XTC

Track Listings

1. Total XTC - J.C. Olivier

2. I Wanna Be With You - Anthony Hamilton

3. You're My Type of Woman - Anthony Hamilton

4. Nobody Else - J.C. Olivier

5. Spend Some Time - J.C. Olivier

6. I Will Go

7. Fallin' - J.C. Olivier

8. Forgive Me - J.C. Olivier

9. It's Only You - Anthony Hamilton

10. Special Kinda Love - J.C. Olivier

11. In the Mood - J.C. Olivier

12. Thank You (Interlude) - Anthony Hamilton

XTC,Anthony Hamilton,Mca,Pop,R&B,Urban

XTC

Tracks:

Love Will Tear Us Apart
Just Cant Get Enough
In A Manner Of Speaking
Guns Of Brixton
This Is Not A Love Song
Too Drunk To ****
Marian
Making Plans For Nigel
A Forest
I Melt With You
Teenage Kicks
Psyche
Friday Night Saturday Morning
Sorry For Laughing

Amazon.com

Recycling the 1980s sound has been in vogue lately, so it's no surprise that the producing team known as Nouvelle Vague would find yet another way to mine the nostalgia for the early `80s, post-punk era. They're doing it bossa nova style.

The disc opens with a rendition of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." It's a charming start, and with a breathy chanteuse on vocals, it's exactly the kind of sound that has some music critics proclaiming (admittedly with a touch of sarcasm) that Nouvelle Vague is the ironic dinner music for the new millennium. Unfortunately, this CD is somewhat less winning as it wears on. "Guns of Brixton" is annoying when done in a loungey mood, and sitting through "Too Drunk to F**k" in the wrong company could certainly ruin the amuse bouche. Nevertheless, the entertaining tracks do outweigh tiresome ones on this release. If this concept sounds like an interesting idea to you, you're bound to get a smile from the execution. --Leah Weathersby

Customer Reviews:

Lounge with spunk.......2007-07-08

Or is it punk? Anyway I've got a weak spot for lounge music and this may best, edgiest lounge you'll ever hear. Frankly, I'm not all that familiar with most of the originals so I have no idea how much they've been maimed here. All I know is that the vocals are inspired and impossible to ignore.

In Love With This Album!.......2007-06-07

I absolutely LOVE this album! I listen to many different genres of music but I have to say that this album is one of my ultimate favorite cd's! I don't get tired of listening to it! I'm so glad I was introduced to Nouvelle Vague and I have shared this cd with many friend of mine...I then recently purchased their second album Bande A Part, but I was disappointed however, it's not nearly as good as their first...I love 80's music, Bossa Nova, AND Nu Wave, definetly recommend this cd!

Brilliantly different..........2007-04-15

First time through this distinctly "left field" album is likely to leave you a bit confused... laid back interpretations of classic 80's rock tracks served up as nonchalant, bossa-nova driven Anglo-French lounge music. Ridiculous? Well, fortunately not, because in here are some absolute gems - so good that once you've locked into what's going on you'll find them completely irresistible. Which ones depends on where you were at the time but, for me, "Teenage Kicks", "Love Will Tear Us Apart", "We're Only Making Plans for Nigel" & "Just Can't Get Enough" are so beautifully structured and darkly exciting that they're worth the price of the album on its own. But, as you'll see from the other reviews, there's a lot more on offer. Sure, some tracks miss it... but most don't and, insidious and clever, they add up to a brilliant, very different and probably unrepeatable "one off".

Relaxing AND Catchy!.......2007-04-10

Well .... this album combines two of the better qualities I like in a CD. Nouvelle Vague is relaxing -- and extremely catchy! 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' sets the tone from the very beginning ... the comfortable bossa nova rhythm leads to a chorus I found myself whistling along with ... while Nouvellle Vague's catchy take on 'Just Can't Get Enough' had me humming along. I mentioned in another review that I'm not too familiar with the 70s/80s originals ... and because of that I find that this album of covers is a stand-alone, especially for those that are fans of rhythmic bossa nova, samba, and jazz. For me, every song on this album is strong ... As a picky and eccentric listener, this is one of the few times I can play through an entire album and never have to skip a track. It doesn't mean that I don't have favorites on this album -- 'Marian' was the reason I decided to buy the CD. I bought this CD with Bande a Part, because there were several songs on that CD that I felt compliment this one ... but this CD, Nouvelle Vague, is the stronger of two excellent CDs.

Mixed bag gives bossa nova swing to olde inde faves.......2007-01-23

This outing from the cover band Novelle Vague satisfies immensely in many ways, and just plain misses in others. If you are an old timmer who grew up on the originals (like me) then you may find this newly vamped bossa nova approach to 80s post-punk staples a fun filled romp down nostalgia lane. It isn't for everyone, though, and a word of caution to those of you who are missing out by not having heard the originals (all brilliant in their own right) first. The often covered Joy Division classic, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," gives us a warmer rendition than the bleak original, but not better, just different. Of stellar mention is their fun, catchy cover of the DK's hc classic "Too Drunk to..." and the Clash's London-calling era ska-soaked "Guns of Brixton." I will also add that their cover of the insufferably boring "This is not a Love Song" (of disco-era post-Pistols Johnny Rotten PIL fame) gets a great face lift...upwards: Simply awesome!! On the other hand, Nouvelle Vague miss almost entirely on the gothic realm, as best evidenced by their butchering of Andrew Eldritch's "Marian" (off the Sisters of Mercy's first LP, "First and Last and Always") and with their mediocre quickening of The Cure's "A Forest" (which seems to be popular in covering, especially with the techno / rave crowd). Overall this is a good buy, but it does have a couple renditions that deserve a quick skip with a toggle of the fast forward button. A better NV effort is showcased in their "Bande A Part" LP, where they do a fantastic cover of the power-punk-pop classic "Ever Fallen in Love," a former Buzzcocks masterpiece. 4 stars for effort and originality.

Average customer rating:

A CLASSIC, A MASTERPIECE, THIS ALBUM TOPS SGT. PEPPER'S!
Summer's Cauldren is a great song
When XTC hits America
All time favorite
An alternative classic

Skylarking
XTC
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Oranges & Lemons
English Settlement
Drums and Wires
Black Sea
Nonsuch

ASIN: B00005ATHO
Release Date: 2002-05-14

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
Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
Dear God
Dying
Sacrificial Bonfire
Mermaid Smiled

Amazon.com

XTC's frothy, Beatle-esque concept album about birth, death, and the passing of the seasons is hardly soft-headed: its melodic inventiveness and lush orchestrations supports bitterness ("That's Really Super, Supergirl"), displacement ("The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul"), and agnostic tirade ("Dear God") as often as it does the pleasures of sun and shower. The greatest achievement of XTC's post-Drums and Wires career, Skylarking is a must-have for the first days of spring. This deluxe, remastered version of the album contains a bonus track, "Mermaid Smiled." --Rickey Wright

Album Description

24-bit remastered reissue of 1986 album. Including the bonus track 'Dear God'.

Customer Reviews:

A CLASSIC, A MASTERPIECE, THIS ALBUM TOPS SGT. PEPPER'S!.......2007-06-20

Even if you have no clue who/what XTC are, this album will turn you on to their music. Not a single bad track at all. Bigger than the Beatles! And best of all: It will NOT sound dated, neither now (21 years later) nor when i give it to my grandkids.

Summer's Cauldren is a great song.......2007-02-06

And then things drop off. Things pick up again with Another Satellite and that's about it. Don't get me wrong XTC is a great band but.... they are so ambitious that they lose me. There are two excellent songs here and then everything else is kind of boring. Genius for sure.

Summer's Cauldren is worth 4 stars.

When XTC hits America.......2007-02-01

I got into XTC a year or so before this album came out. Up until that point I had been listening to English Settlement along with other early favorites and liking Partridge and company quite a bit. What I had heard up until then, however, did little to prepare me for Skylarking.

Let's face it: Skylarking came out of nowhere. Nobody saw it coming. Not even the most zealous XTC fan. So different was it from what Partidge and Moulding had recorded that no one was prepared for the change.

And what a change it was.

John Wesley Harding once wrote a wonderfully witty song called 'When the Beatles hit America,' in it imagining what a modern day reunion of the fab four might have been like. After reviewing the newest recording by the long defunct pop group, Harding quipped, "the new record didn't sound a lot like 'P.S. I love you,' but it did sound like XTC... it sounded a lot like XTC."

