Andy Patridge (vocals, guitar), Colin Moulding (bass), Dave Gregory (guitar, keys), and Terry Chambers (drums)
The Swindon-based band began as a Glam outfit, cycling through numerous names and members before becoming XTC. The final lineup included Andy, Colin, and Terry, who were later joined by Barry Andrews (keys and sax). Dave came on board following Andrews' departure after the first two LPs. Chambers was subsequently replaced by Peter Phipps, Prairie Prince, among others after 1983.
XTC never released a bad album, there were a few lesser songs, but there's not an LP I'd throw in the cellar to collect cobwebs and dust. With that in mind, "let's begin!"
White Music (January 20, 1978)
Charts: #38 in the UK
Tracks: Radios in Motion / Cross Wires / This Is Pop / Do What You Do / Statue of Liberty / All Along the Watchtower / Into the Atom Age / I’ll Set Myself on Fire / I’m Bugged / New Town Animal in a Furnished Cage / Spinning Top / Neon Shuffle - Bonus Tracks: Science Friction / She’s So Square / Dance Band / Hang on To the Night / Heatwave / Traffic Light Rock / Instant Tunes
As with the first LPs from the Beatles and Ramones, White Music was recorded on the quick and nearly live, which gives it an immediate, unpolished, super charged vibe. The songs are humorous, hyper, hook fueled punk pop.
Partridge is off and running with some catchy gems like Radios in Motion and the upbeat Into the Atom Age. And This is Pop showcases APs signature songwriting style of merging an off-kilter verse with a hooky chorus (I actually prefer the Mutt Lange single version, it's fuller, I like Andy's "yes" at the start, and the greater emphasis on the group chant "this is"). Unfortunately, Colin had yet to find his voice and was perhaps trying to mimic Andy (and failing). While his bass playing is impressive, his songwriting is slight and grating. Barry Andrews supplies his funhouse organs which leads the bands early releases a distinct flavor. They can be a kick, especially on tunes like Neon Shuffle and the reggae tinged/50s style Statue of Liberty.
Go 2 (October 13, 1978)
Charts: #21 in the UK
Tracks: Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!) / Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian) / Buzzcity Talking / Crowded Room / The Rhythm / Red / Beatown / Life is Good in The Greenhouse / Jumping in Gomorrah / My Weapon / Super-Tuff / I Am the Audience / Are You Receiving Me?
Unloved by many, but I dig it. Moulding shows marked improvement as a songwriter, especially in the melodies. There's still that post punk vibe, some early Roxy Music (The Rhythm), but there’s enough of his own personality in them that they don’t sound like lesser imitations as they did on the debut.
Musically, the lads are more assured, tighter. Colin’s melodic bass stylings are a standout in tunes like Beatown and the ska laced The Rhythm. Barry Andrews branches out from the funhouse organs by employing a wide variety of keys, bringing layers of distinct and memorable sounds to each track. Underappreciated Terry Chambers gives the album a solid backbone. And Andy? Well, I imagine that he’s operated in rarefied air from birth.
The pluses include (among others): The frantic album opener, Meccanik Dancing with its skewed ‘Twilight Zone’ guitar riff. The icy bass and Crumar keyboards in the trance-like dream-scape Battery Brides, the blistering ska/rocker Red, with its group sung chorus, and the raw, catchy, Are You Receiving Me? In addition: Colin’s I Am the Audience is a joy if for nothing else than hearing Andy’s spidery guitar riff coupled with Barry’s wide selection of piano and organ bits.
While not everything works (notably Andrew's vocals and songs, especially the cringy "My Weapon"), there's sufficient merit in Go 2 to render it an immensely enjoyable experience, a total blast.
