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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on November 29, 2018, 07:04:22 PM
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Okay, there are obvious reasons like, "they stopped touring in 1982," and "they were too British for some," but it had to be more than that.
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
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I assume because it was made illegal in like 1985.
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
Blow , ecstacy - this is my kinda thread :lol
Back on topic - never heard of 'em. Given your review Tim I am not feeling too embarrassed about that :biggrin:
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Don't pay attention to TAC when it comes to any 80's band that wasn't hard rock or metal. And even doing so in those cases is sketchy as well. :P
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Yeah, I was high on....
...TACstacy! ;D
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
Blow , ecstacy - this is my kinda thread :lol
Back on topic - never heard of 'em. Given your review Tim I am not feeling too embarrassed about that :biggrin:
Even Brent's never heard of them? There's your answer close thread.
I've heard the name but never anything from them.
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
Blow , ecstacy - this is my kinda thread :lol
Back on topic - never heard of 'em. Given your review Tim I am not feeling too embarrassed about that :biggrin:
Even Brent's never heard of them? There's your answer close thread.
I've heard the name but never anything from them.
It is amazing how many bands get discussed around here (well known in US/UK) but who were totally not on the radar in Australia. So aside from the fact that Brit pop ain't ma thang , they're likely just another of those bands.
Even in the hard rock and metal space it's crazy - bands like say Tesla that had legit top ten hit/s in the US - never heard them on commercial radio once out here. Same goes for Rush and countless others.
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Well, you live on Gilligan's island. :P
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And yet Steel Panther go number one out here on Gilligan's Island . Crazy :lol
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
Blow , ecstacy - this is my kinda thread :lol
Back on topic - never heard of 'em. Given your review Tim I am not feeling too embarrassed about that :biggrin:
Even Brent's never heard of them? There's your answer close thread.
I've heard the name but never anything from them.
It is amazing how many bands get discussed around here (well known in US/UK) but who were totally not on the radar in Australia. So aside from the fact that Brit pop ain't ma thang , they're likely just another of those bands.
Even in the hard rock and metal space it's crazy - bands like say Tesla that had legit top ten hit/s in the US - never heard them on commercial radio once out here. Same goes for Rush and countless others.
Yeah I hear ya. Maybe XTC had one minor hit here? I'm not sure but the name does ring a bell. The whole hard rock metal thing to me seemed dead commercially. I can't talk for the 80's but I remember growing up listen to triple m on the radio for a lot of my younger life, if it wasn't an Aussie rock band, all you would get would be Guns 'n' Roses or 90's stuff like Live and Oasis. Or if they really wanted to play something 'from the vault' you'll get Paranoid haha.
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And yet Steel Panther go number one out here on Gilligan's Island . Crazy :lol
:lol
Hey, it works in reverse too.
The Mosquitos never did quite break through over here.
(https://i0.wp.com/www.rebeatmag.com/wp-content/uploads/mosquitos.jpg)
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Coming up..............
the "Why didn't XTC crack the Aussie market" thread :)
I'm a bit older than you Kade but it was a pretty clear story out here - bands generally only cracked the market here if they were huge in one or more oveseas territories. So I grew up listening to (on the radio) Zep, Eagles, KISS, GnR, Bon Jovi , Europe (only in 86-88) , Whitesnake (87-88 only) Def Leppard (only 86-88), Skid Row (debut only) etc..........even Van Halen were really only a 84-88 deal for the most part. Sammy Hagar was a nobody before 5150.
Second tier bands like Cinderella, Tesla, Warrant (Cherry Pie aside) were pretty much non-existent. The only Gary Moore song I ever heard on radio (from his hard rock era) was Friday On My Mind :) I spent most of my childhood tracking down all the second,third,fourth tier stuff that nobody knew. Turns out a lot of my rarities were quite big elsewhere without my knowledge. This is back in the days when magazines were our only link to the overseas markets - Hit Parader etc......