Which is to say, Skylarking is the sort of album the Beatles might have made but Andy Partridge did it instead. It is a rich, beautiful recording, one awash in brilliant pop and colored with lush harmonies. It is a musical landscape both pastoral and baroque, the sort of which we rarely see in music.

All time favorite.......2006-10-15

This is my favorite Album. From the brilliance of the songwriting to the lush production of Todd Rundgren, every note rings true. I'm constantly inspired by the songs.

Phil Dutra

An alternative classic.......2006-10-10

This album is a classic. I have no idea what they call the genre today, but way back when, this was alternative, and this was the album that all the kids in black listened to. There is not a bad song on the album. Most people are familiar with Dear God, which is worth the purchase of this CD alone, but every song from Summer's Cauldron to Sacrificial Bonfire is as good.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant tribute to psychedelic music
Love the Beatles, XTC and Britpop? You'll love this!
Phun, Phun , Phun
Not Quite The Beatles or Pink Floyd, but....
Glean from the Peppermint Ice Cube

Chips from the Chocolate Fireball

Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Skylarking
English Settlement
Oranges & Lemons
Nonsuch
Black Sea

ASIN: B00005AV1R
Release Date: 2001-06-18

Tracks:

25 O'Clock
Bike Ride To The Moon
My Love Explodes
What In The World??...
Your Gold Dress
The Mole From The Ministry
Vanishing Girl
Have You Seen Jackie?
Little Lighthouse
You're A Good Man Albert Brown
Collideascope
You're My Drug
Shiny Cage
Brainiac's Daughter
The Affiliated
Pale And Precious

Amazon.com essential recording

XTC created the Dukes of Stratosphear almost on a lark, as an excuse to play the kind of music they grew up listening to and playing. The invention of the pseudonym gave them the opportunity to wear on their sleeves the influences they had only hinted at as XTC. The Dukes released two records between 1985 and 1987 and they are both compiled in their entirety on Chips from the Chocolate Fireball. Listening to Chips is like sifting through a '60s psychedelia bin at a good used record store. The only thing missing are the pops and crackles as you drop the needle onto the neglected vinyl. The best of the era is re-created here with reverence and an amazing attention to detail: Syd Barrett's childlike lyrics, the Blue Cheer fuzz-guitar frenzy, dissonant Sgt. Pepper strings and horns, and good old Brian Wilson-style indulgences.

The record opens with "25 O'Clock," which instantly recalls the Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night." From there the references become more obscure: the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction" is invoked by the bombastic guitar sludge of Sir John Johns (Andy Partridge) and Lord Cornelius Plum (Dave Gregory) on "My Love Explodes," while "Bike Ride to the Moon" is demented enough to have appeared on Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Other high points include the Hollies-inspired "Vanishing Girl" and the Beatles-style piano stomp "You're a Good Man Albert Brown." The record closes with the priceless "Pale and Precious." With its dead-on Wilson brothers harmonies and faux theremin, the song plays like an undiscovered gem from the Beach Boys' Smile sessions. --Paul Ducey

Album Description

Remastered reissue of 1987 compilation for XTC's psychedelic side-project combines their debut EP '25 O'Clock' with their full length 'Psonic Psunspot'. 16 tracks. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant tribute to psychedelic music.......2007-06-20

This is worth it just for "Mole From The Ministry". The whole album pays a loving tribute to the best of 60's psychedelic music without mocking it. One of XTC's best albums.

Love the Beatles, XTC and Britpop? You'll love this!.......2007-04-24

if you like britpop, the beatles and/or xtc, this is a clever and fun collection of the entire Dukes library, the alter ego of XTC, in homage to the Beatles.

some of the tunes are just so well done, and the hooks so well crafted that you'll find this is an enjoyable revisit, year after year. you are unlikely to sell this one used.

just simply fun, and much more creative and loyal to the sound of the Beatles than anyone else has done.

Phun, Phun , Phun.......2007-03-17

This recording by the Dukes, aka XTC, is just plain fun and entertaining. The problem with a lot of the music from the psychedelic era was that while they may have included the prerequisite sound effects or drug themes, the tunes themselves were just plain stupid. XTC's strong suit has always been clever songwriting and knowing not to take themselves too seriously. The playing on this collection is great. The bombastic drums, guitars and terrific vocals put to shame most of what passes for rock music today, and these guys were just screwing around for the fun of it. Even though this was a fun recording as homage to the psychedelic peroid, it still contains all that fans of XTC have come to expect from their work: clever wordplay in the lyrics, great musicianship and pristine production. They even have a few special effects here and there that would have made the best of sixties psychedelia (Beatles, Pink Floyd) proud.

Not Quite The Beatles or Pink Floyd, but...........2007-03-10

The record starts off with a cheezy tribute to Pink Floyd, that I think is worthy of Spinal Tap. I still don't know if this was serious, or tongue-in-cheek. While this album will never be my favorite, I am liking it more with each play. "Vanishing Girl" is the one tune that really stands out. If you are new to XTC, I would hold off on buying this CD and go for "English Settlement" or "Skylarking".

Glean from the Peppermint Ice Cube.......2006-10-30

As funny as it is beautiful.

And its really really...both.

Average customer rating:

a favorite
English Settlement
I HAVE WATCHED THE MANIMALS GO BY.
The bridge between early and late XTC.
Stands test of time

English Settlement
XTC
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Black Sea
Drums and Wires
Skylarking
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Mummer

ASIN: B00005ATHJ
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Tracks:

Runaways
Ball And Chain
Senses Working Overtime
Jason And The Argonauts
No Thugs In Our House
Yacht Dance
All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)
Melt The Guns
Leisure
Its Nearly Africa
Knuckle Down
Fly On The Wall
Down In The Cockpit
English Roundabout
Snowman

Amazon.com essential recording

English Settlement is a watershed work for XTC that provides a valuable link between the band they had been (caustic, high pitched, and quirky) and the band they became (sublime, pastoral, and still undeniably quirky). It reveals a band in transition, coming only months before swearing off touring, due to Andy Partridge's stage fright, and the subsequent departure of drummer Terry Chambers. Despite the internal hemorrhaging, or perhaps because of it, XTC produced their finest record. English Settlement deals largely with the horrors of modern life and ordinary people's attempts to make sense of it all. Racism, violence, and the senseless proliferation of weapons are ingeniously examined in songs such as "Runaways," "No Thugs in Our House," and "Melt the Guns." The record's finest moment, however, plays against these horrors with "Senses Working Overtime," a pastoral piece celebrating life and all its simple wonders--the beautiful as well as the commonplace. With its majestic, sweeping chorus and hilarious lyrics, "Senses" laid the groundwork for XTC's '80s sound and established Andy Partridge alongside Elvis Costello as one of England's premier songwriters. The album also features two of bassist Colin Moulding's finest compositions: the frenetic "English Roundabout," which builds the narrator's disgruntlement with a delirious, staccato guitar attack, and "Ball and Chain," a compelling plea for landmark conservation that would have fit flawlessly on the Kinks' reactionary manifesto, The Village Green Preservation Society. This was the last time XTC would record as a bona fide rock quartet and it presents the band at the height of its playful glory as they enthusiastically trip down a fertile new path into uncharted territory. --Paul Ducey

Album Description

Remastered reissue of 1982 album features the classic 'Senses Working Overtime'. Virgin Records. 2001.

Customer Reviews:

a favorite.......2007-07-02

A favorite of mine for a long time. interesting lyrics, jumping rhythms, Listen to "no thugs" or "fly on the wall" - great sounds!

English Settlement.......2006-11-27

The first time I heard this band "Senses Working Overtime" I was stunned! Way back in the 80's when I considered music to be dying on a knotted,shriveled vine (This is the album/band that pulled my head out of 70's denim)I listened and fell in love with this band.

