XTC : Classic or Dud.

Yeah, 'Life Begins at the Hop' was on the US version ... differences between UK/US versions of LP's were still quite common in the late '70s... the first Clash album and a couple of Jam albums have the same kind of UK/US differences. Americans liked to have non-album singles on their versions of the album.

Of course, as is also the case of The Beatles/The Rolling Stones etc. the UK version is the correct one*.

*(with the exception of Magical Mystery Tour)

looks like the Black Sea reissue is coming out this year after all:

Great news. XTC BLACK SEA 5.1 set can be pre-ordered here for a November 10th release. Don't miss out divers.https://t.co/vsLcruHMDv

— XTC (@xtcfans) September 25, 2017

AP tweeting out recently about the original proposed running order for Mummer:

Beating Of Hearts
Wonderland
Love On A Farmboy's Wages
Jump
Young Cleopatra
The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men
Motorcycle Landscape
Ladybird
Gold
In Loving Memory Of A Name
Desert Island -or- Happy Families
Deliver Us From The Elements

Huh, that looks like a far more accessible config. No 'Human Alchemy' (yay!) but also no 'Me and the Wind', 'Great Fire' or 'Funk Pop a Roll'

so how good a guitarist is Partridge? I like his solo(s) in "Books are Burning."

He’s deceptively good, downplays it for sure... I mean he shreds on those earlier records, and his chord vocabulary is insane

The studio version of Motorcycle Landscape is pretty rubbish or unfinished sounding at least.

xpost Everyone on the band (incl. the session pros, obviously) is ridiculously talented. XTC is one of those bands that often gets slotted with plenty of prog bands despite its Beatles pop leanings, which is to say in its own way it has a surprising amount in common with '80s and '90s King Crimson (and not just longtime KC drummer Pat Mastelotto, who plays on Oranges and Lemons). In fact, the fussiness and complexity of XTC I frequently find kind of exhausting, which is why, despite liking tons of XTC, I can only take them in small doses. But yeah, good players.

He's not in Gregory's league as a guitarist, but he's far better than many think he is (including himself)

XTC are nowhere near a prog band.

Of course they are!

Near, that is.

For some reason just a few songs that pop to mind are on the first Apple Venus, like "Greenman" or "Easter Theatre" or "River or Orchids."

None of those are prog.

The studio version of Motorcycle Landscape is pretty rubbish or unfinished sounding at least.

― MaresNest, Sunday, October 22, 2017 2:34 PM (thirty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The Mummer era 'Happy Families' sounds better to me than the final version... I prefer the more Rickenbacker-tastic arrangement.

Thanks for that O&L drummer fact, Josh - didn't know that - this thread always makes me go down the XTC 'play all a.m.' hole - some mornings the Virgin issued 'Compact XTC' is all I need, but it's nice to read this thread and occasionally give D&W or Black Sea my full attention. I gotta buddy in Central Illinois that is a great guitarist and used to cover 'Life Begins At The Hop,' & he could talk for hours on end on what a great guitarist Andy is through his career.

I once waited in a long line to hear Andy speak at a old Borders on Michigan Ave in Chicago. He was signing new copies of Apple Venus at the time, & I asked him when he signed my copy, "So who are you listening to these days that you're enjoying," and of course he responded "Charlie Christian, and other American blues & jazz."

Pat Mastelotto was in The Rembrandts and Mr. Mister too, and fuck if I'm gonna read XTC lumped in with those lot either.

So this EP by Colin Moulding and Terry Chambers has been released, I hear that one track, Comrades of Pop, is a pretty nasty dig at AP.

Damn, those two made an EP? I thought Colin was totally finished with music. I will probably check it out but I'm not hopeful

It'll all sound like Fruit Nut except with really barbed lyrics, lol

Love how it's all split down Partridge/Adamson / Moulding/Chambers lines

Bloody rhythm sections eh

https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/tc-and-i

Gregory forever the lukewarm water

£8.40 for a four track CD is a bit much, £10 if you want a signed one.

Any new music from any of these lot is welcome, IMO. If there really are digs at AP, you can expect an impassioned Twitter response.

Dave Gregory played with Peter Gabriel, Big Big Train, and Steven Wilson, so I'd definitely classify him as 'prog friendly'. Andy Partridge also cowrote the title track of Wilson's new album.

I love it how the picture of them recalls the inlay photos to Oranges and Lemons. AP'll no doubt have something to say about that.

idk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkh_0ejs12Y

good choon i'd say

Interview with Colin and Terry, starts at 1'09"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05l5f51

Andy's least favorite XTC songs! um, fair amount of Colin songs on here...

MUMMER - Wonderland
BIG EXPRESS - probably Donkey?
25 O'CLOCK - Bike ride
SKYLARKING - Big Day
PSONIC PSUNSPOT - Jackie or Shiny Cage,??
ORANGES - King for a Day
NONSUCH - Smartest Monkeys
APPLE VENUS - Your Dictionary
WASPS STAR - Standing in for Joe

— XTC (@xtcfans) November 17, 2017

OK, i've been asked for my list of my LEAST favourite of XTC's songs. One from each album, here we go...
WHITE MUSIC - Sinning Top
GO2 - Super Tuff
DRUMS AND WIRES - Difficulty or 10 Feet tall, can't decide
BLACK SEA - Sgt Rock
SETTLEMENT - Cockpit or Runaways, can't decide

— XTC (@xtcfans) November 17, 2017

wtf @ King for a Day

I understand Bike Ride to the Moon, that song has such a bizarre chord progression, it's this ascending thing and then the chord he plays when he sings "moon" is just brutal, in the worst way, a half step away from where it should be or something. it's like melodic interruptus

but... that is exactly the kind of thing Syd Barrett's songs tend to do

Yeah, he's wrong about several of those!

'Bike Ride to the Moon' is perfection.

Poor, poor Smartest Monkeys. Andy you wrote Omnibus ffs

Wonder if this is the beginnings of some sort of old dude pissing contest.

QUICK! Call the Guinness book of rekkerrrrrrrrds

I mean I guess Omnibus is perfectly OK musically, even if the lyrics are...jarring. Nonsuch is a good album so it was probably hard for him to choose

Nonsuch has 'War Dance' on it, which is the correct answer IMO.

is that a bassoon in "War Dance"? I hate it.

as an Andy fan/practical disciple, I find listing Colin's songs at all not that cool

His Drums and Wires aelections in particular are just fucking mind-boggling! No way could I ever consider 'Ten Feet Tall' to be a lesser XTC song.

*selections

"least favorite" has nothing to do with quality.

man I love 'Runaways'. an album opener no less.

'Runaways' is great, I love the way the guitars are layered on that one.