Aware Paints XTC

Aware, A Rock Music Research Journal
No. 9, Spring 1983
by Steve Kolanjian and David Dasch

X-plaining XTC (Part 2)

(. . . continued from part 1)

Last issue we took our overview of XTC's career from the primordial days of 1973 through the release of GO 2 and GO+ in November of 1978. It was a logical place to halt our survey, because after GO 2 keyboard player Barry Andrews contracted Daniel Boone-itis and left in order to play his own music with greater elbow room. He wasn't replaced as much as he was superceded. Rather than fill the vacancy with another keyboardist, Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, and Terry Chambers decided to call on a mate, a fellow denizen of deepest, darkest Swindon, guitarist Dave Gregory. Dave's sordid past included several local Swindon units, including The Alehouse, and Dean Gabber And The Gabberdines, and Andy had long admired his playing, even before they actually met. So it was that Dave Gregory joined XTC, and we'll continue the XTC discography with Dave's first waxing with the band, the single "Life Begins At The Hop". First, however, let's update the part of the XTC discography we covered last issue with material that was mostly supplied to us by the group.

Part One - Update

According to Andy, Helium Kidz (pre-XTC name of the band) vocalist Steve Hutchins was circulating tapes of Decca session songs. This might be the so-called XTC NRG tape that the group referred to during our interview. Steve was also a member of XTC as Star Park along with Dave Cartner (guitar) and Johnny Perkins (keyboards). Other songs dating from the 1973 - 1976 period (as Helium Kidz, Star Park, or The Snakes) include the following:

A Kick Or A Kiss The Day They Banned The Bands Emergency Kissing Escalator Out Of Hell Excuse Me Darling

Here Come The Saucers Hole In My Heart I Can't Stand Another Day Jazz Love Jet Shoes

Negative Girl Out Of Control Rage And Fury Suzanne's In Love With A Monster Man Volcano

"A Kick Or A Kiss" was inspired by The New York Dolls' "Looking For A Kiss", "Jet Shoes" by the Dolls' "Jet Boy". "Here Come The Saucers" found new life as "Hang On To The Night", the B-side of "Statue Of Liberty". "Volcano" erupted again as "Radios In Motion" (on the WHITE MUSIC LP). "I Can't Stand Another Day" is a very early Colin song. It might even predate the Helium Kidz.

"The Pye Records session recorded as Skyscraper included 'It's About Time We Had Some Rock 'N' Roll', 'Saturn Boy', and 'Teenage Planet'", all three of which were also recorded for Decca by the Helium Kidz in 1975.

The 3D EP has been issued again (3/83) with the original cover and number, Virgin VS 18812. Speaking of which: The picture to the left of the description of the PRESENTED FREE BY RECORD MIRROR 7" EP on page 30 of Aware #8 is the cover of the 3D EP. It looks so much like the cover of the 3D SINGLE, "Science Friction" b/w "She's So Square", that we decided to use just one. Actually, the squiggly lines were redrawn on one of them. Sorry if we confused anyone. The picture on top was taken from the HOPE & ANCHOR FRONT ROW FESTIVAL insert. Terry played the metal door of a microphone cupboard on "Science Friction".

All XTC single and EP tracks with Barry Andrews that were listed as non-LP in part one (with the exception of the live and studio versions of "Traffic Light Rock" and the GO+ EP) are now included on the LP's WAXWORKS and BEESWAX in the UK (see later entry).

Add to the outtakes of the WHITE MUSIC LP a dub version of "Fireball XL-5" (written by Barry Gray, the theme from the marionette TV series of the same name).

More trivial than trivia: When we met the band in April 1981 they told us the greenhouse that inspired "Life Is Good In The Greenhouse" was next to Abbey Road studios. Er, they were joking. Sorry. The gong sounds in the song, however, were made by two lampshades struck with a pen.

XTC's first two LP's, WHITE MUSIC and GO 2, have been reissued in the U.S. on their current label, Virgin/Epic (see later entries).

Andy on the two "Are You Receiving Me" takes: "'Are You Receiving Me' with wah-wah organ tone -- originally recorded at Abbey Road with Leckie in GO 2 sessions and was included in some foreign pressings -- song later restructured and rerecorded at the Manor with Martin Rushent as a single, may have been substituted on some albums?". The Virgin single credits John Leckie as the producer, and the same version appears on several non-UK pressings of GO 2. We have heard a tape of an alternate version of "Are You Receiving Me" very much as Andy describes as the GO 2 Abbey Road piece. This means that the Virgin single is actually the Martin Rushent Manor version, and the Leckie take is the ghostly wah-wah incarnation. This theory is borne out by the Rushent producer credit on the WAXWORKS LP, the 1982 compilation of singles. In spite of Andy's claim that the Leckie version cropped up on some foreign pressings, we have not yet been able to locate it anywhere on vinyl. Stay tuned.

What might have been: Pat Travers asked Andy to join the band in 1977 -- Barry Andrews nearly joined the Jam that same year -- Eno had expressed interest in joining XTC in 1978.

Andy: "A ballet was staged in New York in 1980 using GO+ as the score and inspiration". Anyone out there have the reviews?

The Andy Partridge radio interview quoted on page 34 of Aware #8 was from a broadcast on WKCR, not WNYU.

part 2: XTC with Dave Gregory

All single record releases have picture sleeves unless otherwise noted. We've denoted writer credits for all selections with the following abbreviations: A=Andy Partridge, C=Colin Moulding

Life Begins At The Hop (C)/Homo Safari (A) (UK Virgin VS 259): 4-27-79.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite, his first for XTC. His other credits include U2, Ultravox, Peter Gabriel, Psychedelic Furs, and The Brains. The A-side was a non-LP track in the UK until the 1982 compilation WAXWORKS (see later entry), but in America and several other countries it was added to the DRUMS AND WIRES LP (see below) in place of "Day In Day Out". "Homo Safari", a non-LP track, is the first of six in the "Homo Safari Series" of instrumentals..... First pressings of the single came in clear vinyl. Both the clear and later black vinyl pressings were issued with a transparent outer sleeve depicting a turntable arm and layout. The rear of the enclosed insert portrays the label and grooves of the "Are You Receiving Me" 45 that, when in place within the plastic outer sleeve, simulates the turntable playing the single. The centerfold of the insert advertises previous XTC releases and provides the lyrics of the A-side. A special black label with white print was used on all pressings..... A promo film was made for the A-side..... An alternate unreleased take of "Life Begins At The Hop" features the Police's Sting and his wife handclapping.