I HAVE WATCHED THE MANIMALS GO BY........2006-10-24

unless you mention the super-awesome hit, "Senses Working Overtime", a lot of xtc fans don't usually seem to have so much to say about this album, at least compared to the exuberance demonstrated for stuff like _Drums and Wires_ or _Skylarking_ (although, your experiences with others' tastes may vary). The reason can only be...this is a pop album of epic proportions! Pop listeners cannot handle such a monstrosity. And when I listened to it, I found myself getting distracted by the thought of "how long can this album be???" and it is not like _English Settlement_ has lots more songs than other XTC works (and even fifteen songs is kind of a lot), but the songs on average must be one to two minutes longer. THESE ARE HUGE NUMBERS FOR POP MUSIC. It is also a sort of "transitional album," being both preceded and followed by a distinctive era of the band. This also contributes to the unique nature of _English Settlement_. While it has the heavy bass and drums of early sound, it has the later period's incredible ear for electro-acoustic pop arrangement. Twelve-string guitar is everywhere and it sounds greatly poppy. The songs are so incredibly great I can't even talk about them all individually. Maybe I will only mention the "Jason and the Argonauts", with a surprising interlude of non-modulating psych over the main melodic theme, that goes for almost two minutes. but I could do equally well to mention numerous other sparkles of genius, from the rhythmically irregular super-catchy 4-bit synth line bouncing along "Fly on the Wall", or the subtle renaissance flavor the "Senses Working Overtime" verses, or the gradual but intense percussion build up of "It's Nearly Africa", or "English Roundabout" which is like a poppier Gentle Giant, or...whatever, it's great. Pick it up.

The bridge between early and late XTC........2006-07-20

No doubt a huge shock when it came out, "English Settlement" finds XTC abandoning the punk, ska and new wave trappings of their early records for something wholly different-- 12 string guitars, pastoral framings and midtempos dominate this sprawling double album that points way to the future of the band.

At its best, the album proves to be clever quirky and thoroughly English pop songs-- opener "Runaways" (written by bassist Colin Moulding) features jangly acoustic guitars and a rolling rhythm that proves to be hot yet tame, Andy Partridge's "Senses Working Overtime" recesses the ska influences on the early material deep within a building, rhythmic number with a catchy chorus that proved to be the band's biggest hit and "All Of the Sudden (It's Too Late)" features a delicate and lovely melody and a serene and gentle sound but with a prodding and insistent bassline providing foil for the rest. And mixed in the middle is the stirring "Jason and the Argonauts", filled with churning acoustic guitars, driven drums, and a calm and developed vocal with great harmonies, it's a huge leap forward in arranging for the band.

The problem is though that all those songs are at the beginning of the album-- much of the rest of it suffers from being a overlong (even at four minutes as in "Yacht Dance"), underdeveloped ("Leisure") or just blending into the background ("Knuckle Down"). And on occasion, the dedication to acoustic sounds weakens the piece (the otherwise brilliant and quirky "No Thugs in Our House", full of energy and venom, would have benefitted from some noise and distortion, likewise "Melt the Guns" and its quirky sound would have benefitted from a bit more power behind it) and when the band does opt for electric instruments, it proves to be detrimental (Moulding's "Fly on the Wall" has this irritating electric synth line even if the rest of the piece is superb).

This reissue has been remastered and sounds crisp and clear-- remarkably in this case, this level of clarity may be a bit of a detriment, it has a habit of exposing some of the thinness of the arrangements (for example, "Down in the Cockpit" ends up sounding like a throwback rather than a neat, jaunty electric pop song, because the clarity of the recording exposes how its thin ska-tinged arrangement sits next to the swirling acoustics from earlier in the album). Nonetheless, the sonic upgrade is worthwhile.

For all my complaints about it, "English Settlement" is a fairly enjoyable album, but it was clearly a transition, and with a piece as strong as "Mummer" around the corner, it's hard to consider this one without that. It was a brave step, but largely it's a transition album. Some folks love it, but for me, both its predecessor ("Black Sea") and successor ("Mummer") far outstrip it.

Stands test of time.......2006-06-15

One of the reviews called it "timeless." It may be a bit early to say that, but this album certainly has weathered the passage of time better than about 99% of the pop/rock albums that came out in the early 80s. It's also one of those rare double-albums (though it fits on one CD) that doesn't feel bloated and self-indulgent. Pop/rock music doesn't get much better than this.

And to whoever said, "Thank God they didn't become big stars," I say, I agree, but I do wish they had had a bit more success and recognition; they deserved it, then and now. Too bad Andy couldn't get over his stage fright; if they had toured for just a few more years, they could have reached a wider audience . . . After all, it's not like they were Sonic Youth. XTC's music is almost all quite accessible; there's no reason it couldn't have made a much bigger splash on the radio.

Average customer rating:

After 7 years' wait: a total disappointment.
Spectacular
An all time great album
An absolute masterpiece, a must own
4 1/2 stars-- a triumphant return.

Apple Venus Volume 1
XTC
Manufacturer: Tvt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)
Nonsuch
Oranges & Lemons
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English Settlement

ASIN: B00000I4JT
Release Date: 1999-02-23

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

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

The first XTC album after a six-year hiatus opens with the plink of a water drop, just a hint of the musical downpour to come. Add an interplay with a plucked cello and the low pulse of French horns, and soon Apple Venus Volume One bursts into a festival of symphonic excess. Wedding Andy Partridge's impeccable, overtime-working pop senses to the warmth and lushness of acoustic orchestral arrangements is an inspired move, not only recasting XTC's long career, but resulting in one of the year's most splendorous recordings. --Tod Nelson

Amazon.com essential recording

Because of record contract litigation, Apple Venus Volume One is XTC's first album of new material in nearly seven years. The now-duo of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding sure seem to have been using their time off to smell the flowers, as their lyrics are ripe with fruit, nuts, dandelions, orchids, sunflowers, and harvest festivals. Billed as the "orchestral" album that precedes its "rock" bookend, Apple Venus is XTC's most obvious nod to the lush, intricate sounds of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper (those familiar with 1986's Skylarking know that's a bold statement). Cellos, flutes, and other highbrow instruments provide the backdrop for the flowery lyrics. The whimsical "I'd Like That" is the perfectly understated pop song that has always eluded Partridge. The album's lone touch of angst comes courtesy of "Your Dictionary," which is spiked with four-letter words, but Partridge, ever the genteel Englishman, merely spells them out. Essential? No. Innovative? Hardly. But Apple Venus is a solid, cohesive work by one of rock's most artistic artists. --Bill Crandall

Album Description

First album in seven years by Swindon, England's finest export. Down to a duo of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, this highly anticipated album relies heavily on acoustic and orchestrated arrangements. 11 tracks total, including the single 'I'd Like That'. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews:

After 7 years' wait: a total disappointment........2007-06-20

I had been listening to XTC since "English Settlement". I liked some of their earlier work, and saw them improving with every album. "Nonsuch" is a great album, and after waiting 6 or 7 years for their next CD, when this piece of ship came out, I was one of the first buyers. Couldn't wait to play it.... I thought... these guys must have spent the last 5 years listening to Charly Garcia records, because this [...]could not possibly be that bad under no drugs! The selling price for this album says it all: [...], compare it to Skylarking, English Settlement, or Nonsuch, and you'll see why some people are as eager to sell this CD online as quickly as possible. Unfortunately I wasted [...]- on this CD, no used record shop would take it, so I threw it under the subway tracks. The rats can keep it.

Spectacular.......2007-06-13

Like another reviewer I too, missed "Easter Theatre" on the first play. I was knocked out by it on the second play. Complicated and catchy music combined with the greatest lyrics yet written about Winter turning to Spring and the annual renewal of nature. Anyone who could write a song like Easter Theatre has a beautiful soul. It's a must play around here every spring.

Brilliant chords and harmonics you don't expect, this album is real craftsmanship.

An all time great album.......2007-04-19

Its time I set the record straight. Forget any other lists I may have made, its official, Apple Venus is in my opinion, the best XTC album. Over time it has grown and grown until I'm putting it on at full volume at any opportunity. "Easter Theatre" is in my list as an, all time great song. The other brilliant tunes include Harvest Festival, (with its Englishness and rusticity) Greenman, (almost Pagan) My Dictionary, (a great rant at an ex-wife, bitter, melancholic and brilliant)The green vote of the opening track, the 2nd track I'd Like That, with its quirky, brilliance and indifference. Colin Moulding comes to the party with a couple of tunes that start out silly but over time evolve into slices of kinks/blur Britlife. He also frequently highlights with outstanding bass licks, especially in Greenman.

But it is once again the Partridge Show and what a Show. If you chance upon this review, please take note and buy and listen and love Apple Venus, XTC's masterpiece.

An absolute masterpiece, a must own.......2007-02-28

I've been collecting music from the mid 1960's and this is as good as any album I've ever listened to. XTC offers so many wonderous sounds and explore so many intriguing musical ideas that you find yourself listening over and over and uncovering something new every time. You just can never tire of listening to this gem. It doesn't get any better than this.