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It is amazing how many bands get discussed around here (well known in US/UK) but who were totally not on the radar in Australia. So aside from the fact that Brit pop ain't ma thang , they're likely just another of those bands.
While Brit pop is a general way to describe them, XTC cannot be pigeon-holed into one category. They went from being post punk to art punk to new wave to art rock to progressive pop to orchestral pop. You could listen to three of their best albums - Black Sea, Syklarking and Apple Venus - and you almost wouldn't believe they were all made by the same band.
And I think that is a major reason why they never hit it big over here. They were so all over the map that their record company had no clue how to promote them.
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that is more or less the same explanation given to why King's X never made it big; they were too diverse or could not be categorized well enough to promote.
I think there's a handful of artists, especially from the 1980's-on which that happened to.
Also I've always found XTC, as much as they wrote some awfully catchy/poppy tunes, seemed to have a bit too quirky of a sound for mass audiences.
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Coming up..............
the "Why didn't XTC crack the Aussie market" thread :)
I'm a bit older than you Kade but it was a pretty clear story out here - bands generally only cracked the market here if they were huge in one or more oveseas territories. So I grew up listening to (on the radio) Zep, Eagles, KISS, GnR, Bon Jovi , Europe (only in 86-88) , Whitesnake (87-88 only) Def Leppard (only 86-88), Skid Row (debut only) etc..........even Van Halen were really only a 84-88 deal for the most part. Sammy Hagar was a nobody before 5150.
Second tier bands like Cinderella, Tesla, Warrant (Cherry Pie aside) were pretty much non-existent. The only Gary Moore song I ever heard on radio (from his hard rock era) was Friday On My Mind :) I spent most of my childhood tracking down all the second,third,fourth tier stuff that nobody knew. Turns out a lot of my rarities were quite big elsewhere without my knowledge. This is back in the days when magazines were our only link to the overseas markets - Hit Parader etc......
Yeah, I couldn't really speak before the 90's due to my age. Triple M actually use to play a few songs from the Hagar VH era actually, mainly Dreams and Why Can't This Be Love though. They seem to still be on standard rotation. I also remember hearing Always With Me, Always With You quite a bit too. No Maiden, no Priest which is depressing. Quite a bit of Metallica though (Black album only really)
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I also remember hearing Always With Me, Always With You quite a bit too.
Possibly my most listened to track ever :lol Played it many times a day for a year - it was the feature piece I performed in front of the old codgers at the music board for my Year 12 VCE music exam ;D
I was the first electric guitarist they had seen in there (previously classical only) - I think they thought I actually was a surfing alien. I rocked up with my wild Steve Vai JEM which pissed em off even more :)
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I also remember hearing Always With Me, Always With You quite a bit too.
Possibly my most listened to track ever :lol Played it many times a day for a year - it was the feature piece I performed in front of the old codgers at the music board for my Year 12 VCE music exam ;D
I was the first electric guitarist they had seen in there (previously classical only) - I think they thought I actually was a surfing alien. I rocked up with my wild Steve Vai JEM which pissed em off even more :)
The JEM is the one guitar I never got but wanted, couldn't justify the price. I haven't even played one which is crazy. That's cool though Brent, when I did my first few levels of music theory exams I performed Crystal Planet for one and Circles for the other.
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
Haha.
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that is more or less the same explanation given to why King's X never made it big; they were too diverse or could not be categorized well enough to promote.
I think there's a handful of artists, especially from the 1980's-on which that happened to.
Also I've always found XTC, as much as they wrote some awfully catchy/poppy tunes, seemed to have a bit too quirky of a sound for mass audiences.
And yet... Neil Young. REM. U2.
I think that has some impact, but it's not definitive. I think the touring had a far bigger impact than "quirky". I know for me - a fairly knowledgeable (about music, anyway) guy, who wasn't stuck to genre (I loved Duran Duran, the Cars and Squeeze then, and love love love them all now) - XTC was one of about 20 interchangeable bands on MTV that either sang "Vienna", "Senses Working Overtime", "Don't You Want Me Baby", "The Look Of Love" or "Too Shy", I'm not sure which one, and they never broke out of that for some reason.
