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The "XTC are really really good" thread

Started by Stoneage Dinosaurs, July 19, 2015, 12:48:13 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Rich Uncle Skeleton

Quote from: Jockice on January 14, 2019, 04:43:20 PM
Thanks for the praise everyone. Anyone's else's career you'd like me to destroy while I'm at it? Bidding starts now...

GET FUCKED!

Jockice


Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Nowhere Man on January 14, 2019, 04:35:38 PM


I think Andy's being a bit overly prickly here, I saw precisely one comment asking if there was a hope he would to clear some water under the bridge with the ex band members. Plus not entirely fair to say it's all in the past when he's using the XTC name on Twitter and has a 35+ year old profile picture of himself from back in the day!

His Twitter account name 'XTC fans 'is from the old Todd Bernhardt Facebook days and every cunt puts up
a sarcastic much younger pic of themselves.

Nowhere Man

Ah, fair enough. I still think he takes these things to heart a bit too much. Still love him for all the music he's given us.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Nowhere Man on January 15, 2019, 12:07:35 AM
Ah, fair enough. I still think he takes these things to heart a bit too much. Still love him for all the music he's given us.

I was being overly prickly last night. soz.

Head Gardener

This is from Colin Moulding on the TC&I site

"I'd just like to say that I am calling it a day with TC& I and have no plans to do anymore.
And music itself is on the back burner for now, as I wish to spend more time with my family.

I hope people are not too disappointed in me, and I'd just like to thank everyone for the support they have shown Terry and I in these last two years.

And to all who came to the gigs and gave us such a triumphant return — I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

All the best
Colin"

Crabwalk


The Culture Bunker

I'm bummed that I won't get a chance to see them on stage, but I can certainly understand that at his age, Colin may not fancy the idea of being on the road for even the shortest length of time. Does he have grandkids yet? If so, would explain a lot.

holyzombiejesus

I don't suppose someone could give me a list of one song per album that is indicative of that record's 'sound'. I've been meaning to give this band a listen for years but don't really know where to start....

DrGreggles

Quote from: holyzombiejesus on January 26, 2019, 08:06:46 PM
I don't suppose someone could give me a list of one song per album that is indicative of that record's 'sound'. I've been meaning to give this band a listen for years but don't really know where to start....

The Fossil Fuel compilation is a good starting point, but I'll have a go.

White Music (1978)
This Is Pop

Go 2 (1978)
Battery Brides

Drums and Wires (1979)
Ten Feet Tall

Black Sea (1980)
Respectable Street

English Settlement (1982)
No Thugs in Our House

Mummer (1983)
Love on a Farmboy's Wages

The Big Express (1984)
Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her

Skylarking (1986)
The Meeting Place

Oranges & Lemons (1989)
Mayor of Simpleton

Nonsuch (1992)
Wrapped in Grey

Apple Venus Volume 1 (1999)
Easter Theatre

Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (2000)
Stupidly Happy

daf

#760
Off the top of me nut * :

White Music - Radios In Motion
Go 2 - Crowded Room
Drums and Wires : Roads Girdle The Globe
Black Sea : Love at First Sight 
English Settlement : Yacht Dance
Mummer : Ladybird
Big Express : Reign of Blows
Skylarking: Summer's Cauldron (I'd chuck in Colin's 'Grass' here as it's segued - here's a link with both.)
Oranges & Lemons : Across This Antheap
Nonsuch : Then She Appeared
Apple Venus : Greenman
Wasp Star : My Brown Guitar

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* (with the caveat that these aren't necessarily the 'best' songs - just which have a fair bit of each albums sound in them)

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: holyzombiejesus on January 26, 2019, 08:06:46 PM
I don't suppose someone could give me a list of one song per album that is indicative of that record's 'sound'. I've been meaning to give this band a listen for years but don't really know where to start....