DRUMS AND WIRES (UK Virgin V2129/US Virgin VA 13134): UK track order: Making Plans For Nigel (C); Helicopter (A); Day In Day Out (C); When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty (A); Ten Feet Tall (C); Roads Girdle The Globe (A); Real By Reel (A); Millions (A); That Is The Way (C); Outside World (A); Scissor Man (A); Complicated Game (A): UK: 8-17-79, US: 10-79.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite. The album bore an early title of BOOM DA DA BOOM, suggested by a comic illustration of a dog playing the drums..... The US edition has a jumbled track order and inserts "Life Begins At The Hop" in place of "Day In Day Out", which is conveniently shifted to a bonus record (see next entry). The US freebie was packaged in first pressings of the album that bore a cover sticker proclaiming "Bonus! 3 Track Single Inside". These US first pressings were issued with a plastic-linen inner sleeve displaying the lyrics, and a mistake on the label crediting Colin with "Complicated Game" instead of Andy. In later pressings the inner sleeve is paper, the label is correct and, alas, the bonus record is gone. The first pressings of the British LP also bore a cover sticker, this time proclaiming "Includes Free 7" Single (With Two Previously Unreleased Tracks)". Naturally, these copies included the limited edition bonus single. In the UK, and most other countries, the LP boasts a fold-out lyric sheet for not only DRUMS AND WIRES, but also for all previously released material..... Al Clark, Virgin press officer, sings on "Roads Girdle The Globe", a tune recently recorded (but not yet released) by Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin. As we said in part one, "Millions" features the oriental guitar riff Andy wrote for "Things Fall To Bits", an outtake from GO 2 written by Barry Andrews. During the DRUMS AND WIRES sessions, an Andy song called "Primitive Now", also titled "Drum And Wire", was rehearsed. Actually, the band had worked on it as early as the GO 2 sessions. In any event, it ultimately came to light on ENGLISH SETTLEMENT (see later entry) as "It's Nearly Africa". Other outtakes include four Colin songs: "Cheap Perfume" (later recorded by Paul Jones, apparently unreleased), "Beautiful People", "Someone's Been In My Room", and "I Feel Blue", which later became "I Need Protection" and released as the B-side of "Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen" on the single Colin issued as "The Colonel" (we'll get to this one too). Andy wrote the lyrics to the ENGLISH SETTLEMENT tune, "Leisure", during the DRUMS AND WIRES sessions..... DRUMS AND WIRES has since been reissued in the US on Virgin/Epic (see later entry).

Chain Of Command (A)/Limelight (C) (UK Virgin VDJ 30): 8-17-79. Day In Day Out (C); Chain Of Command (A); Limelight (C) (US Virgin PR 344): 10-79.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite. These are the bonus discs issued free with the first editions of the UK and US issues of DRUMS AND WIRES respectively . "Day In Day Out", bumped from the American LP in favor of "Life Begins At The Hop", was added to the US bonus record (a rare instance of getting more for your money with the American release). "Day In Day Out" is faded a little early and may be slightly slower. No picture sleeve was issued in either country. Although the two UK tracks remain non-LP, they were both made available again in the UK on the flip of "No Thugs In Our House" in 1982. "Day In Day Out" remains non-LP in the US and has not been available since.

Making Plans For Nigel (C);/Bushman President (A); Pulsing Pulsing (A) (UK Virgin VS 282): 9-14-79.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite. This is XTC's first big chart action in England. The sleeve of the first pressings open to a giant Nigel gameboard complete with insert spinner and cut-out figures of Nigel and his mum and dad. The record contained in this sleeve has a label of black print on grey background (with white line). Later editions had a more conventional picture sleeve (same cover drawing but no game) and the usual Virgin green and red labels..... The A-side was lifted from DRUMS AND WIRES, and "Pulsing Pulsing" has a berth on the. 1982 compilation BEESWAX (stay tuned); while "Bushman President", designated as "No. 2 In The Homo Safari Series Of Six" on the sleeve, remains non-LP..... A promo film was made for the A-side..... Cover shot on next page.

Making Plans For Nigel (C);/Are You Receiving Me? (A);This Is Pop (A) (Australian Virgin K-7668): 10-79.

A-side produced by Steve Lillywhite; B-side mixed by Keith Walker. The Australian single offers a couple of choice gems on the B-side: "Are You Receiving Me?" and "This is Pop" recorded live July 20, 1979 at the Marconi Club in Sydney, Australia, and broadcast on Sydney's 2JJ radio. Listen for the beginning of "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)" during the fade-out at the end of the side. These two live tracks were also released on the Japanese "...Nigel" single (Virgin VIP-2792), though our Far Eastern friends decided to reverse their order and segue them to give the impression that they were played one after the other. In spite of this apparently pointless switch, you might prefer the Japanese pressing over the Australian since the former boasts a better sound reproduction as well as a nice picture sleeve (the Australian has no sleeve). The live "This Is Pop" appears yet again, along with live renditions of "Roads Girdle The Globe" and "Beatown" from the same concert, on the Canadian "Love At First Sight" single, which we will get to later.

The Olympian by The Skids; Ten Feet Tall (C) by XTC;/one-sided flexi (UK Smash Hits/Lyntone HIT 002 (774 1-1)): Smash Hits issue dated 2-18/3-3-80.
Ten Feet Tall (C);/Helicopter (A); The Somnambulist (A) (US Virgin VA 67004): 3-80.

"Ten Feet Tall" was produced by Phil Wainman, "Helicopter" by Steve Lillywhite, and "The Somnambulist" by Andy Partridge ..... This "Ten Feet Tall" is a rerecording of the DRUMS AND WIRES track (despite the label's claim), first appearing in the UK on a one-sided red vinyl 33 1/3 flexi-disc distributed with Smash Hits magazine, sporting a British DJ's comments before and after each song. The American release emerged shortly afterward. This "Ten Feet Tall" is non-LP..... "Helicopter" was lifted off DRUMS AND WIRES..... "The Somnambulist", a song based on a poem about a sleepwalker by Clodagh Simmons, was recorded in a BBC studio, perhaps at the time of the John Peel session (October 8, 1979) that produced re-recordings from DRUMS AND WIRES, of which "Scissor Man" has since been released (see later entry). Incidentally, the other three songs are: "Real By Reel", "Ten Feet Tall", and "Roads Girdle The Globe". "The Somnambulist" can also be found on BEESWAX.

TAKE AWAY/THE LURE OF SALVAGE by Mr. Partridge (UK Virgin V2145): 2-29-80.

The record jacket says it all: "This used to be some XTC records. It is now a collection of tracks that have been electronically processed/shattered and layered with other sounds or lyrical pieces"..... "Destructed/constructed at Regents Park Recording Company"..... "All initial sound by XTC. Additional sound/lyrics by Andy Partridge. Put and take by John Leckie and Andy Partridge on 10.10.79". What follows are the album tracks and their original models. All are from DRUMS AND WIRES unless noted:

Signal Ad (Commerciality) (A) -- "Refrigeration Blues" (a WHITE MUSIC outtake); The Day They Pulled the North Pole Down (A, C) -- "Heatwave" (B-side of "This is Pop?") slowed down; The Forgotten Language of Light (A) -- the percussion track from "Millions", the Japanese couldn't figure out what Andy's scat singing was all about, so assumed it was an ancient Indian language (explained in Japanese on the lyric sheet that was included in their edition); Steam Fist Futurist (A) -- "Real by Reel", used as a prelude to this track in some live shows in 1980; Shore Leave Ornithology (Another 1950) (A) -- "Pulsing Pulsing" (UK B-side of "Making Plans for Nigel"); Cairo (A) -- "Homo Safari" (B-side of "Life Begins at the Hop") sped up, with Andy's wife Marianne handclapping; The Rotary (A) -- "Helicopter"; Madhattan (A, C) -- "That is the Way"; I Sit in the Snow (A) - bridge from "Roads Girdle the Globe"; Work Away Tokyo Day (A, C) -- "Day In Day Out" sped up, plus Barry Andrews' saxophone track from all nine takes of "Red" (from GO 2) played simultaneously; New Broom -- "Making Plans for Nigel" slowed down..... the labels of this LP are blank except for the LP title and record number which are made to appear as if they were hand-stamped individually.

Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down (A)/Ten Feet Tall (C) (UK Virgin VS 322): 3-14-80.

Produced by Phil Wainman. Andy told us in April of 1981 that "Wait..." was his favorite composition for XTC, and that he had had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the record followed the boat and went down fairly quickly. You can hear Colin sing a couple of lines in the bridge on this otherwise all-Andy vocal..... "Wait..." found a slot on WAXWORKS in a different mix with a prominent synth part in the extended break. The single version remains non-LP. .....This version of "Ten Feet Tall" is the same as on the singles described on the preceding page..... The band had planned to shoot a promo film for "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" in which they would be seen playing their instruments underwater (literally) in diving gear (surely the inspiration for the BLACK SEA sleeve). The BBC nixed the project for fear of encouraging the use of electrical instruments in water. Lloyd Bridges can rest easy.

Making Plans For Nigel (C);/This Is Pop? (A); Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!) (A) (US Virgin VA 67009): 6-80.

"...Nigel" was produced by Steve Lillywhite, "This Is Pop?" by Robert John Lange, and "Meccanik..." by John Leckie..... Finally, the "...Nigel" 45 surfaces in the US. The B-side tracks were selected to promote the better-late-than-never US Virgin International releases of XTC's first two LP's. "Meccanik ..." hails from GO 2, but this version of "This Is Pop?" is not the one from WHITE MUSIC (notwithstanding the sleeve references), but rather the UK single version, previously unavailable in America. Issued with the standard UK " ...Nigel" sleeve design.

Generals And Majors (C)/Don't Lose Your Temper (A)// Smokeless Zone (C)/The Somnambulist (A) (UK Virgin VS 365): 8-29-80.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite, except "The Somnambulist" by Andy Partridge. A two-single set packaged in a fold-open jacket..... "Generals And Majors" is an edit of a track that would shortly turn up on BLACK SEA. The edit can be found on the 1982 compilation, WAXWORKS. "Don't Loose Your Temper" (as it is incorrectly spelled on the label), "Smokeless Zone" and "The Somnambulist" eventually wound up on the 1982 BEESWAX compilation. "The Somnambulist", which we discussed earlier, makes its UK debut here..... Custom labels of white with purple print are used..... A promo film was made for "Generals And Majors".

BLACK SEA (UK Virgin V2173/US Virgin VA 13147 (cancelled), released as US Virgin/RSO VR-1-1000): Respectable Street (A); Generals And Majors (C); Living Through Another Cuba (A); Love At First Sight (C); Rocket From A Bottle (A); No Language In Our Lungs (A)/Towers Of London (A); Paper And Iron (Notes And Coins) (A); Burning With Optimism's Flames (A); Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me) (A); Travels In Nihilon (A): UK: 9-12-80, US: scheduled for release on Virgin through Atlantic Records in 9-80. The LP was caught up in the change of distributors and was delayed until RSO took over Virgin and released the LP in 11-80.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite. Working titles for this LP included TIGERS IN TUNEWORLD; QUARTERMASTERS; HOOK, LINE AND SINKER; SHIP OF FOOLS; TERRY AND THE LOVE MEN (up to the last day of recording -- trade ads even appeared with this title); and many others..... The album comes packaged inside a green paper bag inscribed with the group's name and the album title. The regular jacket bears a picture of the group in diving gear (shades of the cancelled "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" promo film !), with a seagull, mast and balloon at the top spelling X-T-C. When the paper bag was eventually deleted in England, the group's name and the album title appeared in print on the cover. The disc features custom labels of white with brown print..... To obtain the crackles heard on the intro of "Respectable Street", the group used a scratched copy of Peter Gabriel's third album (which features Dave Gregory on guitar, incidentally -- see "Productions And Sessions" entry)..... The chatting deep in the mix of "No Language In Our Lungs" wan taken from the British TV interview program, "Wicker's World"..... The anvil sound in "Towers Of London" was created by tapping a fire extinguisher with a microphone stand.....Just before the session of "Paper And Iron (Notes And Coins)" (a song pieced together from five older ones), Andy brought the studio occupants to order by commanding, "Okay, come on ghoul slaves", a term inspired by a recently viewed horror flick. A dumbfounded Terry replied, "What's he mean by that?" . Up until the final hour, through all different mixes, this piece of dialogue remained the intro to this song. The banging of a Town House tea tray provided the snare drum sound..... Andy recalls that a "slower, more melancholy version of 'Towers Of London'" was recorded, as well as a different version of "Living Through Another Cuba"..... Outtakes include Colin's "Let's Ban The Bomb", written, according to Andy, "unknowing of my own anti-nuclear song 'Living Through Another Cuba'". The song had a "gentle skiffle feel" but was never finished..... "Take This Town" (see next entry) was recorded during the BLACK SEA sessions ..... Andy's "She Broke The Circle" and "Pretty Pretty Two Face" were rehearsed but never recorded..... Colin's "Looking For Footprints", a GO 2 outtake that showed up on a Flexipop magazine flexi-disc (as we shall see), was given a second go-round in a more aggressive disco style setting..... Colin's "I Overheard" was demoed, as was Andy's "Monkeys In Human Skin Suits"..... BLACK SEA has since been reissued in the US on Virgin/Epic (see later entry).

TIMES SQUARE: The Original Soundtrack Album (UK RSO 2658 145/US RSO RS-2-4203): Take This Town (A); plus tracks by other artists: 10-80.

XTC track produced by Steve Lillywhite. This two-record set is the soundtrack of one of Robert Stigwood's inflated movie projects, "Times Square". XTC's "Take This Town", written for the film, and recorded during the BLACK SEA sessions, appears along with tracks by other artists. XTC do not appear in the film.

TIMES SQUARE TRAILER (12" EP) (UK RSO TS1): Take This Town (A); plus five other tracks by five other artists: 10-80.

XTC track produced by Steve Lillywhite. This 12" sampler EP from the TIMES SQUARE soundtrack was issued in England to promote the film and album. A similar EP was given to patrons who went to the preview of the film in the US, however, RSO did not choose to include the XTC track on the American release.

Towers Of London (A)/Set Myself On Fire (C)//Battery Brides (A); Scissor Man (A) (UK Virgin VS 372): 10-10-80.