4 1/2 stars-- a triumphant return........2006-07-27

The 1990s were not a great time for XTC-- after the release of "Nonsuch" in 1992, the band went "on strike", refusing to record new material (the band had retired from touring a decade before) until Virgin released them from their contract. After eventual victory, the band began recording the orchestral "Apple Venus, Volume 1". During the sessions, longtime guitarist Dave Gregory left the band, apparently unhappy with the direction the group was taking, leaving guitarist Andy Partridge and bassist Colin Moulding to finish the record as a duo. It's often said that conflict creates high art, and certainly while I felt "Nonsuch" was a bit of a bunt, "Apple Venus" is fantastic.

While I referred to the album as orchestral, this isn't entirely accurate-- Partridge used the term "orchustic" and indeed the record is dominated by orchestral arrangements and acoustic guitars. But it doesn't have that rock band plus orchestra feel, instead its a fully integrated sound, in many places, almost a baroque rock sound ("Knights in Shining Karma"). The album also has a strong sense of cohesiveness, flowing organically through its pieces. What the album manages is to avoid so many of the stereotypes of the orchestral pop record-- it can be dramatic and pushing on overblown without ever crossing the line-- opener "River of Orchids" pits Partridge's yearning vocal against pizzicato strings, "I Can't Own Her" finds him contemplative and moody against severe drama created by piano, strings, and accordian.

But "Apple Venus" isn't a one-trick pony, which I think is the other trap it avoids falling into-- there's a number of sounds captured here: the gentle sense of drama and yearning of the utterly superb "I'd Like That" (with some of Partridge's best lyrics), the bitter and shockingly direct divorce song of "Your Dictionary" (featuring a curiously bright and lush vocal arrangement in its coda), and the quirky, electric-yet-orchestral-without-an-orchestra sounds of Moulding's quirky "Fruit Nut" (the only piece dominated by electric instruments).

The really amazing thing is there's a distinct lack of uninteresting material on the record-- it's pretty much fantastic from start to finish-- I'd rate it a bit below the heights of "Skylarking" or "Oranges and Lemons" (or for that matter, "Mummer"), but it's a fantastic record. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

My 1st. taste of XTC--"Drums and Wires" (1979)
Make Plans to Buy This!
4.5 stars
A step forward.
Zany and brainy

Drums and Wires
XTC
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Black Sea
English Settlement
Skylarking
Mummer
White Music

ASIN: B00005ATHI
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Tracks:

Making Plans For Nigel
Helicopter
Day In Day Out
When You're 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
Life Begins At The Hop
Chain Of Command
Limelight

Amazon.com

Most Americans' first taste of XTC came from this CD, originally released in 1979. The band's first full-length without cofounder Barry Andrews, it was a cavalcade of Andy Partridge's neuroses and paranoia. Although it contained two quirky bona fide pop songs--the calling card "Making Plans for Nigel" and the breezy "Life Begins at the Hop"--the music as a whole was as jagged as Partridge's attitude. "Complicated Game" and "Scissor Man" have the singer's haunting howl echoing and whispering throughout, sounding like a fun house operator gone mad, while "Real by Reel," another pop standout, might be the most conventional song on the CD. Drums and Wires is a must-have for anybody who is only discovering the band. Skylarking and the collected singles are the only other releases that come close to capturing the band's early and earnest dementia. --Steve Gdula

Album Description

Remastered reissue of 1979 album features the classic 'Making Plans For Nigel'.Virgin Records. 2001.

Customer Reviews:

My 1st. taste of XTC--"Drums and Wires" (1979).......2007-08-05

The first time I ever heard of XTC was back in 1979 when I saw their videos for "Life Begins at the Hop" and "Making Plans for Nigel" on a late-night TV music show; soon after that, the local college station started playing "Making Plans for Nigel" as well as my favorite cut off "Drums and Wires": the frentically manic romp, "Helicopter", which even now, some 29 yrs. later, is still one of my most favorite XTC songs that I play pretty often. Anybody who enjoys XTC's later material or more specifically, Andy Partridge's superb songwriting abilities definitely should have "Drums and Wires" in their collection--in fact, I need to replace my old copy pretty soon myself!
Around the time the college station was frequently playing "Making Plans for Nigel" and "When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty", I bought an import 45 of "Nigel" I found at a Musicsmith outside Hartford, CT. However, I soon found myself playing the 2 songs on the B-side that weren't included on "Drums and Wires" more often that not, particularily the 2nd. track, "Pulsing Pulsing": a short 1 minute 36 second reggae flavored bit of infectious bass-laden boogie that to this day I've only found once or twice as a track on some import box set. Too bad it never was used as a track on XTC's subsequent albums--it's really a great little tune that begs more notice, sounding somewhat like "Living Through Another Cuba" which is another great piece of reggae-styled funk I truly enjoy.

Make Plans to Buy This!.......2007-01-02

The departure of quirky keyboardist Barry Andrews after only two XTC albums, may have signalled the early death knell of the band. Andrews improvised and manic approach had been one of XTC's unique claims. But the arrival of guitarist and multi instrumentalist Dave Gregory for their third album "Drums and Wires" in fact had a liberating effect on the band. XTC's sound began to broaden and harden with his arrival and the song writing moved from the juvenilia of comic books and science-fiction to socio/cultural topics such as job opportunities, surveillance culture and environmental issues to name but three. The social satire reaches its peak on the hypnotic, persuasive and majestic lead single "Making Plans For Nigel". XTC's first major UK hit and the beginning of a dominant song writing spell for bassist Colin Moulding that would eventually lead to his own solo project. Moulding also pens the delightfully breezy and spacious "Ten Feet Tall", a single Virgin believed would break the band in the US. Partridge's song writing also excels, but his compositions at this time still remain quirky, experimental and at times awkward. Nevertheless "Reel by Real" hints at the very commercial songs that were too follow from Partridge. The album has a beautifully sparse production quality thanks to Steve Lillywhite and with its distinctive cover design helped it become their biggest selling record up to that point and one of their most cohesive and enjoyable recordings.

This digitally re-mastered version presents the album in its best sound quality to date and also includes three bonus tracks in the shape of "Life Begins at the Hop", "Chain of Command" and "Limelight", the latter two tracks are especially precious little gems and are presented for the first time re-mastered and sounding great.

4.5 stars.......2006-07-20

Fans usually cite XTC's songwriting as the band's greatest asset. But it was really XTC's outstanding musicianship that made their recordings special. This remastered "Drums and Wires" reveals more than ever just how powerful the group's performances could often be -- particulary when drummer Terry Chambers was on board, as he is on this album.

Get it.

A step forward........2006-07-20

A huge leap forward in terms of songwriting and arrangement, XTC's "Drums and Wires" is a new beginning for the band, not the least of which due to the personnel changes that occured in the band-- keyboardist Barry Andrews departed, evidentally due to an arguement about songwriting contributions with principle songwriter and guitarist Andy Partridge. Left as a trio, Partridge, bassist/songwriter Colin Moulding, and drummer Terry Chambers recruited guitarist/keyboardists Dave Gregory. With Gregory, the band began exploring concepts of texture in more detail. Looking at the albums over 25 years later without any sentimental attachment to the early material (I was about 18 months old when "Drums and Wires" was released), it's clear that Andrews' buzzing organ sounds were a limitation on both Partridge and Moulding as songwriters, and with Gregory they began exploring more.

Perhaps the most immediately noticable improvement in songwriting comes in Colin Moulding-- whereas on the previous two albums his contributions felt underdeveloped at best, here pretty much all the standouts are his and they benefit from an extraordinary sense of arrangement. Opener "Making Plans for Nigel" features a pulsing rhythm section and out-of-phase guitars chugging along over which Moulding paints his picture of planning your child's life in a calm and developed voice. Really, it's the kind of thing that based on the first couple records, you'd never dream Moulding had in him. Likewise, the spiralling acoustic guitars of "Ten Feet Tall" and the churning excitement of the near psychedelic "This is the Way" grab your attention.

Partridge, for his part, sticks to his guns with the ska/punk new wave stuff, although there's a distinct improvement, both in the confidence of his vocals ("Helicopter") and composition (the goofy "When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty"-- check the two guitar lines bouncing in and out of skanks and lines).