Let's do two. One from Andy, one from Colin

WHITE MUSIC - Statue Of Liberty/ I Set Myself On Fire
GO 2 - Battery Brides/ Crowded Room
DRUMS AND WIRES - Complicated Game/ Heatwave
BLACK SEA - Towers Of London/ Love At First Sight
ENGLISH SETTLEMENT - Yacht Dance/ Runaways
MUMMER - Love On A Farmboy's Wages/ Deliver Us From The Elements
THE BIG EXPRESS - Seagulls Screaming, Kiss Her Kiss Her/ I Remember The Sun
SKYLARKING - Earn Enough For Us/ The Meeting Place
ORANGES & LEMONS - Chalkhills And Children/ One Of The Millions
NONSUCH - Wrapped In Grey/ Bungalow
APPLE VENUS - Easter Theatre/ Frivolous Tonight
WASP STAR - THe Wheel & The Maypole/ In Another Life

Fill your boots.

DrGreggles

3 responses, little crossover.
Sums XTC up well, I suspect!

Nowhere Man

#763
Even with the lack of Skylarking, Dukes and Apple Venus era material, Fossil Fuel is still probably the best way to get into XTC just because it gives you a bit of everything from '77-'92, 'Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down' is the only real dud.

But anyway, rather cheekily copy and pasting the formatting from DrGreggles list, i'll go with these as my two representative standouts from each album (sorry, I can't resist doing more than one for each!):

White Music (1978)
Radios In Motion / This Is Pop

Go 2 (1978)
Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!) / Battery Brides

Drums and Wires (1979)
Making Plans For Nigel / Complicated Game

Black Sea (1980)
Respectable Street / No Language In Our Lungs

English Settlement (1982)
Jason & The Argonauts / No Thugs in Our House

Mummer (1983)
Love on a Farmboy's Wages / Wonderland

The Big Express (1984)
This World Over / Wake Up

25 O' Clock (1985) - The Dukes of Stratosphere EP*
25 O' Clock / The Mole From The Ministry

Skylarking (1986)
Earn Enough For Us / The Meeting Place

Psonic Psunspot (1987) - The Dukes of Stratosphere LP*
Vanishing Girl / Pale And Precious

Oranges & Lemons (1989)
The Mayor of Simpleton / Chalkhills & Children

Nonsuch (1992)
Wrapped in Grey / Then She Appeared

Apple Venus Volume 1 (1999)
Easter Theatre / I Can't Own Her

Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (2000)
Stupidly Happy / Playground

You can find both Dukes of Stratospheare releases collected on the Chips From The Chocolate Fireball release, which I would highly recommend if you're massively into 60s psychedelia!

non capisco

If you already know and love the hits then listen to 'Travels In Nihilon' then 'River Of Orchids' and get very excited at all the treasures you have yet to discover before, during and after those.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Nowhere Man on January 26, 2019, 09:50:23 PM
Even with the lack of Skylarking, Dukes and Apple Venus era material, Fossil Fuel is still probably the best way to get into XTC
It does have 'Dear God', 'Grass' and 'The Meeting Place' on it.

Nowhere Man

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on January 26, 2019, 10:39:20 PM
It does have 'Dear God', 'Grass' and 'The Meeting Place' on it.

I know, but i've always regarded 'Dear God' as a non-album single, despite it being a part of the reissues. I just find it hard to see it as part of Skylarking, although I appreciate those who do.

You're right about the other two songs, but I meant more in that it's the only major XTC album in which there isn't a representative Andy song, although Colin's two singles were admittedly fantastic. I should have explained that better, and like a berk I forgot that Drums and Wires didn't have an Andy song anyway!

I kind of wish 'Earn Enough For Us' was released as a UK single like it was in Australia. (Admittedly it probably wouldn't have gone anywhere, it would have been a fab single)

I still believe that Andy sometimes got unfairly snubbed in the singles department, but that might be a pro-Andy bias on my part.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Nowhere Man on January 26, 2019, 11:17:47 PM
I know, but i've always regarded 'Dear God' as a non-album single, despite it being a part of the reissues. I just find it hard to see it as part of Skylarking, although I appreciate those who do.
I think 'Dear God' is a bit of an odd one, as it was supposed to be on the album (as the Todd Rundgren liked it), then taken off (as Partridge hated it) then put back on (because it did OK on American radio). I was never that taken with 'Mermaid Smiled', so...

