This album stands as an effective summation of the punky exuberance particular to a parcel of British bands that all ended up sailing across the ocean to America and were captured under the marketing flag of New Wave. XTC was one of the best of the lot and their continued artistic growth is testament to their devotion to music over punk ethos or the dictates of commerce. This 1978 album (which now also includes their 3-D EP from the previous year) is overflowing with hopped-up energy and wiseguy humor. The songs are played like a building on fire by a quartet featuring the era's de rigeur instrumentation of guitar, Farfisa organ, bass and drums -- seemingly with everything turned up in the mix! "This Is Pop," "Do What You Do," "Statue of Liberty," "I'll Set Myself On Fire," "I'm Bugged," "Radios In Motion" -- no look at the era would be complete without these songs. Hearing XTC's earliest work with the full knowledge of where they've gone since is both elucidating and entertaining.

With their second album XTC was already showing signs of outgrowing their own clothing. Similar in style and content to their debut WHITE MUSIC, GO 2 features a less brittle production and, perhaps most notably, comes packaged in a design which finds the group standing apart from and commenting on the market forces meant to convey their music to the public. XTC were clearly at a crossroads with this album, a situation borne out by their subsequent releases which moved them further away from any accidental peers of the era, and into the ongoing tapestry of pop music. Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding's songwriting skills were in evidence from the beginning, and this album found XTC doing exactly what those songs needed. Those needs, however were to soon change, and this album marks the end of the band's brief New Wave era.

This third album marks a significant personnel change for XTC. Organist Barry Andrews departed and was replaced by guitarist Dave Gregory. While neither of the two wrote songs for the band, the change effectively removed the most New Wave element in XTC's original sound, ultimately setting the stage for a magnificent sonic expansion over the following several albums. Opening with one of their biggest hits, Making Plans For Nigel, the album finds the Partridge-Gregory guitar interplay exploring the rich fields of Captain Beefheart (the tag to Day In Day Out is pure Magic Band). The relative quiet of Ten Feet Tall sounds positively pastoral after the nonstop energy of the last two albums. With Life Begins at the Hop Colin Moulding was emerging as XTC's hit-bound writer, but since these charting entries he's remained pretty much in the shadows of the more prolific Andy Partridge.

Following the critical and commercial success of DRUMS AND WIRES, XTC build on their status as one of the most eccentric bands of the 1980s. BLACK SEA explores myriad different styles, including ska, pop and of course, new wave. Guitarist Andy Partridge provides the driving force, with his seemingly effortless blend of accessible melodies in front of driving, incessant rhythms. Tracks like 'Respectable Street' and 'Living Through Another Cuba' set the tone for XTC's general aesthetic, based primarily on smart, stylish hooks and lyrics.

XTC's fourth album showed the full flower of their two-guitar lineup, begun on the previous DRUMS AND WIRES. Perhaps their most powerfully rocking work, the songs were no less compelling live. Unfortunately, as touring began in support of the release, leader Andy Partridge's long-standing stage fright blossomed into immobilizing panic, forcing the band to permanently retire from the stage. Their palette was continuing to expand sonically and Steve Lillywhite's production made the most of every towering beat and rhythmic nuance. Several singles were drawn from the record and charted in Britain, most notably the dazzling "Respectable Street" and "Towers Of London." BLACK SEA marked the close of the band's first era and stands as one of their peak works, filled as it with the stunning and unmistakable flavors that are the band's character.

Any doubts about XTC's abilities and directions following their permanent withdrawal from live performance after the release of BLACK SEA were cast aside when this album appeared in 1982. Originally released as a double album (and subsequently formatted onto a single CD), it marked the dawning of their more pastoral phase. However, far from setting aside their rocking grooves, they now came wrapped in a softer blanket, of more intricate arrangements. Senses Working Overtime garnered them some airplay in the states, which brought in new fans who were treated to a wonderful range of songs which all featured a judicious mix of electric and acoustic instruments. ENGLISH SETTLEMENT is the band's second homerun in a row.

Having fully settled into their retirement from touring, this was XTC's second album since leaving the stage for good. With none of the songs having developed in live performance, their studio inclinations were given full range to go where they might. MUMMER opens with the African rhythms of Beating Of Hearts, with things then immediately turning intimate and pastoral as Colin Moulding's Wonderland drifts in like a falling leaf. Andy Partridge delivered a few novel takes on familiar themes of love and longing with Love On a Farmboy's Wages and Great Fire. The album also closes with his Funk Pop A Roll, which ironically starts a dance party right when it's time to leave.