A-side produced by Steve Lillywhite; "Scissor Man" by Tony Wilson; and the two remaining live tracks had their sound balanced by Steve Warren..... Another two-single set, this one with two picture sleeved 45's tucked neatly in an outer jacket of encasing plastic which also bears illustration..... Andy's "Towers Of London" is an edit of the BLACK SEA track, but has an extended fade. This edit can be found on the WAXWORKS compilation..... "Set Myself On Fire" and "Battery Brides" are previously unissued live versions from a September 17, 1979 concert at the Rainbow Theatre..... This version of "Scissor Man" is culled from the previously mentioned John Peel "Top Gear" session of October 8, 1979. The last three tracks are non-LP..... Custom labels of white with blue print are used.... There's a "Towers Of London" promo film.

Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen (C)/I Need Protection (C) by The Colonel (UK VIRGIN VS 380): 10-24-80.

Produced by Mick Glossop. Colin's solo single under the nom de vinyl The Colonel. Terry Chambers is featured on drums with additional musicians: Rob Hendry and Bent (misprinted as Bert) Larson (guitars); Steve King (keyboards); Steve Warren, Bridgett Glossop, Philip Vinal, and Maz (uncredited) (backing vocals). Bridgett also added recorder to the festivities. Both sides are non-LP tracks.

Take This Town (A) by XTC/Babylon's Burning by The Ruts (UK RSO RSO 71): 11-80.

XTC track produced by Steve Lillywhite. XTC's contribution to the TIMES SQUARE soundtrack is deservingly given a shot at immortality, however, to no avail. The flip, also from the soundtrack LP, is performed by The Ruts.

Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me) (A)/Living Through Another Cuba (A) ~ Generals And Majors (C) (UK Virgin VS 384): 12-5-80.

A-side produced by Steve Lillywhite; the flip used Chris Jenkins as the recording engineer. "Sgt. Rock" is an edit of the BLACK SEA track. The B-side is the popular concert medley recorded live at the Lyceum Theatre on October 12, 1980..... On first pressings, the picture sleeve opens to become a poster on one side, and a special Sgt. Rock comic strip illustrating the lyrics on the other. The cover eventually became available as a conventional sleeve..... The label is unique with its black print on khaki green and group logo made from Army stripes.

Generals And Majors (C)/Living Through Another Cuba (A) (US Virgin/RSO VR 300 (2090 523)): 1-81.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite. First American single from the BLACK SEA album. This version is not edited like the UK single, however, it is faded early. The flip is also lifted from BLACK SEA. Issued without a picture sleeve.

Love At First Sight (C);/Beatown (A); Roads Girdle The Globe (A) This Is Pop (A) (Canadian Virgin VS 1124): 1-23-81.

A-side produced by Steve Lillywhite; the three songs on the flip were mixed by Keith Walker..... "Love At First Sight" is our familiar BLACK SEA song. The B-side represents three non-LP live versions from the concert at the Marconi Club, Sydney, Australia on July 20, 1979 that was broadcast on Sydney's 2JJ radio. The "This Is Pop" we've seen before on the flip of the Australian and Japanese "Making Plans For Nigel" 45's..... The "A" plays at 45 RPM, the "B" plays at 33 1/3 RPM. Issued without a picture sleeve.

Respectable Street (A);/Strange Tales, Strange Tails (A); Officer Blue (C) (UK Virgin VS 407): 3-13-81.

A-side produced by Steve Lillywhite; "Strange Tales ..." by John Leckie and Andy Partridge; "Officer Blue" by Colin Moulding..... "Respectable Street" is the BLACK SEA song with a few differences. The slow intro is gone and there's a new vocal track making the song more respectable for nervous radio programmers: "abortion" becomes "absorption", the too seedy "contraception" is transformed to "child prevention", the kinetic "sex position" is now only a "proposition", and "wretching" is now only a civilized "stretching" ..... "Strange Tales, Strange Tails" is a GO 2 outtake; "Officer Blue" stems from the "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" session. The chatter that connects these two tracks is Terry questioning the tempo of "Officer Blue"..... The top song and the two backing tunes are non-LP..... Hard as it may be to believe, standard green and red Virgin labels are used..... A promo film was made for the A-aide.

THE RHYTHM (US Centrifugal 12CENT-07): Real By Reel (A); When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty (A); Life Begins At The Hop (C); The Rhythm (A);/Roads Girdle The Globe (A); Ten Feet Tall (C); Helicopter (A);//This Is Pop (A); Battery Bridges (sic) (A); Instant Tunes (C); Crowded Room (C);/Complicated Game (A); Making Plans For Nigel (C); Radios In Motion (A); Are You Receiving Me? (A): 3-81.

This is a bootleg (and it sounds it) 2-LP set comprising most of XTC's concert at Hurrah's in New York City on January 16, 1980, and broadcast on WPIX-FM. Andy believes the second show of the evening was used for the broadcast.

Love At First Sight (C)/Rocket From A Bottle (A) (US Virgin/ RSO VR301 (2090 553)): 4-81.

Produced by Steve Lillywhite. This is probably the group's scarcest American release to date. Two BLACK SEA tracks comprise this single, the A-side of which has a premature fade-out. Issued without a picture sleeve.

URGH! A MUSIC WAR (soundtrack LP) (UK A&M AMLX 64692/US A&M SP-6019): Respectable Street (A); plus tracks by other artists: 7-81.

XTC track produced, engineered and mixed by Tim Summerhayes and XTC. "Respectable Street", recorded live at the Frejus Amphitheatre, Paris, France on August 28, 1980, is an unusual live version as it does not seem to have been performed with the slow intro. This version of the song appears only on this 2-LP set and the sampler that follows immediately below.

SELECTIONS FROM URGH! A MUSIC WAR (12" EP) (US A&M SP-17169): Respectable Street\A); plus five other tracks by five other artists: 7-81.

XTC track produced, engineered and mixed by Tim Summerhayes and XTC. This is a 12" sampler EP from the URGH! A MUSIC WAR soundtrack LP. On this disc, however, "Respectable Street" has an extended fade that allows us to hear some of Andy's chatter. Issued without a picture sleeve.

Senses Working Overtime (A);/Blame The Weather (C); Tissue Tigers (The Arguers) (A) (UK Virgin VS 462): 1-82.
Senses Working Overtime (A); Egyptian Solution (Thebes In A Box) (A);/Blame The Weather (C); Tissue Tigers (The Arguers) (A) (UK Virgin VS 462-12): 1-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC, except "Egyptian Solution" by XTC and Alan Winstanley. The 12" EP features the full length version of "Senses working Overtime" that would soon appear on the ENGLISH SETTLEMENT LP (see next entry), while the 7" is "Senses..." working undertime, as it is an edit of the track..... "Egyptian Solution", the bonus track on side one of the 12", is No. 3 in the Homo Safari series. This is the only appearance of this track so far. The song's subtitle, "Thebes In A Box", does not appear on the label or jacket as Andy had intended it. The personnel on this track (not given anywhere) is as follows: Dave played guitar and bass, and Andy drums and eynths. Colin and Terry didn't contribute to this track..... The tunes on the B-side have been collected on the BEESWAX compilation..... Early pressings of the 7" feature a highly unusual picture sleeve that unfolds in several segments to reveal photos of some of the things that make our senses work overtime (birds, fish, fruit and flowers), as well as lyrics to the two B-side songs. Lyrics to "Senses Working Overtime" are printed on the back of the sleeve. The sleeve has since been issued in a conventional manner..... A special white label was used featuring handwritten copy. .....The edited version of the "Senses..." track appears on the WAXWORKS compilation..... A promo film was made for "Senses...".