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I think that has some impact, but it's not definitive. I think the touring had a far bigger impact than "quirky". I know for me - a fairly knowledgeable (about music, anyway) guy, who wasn't stuck to genre (I loved Duran Duran, the Cars and Squeeze then, and love love love them all now) - XTC was one of about 20 interchangeable bands on MTV that either sang "Vienna", "Senses Working Overtime", "Don't You Want Me Baby", "The Look Of Love" or "Too Shy", I'm not sure which one, and they never broke out of that for some reason.
Up until eight months ago, I probably would have lumped XTC in the same category as Kajagoogoo and ABC as well (80's band with one or two hits), but they really are so much more than that. But the thing is, even their 80's "hits" were minor hits at best. I remember hearing Senses Working Overtime, Dear God and The Mayor of Simpleton all quite a bit at the time all were out, but if you look at the charts, none of them made a dent, not even Dear God, which I think was big on college radio, while pissing off the God-fearing music fans. :lol :lol
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I think that has some impact, but it's not definitive. I think the touring had a far bigger impact than "quirky". I know for me - a fairly knowledgeable (about music, anyway) guy, who wasn't stuck to genre (I loved Duran Duran, the Cars and Squeeze then, and love love love them all now) - XTC was one of about 20 interchangeable bands on MTV that either sang "Vienna", "Senses Working Overtime", "Don't You Want Me Baby", "The Look Of Love" or "Too Shy", I'm not sure which one, and they never broke out of that for some reason.
Up until eight months ago, I probably would have lumped XTC in the same category as Kajagoogoo and ABC as well (80's band with one or two hits), but they really are so much more than that. But the thing is, even their 80's "hits" were minor hits at best. I remember hearing Senses Working Overtime, Dear God and The Mayor of Simpleton all quite a bit at the time all were out, but if you look at the charts, none of them made a dent, not even Dear God, which I think was big on college radio, while pissing off the God-fearing music fans. :lol :lol
Of course they are; I bought "Oranges and Lemons" as part of a bulk eBay purchase and was blown away. What a strong, well-crafted record. I really love Squeeze and there was a lot of things about that XTC record that made me think - in a good way - of Squeeze. But I've never even heard OF "Dear God" than heard it. The only other song I've heard is "Making Plans For Nigel", and that's only because I have it on an '80's compilation (and a version by Primus, which is EXCELLENT).
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
:tup
For some bizarre reason, this band came up a few months ago, and I was reminded about their only song I've ever heard (AFAIK): "Senses Working Overtime." While that's a fairly catchy song, XTC seemed like just another of the bands that had one popular song during the short period when ska went mainstream. Apparently there was more to them than that, but they didn't get enough run to catch my attention at a time when, among my friends, liking anything that wasn't metal was taboo.
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I think that has some impact, but it's not definitive. I think the touring had a far bigger impact than "quirky". I know for me - a fairly knowledgeable (about music, anyway) guy, who wasn't stuck to genre (I loved Duran Duran, the Cars and Squeeze then, and love love love them all now) - XTC was one of about 20 interchangeable bands on MTV that either sang "Vienna", "Senses Working Overtime", "Don't You Want Me Baby", "The Look Of Love" or "Too Shy", I'm not sure which one, and they never broke out of that for some reason.
Up until eight months ago, I probably would have lumped XTC in the same category as Kajagoogoo and ABC as well (80's band with one or two hits), but they really are so much more than that. But the thing is, even their 80's "hits" were minor hits at best. I remember hearing Senses Working Overtime, Dear God and The Mayor of Simpleton all quite a bit at the time all were out, but if you look at the charts, none of them made a dent, not even Dear God, which I think was big on college radio, while pissing off the God-fearing music fans. :lol :lol
Ah, that's the one, yes I remember hearing that on triple m rock radio when I was a youngster quite a bit. I've heard Dear God also.
