Conference marvin::uk_music

    
        It's popular here, (I'm afraid I quite like it!:-)), but I've
    heard nothing about an album yet. Has anyone else?
    
             VJ
    

    "Oranges and Lemons" was reviewed in Q magazine last week. I'm going to
    try and get it this weekend - it wasn't around last.
    
    Andy

    What a wonderful group this is!! Every time you think they've finally
    given up, they bounce back with something else, and it's always
    something interesting and refreshing - Andy Partridge particularly
    is a splendid songwriter and a warm wonderful human being as well.
    
    Is there any truth in the rumour that Terry Chambers left XTC to
    join the Hong Kong Police force?
    
    Has anyone else apart from me got the Hysterically psychedelic "25
    o'clock", credited to The Dukes of Stratosphear, likewise "Psonic
    Psunspot"? Both records are in fact XTC, and are groovy, man.
    
    Bob, whose band once did a gig with XTC, and Andy borrowed our guitar
    players fuzzbox!!!!!!!!!!! and gave it back!!!!!!!!!!!

    That's very useful information, as I just received a copy of Psonic
    Psunspot from a friend. Having never heard of it, I've been trying
    to figure out who and what it was. Let me say that XTC are merely
    one of the best bands in the world. I sincerely regret passing up
    the opportunity to see them in Victoria, B.C. on the drums'n'wires
    tour. Talk about a mistake. Even more serious than not going to
    see Chicago in '71 before they were famous. Boy, will I ever learn?
    
    How does 25 o'clock compare to Psonic Psunspot? 
    
    Tim

    Bought the record yesterday, a double album in fact, only had time
    to give all four sides a single spin. Sounds interesting, very much
    under the psycedelic influence of a certain well known Beatles L.P.,
    and to cap it all, it comes complete in a pretty wacky yellow submarine
    style cover.
                              Julian.
    
    

    Tim, in .4 - Psonic Psunspot, although highly entertaining, is as
    nothing compared to the glorious 25 o'clock, which is louder, more
    raucous, more psychedelic and much funnier. It's real 'freak out'
    stuff, especially the title track and the classic My Love Explodes.
    
    A definite 'buy it'....!
    
    Bob

    i just got the CD over the weekend. Its a single cd. 
    It has a 60's kinda feel. the first couple of cuts really jump out
    at you --there's lots of stuff going on production wise, almost
    over produced. Some of the tracks remind me of the English Settlement
    stuff only with more production. kinda like a cross between 25 oclock
    and english settlement. i give the album maybe a 7 out of 10 rating.
    I said that about Skylarking, now its one of my favorites.
    
    j

    Often the case, there, Jay - the ones that take a while to grow
    on you are the ones that stay with you for the longest time.
    
    Bob

    this is also available as a limited edition set of 3 3" CD's.

    XTC's new album is the #19 album in the USA this week. The little
    rock station in my neck of the woods is playing The Mayor Of Simpleton,
    so it must be big! Rolling Stone Magazine had an article on REM
    and XTC in the same issue. REM is "psuedo cool", XTC is "way
    cool". REM has more money. XTC has more talent. REM recycles old
    Byrds riffs and ideas. XTC hasn't become a caricature (sp) of itself
    yet like REM has. XTC writes lyrics that make sense.
    
    Athens Georgia is kinda like Swindon (from what i've heard) except that
    Athens is a college town. 

    8^)
    
    
    

    Another vote for the excellence of O+L, its fab. The production
    is a bit like the Dukes stuff grafted on to the songwriting style
    of something between Black Sea and English Settlement. Some of the
    sounds on this record are wonderful, both in themselves, and in
    the way they complement rather than swamp the songs.
    
    Good trumpets, cool/jazzy, and bright/psychedelic. I guess Andy
    Partridge has been listening to some Randy California! Dave Gregory
    freaks out with his wah-wah! Colin Mouldings basslines are getting
    better all the time!
    
    Love it!
    
    Bob

    And another vote for ORANGES AND LEMONS - I bought it solely on
    the basis of the virtually universally favourable reviews in the music
    press (and, to a lesser extent, in here), and after enjoying the
    single, MAYOR OF SIMPLETON.  
    
    I was not disappointed!  This is a fine example of modern pop, and
    nowhere near as clever-clever as some would have you believe.  Well
    worth investigating.

    All I can say now, Dougie, is that all their other albums are worth
    investigation too......
    
    Bob

The following is taken from an article in Tuesday's Boston Globe and
'summarized' without permission (Oops!):

    			XTC Breakthrough on WBCN
    
There's nothing unusual about a band stopping by a radio station,
unpacking their guitars and playing a few tunes over the air.  Except
that this band hadn't performed in front of an audience for seven
years, due to the lead singer's stage fright.