Drums and Wires (August 17, 1979)
Charts: #34 in the UK, #174 in the US
Tracks: Making Plans for Nigel / Helicopter / Day in Day Out / When Your Near Me I Have Difficulty / Ten Feet Tall / Roads Girdle the Globe / Real by Reel / Millions / That is the Way / Outside World / Scissor Man / Complicated Game - Bonus Tracks: Life Begins at the Hop / Chain of Command / Limelight (2014 edition included Homo Safari, an electric version of Ten Feet Tall, and Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down)
Drums and Wires is considered the turning point for XTC. Guitarist (and keyboard player) Dave Gregory was brought in to replace Barry Andrews and his arrival signals a more focused sound. The arrangements are minimalistic but are injected with assured performances. The album also sees rise of a distinct lyrical identity for the band. One that is cynical, features biting word play – can be straight forward and scolding, or humorous and sarcastic – at times there will be references to literature, history and art.
This is the end of the bands jittery, punky phase, (though they would revisit the sound from time to time), and the best of the first three, though admittedly it took me a while to come around to it, to embrace the erratic, restless style as others did. Though there were always bits and pieces I enjoyed - Chambers inverted drum pattern on Nigel, the deft finger work in Gregory's guitar riff for Real by Reel, the breezy Beatnik trumpet (played by Dick Cuthell) in That is the Way... and it seriously pops at the end: It is here that the band offers us the frantic ‘Oingo Boingo-esque’ Outside World (Dave does this unique guitar lick that sounds like something that would normally be played by a fiddle). The record closes with the eccentric Scissor Man. And the brilliant, angst fueled, psychedelic, echo heavy screamer, Complicated Game. (my top track on the release).
4) Black Sea (September 12, 1980)
Charts: #16 in the UK, #41 in the US
Tracks: Respectable Street / Generals and Majors / Living Through Another Cuba / Love at First Sight / Rocket from a Bottle / No Language in Our Lungs / Towers of London / Paper and Iron (Notes and Coins) / Burning with Optimism's Flames / Sgt. Rock (is Going to Help Me) / Travels in Nihilon
Bonus Tracks: Smokeless Zone / Don't Lose Your Temper / Somnambulist
Apart from the so/so repetitive Cuba, this album rarely stumbles. It's ferocious, catchy and brimming with social commentary. Though primarily Andy's baby -he wrote 9 of the 11 numbers (and came up with the chorus for Colin's General's and Majors)- make no mistake, everyone sparkles.
Listen to Respectable Street and dig those McCartnesque triads, given Moulding’s thick tone. Check out the muscular Paper and Iron, in which Terry pounds on the drums with a ferocity that calls to mind Peter Gabriel's "Security". Dave and Andy are working smartly together, shooting for a crashing, twin sound here – sometimes colliding as one (Rocket from a Bottle), sometimes playing an octave away (the funky Love at First Sight, which has a cool stabbing guitar lead bit). Their intertwining play in No Language in Our Lungs is another one to pay close attention to.
My favorite track, in a sea of great tracks is Travels in Nihilon, I love the drama in it, it’s like a mantra, with a bass riff that never wavers, never travels anywhere else. Andy’s playing octaves on the guitar, Daves throwing in clashing chords, Chambers drums are primitive and primal, and it’s just so damned brutal and severe. Like a pessimistic “Tomorrow Never Knows”
With this album it was love at first listen, I didn't have to work for it, or come around to it later like I did with the previous 3, I was immediately smitten, with the hums and electronic whistles of Generals and Majors, with the hammer and clever interplay between the instruments in Towers of London, to name a few.
Note: The APE House limited edition included additional bonus material, such as the single version of Respectable Street, Take This Town, Ban the Bomb, an early version of Towers of London, and History of Rock 'n' Roll.
Charts: #5 in the UK, #48 in the US
Side 1: Runaways / Ball and Chain / Senses Working Overtime / Jason and the Argonauts
Side 2: No Thugs in Our House / Yacht Dance / All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)
Side 3: Melt the Guns / Leisure / It’s Nearly Africa / Knuckle Down
Side 4: Fly on the Wall / Down in the Cockpit / English Roundabout / Snowman
And this is the record that changes everything. It moves away from the jagged, biting trebles of the past 4 albums, and offers muted, bassy tones - and ushers in XTCs ‘pastoral’ age. Andy and Gregory brought in new 12 string acoustics while Colin experimented with a fretless bass, which lends a loose, smooth, rather rubbery sound to his instrumentation. Chamber’s drumming is expressive, thumping toms and subdued snares and roto toms in substitution of snares that might have come off low-key, had he not played with such force and color.