In the XTC canon, THE BIG EXPRESS (1984) and its predecessor MUMMER are generally overlooked as merely the two albums between the more commercially successful ENGLISH SETTLEMENT and SKYLARKING. THE BIG EXPRESS is, in fact, a more consistent album -- if only because it isn't quite as ambitious -- and it contains at least two absolute classic XTC songs, "All You Pretty Girls" and "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her." The latter of these spawned an unlikely number of covers and at least one band who took the track's title as their unwieldy moniker.

Standouts include the barreling music-hall approach of Colin Moulding's "Washaway," Andy Partridge's "The Everyday Story of Smalltown," and the weird, herky-jerky rhythm of "I Bought Myself a Liarbird." Shot through with the band's trademark take on English psychedelia, THE BIG EXPRESS should not be passed over. Rock & roll trainspotters will appreciate both the similarities between this album's "Wake Up" and Kate Bush's "Waking the Witch" from her 1985 album THE HOUNDS OF LOVE, and those of "Shake Your Donkey Up" and "Ride Your Donkey" from Joe Strummer's 1989 album EARTHQUAKE WEATHER.

Though borne out of frustrating circumstances, SKYLARKING proved, upon its 1986 release, to be XTC's biggest seller. Attention was spurred along by Dear God, which was originally issued only as a B-side and not even included on the album. Subsequent pressings quickly substituted the song (removing Mermaid Smiled, which resurfaced on RAG & BONE BUFFET). At the time, Andy Partridge was extremely vocal about the band's dissatisfaction in working with producer Todd Rundgren. Intervening years have softened the memory of personal clashes and he now also embraces this as one of their finest hours (as had been the case with most of their fans all along). With hooks galore (That's Really Super, Supergirl, Season Cycle), lush orchestrations (1000 Umbrellas), acoustic reveries (Grass, Sacrificial Bonfire), and even some big fat electric guitars and drums (Earn Enough For Us), this is a perfect starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the fine XTC catalog.

XTC has always been influenced by psychedelia, but not since the DUKES OF THE STRATOSPHEAR album has it been so obviously displayed -- even the record's jacket illustration is based on the animation of YELLOW SUBMARINE. In addition to the psychedelic influences, the band also demonstrates more political awareness than previously, as shown by "Here Comes President Kill Again," and "Across This Antheap."

The band even scored a hit single with the chiming, gorgeous "The Mayor of Simpleton," (ironic considering that it contains the line "Well I don't know how to right a big hit song,") which extols the virtues of the heart over the head. Other standouts include the herky-jerky funk of "Poor Skeleton Steps Out," complete with whistles, xylophones, and assorted odd noises. The upbeat "Pink Thing" features a lively acoustic guitar, handclaps, and some vocal gymnastics from Andy Partridge, while the expansive "Chalkhills and Children" is an introspective, dreamlike number built on swelling synth tones and rolling drums. ORANGES & LEMONS would make an excellent starting point for future XTC fans. Collectors should note that the CD was initially available in a limited-edition format consisting of several three-inch CDs.

XTC's NONSUCH falls somewhere between the high-polish shine of ORANGES & LEMONS and the pastoral reverie of SKYLARKING. The album also marked the end of the band's dealings with their original label, the beginning of protracted legal maneuverings, and a seven year gap in releases (ended with APPLE VENUS VOLUME ONE in 1999). The generous total of seventeen songs was also the result of the three-year recording gap preceding it. Included are ample rewards ranging from the rocking (The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead, Crocodile, The Disappointed) to the soothing (My Bird Performs, Holly Up On Poppy, Humble Daisy). As always, a distinctly British sense of place, manner and language pervades the songs (in a manner not unlike The Kinks' VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY).

One of pop's most innovative groups is at it again, this time sporting a haughty blend of acoustic and orchestral sensibility. XTC has finally abandoned their strike against their record label and is going back to what they do best. The result? Apple Venus Volume 1. They draw comparisons to The Beatles and The Beach Boys, but celebrate the fact that they are quite possibly the only band able to pull it off. The album opens with two of its most varied tracks - the heavily symphonic 'River Of Orchids' and the dreamy sing-along 'I'd Like That' - and doesn't look back from there.

