ray Penpillage
damn, it really shows in those tunes. i love when you can pretty easily pinpoint the time and place a band or whoever gets influenced by something and it changes their output.
Posted on 8/27/13 at 5:13 pm to Ray Penpillage
XTC is one of my favorite bands. They should be a staple in any music fans library. I made a thread on Skylarking back when this board opened.
So many good songs.
So many good songs.
Posted on 8/27/13 at 5:54 pm to The Cable Guy
They really should be a staple. It floors me that this band is not hugely popular.
Posted on 8/27/13 at 5:56 pm to Ray Penpillage
quote:
bobbyray could do The Beatles
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