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Of course they are; I bought "Oranges and Lemons" as part of a bulk eBay purchase and was blown away. What a strong, well-crafted record. I really love Squeeze and there was a lot of things about that XTC record that made me think - in a good way - of Squeeze. But I've never even heard OF "Dear God" than heard it. The only other song I've heard is "Making Plans For Nigel", and that's only because I have it on an '80's compilation (and a version by Primus, which is EXCELLENT).
Have you heard other albums besides Oranges and Lemons? That is a good one, but they have quite a few that I, and many others, would rate higher.
For some bizarre reason, this band came up a few months ago, and I was reminded about their only song I've ever heard (AFAIK): "Senses Working Overtime." While that's a fairly catchy song, XTC seemed like just another of the bands that had one popular song during the short period when ska went mainstream. Apparently there was more to them than that, but they didn't get enough run to catch my attention at a time when, among my friends, liking anything that wasn't metal was taboo.
Senses Working Overtime has one of the catchiest choruses of any 80's pop song, but my gut tells me that it wasn't a bigger hit because of the verses, which I like a lot, but are kind of out there, and I can see a lot of people having tuned the song out before it even got to the chorus.
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Of course they are; I bought "Oranges and Lemons" as part of a bulk eBay purchase and was blown away. What a strong, well-crafted record. I really love Squeeze and there was a lot of things about that XTC record that made me think - in a good way - of Squeeze. But I've never even heard OF "Dear God" than heard it. The only other song I've heard is "Making Plans For Nigel", and that's only because I have it on an '80's compilation (and a version by Primus, which is EXCELLENT).
I like to squeeze oranges and lemons too!
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Not very metal of you Tim.
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(https://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/blackmetalbeerrrrs.jpg)
lemonade anyone??
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Well beer is metal Tim. Lol
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Kev, I was one of the individuals who referred you to a few XTC albums on another recent thread you started, but as to this one.....
I had never heard of XTC nor heard of them except for a couple of friends who had them in their collection. Kind of like Firesign Theater...if you didn't know of them....you would never know of them.
I really DIG a couple of XTC albums....only because. Other than the two people that happened to have their LPs in their collection 'box'...I would never have heard of them.
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if you didn't know of them....you would never know of them.
Can't argue with that!
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Kev, I was one of the individuals who referred you to a few XTC albums on another recent thread you started, but as to this one.....
I had never heard of XTC nor heard of them except for a couple of friends who had them in their collection. Kind of like Firesign Theater...if you didn't know of them....you would never know of them.
I really DIG a couple of XTC albums....only because. Other than the two people that happened to have their LPs in their collection 'box'...I would never have heard of them.
Yep, they are very under the radar. Heck, even most 80's compilations and playlists I see never have anything by them, and they are a band that most people who grew up listening to music in the 80's have at least heard of, even if they can't name a song off the top of their head.
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You could ask the same question about lots and lots of bands who are as good (or better) than most bands in the same genre. There is not an exact answer. Some groups get more attention than others. You might also argue that they didn't get popular because they were so good. And then you can ask the opposite: why do shitty bands/groups/plastic people get so much attention when they are shit, they play no instruments and a computer sings for them? Well, because they have good looks, big asses and they get played everywhere.
In the XTC case, I have no idea. To me they are one of the best pop bands ever. Maybe that's why... ;D
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They blew? Maybe that was it.
:hefdaddy
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You could ask the same question about lots and lots of bands who are as good (or better) than most bands in the same genre. There is not an exact answer. Some groups get more attention than others. You might also argue that they didn't get popular because they were so good. And then you can ask the opposite: why do shitty bands/groups/plastic people get so much attention when they are shit, they play no instruments and a computer sings for them? Well, because they have good looks, big asses and they get played everywhere.