After an incredible seven-year absence from recording, XTC returned with an orchestra in tow. The intervening years found the band embroiled in legal problems and when they finally emerged to embark on this new work, they were reduced to a duo. Guitarist Dave Gregory departed, leaving just founders and songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. The orchestral settings which became the identity of this first volume create vast and often theatrical settings for the songs, which don't stray far from what one would expect from XTC (that is, when they choose not to rock).

"River of Orchids" opens the album and announces their intentions as the arrangement slowly comes into view. Setting aside most worldly concerns for affairs of the heart, the album has a thematic unity that gives the whole thing the feel of a song cycle. Contributing only two songs to Partridge's nine, Moulding's "Frivolous Tonight" is a real gem, possessing a powerful beauty wrapped in hypnotic melancholia.

WASP STAR is a muscular and confident album, full of excellent XTC songs. There's the rolling, glorious "Stupidly Happy," with the cool '80s megaphone vocals throwback, and Colin Moulding's splendid "In Another Life," one of his patented slice-of-life stories featuring kettle drums and spikey acoustic guitars.

Also of note is "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love," an obvious choice for a single, with a sing-along chorus, an Arabic-flavored guitar solo, and hypnotically paced percussion. The story/song "Standing In for Joe," which sounds like an English music hall tune played by Roxy Music, tells the first-person tale of a man asked to look after his best friend's wife and who, naturally, falls hard for her. Arguably the best XTC album since SKYLARKING (and certainly their best since ORANGES & LEMONS), WASP STAR is an essential purchase for fans and the merely curious.

XTC's WAXWORKS is subtitled Some Singles 1977-1982 and it is just that -- a selection of their fine array of 45s which chart the course of a band arriving with a jump, finding its legs and taking off and running. Not trying to be complete, it wisely shows just what can happen when a band is spurred along by the power of radio and the desire to have hits. Never cliched, their songs in fact stretched the boundaries of pop songs in subtle and ingenious ways. Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down, though not a chart-topper is a wonderfully original new take on kiss-offs and regrets. Making Plans For Nigel delineates familial issues in a manner quite British, and thematically Kinks-ish. Sense Working Overtime is hooky dazzle and delight from start to finish. And that still leaves nine more equally fine slices.

This 1990 collection, far from just filling in a hole in the three-year gap between ORANGES & LEMONS and NONSUCH, is a solid set on its own terms. Comprised of b-sides, alternate versions and other rarities that span XTC's career, it plays as a nice companion to any of their other retrospectives which feature their more obvious history (UPSY DAISY, COMPLETE XTC, WAXWORKS). There are jaggedly rocking punch-outs (Respectable Street, Take This Town), pop ditties (Happy Families, Punch And Judy), early Farfisa-infused new wave templates (Looking For Footprints), assorted experiments (Over Rusty Water, Pulsing Pulsing) and even a lilting waltz (The World is Full Of Angry Young Men). Far from being a set castoffs, RAG & BONE BUFFET shows both how furiously creative the band has been, and how carefully they've shaped each album project, even if it meant having to shelve some exemplary songs.

This two-disc set delivers exactly what is promised in its parenthetical subtitle. The collection updates XTCs previous singles set, WAXWORKS, with an additional ten years worth of selections blasted out towards the hit parade. That all of these didn't make a climb to anywhere near the top of the charts is no reflection on their quality -- on the contrary, few bands have ever offered this breadth of sterling songs. From the bristly energy in their earliest sides (Science Friction, Statue Of Liberty, This Is Pop,), to mid-period streamlined powerhouses (Generals And Majors, Towers Of London, Senses Working Overtime) to stunning, mature confidence (Grass, All You Pretty Girls, The Disappointed).

The singles stopped in 1992 because the band entered a period of public inactivity, embroiled in legal disputes with their then-label. That silence was finally broken in 1999, so look for a further chapter of singles to be added in another decade. FOSSIL FUEL makes a completely convincing case for the continuing importance of a rare and superb band.

Beginning life as a British post-punk pop band in the late 70s, XTC eventually metamorphosed into a kind of New Wave Beatles, exhibiting a mastery of both songwriting and studio techniques as well as the same disdain for live performance that made the post-66 Beatles strictly a recording entity. This collection represents the best of the crop from XTC's voluminous catalog. While UPSY DAISY concentrates on the catchier, more accessible side of the band's repertoire, there are unusual twists and turns aplenty in every track here. Singer-songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding share an uncanny ability for turning strange harmonies, extended melody lines and bizarre lyrics into irresistible pop songs. On No Thugs In Our House, a young boy's parents reiterate their denial of their sons incipient fascism over a jolly backbeat. The child vocalist on Dear God assails the almighty with existential queries to a sinuous, infectious melody. UPSY DAISY makes a perfect introduction to the masterful work of an important band.