The real problem is that the album seems to fizzle as it goes on, and the second half features a bunch of totally unmemorable tracks ("Outside World", "Reel By Reel"). Throughout, there's also some examples of forced melodrama that just comes off horribly (the reciting of the title of "Complicated Game", although the fierce guitar solo and Partridge's frantic, shouted vocal pretty well absolves this, "Road Girdle the Globe")

This reissue provides remastered sound, presenting the album crisp and clean and allowing its textures to shine. It also adds three bonus tracks-- Moulding's goofy "Life Begins at the Hop" was one of the early songs with Dave Gregory and while structurally, it sounds more like the stuff on their earlier records, it maintains a sense of maturity in the vocals and the arrangements that allows it to sit comfortably alongside the best material on the album, although the other two bonus tracks aren't nearly as memorable (neither is particularly bad... kind of like much of the record).

All in all, "Drums and Wires" is a huge step forward and far and away the best thing XTC had done until now. They'd go on to bigger and better things as they became more overt about their love of '60s rock and psychedelia, but this one is worth investigating.

Zany and brainy.......2006-03-30

On their third album it's bye bye Barry Andrews and organ and hello Dave Gregory and XTC achieve their "classic sound", ie one that lasted through Black Sea and English Settlement. On Drums And Wires Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding really came into their own as songwriters and Terry Jones first displayed his peculiar and inimitable THUD WHACK drumming style. The freneticism of the first two albums was tempered by a growing and unique musical sophistication, yet there's an economy of style that reflects that these songs were supposed to be played live in front of actual people. Andy Partridges' crippling stage fright was still several years off and the complex arrangements of Skylarking even farther. My introduction to XTC was the second album Go2 and so when Barry Andrews was kicked out I didn't know what to expect. Well what I got was one of the nuttiest and finest albums these clever pop hooligans ever made. From Colin Mouldings' early hit Making Plans For Nigel to Andy Partridges' most loopy song Helicopter, it's sheer mad genius.

Average customer rating:

"Making Plans" to improve your CD collection,then add this one!
Danger massive tweeter burn
A great overview of a band that should have been huge.
The Definitive XTC Compilation!
Not what you might expect

Fossil Fuel (Singles 1977-1992)
XTC
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chips from the Chocolate Fireball
Skylarking
Oranges & Lemons
English Settlement
Black Sea

ASIN: B000007659
Release Date: 1996-09-23

Tracks:

Science Friction
Statue Of Liberty
This Is Pop
Are You Receiving Me?
Life Begins At The Hop
Making Plans For Nigel
Ten Feet Tall
Wait Til Your Boat Goes Down
Generals & Majors
Towers Of London
Sgt. Rock Is Going To Help Me
Love At First Sight
Respectable Street
Senses Working Overtime
Ball & Chain
No Thugs In Our House

Tracks:

Great Fire
Wonderland
Love On A Farmboy's Wages
All You Pretty Girls
This World Over
Wake Up
Grass
The Meeting Place
Dear God
The Mayor Of Simpleton
King For A Day
The Loving
The Disappointed
The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead
Wrapped In Grey

Album Description

All 31 of their U.K. A-sides, 1977-1992, on two CDs in a double slimline jewel case. Contains their XTC hits only -- no recordings by their alteregos The Dukes Of Stratosphear or The Three Wise Men. Includes 'Dear God', 'Respectable Street', 'Senses Working Overtime', 'Science Friction', 'TenFeet Tall', 'Making Plans For Nigel', 'The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead', etc. 1996 release on Virgin. The full title is'Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-92'.

Customer Reviews:

"Making Plans" to improve your CD collection,then add this one!.......2007-06-11

What have we got here then?let me tell you,31 tracks of imaginative, energetic,addictive poprock with intelligent lyrics,that's what.
The first CD I've bought for three years.And the wait was worth it,by a group that wasn't well known here,nor in the US.Great shame that.
The first song that made me sit up and notice them was "Making Plans for Nigel"(1979),that one got quite a bit of airplay over here.
Their highest chart success was "Senses Working Overtime",which reached number 10 in the UK charts.
A group that has had more then it's fair share of bad luck.
(Andy Partridge's stage fright at one point,didn't help matters.)
But a group that's always worth a listen!
~~~~
Every fan of XTC will have their own favourites,but for me standout tracks are:~
Life begins at the Hop
Making Plans for Nigel
Generals and Majors(double A side with "Don't lose your Temper",shame that track is absent from this release)
Towers of London
Sgt.Rock(Is going to help me)
Senses working Overtime
Ball and Chain
Great Fire
Love on a Farmboys Wages
Dear God
The Disappointed
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
~~~~
If your fed-up listening to the same old stuff in your collection,try this one.
Life begins at the hop.. Boys and Girls.
(Noteworthy XTC albums, English Settlement,Skylarking.)

Danger massive tweeter burn.......2006-08-24

I like the music on this collection. However the sound quality is uneven. The treble on "The Mayor Of Simpleton" for example is blistering. Not all cuts suffer from this problem so if you intend to listen to the songs back to back you will need to repeatedly adjust your eq to make things bearable.

A great overview of a band that should have been huge........2006-07-27

"Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-92" is a a compilation of every British a-side the band released during their tenure with Virgin Records. As an introduction to the band, it provides a fine overview of their career and history and you can hear how many pieces should have been huge singles, but never were.

XTC started as a ska/punk new wave band, driving rhythms, buzzing organs (courtesy of keyboardist Barry Andrews) and skanking guitars from Andy Partridge dominated the early work. While it was a bit inconsistent (mostly due to odd vocal styles), Partridge's compositions already showed an undercurrent of wit ("Statue of Liberty") and pop hooks ("This is Pop?"). When Andrews departed to be replaced by guitarist and sometime keyboardist Dave Gregory, the band's compositions became more and more enamoured with harmony, arrangement and melody, first the compositions of bassist Colin Moulding (throbbing mechanical rocker "Making Plans for Nigel", early acoustic rumination "Ten Feet Tall") then eventually Partridge (the churning "Towers of London").

The band eventually took an unusual shift, embracing these textures even further, to the benefit of their performances and receeding the punk elements in favor of Beatles and Beach Boys inspired pop elements-- the brilliant pop hook on "Senses Working Overtime" provides a fine example of this. When they quit touring, using the studio as an instrument and compositional tool became central to their work (Moulding's delicate and lovely fantasy "Wonderland", Partridge's "Love on a Farmboy's Wages"). A pair of late '80s pop albums ("Skylarking" and "Oranges and Lemons") produced a seemingly endless series of stunning pop songs, many of which are represented here ("Grass", "Dear God", "The Mayor of Simpleton", "The Loving" are all absolutely stunning). While their last record with Virgin felt a bit overarranged to me, they still managed some great pieces ("The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead") and have remained relevent as long as they've recorded.

Literally the only complaint I can make with this is the decision to leave off the Dukes of Stratosphear (XTC's alter ego when they recorded psychedelic music) singles-- while they didn't seem to pick the best of that project for singles, it seems it should be here. Nonetheless, with the material presented in remastered sound, this is a fine collection and a worthy starting point for anyone curious about the band. Just make sure you listen all the way through as the band's evolution is dramatic.

The Definitive XTC Compilation!.......2005-09-04

This release contains EVERY single XTC released on their beloved (arf arf) Virgin Records between 1977 - 1992. From Barry's finger on "Science Friction" to the woefully withdrawn "Wrapped In Grey" single. Purposeful, but incomplete, collections prior to this (the very cool Waxworks/Beeswax set, the poorly compiled The Compact XTC, and the almost obligitory in it's existence Upsy-Daisy Assortment) are seemingly rather unnecessary next to this. It contains all of the hits, near hits, and should've-been-hits. It also contains all of the Terry Chambers singles (his last being the gently psychedelic "Wonderland"). Considering the genuine quality, quantity and diveristy of the material this would make a great introduction to XTC. And for old fans : a great collection to reflect upon the awesomeness of XTC. Highly recommended!

Not what you might expect.......2005-07-31

Some music fans seems to want to praise this band as an "undiscovered treasure" or "underrated, shoulda been stars" group. Frankly, there isn't anything all that impressive on these two discs.

And look, I LOVE British music. But I wanted hooks, memorable melodies, stylistic nods to the Beatles or the Kinks (or even Blur), some sort of British pastoral whimsy etc......there is virtually none of that here. The entire first disc is just boring - maybe if you like some of Elvis Costello's albums like "This Year's Model" and "My Aim Is True", you will find something to like here as the sound is similar - that now dated, post-punk, new-wave sound that really doesn't interest me at all. I was hoping the second disc would be more melodically interesting but it was not to be, save for a couple of songs towards the end. Even they, however, weren't THAT great.

