XTC never were a punk band, but they were outrageous enough to suit the mood. The only problem was a sudden lack of a keyboard player - recent recruit Jon Perkins having left to join another band. Andy then spotted a notice in John Holmes' organ shop in Faringdon Road, saying simply: ...
stage-ready electric rock music his band perfected onDrums and WiresandBlack Sea. Indeed, the group significantly broadened its palette of sounds on its fifth album,English Settlement, with acoustic textures and subtler songs, arguably best exemplified by the record’s signature...
Perhaps this is why it remains as my favorite XTC album, but there are other remarkable albums in the XTC cannon too, so I really could give a shit where you start to approach this band (avoid Mummer though, please!) just get on board The Big Express with us! Black Sea sounds huge...
"A big studio's a big clock, and it goes one thousand, two thousand, three thousand... it's too bloody expensive. You change a set of strings in the studio and you've spent 50 quid in time. It's too much pressure," explains Andy Partridge. And he should know. The band he crea...
XTC Transistor Blast: The Best of the BBC Sessions, TVT Records 1998 XTC took naturally its oddball status. The band was too pop for punk, too quirky for power pop; too giddy for post-punk, too sly for the New Romantic movement. ...
“Apple Venus” project, a collection of the best material written during the band’s dispute with Virgin. The band’s initial plan had been to record a double album, featuring one disc of acoustic and orchestral songs and one of electric songs. Financial constraints forced the band to ...
In fact, it does such a good job that when the band’s albums fail to make an impact I found myself a little surprised, even though I knew the band’s history. I also appreciated the interviews with Bell’s sister near the end, who is both bitter about how the music industry had ...
28 years after its initial release,Skylarkingfinally appears on CD as XTC originally intended with the packaging as initially envisaged. Even better, Patridge has promised that “when and if the multi-track tapes can be found” a 5.1 Surround Sound edition to be mixed by Steven Wilson is also...
The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Rolling Stonespoke with Partridge recently about the record, the end of XTC and why school is such a d...
(John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band) and Syd Barrett (Barrett). He moved up to the desk to be balance engineer for Pink Floyd (Meddle and Wish You Were Here), for Mott The Hoople’s album Mott and Paul McCartney and Wings’ Red Rose Speedway and the single “Hi, Hi, Hi”. Other ...