This four-disc set is a treat in every regard, pulling together selections recorded for the BBC-some in the studio, some in concert. TRANSISTOR BLAST makes a compelling case for what a strong live act XTC was before it retreated from the stage (around the time of the release of the ENGLISH SETTLEMENT album). The set also shows the band to be vibrant in the time subsequent to its retirement from live performance. Live-in-the-studio versions of songs such as Scarecrow People, Poor Skeleton Steps Out, and The Meeting Place show XTC at their peak, albeit sans audience. Two discs are devoted to concert performances from 1978 to 1980, while the other two are culled from studio sessions during the 80s. The beautifully packaged TRANSISTOR BLAST is an effective entry point for anyone unfamiliar with the output of XTC as well as an essential title for any already established fan.

This is a stunning behind-the-scenes look at XTCs APPLE VENUS VOLUME ONE. HOMESPUN offers up the albums demos in identical track order. Nine of the songs are Andy Partridge's -- the other two are by Colin Moulding. Regardless of their composers, these demo versions make it clear that the orchestral bearing of the finished songs was worked out well in advance. There are few marked differences in these precursors, but that is what is so compelling and instructive. HOMESPUN represents masterful pop music as it's being worked out on the drawing board of home studios in preparation for the painstaking work of studio recording. One number, I'd Like That, is heard first in a brief snippet that was recorded to a simple cassette machine and without its lyrics in place. Moments later, it gives way to a more complete demo. Rare are albums that deserve the sort of examination and celebration that APPLE VENUS does.

As they did with APPLE VENUS VOLUME ONE and its companion demo album HOMESPUN, XTC offers up this peek at the making of their APPLE VENUS VOLUME TWO (WASP STAR). Reduced to a duo of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, XTC continues to work as they have for most of their history, individually creating detailed demos of their songs at their own home studios.

Both writers have fairly detailed and explicit notions for the shape of their songs, with these demos sounding remarkably like their finished counterparts, albeit with not as much sonic breadth (some were done direct to cassette and none have the real drums which we utilized on the final recordings). A few numbers are heard in a couple of different versions, showing the course of development moving nicely forward. The 24-page booklet has the duo providing their annotations about the songs' origins and evolution, along with early drafts of their lyrics.

The Dukes are really XTC - they use this name when recording 60s influenced psychedelic music, a bit of a tribute and a bit tongue in cheek. This CD includes the 25 OCLOCK EP and the album PSONIC PSUNSPOT. This is XTC on a holiday of sorts. Recording under the name of The Dukes of Stratosphear, they released an EP (25 OCLOCK) and an LP (PSONIC PSUNSPOT), herein collected onto one CD. With alter-ego names in place and cloaked in packaging from the ripe era of psychedelic overload, many people didnt even know this was indeed XTC (which was the intent and a sort of goal of theirs), rather a lost nugget from the 60s. Every detail is appropriate to the times they were invoking, from the instruments and arrangements to the often trippy non-sequiturs in the lyrics. There's everything from political intrigue (The Mole From The Ministry) to hallucinogenic love songs (My Love Explodes). This is no mere dalliance, these guys knew what they were doing. CHIPS FROM THE CHOCOLATE FIREBALL is a labor of love honoring the records Andy Partridge and company watched endlessly spin during their teenage years.

Pairing the former XTC eccentric with the pointillistic Budd was either a stroke of genius or the stuff of madness. The album bears out the truth that it was the former. Budd's contemplative air sets the stage for the commencement of these gorgeous instrumental fragments, while Partridge, wielding sundry acoustics and electronics, puts a decidedly different spin to Budd's expansive chords.

There are still the pastoral chamber fractals of "Great Valley of Gongs" and the title track, where Budd's achingly poignant and powerfully subtle timbres reveal his characteristically barren-yet-engulfing sound. Things turn odd, however, when Partridge recreates baroque string sonatas and the cloud-chamber sounds of chimes on "Hand 20" or the guitar phrasings and percussion of "Ceramic Avenue," which recall Fripp and Eno's more melancholic moments. What one derives from these sensuous, sublime works of wonder and beauty is the desire for more.