The big splash was MTV staple, "Senses Working Overtime" - a marriage of two unfinished songs - the verses are pure ‘Renaissance Fair’, which leads to the power poppiest, hookiest chorus ever heard. The instrumentation makes it one for the ages - Jason and No Thugs are right there with it for scope and power, whereas Yacht, a waltz in 3-4 time, adds some prettiness with Spanish-style play that uses contrasting nylon and steel strings on its guitars.
They were cooking with gas for half of this double album, but how to rate and rank a record where one disc is sublime, and the other is fair to middling? Aside from "English Roundabout" & "Snowman", which Andy delighted in for its clockwork sounds and nervous energy, the 2nd is decidedly average.
In the States it was released as a single, which, apart from the inclusion of the subpar "Africa." was steadier. Better still, the version available in France, Japan, and others - Runaways; Ball and Chain; Senses Working Overtime; Jason and the Argonauts; Snowman (I prefer it here, as a side 1 closer); Melt the Guns; No Thugs in Our House; Yacht Dance; English Roundabout; All of a Sudden (It's Too Late), which is a good one to wrap things up. Fly and Cockpit could be used as solid B-sides (along with Punch and Judy), the weak 3 you put in the Cupboard. Now that's the perfect package.
Charts: #51 in the UK, #174 in the US
Tracks: Beating of Hearts / Wonderland / Love on a Farm Boy's Wages / Great Fire / Deliver Us from the Elements / Human Alchemy / Ladybird / In Loving Memory of a Name / Me and the Wind / Funk Pop a Roll - Bonus Tracks: Frost Circus / Jump / Toys / Gold / Procession Towards Learning Land / Desert Island
I've yet to hear the 5.1 surround mix, but unless they striped out some of the drums and re-recorded them, Mummer's going to suffer - Consider the Harrison-esque "Beating of Hearts", what a cool sweeping landscape, I like it... when I take my ears off the sad, repetitive drums, there's simply no life in those skins. The follow up track, "Wonderland" is likewise played with such timidity (Andy's fault, not Terry's. The drum patterns were Partridge's choice). Chambers quit during the recording of "Farm Boy", Andy said Terry felt the songs were too weird and didn't like the poofy drumming. Can't say I disagree with the drumming part of his argument.
But I liked the weird - take "Deliver Us from the Elements" and "Human Alchemy", each possess an enjoyably eerie quality. Colin’s "Elements" is like Nine Inch Nails meets Brian Eno meets the Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows", with its buoyant intro and Mellotron loops. While Andy crafts a remarkable soundscape on "Alchemy" (it's reminiscent of Oingo Boingo, with Elfman like vocals). Moreover, the LP features some genuinely pretty and decidedly not weird music. The acoustic "Love on a Farm Boy’s Wages" stands out as one of Partridge's most exquisite compositions, which is enhanced by Dave Gregory's lovely guitar work, and "Ladybird" is a catchy, airy jazz-pop number.
While there are many delightful little noises and instruments and vocal accents sprinkled throughout the production, the music is so mid-tempo relaxed that when the hyperactive "Funk Pop A Roll" starts playing it was rather jarring, the sputtering, drum heavy tune wakes you up. So not all the drumming is weak, take "In Loving Memory of a Name" for another. Bonus songs, Toys and Gold, are indeed gold.