ENGLISH SETTLEMENT (UK Virgin V2223): Runaways (C); Ball And Chain (C); Senses Working Overtime (A); Jason And The Argonauts (A);/No Thugs In Our House (A); Yacht Dance (A); All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late) (A);//Melt The Guns (A); Leisure (A); It's Nearly Africa (A); Knuckle Down (A); /Fly On The Wall (C); Down In The Cockpit (A); English Roundabout (C); Snowman (A): 2-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. The original cover of this 2-LP set had the group's name and album title in raised letters of green on a green background. Apparently, the name of the band wasn't getting across, so the letters were changed to white for better visibility. The labels are also green with white hand lettering..... In an early form, "Senses Working Overtime" was a song called "With "Wonderment"..... "The end section of 'Jason'", explains Andy, "was recorded at half speed and then sped up to normality and edited on to the track proper, so everything sounded sparkly"..... "Yacht Dance" was at one stage called "Collecting Honey For The Queen" .....Outtakes include four songs rehearsed but never recorded: "My Brother Ralph", "Lazy Day Play", and "Still At War With The Japs", all by Colin, and Andy's "Snowflakes In A Mound". Also written for these sessions is a song called "Hangin' Around"..... There were also several hours of cover versions (Hendrix, Led Zeppelin) recorded during the ENGLISH SETTLEMENT days. A tape of these covers is known to be in circulation..... A promo film was made for "All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)".

Looking For Footprints (C)/one-sided flexi (UK Flexipop/Lyntone 016/LYN 11032): 2-82.

Produced by John Leckie. Here's a pleasant surprise. The track issued on this one-side flexi-disc, given with Flexipop magazine No. 16, is a song that was unreleased in last issue's installment. It is an outtake from the GO 2 album featuring Barry Andrews. It comes on at least four different colors of vinyl (red, yellow, green, blue). It is, of course, non-LP.

Blame The Weather (C); Tissue Tigers (The Arguers) (A);/one-sided flexi (US Trouser Press/Virgin/Epic/Evatone FLEXI #4/EV-11382XST-): 2-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. The two tracks from the UK B-side of "Senses Working Overtime" are brought to the US via this red vinyl one-side flexi-disc issued with Trouser Press magazine No. 72, April 1982 (available only to subscribers, and those who are friends of Ira Robbins).

ENGLISH SETTLEMENT (US Virgin/Epic ARE 37943): Runaways (C); Ball And Chain (C); Senses Working Overtime (A); Jason And The Argonauts (A); Snowman (A);/Melt The Guns (A); No Thugs In Our House (A); It's Nearly Africa (A); English Roundabout (C); All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late) (A): 2-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. Disappointing one-record consolidation of the UK two-record set. The group was quite unsatisfied with Epic's move for American audiences, as were US reviewers who consistently compared it to its English counterpart. Rumor has it that Epic wanted to obtain Virgin, for the most part, to get XTC. When the American tour was cancelled due to Andy's ill health, they were devastated. Little promotion was given after that.

Senses Working Overtime (A)/Ball And Chain (C) (12") (US Virgin/Epic AS 1405): 2-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. A promotional tool from Epic to publicize the highlight tracks from ENGLISH SETTLEMENT. Issued without a picture sleeve.

Ball And Chain (C);/Punch And Judy (A); Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass (A) (UK Virgin VS 482): 4-82.
Ball And Chain (C); Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass (A);/Punch And Judy (A); Cockpit Dance Mixture (A) (UK Virgin VS 482-12): 4-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. The A-side is drawn from ENGLISH SETTLEMENT. "Punch And Judy" made it's way to BEESWAX. "Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass" is also featured on BEESWAX, but the version there was remixed by Andy, so it sounds starkly different. Therefore, the single version remains non-LP. The bonus track on the 12" edition is "Cockpit Dance Mixture", a dub version of the ENGLISH SETTLEMENT selection, "Down In The Cockpit", remixed by Andy. This track is not available anywhere else..... The cover of this EP is designed to simulate a sixties EMI EP (e.g. The Beatles) with lyrics printed like EP liner notes. The purple label with silver print has a specially designed Virgin logo to coincide with the sleeve effect..... A promo film was made for "Ball And Chain".

Senses Working Overtime (A)/English Roundabout (C) (US Virgin/Epic 14-02875): 4-82.

Produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. Airplay had already died on "Senses..." by the time it was issued as a single in the US. This is not the UK single edit, instead we have the LP version with an early fade-out. The flip is also from ENGLISH SETTLEMENT. Issued without a picture sleeve.

No Thugs In Our House (A);/Chain Of Command (A); Limelight (C); Over Rusty Water (A) (UK Virgin VS 490): 5-82.

A-side was produced by Hugh Padgham and XTC. Of the three tracks on side two, the first two were produced by Steve Lillywhite. The final track was produced by XTC..... "No Thugs In Our House", from ENGLISH SETTLEMENT, appears here in an edited form. Tracks 1 and 2 on side two are from the DRUMS AND WIRES bonus record. The additional track on the side is Andy's short instrumental, "Over Rusty Water", in its only appearance to date .....The picture sleeve design simulates a stage (which gatefolds to give depth), there's a insert with cut-out figures of characters mentioned in the song, and the lyrics appear on the back of the jacket in script form. The labels here are landscape paintings with objects in the foregrounds spelling X-T-C. When the record is inserted in the sleeve, the scenery on the label becomes the backdrop seen through the cut-out window on the sleeve..... A British TV appearance of "No Thugs In Our House" has been used as a promo film.

BLACK SEA (US Virgin/Epic PE 38150): 7-82.
DRUMS AND WIRES (US Virgin/Epic PE 38151): 7-82.
GO 2 (US Virgin/Epic PE 38152): 7-82.
WHITE MUSIC (US Virgin/Epic PE 38153): 7-82.

Epic backtracks XTC by reissuing their first four LP's, with some inconsistencies..... Musically, BLACK SEA is the same, but on this go-round we get the 2nd UK cover (no bag) with name and title printed on it, and no lyric sheet or sleeve. ....DRUMS AND WIRES is another story. The track order is, for the most part, the UK one; however, "Day In Day Out" is dropped and "Life Begins At The Hop" replaces "Making Plans For Nigel" . Yes, you heard me right: NO "...NIGEL"! After all, wasn't "...Nigel" the selling point of the LP? The lyric sleeve was dropped as well..... GO 2, at first glance, appears the same, but on close comparison you find many changes in the cover notes. The titles on the cover no longer bleed off, but were re-written to fit nicely, despite the fact that the sentence remains incomplete. The side of the gatefold insert with the map and photos now becomes the inner sleeve, while the group photo is gone altogether. Musically, "Are You Receiving Me" is no longer included..... WHITE MUSIC used to have contradictory titles on the cover when compared to the label, but this is no longer the case; and the familiar white-on-white LP title has been shifted to the right on the black in smaller print.....And those Universal Product Code squares stand out like sore thumbs..... Well, at least they're in print.

