The "XTC are really really good" thread

[Head Gardener]

Andy Partridge - Vinyl Guide Interview
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1DAHfKDoZe5dkXv5GwYZ7k

[Crabwalk]

talking of which

I'm going to have to finally get a 5.1 setup just for 'River of Orchids' aren't I? Can you image how incredible that's going to be...

[non capisco]

I'm going to have to finally get a 5.1 setup just for 'River of Orchids' aren't I? Can you image how incredible that's going to be...

I did it for the Black Sea reissue, you can imagine how badass Travels In Nihilon sounds (unless you really hate that gated drum sound, which plenty do).

[daf]

New Zoom chat with Partridge :

The ProgCast With Gregg Bendian Episode 26 - Andy Partridge (part 1)

Part one of our freewheeling exchange covers everything from novelty & psychedelic music to Tony Williams Lifetime, Yes, Captain Beefheart, Andy's favorite Dave Gregory solo, XTC band lingo, and what it was like to be onstage with that four-piece juggernaut. Plus: Andy plays guitar for us!

[Head Gardener]

my ticket stub for the Black Sea Tour '81, Hammersmith Odeon, London - did anyone else here see them that night/tour?

[Brundle-Fly]

You know full well none of us on CaB got to see XTC perform live, you tinker. Some people here weren't even born in 1981.

[Head Gardener]

oof!

[Head Gardener]

they were very good, although it was the Black Sea tour they did a lot of English Settlement which although unreleased at the time was instantly strong and loveable

[Head Gardener]

I have told the sorry tale before (probably here haha) but when The Members came onstage, singer Nicky Tesco said "good evening London" and my mate and I who were at the front of the balcony and very pissed shouted "fuck off" very loudly to which Mr Tesco quickly retored "and the same to you sir!" to which we fell about laughing. They were OK as a support, we were just waiting for their hit, of course it was the main attraction we were desperate to see, if you you're reading this Nicky, sorry mate.

[daf]

Here's another Zoom Chat, this time with the strong and loveable Gregsy :

Dave Gregory (part 1)  |  Dave Gregory (part 2)

[Brundle-Fly]

I have told the sorry tale before (probably here haha) but when The Members came onstage, singer Nicky Tesco said "good evening London" and my mate and I who were at the front of the balcony and very pissed shouted "fuck off" very loudly to which Mr Tesco quickly retored "and the same to you sir!" to which we fell about laughing. They were OK as a support, we were just waiting for their hit, of course it was the main attraction we were desperate to see, if you you're reading this Nicky, sorry mate.

You were quite literally 'the sound of the suburbs' then?

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

they were very good, although it was the Black Sea tour they did a lot of English Settlement which although unreleased at the time was instantly strong and loveable

Yeah that's it rub it in.

[Head Gardener]

Yeah that's it rub it in.

Yeah, but you know what it's like, band doing tour to plug current album (which as we know is brilliant) and yet the songs they did from English Settlement sounded ridiculously good. They were not to be released until Feb the following year, by which time they had stopped the tours and had their strongest (double) album out at that point. It made the memory of that night even greater.

[Head Gardener]

English Settlement assessed

[PaulTMA]

Had no idea this existed, Andy on some VH-1 show 'The List' with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and some other odd celebs discussing overplayed songs.  2000 suddenly seems like 1,000 years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R307BKlV3FU&ab_channel=jordancooperlalala

[Avril Lavigne]

Had no idea this existed, Andy on some VH-1 show 'The List' with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and some other odd celebs discussing overplayed songs.  2000 suddenly seems like 1,000 years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R307BKlV3FU&ab_channel=jordancooperlalala

Wow, thanks for posting such an unusual and obscure find. As much as I love Andy though, I couldn't keep watching beyond around 7 minutes because everyone else on the show is so obnoxious and excitable.

[The Culture Bunker]

I don't have any first-hand experience in these things, but does yer man Kutcher seem a bit, umm, chemically over-stimulated?

[Head Gardener]

[danwho9]

Here's another Zoom Chat, this time with the strong and loveable Gregsy :

Dave Gregory (part 1)  |  Dave Gregory (part 2)

Ahh thanks for this, the guy is always a pleasure to hear on interviews.

[DrGreggles]

Solo Colin
https://burningshed.com/colin-moulding_the-hardest-battle_cd

[daf]

Ooh, nice surprise!

Works out as £8.83 with the delivery - obviously outrageous for a CD single, but it helps to encourage him to release an album, well worth it!

[Bently Sheds]

I've been subscribed to the Reloved Guitars YouTube channel for a while - where you can watch a bloke called Sam repair and set up mostly cheap guitars for people, I also follow him on Facebook. This week on Facebook he's posted about how he's been working on three of Andy's guitars - a Squier Jazz Bass, a big Ibanez semi-hollow body and a top end Harley Benton Les Paul shape. At some point the videos for these will be up on YouTube, in case any fans of both XTC and painstaking fret levelling are interested...

[Brundle-Fly]

Ooh, nice surprise!

Works out as £8.83 with the delivery - obviously outrageous for a CD single, but it helps to encourage him to release an album, well worth it!

Terry must feel a bit hurt?

[crankshaft]

Ooh, nice surprise!

Works out as £8.83 with the delivery - obviously outrageous for a CD single, but it helps to encourage him to release an album, well worth it!

With one new song, a different version of a very old song and a demo of the same new song (and a snip at nearly £3 per song) we may be waiting quite a while for an album.

However, seeing as how I think the last good thing Colin did was "Frivolous Tonight", and everything since has been cringeworthy, I'm obviously not the target market for this.

[McChesney Duntz]

Really? I thought the TC&I EP was rather good.

[DrGreggles]

Isn't Terry in Oz these days?

[daf]

Did he go back? Thought he was now drumming in the UK with an XTC tribute band (EXTC)

[Brundle-Fly]

He's still living in Swindon. It must've been strange for Terry to return to his hometown after all those years, rekindle his relationship with his first love and be playing with his old XTC mucker again, only to break up with both parties in less than eighteen months. There must be a song in there somewhere.

[Crabwalk]

Terry must feel a bit hurt?

I'd just assumed that they couldn't collaborate during lockdown. Or maybe the songs don't need drums?

However, seeing as how I think the last good thing Colin did was "Frivolous Tonight", and everything since has been cringeworthy, I'm obviously not the target market for this.

I think 'Scatter Me' was a great addition to Colin's Lovely Canon.

[Head Gardener]

in case you never spotted it before, my badges illustrating the bird - mast - moon spelling out X T C