Big Express (October 15, 1984)
Charts: #38 in the UK, #181 in the US
Tracks: Wake Up / All You Pretty Girls / Shake Your Donkey Up / Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her / This World Over / Everyday Story of a Smalltown / I Bought Myself a Liarbird / Reign of Blows / You’re the Wish (You Are) I Had / I Remember the Sun / Train Running Low on Soul Coal
Bonus Tracks: Red Brick Dream / Wash Away / Blue Overall
Storytelling, steeped in the heritage of their Swindon hometown and the famed Swindon Works, blend with clattering music to form a crunchy, catchy, bombastic, swaggering, and underrated gem. This is songwriting craft at its finest, with stellar instrumentation and arrangements that are evident from the outset - "Wake Up" commences with syncopated, stabbing twin guitars, which give harbor to lyrics that depict an existential crisis, with Colin Moulding accompanied by a haunting, Angelic backing vocal, a truly beautiful composition in every respect. Andy's exceptional "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her" leads a triumphant trio of tracks, followed by "This World Over" and "Everyday Story of a Smalltown." But from sea shanties to bluesy/jazzy jabs at the biz, this unheralded and sometimes overlooked LP stands among XTC's finest works. It maintains consistency track by track and is one of the most frequently played in my collection. One could ding it on the quality of the mix, however...
We now have a new Steve Wilson mix and having heard it I'd say that it loses little of the original's locomotive explosiveness, the drums still knock me out of my chair. If I have a complaint it's with the fade out at the end of the bridge on "Smalltown" (preferring the loudness of the original), apart from that, there is more separation or space, more of the details come to the fore (this is a dense album) - certain instruments, effects, the children's voices that you used to have to strain to pick out of the mix, are clearly heard. I'd kill to have a Dolby Atmos system, where the sound comes from "above", as well as around you, for a total immersive experience.
Charts: #90 in the UK, #70 in the US
Tracks: Summer's Cauldron / Grass / The Meeting Place / That's Really Super, Supergirl / Ballet for a Rainy Day / 1000 Umbrellas / Season Cycle / Earn Enough for Us / Big Day / Another Satellite / Mermaid Smiled / The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul / Dear God / Dying / Sacrificial Bonfire
Bonus Tracks (2016): Extrovert / Let's Make a Den / The Troubles / Little Lighthouse
Insects and chirping birds, the patter of rain and other sounds of nature - as you listen you can almost feel the grass under bare feet. That's the sensation of Skylarking, both literally (Summer's Cauldron, Grass) and figuratively... there are great pop songs and angry diatribes, but throughout it all is this warm, art-pop ambiance, aligning it closely with "English Settlement" & "Mummer," and foreshadowing "Apple Venus" with the delicate stringed ballad "1000 Umbrellas."
It's interesting how this pastoral calm was created in a climate of conflict between Partridge and producer Todd Rundgren, who had firm ideas of his own, a concept that would take listeners from morning (youth) to night (old age and death).
My favorite tracks are "Earn Enough for Us" with its optimistic lyrics amidst adversity, its vibrant energy, and irresistible hooks, all complemented by Colin's dynamic bass, the foot-tapping beats, sweet harmonies, and Gregory's guitar work... I imagine the Beatles swooning at the sound of it. Then there's "Dear God," where the compelling musical arrangement and forceful rhythm accompany lyrics that convey both sorrow and anger, like a child wailing and railing against an unjust parent. Critic Rob Jones aptly described it as more than just an atheist's anthem, noting it's "defined by the pain of lost innocence and betrayed idealism as much as by skepticism in a personal god."
It's regarded as the bands greatest, and indeed the production and play, the songwriting is top notch. That said, it doesn't sweep me off my feet away the way a "best ever" should. It's overall too sedate for my blood, and dips at tracks 10, 11 & 12, but still, an important, winning release.
Charts: #28 in the UK, #44 in the US
Side 1: Garden of Earthly Delights / Mayor of Simpleton / King for a Day / Here Comes President Kill Again
Side 2: The Loving / Poor Skeleton Steps Out / One of the Millions / Scarecrow People
Side 3: Merely a Man / Cynical Days / Across This Antheap
Side 4: Hold Me My Daddy / Pink Thing / Miniature Sun / Chalkhills and Children
I received this as a birthday gift, and nearly wore out that first record—I absolutely loved those songs; the jangly, poppy, '60s psychedelia with McCartney-esque countermelodies and hooks really hit the spot. The ornate, Middle Eastern-flavored "Garden of Earthly Delights" is a powerful opener, and "Mayor of Simpleton" is one of my all-time favorites, with "The Loving" being another catchy standout.