In the XTC case, I have no idea. To me they are one of the best pop bands ever. Maybe that's why... ;D
Or.... bands get the popularity they deserve. Always exceptions, life is about exceptions, but bell-curve generally, bands achieve the success they deserve.
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^ Who can judge which ones deserve success and which ones don't? It enters the realm of taste and subjectivity. The people who enjoy XTC would probably agree they deserved more success, while those who dislike them would say they got as much success as they deserved.
I would politely disagree about this rule that bands achieve the success they deserve.
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Or.... bands get the popularity they deserve. Always exceptions, life is about exceptions, but bell-curve generally, bands achieve the success they deserve.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/BZQziX6q2hmX6/giphy.gif)
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^ Who can judge which ones deserve success and which ones don't? It enters the realm of taste and subjectivity. The people who enjoy XTC would probably agree they deserved more success, while those who dislike them would say they got as much success as they deserved.
I would politely disagree about this rule that bands achieve the success they deserve.
Kev's got it right (though I don't know if he's agreeing with me or not). Maybe "deserve" is the wrong word, but this notion that "if only people could HEAR Dream Theater, they'd be as big as Beiber!".... no. "XTC" appealed to the people they appealed to, and they didn't to those that they didn't. So their success level is right where it "should be". No taste, no subjectivity, no nothing. This notion that "I like them therefore in a perfect world they'd be touring stadia without an album to support!" is what I'm pushing back on. In that sense, we agree, I think.
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I am not sure I am agreeing with you or not. :lol :lol
I mean, there are a lot of bands where I think, "They should be more popular," but if I sit and think about it, it is kind of obvious why they are not. Take one of my favorites, Neal Morse. In a prefect world, he would be huge, but his style was already too much for the masses and was only even going to appeal to a niche audience, and that was before he went the overtly spiritual route.
In the case of XTC, I think they had enough catchy pop songs to where they should have been bigger, but a variety of factors worked against them, some self-inflicted, although while it seems unfair to say that Andy Partridge being unable to tour because he got stage fright due to going off Valium was self-inflicted, he does admit now that a big part of it was that he was sick of touring and he just didn't want to do it anymore (they were getting robbed blind by their management and the record company, and he was tired of the relentless touring and making nothing).
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Article on Andy Partridge (from last October):
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/20/my-dream-had-died-xtcs-andy-partridge-on-mental-illness-battling-the-music-industry-and-losing-his-muse
Kind of a sad story when you think about it. He seems like both a brilliant guy and a pain in the ass (no wonder he and Steven Wilson are pals now :lol), but even though he didn't get rich in the business, he should be proud of the music he and XTC made.
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I'll check this out tonight Kev. Thanks.
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I'll check this out tonight Kev. Thanks.
:tup :tup
It still makes me a little bummed that more people don't listen to XTC, but it is what it is. I have revisited a lot of their stuff in the last week, and so much of it holds up really well. So many albums, so many good songs.
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Of course they are; I bought "Oranges and Lemons" as part of a bulk eBay purchase and was blown away. What a strong, well-crafted record. I really love Squeeze and there was a lot of things about that XTC record that made me think - in a good way - of Squeeze. But I've never even heard OF "Dear God" than heard it. The only other song I've heard is "Making Plans For Nigel", and that's only because I have it on an '80's compilation (and a version by Primus, which is EXCELLENT).
I like to squeeze oranges and lemons too!
This thread is RIPE for humor :tup :lol
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XTC are great. I'm trying to get myself back in the headspace for writing up my top 50 pop albums (been too much going on in general), but whenever I do I have an XTC album on tap for the next one.
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Okay, there are obvious reasons like, "they stopped touring in 1982," and "they were too British for some," but it had to be more than that.
They honestly weren't very big in the UK.
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XTC are great. I'm trying to get myself back in the headspace for writing up my top 50 pop albums (been too much going on in general), but whenever I do I have an XTC album on tap for the next one.
:tup :tup
Okay, there are obvious reasons like, "they stopped touring in 1982," and "they were too British for some," but it had to be more than that.