The band is XTC, who have been coaxed by their label into playing a 
tour of live broadcasts, which kicked off yesterday at WBCN (local 
Boston station).

The three band members, Partridge, Moulding and guitarist Dave Gregory,
played acoustically for a studio audience of about two dozen.  And while
the frayed nerves were audible on the opening "Scarecrow People", the
band hit stride on a string of their pop gems (all from their post-1982
albums and played live for the first time):Great Fire, Love on a Farmboy's
Wages, and the recent single Mayor of Simpleton.  Partridge loosened up
enough to joke about his stage fright on the air.

The group is now pondering a club tour later this year.  "It depends on how
Andy feels, but he's bearing up very well - probably better than us" said
Moulding.  "We never wanted to do the big showbiz arena thing, but if it's
possible, we'd like to get back into the clubs - to get back the feeling
that made us join the band in the first place."

    Now, if anyone's got any tapes of those radio shows.........
    
    Bob

    yes, i'm sure they will be out on a boot leg -- if they arent already!
    
    -Jay

    And i will bet someone has at least taped it from the broadcast.
    
    
    -jay

    Flicking through a mail-order catalogue at lunchtime today, I spotted
    a DEAR GOD seven-track e.p. - can anyone give me a track listing
    for this, or indeed tell me if it's material that's not available
    elsewhere??

    XTC is, without doubt, my favorite band and has been for about three
    years!
    
    Unfortunately, being in the US I find there is much less access to 
    their CDs. I have to get most of them as imports from the UK.
    
    Well, so far I have: 
    
    White Music (their first LP on CD, with seven bonus tracks! And
     the bonus tracks aren't throwaways, either. A good use of CD
     technology...)
    Go 2 (includes "Are You Receiving Me?")
    The Compact XTC
    Dear God EP (includes "Homo Safari" series)
    Explode Together (the Dub Experiments, 1978-1980)
    
    And on US Virgin CD I have:
    
    English Settlement
    The Big Express
    The Dukes of Stratospheare (both LPs on one CD)
    Skylarking
    Oranges and Lemons 
    
    
    Eventually I'd like to get some hard-to-finds like "Making Plans for 
    Andy," the diecut sleeve "King for a Day" CD-3, and the boxed "Oranges
    and Lemons" set. 
    
    Last I heard, the band was recording their next album. 
    
    In the meanwhile, Virgin UK offers "Rag n' Bone Buffet," a CD
    collection of hard-to-find B sides, flexipop discs, etc. 
    
    
    Wes 

    XTC don't tour anymore, because Andy Partridge developed severe
    stage-fright or crowd phobia. I heard they had done a few small live
    shows on various US radio shows, though.
    
    Bob

    Partridge has said repeatedly that the live shows were not positive
    musical experiences for him. On top of that, he developed stage fright
    and in 1982 broke down after one song in Paris. 
    
    Truth be told, their material improved dramatically in complexity and
    song-writing quality after they stopped touring. 
    
    However, they risk the danger of becoming too much enamoured by the
    slick tricks of the studio. "Oranges and Lemons" isn't up to par 
    compared with some of their earlier material, but it is still very
    good. 
    
    Wes
      

    It was about 1981 when my friends and I were at Hollywood Palladium
    waiting for the opening band to come on.  About 8:30pm a guy came
    out and announced that the show was cancelled because Andy was sick.
    Later I found out that he had a nervous breakdown.  I never got
    to see them live 8..{
    
    -Vicki

    A friend of mine who saw them back in 1980 said their show was great. 
    
    Andy has recently produced part of The Lilac Time's latest album. The
    production is very good. John Leckie co-produces. 
    

    Anyone heard the latest XTC album yet?  Any good?
    
    
    Mikef
    

    I've heard some of it - it sounds pretty good, but maybe not as good as
    some of their other stuff.
    
    The Red Curtain.

    Bob Green (slight return)!
    
    

    I've heard it, and I own it. :-) 
    
    Some very good material, some good material, and some forgettable
    material.  17 songs, so even if you hate five, you still like 12.
    
    It's called NONSVCH (Nonsuch), and the cover features a rendering of a
    beautiful castle, in gold on a red background. 
    
    As an American, I find its "Britishness" appealing, but you in the UK
    may think it too ordinary. 
    
    I especially like the Colin Moulding contributions, of which there are
    four. Andy writes a few numbers with a "Dukes"-ish appeal, but there
    are two clunkers on the LP that I could do without entirely. 
    
    Even so, a good effort by the band. The album grows on you. 
    
    *** out of ****.
    
    
    Wes

    I have a question for those of you who have the European and U.S.
    versions of the Nonsvch CD. 
    
    My CD, imported from Japan, has a silkscreened gold castle on the 
    front of the jewel box. Does yours? I think this may be a limited 
    edition. 
    
    Very pretty!