The album features a variety of musical styles, including sambas and marches, and influences from the Beatles to the Beach Boys to King Sunny Ade. Antheap and One of the Millions sound as though they could belong on "English Settlement" and like that double album, the best songs on O&L are on the first disc. The second begins strongly with the energetic "Merely a Man," but while "Cynical Days" "Across the Antheap" and "Hold Me Daddy" are solid, they don't slap the way the previous tracks did. I'm not sure what to make of "Pink Thing", catchy, but the subject matter, nah. The final 2 - I'm not a fan of fusion jazz, so "Miniature Sun" doesn't appeal to me, it and Chalkhills are skippers.
I gather some critics found it too slick, and even the band noted that it might have been too busy in spots, but that's part of the appealing personality of the piece, part of the journey (sifting through the rich details and layers). The lyrics predominantly explore themes of family, politics, and the state of the world, and that worked for me as well.
The pop-art album cover, inspired by a variety of sources, is the cat's meow and captures the tone and texture of the music within. I'd rank it tops among the bands covers.
Charts: #28 in the UK, #97 in the US
Tracks: The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead / My Bird Performs / Dear Madame Barnum / Humble Daisy / The Smartest Monkeys / The Disappointed / Holly Up on Poppy / Crocodile / Rook / Omnibus / That Wave / Then She Appeared / War Dance / Wrapped in Grey / The Ugly Underneath / Bungalow / Books Are Burning - 2013 Bonus Track: Didn't Hurt a Bit
Nonsuch actually runs a few minutes longer than "Oranges & Lemons", though it comes in single album form. I find this steadier of the two, it doesn't fade down the stretch and offers some stellar pop rockers - ear worms that dig into your brain and stay there (happily so). Dear Madame Barnum, The Disappointed, Then She Appeared (one of the cleverest written love songs I’d ever heard, I adore the way Partridge incorporated all this historical and artistic imagery in it) and of course, MTV regular, "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead", which Andy felt was a little too long, and he's not wrong (he might have transformed one of the verses into a bridge for a change of pace) but it's such an infectious tune, with stinging lyrics, that I can't fault it too much for that.
There are trippy delights (Holly) and gorgeous ballads (the Bacharach-like, Wrapped in Grey which critic Rob Jones called "One of the most startlingly beautiful and poignant songs that Partridge has ever written" and "the culmination of everything the band is good at, full of aural sweetness that contains just a hint of sorrow, elegantly arranged, melodically complex-but-accessible, and with lyrics that evoke guileless childhood innocence.")
The 5.1 mix transforms certain numbers; like, "That Wave", which explodes out of my speakers as never before. It swirls and surges like the crashing sea, imparted expertly by Dave Gregory's dazzling surround sound solo - Moulding called the tune a "psychedelic grenade." The same goes for "Books Are Burning," which gives us a right channel - left channel guitar duel at the end. On the other hand, I didn't care for the way the harmonica was pulled back on Peter in the surround (I prefer the version on both the original and 2013 stereo mixes, where it's more pronounced).
While there are quality albums equal to Nonsuch, this with Express are the most evergreen - of all the bands releases, these are the albums I go back more than any other.
Charts: #42 in the UK, #106 in the US
Tracks: River of Orchids / I'd Like That / Easter Theatre / Knights in Shining Karma / Frivolous Tonight / Greenman / Your Dictionary / Fruit Nut / I Can't Own Her / Harvest Festival / The Last Balloon
The yin to Wasp's yang; Volume 1 is another pastoral effort, orchestral, lush, relaxed and pretty - lyrically centered on pagan themes; Easter Theater, Greenman and Harvest Festival are among the highlights, but my favorite is the most caustic and painful. Cleverly worded, with lines that cut to the bone, Your Dictionary shows how brilliant Andy can be when he feels betrayed and hurt (see also, "Dear God").
It was a long spell between releases (caused by a war of wills between the group and the studio) but while I enjoyed the comeback, it sadly came with a cost, as conflicts with Dave Gregory resulted in the talented guitarist leaving the band.
