XTC

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jonimac
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Re: XTC

Post by jonimac »

I think they have been more Womble influenced Jim, as Mike Batt did the orchestral arrangements
£20k for one day at Abbey Road with the orchestra. Yikes
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StanInBlack
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Re: XTC

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jonimac wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 09:28 XTC Song Stories, Complicated Game, or Chalkhills.org stuff, to get some idea of Dave’s input.
Thanks for the heads up, but I've read all that stuff. The information that I posted regarding Dave's involvement in the Apple Venus sessions actually came from information Dave provided himself on his own website way back when. I think I believe the actual person we're talking about over you (who initially said that Gregory wasn't on Apple Venus, when all you need to do is look at the album credits)
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Re: XTC

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I think you might have to go back and read my
original post then.
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StanInBlack
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Re: XTC

Post by StanInBlack »

Hmm no, I think I'm going to continue to talk about XTC...

Anyway, I dug out Black Sea for a listen today and just was stunned once more by how good it is from front to back. Just great songwriting throughout and band sound so muscular on it. Out of all of XTC's albums, this one sounds like it was the one that inspired Damon Albarn/Blur the most. Blur's "It Could Be You" sounds like it could be a Black Sea outtake.

In a way, it's a shame that the plug was pulled on the Partridge sessions for Blur's second album because in hindsight they sound good, if a bit Nonsuch-y. On the other hand, Modern Life is Rubbish is my favourite Blur album and I love it the way it is. Albarn's chord progressions can be very unorthodox at times - sometimes I wonder if that's a Partridge influence.
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theraven1979
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Re: XTC

Post by theraven1979 »

Respectable Street is almost like the template Blur used for all their early quaint British songs.

On Nonsuch - I effing love that album - such a joy to listen to. This was the album that really got me into XTC. Played it to death in the car (much to my wife's annoyance as she doesn't like Andy's vocals)


Jim
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jonimac
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Re: XTC

Post by jonimac »

Good interview with Graham Coxon On Rockonteurs podcast this week.
Gary Kemp suggests the XTC influence to him a couple of times but he shied away from what I was hoping would be a more positive response.

Nonsuch is a great album. I Love “Rook” & “Wrapped in Grey” which Andy reckons is the first two Apple Venus songs.
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jonimac
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Re: XTC

Post by jonimac »

Good interview with Graham Coxon On Rockonteurs podcast this week.
Gary Kemp suggests the XTC influence to him a couple of times but he shied away from what I was hoping would be a more positive response.

Nonsuch is a great album. I Love “Rook” & “Wrapped in Grey” which Andy reckons is the first two Apple Venus songs.
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Re: XTC

Post by RetroRocket »

theraven1979 wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:18 Respectable Street is almost like the template Blur used for all their early quaint British songs.

On Nonsuch - I effing love that album - such a joy to listen to. This was the album that really got me into XTC. Played it to death in the car (much to my wife's annoyance as she doesn't like Andy's vocals)


Jim

I hadn't thought of that re respectable st...but yes I can hear it now. The guitar also sounds quite elastica to me too...lots of cross pollination going on I guess!


I haven't played nonsuch for ages...I'll give it a spin this evening.
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StanInBlack
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Re: XTC

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theraven1979 wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:18 Respectable Street is almost like the template Blur used for all their early quaint British songs.
Yeah, it certainly seems like an influence on them alongside Bowie, The Kinks and others... they certainly pinched those high pitched backing vocals on "Sgt. Rock" on a couple of their tracks!

(As an aside, I find it impressive how Andy Partridge didn't actually hear any Kinks albums until the late '80s even though he was obviously familiar with the singles)
theraven1979 wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:18 On Nonsuch - I effing love that album - such a joy to listen to. This was the album that really got me into XTC. Played it to death in the car (much to my wife's annoyance as she doesn't like Andy's vocals)
Fucking hell, if she hates Andy's voice on that album she must detest it on the earlier stuff! He started playing around with his voice less and less as XTC wound on, thankfully. I don't find his earlier vocal style off-putting or anything, but sometimes I find myself wishing that he'd sang stuff like "Complicated Game" a little more straight than he did.
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theraven1979
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Re: XTC

Post by theraven1979 »

In fairness though even Partridge compares his vocal to a yelping dog or similar. I think if you can't get beyond that then you're forever not gonna get into em.


Jim
StanInBlack wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:51
theraven1979 wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:18 Respectable Street is almost like the template Blur used for all their early quaint British songs.
Yeah, it certainly seems like an influence on them alongside Bowie, The Kinks and others... they certainly pinched those high pitched backing vocals on "Sgt. Rock" on a couple of their tracks!

(As an aside, I find it impressive how Andy Partridge didn't actually hear any Kinks albums until the late '80s even though he was obviously familiar with the singles)
theraven1979 wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:18 On Nonsuch - I effing love that album - such a joy to listen to. This was the album that really got me into XTC. Played it to death in the car (much to my wife's annoyance as she doesn't like Andy's vocals)
Fucking hell, if she hates Andy's voice on that album she must detest it on the earlier stuff! He started playing around with his voice less and less as XTC wound on, thankfully. I don't find his earlier vocal style off-putting or anything, but sometimes I find myself wishing that he'd sang stuff like "Complicated Game" a little more straight than he did.
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StanInBlack
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Re: XTC

Post by StanInBlack »

theraven1979 wrote: 08 Feb 2022, 12:57 In fairness though even Partridge compares his vocal to a yelping dog or similar. I think if you can't get beyond that then you're forever not gonna get into em.
In fact, that's probably the reason why Colin's songs were often chosen as singles way back when and why some new fans tend to latch onto the Colin songs first - his voice can be much, much easier on the ear (as well as the songs being a bit more straightforward) ...
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Re: XTC

Post by droopsnoot »

I have very little knowledge of XTC other than their singles output, but I do remember watching a documentary on the BBC years ago that was a "behind the scenes" film of them recording "Towers of London" and Andy Partridge getting quite frustrated at it. I've got an audio recording of it somewhere, or did have, as we didn't have a video recorder back then.
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