They honestly weren't very big in the UK.
True. Bigger than here in the States, but still not that popular when looking at the charting of their albums and singles in real time. Not touring after 1982 sure didn't help. When you think about it, it's amazing the core 3 stayed together as long as they did, as I am sure Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory couldn't have been crazy about being in a band that long that couldn't tour. And both were talented, so it's not like either couldn't have found another good gig fairly easily.
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XTC are great. I'm trying to get myself back in the headspace for writing up my top 50 pop albums (been too much going on in general), but whenever I do I have an XTC album on tap for the next one.
:tup :tup
Okay, there are obvious reasons like, "they stopped touring in 1982," and "they were too British for some," but it had to be more than that.
They honestly weren't very big in the UK.
True. Bigger than here in the States, but still not that popular when looking at the charting of their albums and singles in real time. Not touring after 1982 sure didn't help. When you think about it, it's amazing the core 3 stayed together as long as they did, as I am sure Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory couldn't have been crazy about being in a band that long that couldn't tour. And both were talented, so it's not like either couldn't have found another good gig fairly easily.
I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
See, e.g., Neil Peart.
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
See, e.g., Neil Peart.
Yep, yep, he'd would be one of the more obvious examples.
The major advantage to XTC not touring is that they went into the studio with an "anything goes" approach, since they didn't have to worry about playing any of the songs live. I doubt something like Apple Venus, Volume 1 would have seen the light of day as is otherwise, and that would have been a damn shame.
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
Isn't that the issue that (in part) imploded Jellyfish?
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
Isn't that the issue that (in part) imploded Jellyfish?
I don't know enough about Jellyfish to speak on that, but it's funny you mention them in this thread, as I know when Rick Beato did his "what makes this song great" video on XTC's The Mayor of Simpleton a while back, he had with him one of the members of Jellyfish, who apparently is a big XTC fan.
And I need to revisit Jellyfish. I never heard them until a few years ago, but thought the first record was really, really good. I need to tackle the second a bit more.
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I think in america and canada the most well known xtc song is the Crash Test Dummies cover of Peter Pumkinhead (which I only learned was a cover a few years ago)
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I think in america and canada the most well known xtc song is the Crash Test Dummies cover of Peter Pumkinhead (which I only learned was a cover a few years ago)
Your wording is a bit misleading, so to clear it up: The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead is an XTC original written by Andy Partridge that Crash Test Dummies later covered.
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yeah that’s what I meant :loser:
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Maybe it's my age, but growing up in the MTV era, the only two songs I ever heard by XTC before I sought them out on my own are "Senses Working Overtime" and "The Mayor Of Simpleton", and the former FAR eclipsed the latter.
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The Mayor of Simpleton is an amazing track though. Love that bass line. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin Head is up there among my favorite songs of theirs as well. The entire Nonsuch album is tremendous. The band at the height of their power IMO.
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
Isn't that the issue that (in part) imploded Jellyfish?
I don't know enough about Jellyfish to speak on that, but it's funny you mention them in this thread, as I know when Rick Beato did his "what makes this song great" video on XTC's The Mayor of Simpleton a while back, he had with him one of the members of Jellyfish, who apparently is a big XTC fan.
And I need to revisit Jellyfish. I never heard them until a few years ago, but thought the first record was really, really good. I need to tackle the second a bit more.
The Jellyfish guys definitely were XTC fans, and you can hear it in their music.
Touring may have had something to do with Jellyfish's break up, but most of the documented information pointed towards Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning having creative differences. I recall Roger mentioned in an interview recently, how Andy wanted to make a record inspired by Leonard Cohen after Spilt Milk.
That and the process of making Spilt Milk I think led to conflict. They kind of pulled out all their hair making that record.
Unfortunately, Andy and Roger don't really get along, so the odds of a reunion ever happening are still slim to none. Otherwise, things like The Lickerish Quartet likely wouldn't have happened, and it would have been with Andy and they would have just reformed Jellyfish instead.