WAXWORKS: SOME SINGLES 1977 - 1982 (UK Virgin V2251): Science Friction (A); Statue Of Liberty (A); This Is Pop? (A); Are You Receiving Me (A); Life Begins At The Hop (C); Making Plans For Nigel (C); Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down (A);/Generals And Majors (C); Towers Of London (A); Sgt, Rock (Is Going To Help Me) (A); Senses Working Overtime (A); Ball And Chain (C): 10-82.

This is a collection of XTC singles, see individual listings for producer credits. The production credit on "Are You Receiving Me" is listed correctly for the first time - see notes in the UPDATE for further details..... In most cases, the versions included here are the same as the 45's except for the following: "Making Plans For Nigel" is faded early, and "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" is graced with an extended break featuring a synth part not found on the 45..... This LP initially is packaged with the following LP, BEESWAX..... The cover is hand-drawn by Andy in crayon, and the labels are white hand lettering on blue.

BEESWAX: SOME B-SIDES 1977 - 1982 (UK Virgin OVED9): She's So Square (A); Dance Band (C); Hang On To The Night (A); Heatwave (C); Instant Tunes (C); Pulsing Pulsing (A); Don't Lose Your Temper (A); Smokeless Zone (C);/The Somnambulist (A); Blame The Weather (C); Tissue Tigers (The Arguers) (A); Punch And Judy (A); Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass (A): 10-82.

Another collection of XTC singles, only this time they're B-sides. Once again, see individual listings for producer credits...... The versions here coincide with the 45 tracks except that "Hang On To The Night" hangs on a little longer, and "Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass" is an edit of the single rendition that has been remixed by Andy. The concluding passage here fades with Andy singing "heaven" before he decays into non-verbal chanting. At the end of the 45 track, a swelling synthesizer part overwhelms the vocal and then fades out. You do not hear the non-verbal chanting at all on the single........ This limited edition companion to WAXWORKS has a similarly designed cover with white hand lettering on red labels.

SOUNDTRACK to the film "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" Radio Special (US AEIOU-121): Plans For Nigel (C); plus tracks by other artists: 3-83.

This is XTC's second appearance on a bootleg. The LP is a collection of performances (most of them "live") by various artists from assorted sources. XTC's performance is derived from an appearance they made at Emerald City in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on April 17, 1981, and simulcast on WMMR-FM. The LP comes with a die-cut blank cover, hand-stamped with the title and credits.

other XTC Collectables....

There are some XTC records, issued outside the US and UK, that we feel you might want to be "aware" of. None of them feature material that is exclusive to themselves but you might want them nonetheless. Read on!

GO 2 (French Virgin 2933 758): The French decided not to use the standard GO 2 sleeve, but opted instead for the facial close-up shot used on the insert which envelops both sides of the jacket. This is the LP that is supposed to include (on some early pressings) an alternate version of "Are You Receiving Me", but we haven't found one yet. This cover was also used in Yugoslavia (Virgin LSVIRG 70894) with minor changes: 11-78.

TAKE AWAY/THE LURE OF SALVAGE by Mr. Partridge (Japanese Virgin VIP-6954): You might want to seek out a Japanese copy of Andy's semi-solo venture. Besides the fact that the quiet passages should be heard without crackles and pops, you also get a lyric sheet that, for the most part, seems correct: 3-80.

Generals And Majors (C)/The Somnambulist (A) (Australian Virgin K-8015): To commemorate their 1980 tour down under, Virgin in Australia pressed a limited edition copy of XTC's "Generals And Majors" on green vinyl. Although issued without a picture sleeve, these copies came with a special insert logging all their Australian tour dates. Black vinyl copies were available shortly thereafter: 9-80.

BLACK SEA (Canadian Virgin VL 2203): Canada went all the way with this one. They used a black vinyl carrying bag (similar to those used by one of those "posh" record outlets) with white print, instead of the usual green paper one. The package is really nifty and the cut-out handle gives a great effect: 9-29-80.

LIVE & MORE (Japanese Virgin VIP-5904): Don't Loose Your Temper (A); Smokeless Zone (C); Living Through Another Cuba (A) ~ Generals And Majors (C);/Scissor Man (A); The Somnambulist (A); Set Myself On Fire (C): Japan put together this 12" EP with a 7" picture label during the boys' hiatus between albums. The line-up of tracks was, at one time, all non-LP, but BEESWAX covers three of these. Of the remainder, the "Cuba/G&M" live medley stands out for its quality (especially when compared to the single that squeezes the 7½ minutes on one side). The other two non-LP songs are culled from the "Towers Of London" double 45 set. Let's not talk about the lyric sheet: 8-81.

5 SENSES (Canadian Virgin VEP 308): Smokeless Zone (C); Officer Blue (C); Wait Till Your Boat Gees Down (A);/Don't Lose Your Temper (A); Strange Tales, Strange Tails (A): Another between-LP 12" compilation. Two tracks are repeated from the previous entry, and these tracks also went on to become part of the BEESWAX compilation . "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" is the single version that does not appear on WAXWORKS. The remaining "Respectable Street" flip tracks are separated, and excluded is the chatter that connected them on the 45. The EP title "sensed" what was going to be the next XTC release: 9-18-81.

BALL AND CHAIN (10" EP) (Canadian Virgin VSX 1144): Ball And Chain (C);/No Thugs In Our House (A); Punch And Judy (A): XTC's second appearance on a 10" (let's not forget GUILLOTINE) is packaged like the UK 7" (and 12", for that matter). The Canadians bump "Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass" in favor of "No Thugs In Our House": 6-26-82.

There are, of course, many worldwide 45 picture sleeves that differ from their UK and US counterparts, too many to mention. But if any readers feel we missed one of your favorite XTC collectables, please write us and let us know.

concerts... and interviews...

BBC ROCK HOUR (US London Wavelength #212 -- Week of Mar. 22, 1981): Life Begins At The Hop (C)*: Burning With Optimism's Flames (A); Love At First Sight (C); Respectable Street (A)*; No Language In Our Lungs (A)*; This Is Pop? (A)*; Scissor Man (A);/Towers Of London (A); Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian) (A); Living Through Another Cuba (A)* ~ Generals And Majors (C): This LP is a transcription of a radio broadcast of XTC's concert at Hammersmith Palais in London, December 22, 1980. The concert was later edited to the (*) tracks and re-distributed back-to-back with a concert by the Jags. The full show again made its rounds November 7, 1982 as BBC COLLEGE CONCERT.