So, I gave this band a chance......but if this is their best stuff, then I'll leave it to others. I tend to think that maybe in this case, widespread success has eluded them because they simply aren't that good. Definitely listen before you buy.

Average customer rating:

Probably Their Best
The last (and best) early XTC album.
All Hail The Amazing Crash-Boom-Band
pure genius
"I would have made this instrumental but the words got in the way"

Black Sea
XTC
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Drums and Wires
English Settlement
Skylarking
Mummer
The Big Express

ASIN: B00005ATHH
Release Date: 2002-06-25

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
Smokeless Zone
Don't Lose Your Temper
The Somnambulist

Amazon.com essential recording

The 1980 release Black Sea represents the last stand of the punchy, angular new wave that had won XTC strong critical and college radio support. Still arranging with an ear toward the stage they'd soon retire from, they continued working in the "drums and wires" style that had christened their previous release. Black Sea brims with XTC trademarks: engaging guitar hooks, cleverly rendered lyrics, and frenetic, creative melodicism. The material represents the pinnacle of XTC's early incarnation--a counterpoint to contemporary punk imbued with style, rhythmic punch, and melodic charm. --Todd Gehman

Album Description

Remastered reissue of 1980 album features the classic 'Generals And Majors'. Virgin Records. 2001.

Album Details

One of XTC'S Most Commercial Albums, features Three Bonus Songs: "Smokeless Zone," "Don't Lose Your Temper," and "The Somnambulist."

Customer Reviews:

Probably Their Best.......2007-01-25

When Andy Patridge retired from touring, it "set the stage" for his exploration of the lush chamber pop that has defined the second half of XTC's career (though it's far more than half by now). Black Sea is not the last album on which they sound like a "real" band--that would be the exellent follow-up, English Settlement--but it is the best single expression of XTC as angular, subverisve pop rockers with a two guitar attack that is unique in rock history. Black Sea finds them dreaming up catchy Beatle-esque melodies only to deface and agitate them with odd time feels, strategic dissonance, and Patridge's unmistakable "barking seal" vocals. This is certainly one of the most balanced and gratifying of their albums, and the best showcase of their unusual and inimitable approach to standard two-guitar bass, drums instrumentation.

In fairness to the boys, they never could have done Skylarking WITH Terry Chambers on drums, but it is equally apparent that they would never again approach this kind of barely stable energy WITHOUT him (although--word to the wise--the criminally underappreciated The Big Express comes close).

Finally, the influence of this album is prevalent today, and is explicit in the work of Hot Hot Heat and Futureheads, among others: Not just the XTC influence but the BLACK SEA influence in particular. That's because--song quality aside--no other ensemble has ever played smart rock quite like XTC at their road-tested best.

The last (and best) early XTC album........2006-07-20

A continuation of the direction they were heading in on "Drum and Wires", "Black Sea" finds XTC charging full steam ahead, and again finding ways to tighten and improve. The songwriting is a step up-- the sort of forgettable material on the previous album is largely absent here, particularly in the compositions of Andy Partridge-- and the expanded arrangements made possible by the presence of guitarist Dave Gregory again are brought forth to bear. But with this album really has that makes it a whole lot better than the previous albums is a sense of confidence in the vocal deliveries.

At its best, the album is straightforward and aggressive, putting together tightly wound pieces that feel like they're ready to explode but never quite get there (opener "Respectable Street", "Paper and Iron"), with some superb details into pop (the simply fantastic "Burning With Optimism's Flame", which points distinctly to the future's swirling pop arrangements), jangly new wave (Moulding's "Generals and Majors", with one of the most forceful and venomous choruses in pop music) and something wholly inconceivable-- closer "Travels in Nihilon" is quite unprecedented in the band's catalog-- a slice of avant-rock, with odd textures, a bubbling, neo-tribal beat, and a hint at Middle Eastern strains, plus Partridge over the top as confident as he's ever sounded doubled by a whisper that's as haunting as no doubt it was intended to be.

Admittedly, it's not all fantastic, there's a couple pieces that are somewhat middle of the road-- "Rocket from a Bottle" is a nice enough piano-driven piece but it's somewhat forgettable and while "Towers of London" seems to be popular with a lot of folks, I've always found it a bit overlong. But the record shines a lot more than it disappoints.

This reissue has been remastered and sounds fresh and clean-- a consistent problem with other recordings from this era. It's also been augmented with a trio of bonus tracks-- "Smokeless Zone" and "Don't Lose Your Temper" are both somewhat extraneous, but "The Somnambulist" is something totally different-- a quiet, almost unintelligible vocal over a throbbing drum and synthesizers, it ends up being one of the more intriguing pieces in the early XTC catalog.

"Black Sea" brought XTC's days as a post-punk/new wave band to a close. It shows signs of growth beyond the band's early sound and points to the future, but it is really the culmination of the band's early works. Recommended.

All Hail The Amazing Crash-Boom-Band.......2005-10-22

Andy Partridge had an idea. Take all the advances made in dual-guitar chord shapes and interlocking rhythm/bass/lead playing over the last three albums, apply them to effortlessly melodic, Beatlesque songs and arrangements, and ADD SOME REALLY LOUD DRUMS. I don't just mean "loud," I mean *LOUD*. Blow-your-ears-back loud. Loud like a used-car salesman's tie loud.

Black Sea is the type of album The Beatles would have made had they been frustrated, nerdy intellectuals rather than suave handsome Liverpudlians: painstakingly crafted, catchy songs stuffed with over-literate lyrics and matched to an awe-inspiring crash-boom-bang rhythm section (courtesy of drummer Terry Chambers and producer Steve Lillywhite).

The spectacular VIOLENCE of much of this album is a phenomenon of sound, precisely because even at its most apoplectic (the white-hot "Travels In Nihilon," "No Language In Our Lungs") or even EPILEPTIC (no word better describes the immortal "Burning With Optimism's Flames," which stutters and spits and crams so many lyrics into each phrase that Partridge has to literally stop the band each time before starting into the next one) it's still extremely controlled. The sound concept never overtakes the melodies, or the songwriting, and none of the songs ever escape from their authors.

XTC, at their best (and this is probably their best), were like delightfully gregarious mad scientists: witty and talkative, more than a little insane in their willingness to fuse avant-garde musical concepts with old-fashioned songcraft, but always in complete command of the science and technology of their art. Black Sea therefore represents more than just a platter full of sharp, clever songs - it represents the achievement of an intellectual ideal. To the benefit of us all.

pure genius.......2005-09-11

I just want to throw my 2 cents in because I've read the reviews. I've seen some people on here say they like this song and not that song and so on and so forth. For me, this album is totally complete. I LOVE every song on it. This is one of my favorite albums ever made. The first couple of times, I didn't get it. I thought they sounded weird, and inaccessable. Then the veil rolled back, and my eyes were opened and I could see the light. These guys are crazy smart! That's the only way I can describe them/the album. I've listened to it over and over and it never gets old. So needless to say I highly recommend it. Yes, it can be weird. If you are a person who listens to popish-bubble gum disposable music like the Mariah Carey, then you won't get it. But fans of rock should definitely check it out.

"I would have made this instrumental but the words got in the way".......2005-09-02

XTC's fourth album is easily their finest as
XTC: Influental touring rock quartet. They hinted at the greatness that is this album with 1979's masterful Drums & Wires. Let's examine shall we? The LP opens with their best-ever opener, "Respectable Street"- a dig at suburban prentiousness. The song may in fact be their most rockest (is that even a word?) song ever. Followed by the chiming dual guitar attack of "Generals & Majors" which succeeds in making cold war paranoia ultra hummable (or whistle-able if you will). Possibly Colin Moulding's finest single, it also features the now very popular disco/new wave hi-hat action inluenced by Terry Chambers. "Living Through Another Cuba" is cold war paranoia to dance to. "Love At First Sight", another fine Moulding single, is perfect psychedelic new
wave with it's echoing refrain, quirky chorus, stuttering guitar
solo and the always inventive drumming of Chambers. "Rocket From A Bottle" and "Buring With Optomism's Flames" are both upbeat,
optomistic songs with some great, great playing. The former
sounds like The Kinks backing Paul McCartney - tuneful but rocking. "No Language In Our Lungs" may in fact be one of XTC's all-time greatest songs (a feat in itself). The "I would have made this instrumental" & the repeating "way" parts still give me goosebumps. Ouch! "Towers Of London" provided XTC with yet another English folk (folk as in folklore) classic. "Paper & Iron
(Notes & Coins)" points to where people like Damon Albarn & Blur learned a few tricks. It's subject of working-class struggle is common subject matter but this song is above and beyond others
like it as we listen in on a band truly WORKING. "Sgt. Rock", a hit single in England is fun catchy fluff complete with mock hard-rock riffs. "Travels In Nihilon" is possibly XTC's most haunting song. The repetitive thundering drums and spooky bass line create an atmosphere not accomplised often in popular music.
It sounds like stumbling upon a tribe of early homosapiens on a foggy shore or something. The bonus tracks are nice as well "The Somnabulist" is interesting an exceptional. "Don't Lose Your Temper" is a nifty throwaway (with The Jam's Rick Buler on Handclaps for what it's worth) and "Smokeless Zone" is a sub-par Moulding contribution. The Rhythym section of Moulding and Chambers are at the height of their powers. As were Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge's dual guitar attacks. The Album went U.S. Top 40 and spawned five, yes five singles. Melodic, atonal, inspired, inspiring and great/complex/clever arrangements. Complex and intelligent rock never sounded so easy except for maybe that band from the sixties. What were they called again?
Oh yeah The Beatles.