And sure, "Fruit Nut", but you can't win 'em all. Ha!
Charts: #40 in the UK, #108 in the US
Tracks: Playground / Stupidly Happy / In Another Life / My Brown Guitar / Boarded Up / I'm the Man Who Murdered Love / We're All Light / Standing in for Joe / Wounded Horse / You and the Clouds Will Still be Beautiful / Church of Women / The Wheel and the Maypole
From the pastoral previous release to the electric in this, the final studio-proper salvo from XTC. Filled with streamline poppers that often find a groove and stay there (even the drums don't do a whole lot other than keep to the beat). The catchy Stupidly Happy received regular radio play and I heard the Man Who Murdered Love frequently as well, so that was nice for a fan (and the band, as they were, it was just Colin and Andy as the primaries). While innovation's out the window and Dave was sorely missed, Wasp is a pleasant listen, that gets stronger with the 6th track. There's enjoyable ear candy (We're All Light, an ode to George Harrison? Hmm, there's also a bit of George in Colin's singable Standing in for Joe). Partridge's broken heart is the source of light humor this time out (Wounded Horse, not as raw as Dictionary on Vol 1) and he finds time for beauty and joy as well (You and the Clouds...) All told, while not a classic, it is at the least a rock steady way to close the book on a stellar career.
And now a word about the Dukes...
Psurroundabout Ride (October 17, 2019)
Steven Wilson's updated collection of the Dukes output is aural dynamite, it seriously takes you to a whole new planet (a planet of sound? as the Pixies might say) - the release includes the original stereo, a 2019 stereo remix and a 5.1 surround sound mix. Track listings...
From "25 O'Clock" (April 1, 1985) - 25 O'Clock / Bike Ride to the Moon / My Love Explodes / What in the World?? / Your Gold Dress / The Mole from the Ministry
From "Psonic Psunspot" (August 1987) - Vanishing Girl / Have You Seen Jackie? / Little Lighthouse / You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel) / Collideascope / You're My Drug / Shiny Cage / Brainiac's Daughter / The Affiliated / Pale and Precious
Additional Tracks - Open a Can of Human Beans / Black Jewelled Serpent of Sound (Radio Caroline Edit) / Tin Toy Clockwork Train - Demos - 25 O'Clock / Bike Ride to the Moon / My Love Explodes / What in the World?? / Nicely Nicely Jane / Susan Revolving / No One at Home ("Vanishing Girl" Demo) / Little Lighthouse / Collideascope / Shiny Cage / Brainiac's Daughter / The Affiliated
The 6-song mini record was the greatest April Fool's joke of all time, but no joke, it was a jewel. Sold as a lost album from a forgotten combo from the 60s named the Dukes of Stratosphere, this spin-off band feeds on Andy and Colin's love of psychedelic music and taps vocally into Nick Nicely (give Hilly Fields a listen). It's the group living the dream, a "what if" tour de force with XTC doing the Beatles, Floyd, The Electric Prunes, Tomorrow and others, its pastiche, but stands on its own two legs and exceeds the gimmick by offering legitimately superb music.
The follow-up, released 2 years later, was another masterpiece, but this time as a full album - it opens with my favorite from the Dukes, Colin Moulding's Hollies styled Vanishing Girl, then off you go, with a little Byrds (You're My Drug) a spot on Lennon (Collideascope) and a mish-mash of many (Have You Seen Jackie) - a young lady named Lily Fraser narrates the piece, which adds a surreal, fairy tale vibe.
The two were first collected in Chips from the Chocolate Fireball (2001) and again in the 2019's remix, Psurroundabout Ride - Each featured demos and additional material, including 2 bubblegum classics that are a joy, especially Tin Toy Clockwork Train, which is made even better when Andy's messes up a line and completely loses it, his laughter is infectious and always makes me smile, just a happy, good time tune.
The original trippy covers for the two Dukes of Stratosphere releases
My Favorite 5: Nonsuch / The Big Express / Psurroundabout Ride / The Black Sea / Drums and Wires