THE BILLBOARD REPORT (US London Wavelength - Rotation week of 1/5-11/81): Andy is interviewed by Sylvie Simmons on of the tracks of this one-sided disc.

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE (January 12, 1981): Among other people, Andy is interviewed.

SFX (UK SFX Publications Issue No. 8 -- March 6-18, 1982): This audio-cassette magazine includes an interview with Andy as one of its features.

EARTH NEWS (For the week of June 14, 1982): Featured are three interviews with Andy conducted by Joel Denver.

Productions and sessions....

Games Without Frontiers;/The Start;I Don't Remember (UK Charisma CB 354): 2-80.
PETER GABRIEL (UK Charisma CDS 4019/US Mercury SRM 1-3848): 6-80.
EIN DEUTSCHES ALBUM (German Charisma 6302 035): 7-80.
I Don't Remember/And Through The Wire (12") (US Mercury MK 157): 7-80.
I Don't Remember/Shosholoza (US Mercury 76086): 11-80.

All of the above are by Peter Gabriel. Produced by Steve Lillywhite (English) and Peter Gabriel (German). This LP, best known as PETER GABRIEL III, features the guitar handiwork of Dave Gregory on the tracks "I Don't Remember" and "Family Snapshot" . The LP was remixed and interpreted in the German language as EIN DEUTSCHES ALBUM. The two tracks featuring Dave now become "Frag Mich Nicht Immer" and "Schnappschuss (Ein Familierfoto)" respectively,

MINIATURES (French Pipe PIPE 2, pressed in France for the UK): 7-80.

The subtitle, "a sequence of fifty-one tiny masterpieces edited by Morgan-Fisher", seems to sum it up pretty well. "Invitations were sent out to a highly personal selection of creative artistes", states the jacket, "asking them to contribute pieces of not more than one minute's duration". Professor Partridge is represented here with a succinct "20-second lecture on the most relevant art form", "The History Of Rock 'N' Roll". The LP was issued with a poster insert.

THE RESIDENTS COMMERCIAL ALBUM (US Ralph RZ-8052-L): mid-1980.

Written and produced by the Residents, this album of forty one-minute compositions features a lot of uncredited vocal talent. The one we are most interested in here is Andy Partridge, who sings piece #38, "Margaret Freeman".

B-2 UNIT (UK Island ILPS 9656): Differencia; Thatness And Thereness: Participation Mystique; E-3A;/Iconic Storage; Riot In Lagos; Not The 6 O'Clock News: The End Of Europe: 5-81.
Riot In Lagos/Iconic Storage (UK Island IPR 2048): 5-81.

The above are by Riuichi Sakamoto, who also produced the recordings. Andy Partridge contributed guitar to this LP by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Riuichi Sakamoto. Actually, Andy mailed a tape of his guitar parts ("some of my best licks") to Japan where they were incorporated into the tracks, Andy says his playing is barely discernible, with "Riot In Lagos" being the best place to listen for him. The whole LP is a little hard to handle in one sitting, so you might wish to seek out the single before running out to buy the LP.

Urges/Leipzig (UK Armageddon AS 007): 2-81.
Europa And The Pirate Twins;/Leipzig; Growth/Therapy (12" EP) (UK Venus In Peril 12R 6051): 9-81.
Europa And The Pirate Twins/Growth/Therapy (UK Venus In Peril R 6051): 9-81.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS (version #1) (UK Venus In Peril VIP 1001): 5-82.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS (version #2) (US Harvest ST-1 2203): 5-82.
Europa And The Pirate Twins/Radio Silence (US Harvest B-5155): 9-82.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS (version #3) (US Capitol ST-12271): 3-83.

All of the above are by Thomas Dolby. The first single was produced by Andy Partridge and Thomas Dolby, and the second by Thomas Dolby. Andy plays drums ("stick") and handclaps, and sings back-up vocals as well on "Urges" and "Leipzig". "Europa..." features Andy playing harmonica and appears in an unedited version on the 12", along with a remixed edited version of "Leipzig" that has an extended ending. "Europa..." is included on all versions of the LP. When first issued in the US, Harvest left off one of the British LP tracks to add the year-old "Urges" and "Leipzig". Then, to everyone's surprise, Mr. Dolby (real name: Robinson, "name reduction system" says Andy) goes to the US Top 5 with "She Blinded Me With Science". Capitol (Harvest's US parent company) then shifted the LP to the mother-label and dropped "Urges" and "Leipzig" in favor of the new hit " ...Science" and its UK flip, "One Of Our Submarines". Confusing, isn't it?

WALK UNDER LADDERS (UK A&M AMLH 64876/US A&M SP 4876): 9-81.
The Weakness In Me/Crying (US A&M 2381): 11-81.

The above are by Joan Armatrading. Steve Lillywhite produced the album, to which Andy contributed 6-string guitar ("The Weakness In Me") and "guitars" ("Eating The Bear"). Incidentally, Thomas Dolby offers synthesizers.

PRIMITIVE MAN (UK KA KALP 001, re-released as UK Chrysalis CHR 1390/US Chrysalis CHR 1390): Uniform; Street Cafe; Hey Little Girl; Glam; Great Southern Land;/Trojan; Love In Motion; Mysterious Thing: One By One; Goodnight, Mr. Matthews: 10-82.
Hey Little Girl/Mysterious Name (UK Chrysalis CHS 2670): 1-83.

The above are by Icehouse, produced by Iva Davies and Keith Forsey. Though he is not credited, it has been reported that Terry Chambers played drums on this album.

video compilation...

LOOK LOOK (XTC -- HITS ON VIDEO) (UK Virgin Video VIRV 013D): This Is Pop (A) ; Statue Of Liberty (A); Are You Receiving Me? (A); Life Begins At The Hop (C); Making Plans For Nigel (C); Towers Of London (A); Respectable Street (A); Generals And Majors (C); All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late) (A); Ball And Chain (C); Senses Working Overtime (A): 1982.

Throughout both parts of our extensive discography of XTC, we've been pointing out when XTC made a video of one of their songs. If you thought it wasn't leading up to anything, you were sadly mistaken. Virgin in the UK has released on the public a collection of the groups best promo films. It isn't complete, by any means, but it is delightful to have. Warning! The British video system is not compatible with the American one. That means if you live in the US and obtain this tape, you won't be able to view it (unless you have a machine that can handle them, and they're expensive).

new and unreleased titles......

