Ahhh XTC a fine band who started out in the late 70′s New Wave boom and have since spread their musical wings in any direction that takes their fancy. Sadly due to main man Andy Partridge’s stage fright problems they have been a studio based band since the early 80′s onwards. After leaving long standing label Virgin following the usual label hassles, XTC released this little pop rock gem. From the opening drip drop strings on ‘River Of Orchids’ you just knew this was something special. The musical arrangements are simply breathtaking be it the school production effects – recorders and woodwinds on ‘Harvest Festival’ through to the lush sound of ‘Knights In Shining Karma’. Andy Partridge hits the English love of whimsy right on the head with the excellent ‘Frivolous Tonight’ – an absolute pop rock gem. Elsewhere his then recent relationship troubles result in the cutting ‘Your Dictionary’. Get this,  as well as ‘Volume 2′ for some of the finest pop rock music around.

Where are they now?

XTC is basically now just Andy Partridge. The band released ‘Apple Venus Volume 2′ and then there were the Apple Venus demos released a few years ago plus Andy Partridge has been releasing lots of his own musical wanderings under the ‘Fuzzy Warbles’ title. An extremely talented writer and musician who never really gets the accolades he deserves.

Track listing:

1 River of Orchids

2 I’d Like That

3 Easter Theatre  

4 Knights in Shining Karma

5 Frivolous Tonight

6 Green Man   

7 Your Dictionary   

8 Fruit Nut    

9 I Can’t Own Her    

10 Harvest Festival

11 The Last Balloon

 Album credits:

Andy Partridge  Guitar, Vocals

Colin Moulding  Bass, Vocals

Steve Sidwell  Trumpet

Mike Batt  Arranger

Guy Barker  Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Haydn Bendall  Keyboards, Engineer, Producer

Nick Davis  Keyboards, Mixing, Engineer, Producer

Simon Dawson  Mixing

David Gregory  Organ, Piano, Guitar, Mellotron