Average customer rating:

A Masterpiece
Badly recorded, a few good songs, the rest, forgettable
Great
Length and Sloppiness Hurt This Stab at Psych.
TOO FAR ABOVE THE DRIBBLE

Oranges & Lemons
XTC
Manufacturer: Caroline
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Skylarking
Nonsuch
English Settlement
Black Sea
The Big Express

ASIN: B00005ATHN
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Tracks:

Garden Of Earthly Delights
Mayor Of Simpleton
King For A Day
Here Comes President Kill Again
The Loving
Poor Skeleton Steps Out
One Of The Millions
Scarecrow People
Merely A Man
Cynical Days
Across This Antheap
Hold Me My Daddy
Pink Thing
Miniature Sun
Chalkhills And Children

Amazon.com

Oranges and Lemons, from 1989, is a fantastic record, a lucid, technicolor sprawl of modernized Beatleisms and airbrushed psych-pop confectionary. Commercially, it was such a shame Tears for Fears had exactly the same idea at exactly the same time. Appropriately, given its title, several of the songs on Oranges and Lemons deal with Andy Partridge's newly acquired parental status (the jazzy "Pink Thing" is a cunning double-entendre about fatherly pride and his penis) as well as wryly address the wider failings of the world into which our children are born. Yes, like some sherberty, fructose-flavored lozenge, Oranges and Lemons is both bitter and sweet. But unquestionably excellent, as witnessed by the Byrds-like village-idiot love song "Mayor of Simpleton" and other highlights like "King for a Day" and "Poor Skeleton Steps Out." The Eastern mystique, serpentine guitars, and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" style chorus of "Garden of Earthly Delights" is conceivably what John, Paul, George, and Ringo would have sounded like if they'd hung around a little longer with the Maharishi. As for the dreamy, green-field tourist brochure panoramas of "Chalkhills and Children," think Brian Wilson drifting over the English countryside in a hang glider. --Kevin Maidment

Album Description

24-bit remastered reissue of 1989 album. 15 tracks, including "The Mayor Of Simpleton."

Customer Reviews:

A Masterpiece.......2007-07-31

My all time favorite album. I have to admit, pretty much every XTC album I've bought required many listenings before I'd get beyond the 3 or 4 songs I'd initially like. It was actually sitting down with the lyrics one time and reading them as the album played where I found how well the words went with the music. And though sometimes they bitch and moan about aspects of life on many of the song there are some optimistic anthems buoyed on with droll humor and an refusal to give in to the pessimistic moods.

It kind of made me re-evaluate life in general and for that I'm forever grateful.

While some people claim it's over-produced I disagree, in fact I'd compare it to the best of George Martin and the Beatles in terms placing layers upon layers of sound on top of one another. I swear to this day, some 15 years on I STILL hear new parts bubbling up, the missed musical pun, another way that this part fits with that one... Colin Moulding takes Mc Cartney styled bass lines to a new level. And while it this album might not display Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory's prowess as the best rhythm guitar tag team in rock and roll, they lay tons of great parts down. Also King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto plays amazing percussion while trumpeter extraordinary Mark Isham shows up playing memorable horns on a few tracks.

This one took time to sink in but once it did it grabbed me good and made me a fan.

Badly recorded, a few good songs, the rest, forgettable.......2007-06-20

tracks 1,2,3,6,8 are worth keeping. Junk the rest. They should have hired Todd Rundgren again. The CD sounds like it's a Phil Spector abortion. I hope the remastering improved on the sound... probably not.

Great.......2007-03-09

on my top 20 of about 1400 cds and over 1000 lps 1989-90 came alive with this release and put on today still sounds Fresh ! check out "minuture sun" and of course the classic "chlkhills and children" a must for ears not made of tin !

Length and Sloppiness Hurt This Stab at Psych........2006-11-14

my first listen gave me the following impression:

"I got this CD for a buck. I'd say that's reasonable. Why? Most of these tracks are forgettable. There are traces of psychedelia here, and Andy Partridge's voice remains well intact. However, few songs really stand out and the album doesn't warrant many re-listenings.

Highlights include: "Garden of Earthly Delights," "Pink Thing" and "The Mayor of Simpleton". "

After re-evaluating the album, I'd have to say that the album is mired by the fact that its just far too long. Too many sloppily executed ideas are allowed to stretch themselves into entire songs. The bass parts may or may not concur with whatever else might be going on. Melodies are disjointed. Subject matter is inane. Overall, however, there is a druggy vibe that pervades the entire album. Just look at the album's cover!

In a way, it's kinda like a slowed down and stretched version of, say, the last two tracks on the first Stone Roses album. Psychedelic, but taken to an unecessary extreme. But that's just my take. I reckon Beatles fans might get their jollies on with this, but for post-punk fans, it'll come off as a rambling mess.

TOO FAR ABOVE THE DRIBBLE.......2006-07-26

This album, not to mention this band is so friggin' good, most of us can't even grasp it. I am a pompous musician and I hate most everything out there today. (Green Day & Chili Peppers notwithstanding) Yet the melodies, the thoughtful chord changes, the perfect production were doomed to fail.This record conflicts with the dumbing down of society and today's baggy-pants punkass that thinks true talent lies with a chanting brother and a beatbox. Ahhhhh.... I wouldn't have it any other way !!

Average customer rating:

ecstasy
Two exceptional albums, a pair of rough draft albums plus 2 new songs

Apple Box
XTC
Manufacturer: Tvt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album
The Big Express
Coat of Many Cupboards
White Music
Chips from the Chocolate Fireball

ASIN: B000FVQM0Q
Release Date: 2006-07-25

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

Tracks:

Playground
Stupidly Happy
In Another Life
My Brown Guitar
Boarded Up
I'm The Man Who Murdered Love
Were All Light
Standing In For Joe
Wounded Horse
You And The Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful
Church Of Women
The Wheel And The Maypole

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

Tracks:

Playground
Stupidly Happy
In Another Life-Excerpt of original demo
In Another Life-Jug band version
Some Lovely
Boarded Up
I'm The Man Who Murdered Love-Early other cassette
I'm The Man Who Murdered Love-Tamla demo excerpt
I'm The Man Who Murdered Love
Were All Light-Early cassette idea
Were All Light
Standing In For Joe-Lounge version
Standing In For Joe
Wounded Horse
You And The Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful
Lie For A Lie-Cassette demo
Church Of Women
The Pot Won't Hold Our Love-cassette demo
Everything Decays-Early cassette demo
The Wheel And The Maypole

Amazon.com

XTC fans are a patient bunch. With the band only releasing three studio albums--Nonsuch; Apple Venus, Volume One; and Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Volume Two)--in the last 13 years, they've had to be. Now comes Apple Box, Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding's first wholly independent release on their own Idea Records label. Should they bite? Depends on how rabid they truly are. It seems the original idea was to release those last two albums as a double set, but commercial considerations intervened. The two halves of the apple were released separately, along with companion volumes containing the demo recordings that had been circualting among fans for years. This set is XTC's way of putting things right: it's all four albums (AV1 and 2 plus Homespun and Homegrown) in an elegant white box, with complete lyrics, new art, and new sleeve notes. But, unfortunately, no new music. (New copies do, however, come with an access code to download two new songs--Partridge's "Spiral" and Moulding's "Say It"--from the band's Web site.) So completists--as well as those who can't wait for the new tracks' future release--will want to pick up Apple Box at once, and those who are just getting to know XTC will find it a convenient way to pick up the band's late-'90s output in one fell swoop. But the vast majority of fans likely bought the contents of the box when they originally came out, and may therefore find the set's attractions limited. --Benjamin Lukoff