Andy wrote four songs for the Residents which they never used, three of them are as follows:

The Mariner And The Moth

Who Owns The Periscope Infant

The Parachutist And His Mother

These two songs were recorded in February 1983 with Bob Sargeant as producer. They were released 4-22-83 on the UK 45 Virgin VS 553, and on the A-side of the UK 12" Virgin VS 553-12:

Great Fire (A)

Gold (A) (version two)

Since all the following titles belong to the Homo Safari series, apparently Andy is expanding the series beyond the original notion of six. No. 5 and No. 6 were recorded at the Manor in November 1982. They were produced by XTC and released 4-22-83 on the B-side of the UK 12" Virgin VS 553-12. "Mantis On Payrole", which had already been proposed as No. 4 by April 1981 when we interviewed the band, has been skipped over and remains unissued. Here is a rundown of the Homo Safari series as it stands at presstime:

No. 1 Homo Safari No. 2 Bushman President No. 3 Egyptian Solution (Thebes In A Box) No. 4 Mantis On Payrole

No. 5 Frost Circus No. 6 Procession Towards Learning Land No. ? Jazz Boy No. ? The Art Of Siege Warfare In The Age Of Elizabeth

The following finished songs have been recorded with Steve Nye as engineer. All the songs, except "Jump (Love And Swimming Pools)", are to be included on the next XTC LP. Some of the working titles were to be FALLEN FROM THE GARDEN, later FRUIT. Andy's hopes were that the band would be able to package the album in four different sleeves that smell of different fruits. The latest LP title is MUMMER, and it was supposed to be released in the US 5-26-83 on Virgin/Epic BFE 38516, adding the UK 45 A-side, "Great Fire" to its roster. As that date has already passed, one would have to assume that something has gone awry. The (*) tracks have already been remixed by Alex Sadkin and Phil Thornalley with XTC. One of these, "Wonderland", gets a July release (VS 606) backed with "Jump" (dropping the subtitle once again), the remaining song of the session. Whether the LP gets released as originally planned or becomes another GET BACK LP is anyone's guess, but you can be sure you'll find out about it here. Let's hope you'll get to hear all of the following:

Beating Of Hearts (A) Deliver Us From The Elements (C) Funk Pop A Roll (A)* Human Alchemy (A)* In Loving Memory Of A Name (C)

Jump (Love And Swimming Pools) (A) Ladybird (A) Love On A Farmboy's Wages (A) Me And The Wind (A) Wonderland (C)*

Steve Nye also engineered the recording of these songs, which are not finished:

Desert Island Gold (version one) Happy Families Motorcycle Landscape

Spare A Penny The Toy Song The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men Young Cleopatra

These songs have been rehearsed but not recorded:

Disque Blue Raising A Family In A House Full Of Mice

Teasing The Fool World Colour Banner

A song that begins "Pearl, oh Pearl, don't cloister yourself away" has been recorded. This might be one of the new songs, or an earlier outtake.

Andy: "A song was written and rehearsed called "Thanks For Christmas" originally intended to be sung by the staff of Virgin Records under the name "The Virgin Mary's". The project never flowered but the song might!".

Andy has been working on film music he calls "Liquidream".

		"We Eat Sh*t for Lunch . .. " sing COLIN MOULDING (left ) and ANDY PARTRIDGE (right) as they serenade us with the unreleased "REFRIGERATION BLUES" during our interview!
TERRY CHAMBERS amuses us with stories about past "sessions"	Newer group member, DAVE GREGORY amuses himself listening to an in-depth history of early band days, adding an occasional "I didn't know that!"

and... Barry Andrews...

TOWN AND COUNTRY (7" EP) (UK Virgin VS 260): Me And My Mate Can Sing; Bring On The Alligators;/Mouse Trap (Dedicated To Aunty Rene); Sargasso Bar: 6-1-79.
Rossmore Road (NW1)/Win A Night Out With A Well Known Paranoiac" (UK Virgin VS 378): 9-12-80.
Rosemore Road (NW1)/Pages Of My Love (UK Virgin VS 428): 7-10-81.

TOWN AND COUNTRY produced by Martin Rushent, and the rest by Barry Andrews and John Strudwick. All tracks were written by Barry..... As we said in Part 1, "Sargasso Bar" was written during the XTC GO 2 sessions. This is Barry's solo version of that outtake, produced by Rushent, who also did XTC's "Are You Receiving Me" uncredited until WAXWORKS. On the back of the EP jacket Colin Moulding is thanked "for his mighty (short scale) mustang and for keeping me 'ead straight"..... Barry's next two solo releases were both "Rossmore Road (NW1)", the second issue being a remixed extended version. Robert Fripp contributed to these two singles, and eventually signed Barry up to his one-shot band dubbed "The League Of Gentlemen". "Pages Of My Love" features Barry's band Restaurant For Dogs, Restaurant members David Marx and Bruce McRae both supported Barry on his latter two 45's, with Marx dating back to TOWN AND COUNTRY..... Barry employed most of his time between singles playing on other people's sessions. He appears on the following LP's: Robert Fripp's EXPOSURE (UK Editions EG EGLP 101/US EG/Polydor PD-1-6201) (6-79); Iggy Pop's SOLDIER (UK Arista SPART 1117/US Arista AB 4259) (3-80); Robert Fripp's THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN (UK Editions EG EGED 9/US EG/Polydor PD-1-6317 (2-81)..... 1982 finds Barry with a change of direction in a permanent band on Y (later picked up by Warner Bros.) Records called Shriekback with David Allen (ex-Gang Of Four) and Carl Marsh.

It's interesting to note how significantly XTC's music has changed since Dave Gregory joined the band. With Barry Andrews on keyboards, XTC's songs had a predominantly linear concordance/discordance clash about them. With Dave's arrival, the music took on a more harmonic quality, and the lyrics moved up to the surface of the mix . Whether this is because the band use Dave's guitar as a more harmony-based instrument than they did Barry's piano and organ, or whether this is the result of the evolution of the songwriting talents of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, or perhaps a combination of both factors, the change is considerable. Common to all their work, however, is their ability to be clever, lyrically and musically, without being arch.

When Andy's illness aborted the 1982 US tour after only one or two California shows, XTC determined to concentrate most of their efforts on studio work, at least for the near future.

There's been another interesting development. As Andy explains, "Terry got married to an Australian girl in the summer, then returned to England to rehearse for a new album. We recorded "Beating Of Hearts", "Wonderland", and "The Toy Song" at Reading early autumn and then we carried on with further rehearsal.

"Due to much pressure from his wife to return to Australia and his disappointment in XTC's decision to stop touring, Terry informed us two weeks prior to making the album that he was leaving.

"We recorded the bulk of the album at the Manor, Oxford, November 82 with ex-Gary Glitter and ex-Random Hold drummer, Pete Phipps".

A new album, and a new drummer, and we'll keep you up to date on XTC's doings in future issues o! Aware.

* STOP PRESS * --"Melt the Guns" (from English Settlement) originally started life as a tune called "Holding the Baby". --Andy added that "Rocket from a Bottle" (on BLACK SEA) was originally rehearsed for "Drums and Wires".

--"MUMMER" is out - so far only in U.K. - Virgin V2264 tracks are BEATING Of HEARTS (A)/WONDERLAND (C)/LOVE ON A FARMBOYS WAGES(A)/GREAT FIRE (A)/DELIVER US FROM THE ELEMENTS (C) //,HUMAN ALCHEMY (A)/LADYBIRD (A)/IN LOVING MEMORY OF A NAME (C)/ME AND THE WIND (A)/FUNK POP A ROLL (A) 9-82 --Full details in next issue!

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