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In 1977, with punk and new wave dominating the musical landscape in England, a distinctive quartet known as XTC -- made up of guitarist and singer Andy Partridge, bassist and singer Colin Moulding, keyboard player Barry Andrews, and drummer Terry Chambers -- began attracting the interest of record companies with its brand of melodic, hyperactive pop music.
Partridge, the band's principal songwriter and public persona, was from the beginning a force to be reckoned with. His frenetic guitar playing and hiccuping vocals on XTC's early efforts were full of dissonance and a rhythmic tension and energy that kept the band from being pigeonholed with other acts of the era. Moulding, who penned many of the band's early singles, preferred to play the quiet foil to Partridge. His gift for melody and more-straightforward approach to songwriting, as well as his distinctive and tasteful bass playing, caused him to be viewed by many as McCartney to Partridge's Lennon.
The Early Years
Working from its base in Swindon, an industrial town nestled in the heart of bucolic Wiltshire, XTC signed with Virgin Records and began a rigorous cycle of recording and roadwork. White Music and Go2 both were released in 1978 -- as was keyboardist Barry Andrews, who had brought a dissonant playing style and outrageous stage presence that matched Partridge well, but whose songwriting didn't mesh with the rest of the band's vision.
1979 saw the release of breakout effort Drums and Wires, as well as the arrival of guitarist and keyboard player Dave Gregory, an accomplished musician and soloist whose talent and technique lifted the band to a new level. Following on the success of the single "Making Plans for Nigel," XTC went right back in the studio with D&W producer/engineer team Steve Lillywhite and Hugh Padgham to create 1980's muscular follow-up Black Sea, which, with its huge drum sound and hummable, danceable, and resolutely intelligent songs, kept the promise shown by the previous release.
The End of Touring
After an exhausting year of touring and writing, the band returned in 1982 with the double-LP English Settlement. Featuring an irresistible mix of pastoral sensibilities and power pop, the Partridge-penned "Senses Working Overtime" positioned the band for overwhelming commercial success. But that promise came to an end later that year, during the band's first stadium tour as headliners, when Partridge called a halt to touring after the grinding years of album-tour-album-tour became too much for him to endure.
The execs at Virgin were aghast -- no more touring surely would mean commercial suicide for the band, which had been selling more albums with each release and playing bigger venues with each tour. But the outspoken Partridge was adamant. "Why should I work at something I don't enjoy?" he said at the time. "If I'm going to do that, I might as well shovel shit for a living."
The decision to stop touring weighed heavily on Gregory and down-to-earth drummer Chambers -- neither were songwriters, and both enjoyed the time on the road spent supporting each new album. Gregory adjusted, but the issue came to a head for Chambers during the recording of 1983's Mummer, when he called it quits and moved to Australia. Since then, six drummers -- Peter Phipps, Ian Gregory, Prairie Prince, Pat Mastellotto, Dave Mattacks, and Chuck Sabo -- have played on the albums that the band has recorded as XTC and as psychedelic alter-ego The Dukes of Stratosphear.
Ironically, XTC found its greatest commercial success during this post-touring era. Admittedly, neither Mummer or 1984's The Big Express satisfied Virgin's appetite for profit -- the pair of albums' exploration of rural and urban England failed to translate into the kind of sales that earlier albums had seen, though both albums contained wonderful songs that amply demonstrated the band's growth. But the controversial "Dear God," from 1986's Skylarking, introduced many American fans to the band, while singles like "The Mayor of Simpleton" and "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead," off 1989's Oranges and Lemons and 1992's Nonsuch, respectively, cemented the band's place in the hearts of critics as well as on the American college charts.
The Strike ... and Freedom
But with the release of Nonsuch, Partridge and the band's shaky relationship with Virgin reached another turning point. Fed up with the terms of their deal and frustrated by the label's reluctance to renegotiate it or release them from it, XTC -- in another act of what many called commercial suicide -- went on strike. Band members supported themselves by playing on and producing other artists' albums, but refused to record any new music for Virgin until an agreement was reached. That moment came in 1997, when the company released the band from its contract and XTC set up its own label, Idea Records .
What followed was a pair of albums that originally were supposed to be a single release. But money troubles and band difficulties (Gregory left the band in 1998) forced the releases to be split into 1999's Apple Venus Volume 1 and 2000's Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) . Partridge coined the terms "orchoustic" and "eclectric" to respectively describe the two albums, and critics and fans alike hailed the return of the band to form. The albums, accompanied by the demo tracks from each album, as well as a new song each from both Moulding and Partridge, were reunited in a boxed set released by Idea in late 2005.
The Future
What's next on the horizon for XTC? It's hard to say. Relationships with record companies, including Virgin, have remained thorny, delaying releases of video compilations from their early years. Moulding has taken a step away from the music industry, and a break from the band.
Partridge has remained very active, forming his own record label, APE , which he's leveraged to release collaborations with other artists, albums by bands he admires, and compilations of his own demos and unreleased tracks under the nameplate Fuzzy Warbles. He also has recently reunited with keyboardist Barry Andrews to record (along with drummer Martyn Barker) Monstrance , a double-disc set that was recorded live, with no overdubs, and completely improvised. He remains in demand as a songwriter, player, and producer, and various unreleased collaborations and solo projects have fueled speculation about future releases.
To find out more, visit:
- Idea Records
The APE House
Chalkhills , the oldest and most comprehensive fan-resource on the Web
Optimism's Flames , a multimedia feast for the eyes
All Music Guide 's listing for the band
-- ©2008 by Todd Bernhardt