Albums Included in Apple Box

Apple Venus, Volume One
Because of record contract litigation, Apple Venus Volume One is XTC's first album of new material in nearly seven years. The now-duo of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding sure seem to have been using their time off to smell the flowers, as their lyrics are ripe with fruit, nuts, dandelions, orchids, sunflowers, and harvest festivals. Billed as the "orchestral" album that precedes its "rock" bookend, Apple Venus is XTC's most obvious nod to the lush, intricate sounds of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper (those familiar with 1986's Skylarking know that's a bold statement). Cellos, flutes, and other highbrow instruments provide the backdrop for the flowery lyrics. The whimsical "I'd Like That" is the perfectly understated pop song that has always eluded Partridge. The album's lone touch of angst comes courtesy of "Your Dictionary," which is spiked with four-letter words, but Partridge, ever the genteel Englishman, merely spells them out. Essential? No. Innovative? Hardly. But Apple Venus is a solid, cohesive work by one of rock's most artistic artists. --Bill Crandall

Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Volume Two)
Sidelined by a decade-long "strike" against their former record label, XTC's Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding nonetheless kept themselves busy writing songs and recording demos during the 1990s. The resulting body of work was divvied up stylistically, with the more pastoral/orchestral pieces consigned to Apple Venus, Volume One (and Homespun, its accompanying home-demo collection). The brash electric guitar flourish that launches Wasp Star's "Playground" heralds a collection that leans toward the jangly guitars and jagged rhythms of the band's Black Sea and English Settlement prime. Adorned with ornate harmonic flourishes and their trademark pop sophistication, Wasp Star finds creative mainstay Andy Partridge in a distinctly upbeat, romantically intoxicated state of mind (as witnessed by the virtually irony-free "Stupidly Happy"), yet one in which history-bred suspicions die hard. It's Moulding who seems the most melancholy here, with the gentle romantic prodding of "In Another Life" and in the downright gloomy take on his hometown's future, "Boarded Up." Known for occasional pointed social jabs, XTC's focus has become a bit more philosophical with age, Partridge and Moulding perhaps gleaning the wisdom that the hardest battles are sometimes fought on the home front. But if music this joyous and rewarding is the result, it's been the noblest of struggles. --Jerry McCulley

Homespun (The Apple Venus, Volume One Home Demos)
XTC may have spent most of the 1990s locked in a protracted "strike" against their record label of 15 years, but mainstays Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding continued to compose an impressive body of songs, many of which finally saw the light of day on the elegantly sophisticated Apple Venus, Volume One. This new collection documents--literally and figuratively--those "lost years," from doodlings and scratched-out lyrical fragments to rough cassette tapes and multitrack home recordings. The resulting album, whose titles match Apple Venus track for track, is essentially a documentary of the earlier album's genesis, yet one whose compelling viewpoint stands on its own. Though obviously intended for XTC diehards, these stark, modernistic takes are rife with flourishes inspired by everything from Philip Glass to modern jazz. Partridge and Moulding's copious notes are as blunt as they are playfully self-deprecating; good humor is hardly the least of their assets. It would be easy and wrong to characterize Homespun as Apple Venus Unplugged. "Extra-dimensional" is more to the point. --Jerry McCulley

Homegrown (The Wasp Star Home Demos)
Rather like those school mathematics exams in which you were expected to hand in all your arithmetic doodlings as well as your final answers, Homegrown is XTC proffering the various porta-studio jottings and embryonic ideas which eventually added up to the Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Volume Two) album (a pass with flying colors, lest we forget). Songs don't write themselves. Even seasoned scribes like Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding need to put a bit of elbow grease into it. Thus, every fumbling bedroom troubadour in the land will empathise with Partridge as he mutters and busks his way through a gestative "The Wheel and the Maypole" or signs off an early draft of "The Man Who Murdered Love" (nothing like the final version) with a self-questioning "yeah, there might be something there." Rest assured--demos or not--this is a highly listenable collection of quality pop with illuminating sleeve notes from the composers in question. Colin Moulding's marital-strife-flavored "In Another Life," for example, was inspired by Stanley Holloway, Andrew Gold, and 1970s sitcoms like George and Mildred. --Kevin Maidment

Album Description

Finally available as a domestic U.S. release at a lower price, XTC's Apple Box is a 4 cd set containing the complete Apple Works recordings, including "Apple Venus" and "Wasp Star," plus their associated demo cds ("Homespun" & "Homegrown") which gives a fascinating insight into XTC's recorded works. This package is a square white box with the "peacock feather" motif varnished in gloss on each box lid. Stunning and beautifully simple. Inside each box is a special content card allowing fans to download two brand new XTC tracks from the band's website, plus a free ringtone for their mobile phone. Each individual cd is packaged with brand new artwork in a cardboard wallet and for the first time all the lyrics to all the songs are available in a 64 page booklet. Also included are new liner notes written by Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding.

Customer Reviews:

ecstasy.......2006-09-27

Why have you ignored XTC for so long?
Are you in sync with the rest of the world who plays only, at best, "Senses Working Overtime" by this great band?

Apple Venus was a long time coming for us fans. Orchestral sounds stirring he soul, then AV2 with its guitar-churned rock/pop so characteristic of the great XTC. They are indeed my favourite band still currently out-putting. I could have chosen a number of their albums to review but this one is a good package that covers the Partridge/Moulding duo's repertoire well. Too bad no more Dave Gregory as guitarist...

Colin doesn't write as many as Andy but how amazing is his "Frivolous Tonight"? On par with Pet Sounds IMHO. Just enjoy the crescendo neanderthal beat of Easter Theatre turning into bliss...so many other great songs.

Ignore it no more...

Two exceptional albums, a pair of rough draft albums plus 2 new songs.......2006-08-22

First the two songs included as downloads with this set "Spiral" and "Say It" are extremely good tunes. The pair wouldn't be out of place on "Wasp Star" the second album included with this set. This collects the two albums that XTC released after their protracted strike against Virgin Records. "Apple Venus" features songs embellished with orchestration and some of Andy Partridge's most challenging material. "River of Orchids", "Easter Theatre", "The Last Balloon" and "Greenman" are among Partridge's most accomplished songs. "Your Dictionary" with its nasty post-divorce lyric adds some bite to the album. Even lesser material like "I'd Like That" is charming with a solid melody. It's one of XTC's most accomplished albums even if Colin Moulding's songs aren't quite up to his best standard.

"Wasp Star" is the guitar album that the band probably should have released first. Because they didn't work on it first Dave Gregory left the band feeling as if he had no function in the band's direction. It's just a notch below "Apple Venus" but the best bits are every bit as good. From the distorted guitar that opens "Playground" to Moulding's "Standing in for Joe" the album hardly misses.

The two albums of demos sound roughly the same as their fleshed out counterparts. A couple of the demos for "Wasp Star" actually are superior to the finished versions. The rougher "Wounded Horse" for some reason sounds...more complete than the finished more polished version. "I'm The Man Who Murdered Love" is fascinating to listen to primarily because Partridge includes bits and pieces of the song in various states and the previous version is completely different sounding when compared to the finished version. Even Moulding's "Standing in for Joe" changes substanially from the initial arrangement to the final version. Unlike the Japanese import versions this doesn't include either the bonus disc with Andy and Colin playing three songs from the album explaining their evolution nor does it include the bonus demo for "It Didn't Hurt A Bit".

It does, however, include the code to download two recent XTC songs "Spiral" and "Say It". Both are very good tunes. It's a pity the only way to get both songs is to buy this set. Overall "Apple Venus" deserves 4 1/2 stars, "Wasp Star" 4 and the demo albums 3 each. "Spiral" and "Say It" likewise deserve 4 stars although "Where Did the Ordinary People Go?" from Colin (a song written for "Nonsuch" but withheld until recently)is much better than "Say It" and probably should have been included it is only available from the itunes store at present.

The artwork is nice for the box. If you didn't purchase these separately or need to replace your pair of albums this is a well priced replacement with the added incentive of some new material.

Soul Music:

Soul Music

soul music

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