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I think the lack of touring suited Dave Gregory's personality well enough. He doesn't seem like the type who ever would have relished the rock and roll lifestyle.
Good point. It makes you wonder how many music stars would love to never tour. I am sure there are plenty who love maybe not the constant travel, but being in front of live crowds and playing and getting that instant (hopefully) positive feedback. On the flip side, I am sure there are many who would love it if they could make a good living by just recording and releasing music, even back in the day when it was somewhat realistic (vs now, where good luck with that).
Isn't that the issue that (in part) imploded Jellyfish?
I don't know enough about Jellyfish to speak on that, but it's funny you mention them in this thread, as I know when Rick Beato did his "what makes this song great" video on XTC's The Mayor of Simpleton a while back, he had with him one of the members of Jellyfish, who apparently is a big XTC fan.
And I need to revisit Jellyfish. I never heard them until a few years ago, but thought the first record was really, really good. I need to tackle the second a bit more.
The Jellyfish guys definitely were XTC fans, and you can hear it in their music.
Touring may have had something to do with Jellyfish's break up, but most of the documented information pointed towards Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning having creative differences. I recall Roger mentioned in an interview recently, how Andy wanted to make a record inspired by Leonard Cohen after Spilt Milk.
That and the process of making Spilt Milk I think led to conflict. They kind of pulled out all their hair making that record.
Unfortunately, Andy and Roger don't really get along, so the odds of a reunion ever happening are still slim to none. Otherwise, things like The Lickerish Quartet likely wouldn't have happened, and it would have been with Andy and they would have just reformed Jellyfish instead.
Yeah, I think you're right; I was thinking that the detail on Spilt Milk, and the notion that they were sort of moving from a "group" to a "project" (kind of like the latter day Beatles) might have come to a head with "touring" but that's probably a minor part of it.
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Maybe it's my age, but growing up in the MTV era, the only two songs I ever heard by XTC before I sought them out on my own are "Senses Working Overtime" and "The Mayor Of Simpleton", and the former FAR eclipsed the latter.
I am shocked that you didn't hear Dear God back in the day, given your age, as that was apparently really popular amongst the college kids, and that should have been right around your time there, right?
The Mayor of Simpleton is an amazing track though. Love that bass line. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin Head is up there among my favorite songs of theirs as well. The entire Nonsuch album is tremendous. The band at the height of their power IMO.
Nonsuch is the classic 90's "it would have been a lot better had a little of the dead weight been cut off" album (a very good 17-track album could have been a GREAT 12-track album). That said, it has a lot of great stuff for sure.
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Maybe it's my age, but growing up in the MTV era, the only two songs I ever heard by XTC before I sought them out on my own are "Senses Working Overtime" and "The Mayor Of Simpleton", and the former FAR eclipsed the latter.
I am shocked that you didn't hear Dear God back in the day, given your age, as that was apparently really popular amongst the college kids, and that should have been right around your time there, right?
The Mayor of Simpleton is an amazing track though. Love that bass line. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin Head is up there among my favorite songs of theirs as well. The entire Nonsuch album is tremendous. The band at the height of their power IMO.
Nonsuch is the classic 90's "it would have been a lot better had a little of the dead weight been cut off" album (a very good 17-track album could have been a GREAT 12-track album). That said, it has a lot of great stuff for sure.
Yeah, they could have trimmed a bit of it (stuff like Crocodile or Omnibus, or one of the three closing tracks each of which felt like the album closer!), but I do like all of it.
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Bite your tongue! Omnibus is one of my favorite XTC songs in general. I just love it.
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Bite your tongue! Omnibus is one of my favorite XTC songs in general. I just love it.
Hah, I guess that just illustrates the difficulty in cutting down Nonsuch to a shorter album!
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I just love how the trumpet spends the bulk of Omnibus, in essence, chasing the vocal. Very cool effect, the way that was done.