DrGreggles

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on January 27, 2019, 10:44:02 AM
I think 'Dear God' is a bit of an odd one, as it was supposed to be on the album (as the Todd Rundgren liked it), then taken off (as Partridge hated it) then put back on (because it did OK on American radio).

I always thought it was taken off the album at the record company's request and relegated to the b-side of Grass.
Then it got a lot of airplay, so they flipped the single.
It became a hit and the album was repressed with it tagged on.

Obviously Andy and Todd blame each other for its original omission...

DrGreggles

Andy's currently correcting the XTC entry on Wikipedia on his Twitter, after he saw it the other day and realised it was mostly wrong.

Crabwalk

I'm enjoying it. More so than his petty sniping at Colin yesterday. The dude needs to move on.

Nowhere Man

Bloody hell, if everything he says is true it sounds like wikipedia barely had anything right about XTC's history!

The Culture Bunker

'Skylarking' might be their best known album in America, I would imagine, as it has their most well known song on it. 'Drums and Wires' in UK, though, I would agree. Though probably due to Colin's song, eh Andy? Ho ho.

Rich Uncle Skeleton

Quote from: DrGreggles on January 27, 2019, 10:56:24 AM
I always thought it was taken off the album at the record company's request and relegated to the b-side of Grass.
Then it got a lot of airplay, so they flipped the single.
It became a hit and the album was repressed with it tagged on.

Obviously Andy and Todd blame each other for its original omission...

If you haven't heard it before, this pretty bitter interview with Rundgren pretty much tells it that way yeah.
He's being a bit of a bell end here and the interviewer is a collosal arse but I agree with Rundgren about Another fucking Satellite. I would hold a grudge 30+ years too if I was made to re-record the demo note for note, as Rundgren puts it.

Quote from: Crabwalk on January 29, 2019, 02:31:04 PM
I'm enjoying it. More so than his petty sniping at Colin yesterday. The dude needs to move on.

Oh christ, yes. It's incredibly tedious reading sometimes. Moulding could be the biggest bastard in Swindon, but has Partridge honestly not got anything better to do than post stuff like this ?

QuoteI can't tell you why I would never work with Colin again, as it was such a giant betrayal. I wouldn't want to put people off of buying XTC discs. Trust me. I can't tell the truth on this.
Quote"[Colin] doesn't like fans. He likes "buyers".
Quote"I am NOT a stirrer."

If the next 5.1 set wasn't so close to being announced I'd be avoiding his posts completely. I'm hoping the recent English Settlement banner images he's been using are a nice big hint....

Nowhere Man

How recent was that? Christ I love Andy for his music and his sense of humour but sometimes he can get quite arsey for no particular reason. I imagine Colin probably found/finds it equally tedious at times.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Rich Uncle Skeleton on February 07, 2019, 02:09:38 PM

Oh christ, yes. It's incredibly tedious reading sometimes. Moulding could be the biggest bastard in Swindon, but has Partridge honestly not got anything better to do than post stuff like this ?

etc
 

It's odd because Andy blows hot and cold with Colin. One minute he is being courteous, complimentary, tender even, wishing TC & I the best and yet the next minute he's making these pointed Tweets at him. It's a bit unedifying but ultimately, if that's the ex-marriage relationship they have then who are we to comment?  Only they know the truth. In a couple of radio interviews, Colin made some remarks that miffed Andy which probably sparked him off.

Pop stars of one's youth should not be allowed on Twitter, perhaps? All the old enigmatic qualities and mystery goes out the window,   Never Tweet your heroes etc.

DrGreggles

It's also hard to tell genuine animosity apart from good-natured ribbing on Twitter.
Pretty sure Andy does both.

Head Gardener

some of you may not have seen this before, I picked up an unusual copy of GO2 recently, in this unique sleeve - hey it's French!








daf

#778
Nice find!

It's the image from the poster included in the original pressing (the blank 'corner' on the back cover has the missing words on the poster - where they've put the track listing)




Brundle-Fly

Interesting the French version has squeezed in Are You Receiving Me in between The Rhythm and Red rather tacking it on the top or bottom of an LP side.