When they quit touring, using the studio as an instrument and compositional tool became central to their work (Moulding's delicate and lovely fantasy "Wonderland", Partridge's "Love on a Farmboy's Wages"). The band eventually took an unusual shift, embracing these textures even further, to the benefit of their performances and receeding the punk elements in favor of Beatles and Beach Boys inspired pop elements- the brilliant pop hook on "Senses Working Overtime" provides a fine example of this. When Andrews departed to be replaced by guitarist and sometime keyboardist Dave Gregory, the band's compositions became more and more enamoured with harmony, arrangement and melody, first the compositions of bassist Colin Moulding (throbbing mechanical rocker "Making Plans for Nigel", early acoustic rumination "Ten Feet Tall") then eventually Partridge (the churning "Towers of London"). While it was a bit inconsistent (mostly due to odd vocal styles), Partridge's compositions already showed an undercurrent of wit ("Statue of Liberty") and pop hooks ("This is Pop?"). XTC started as a ska/punk new wave band, driving rhythms, buzzing organs (courtesy of keyboardist Barry Andrews) and skanking guitars from Andy Partridge dominated the early work. As an introduction to the band, it provides a fine overview of their career and history and you can hear how many pieces should have been huge singles, but never were. But there’s not a bad track on either disc, so get to it."Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-92" is a a compilation of every British a-side the band released during their tenure with Virgin Records. Some of the XTC compilations pile on the home demos and other stuff that (even for me) really doesn’t seem that vital. If you’ve picked up all the albums but missed the b-sides, Beeswax is essential, not optional. I’d point XTC newbies to their later work, but if you’ve digested most of their later 80s and beyond work, then you’re ready to start with the formative years. Some of these songs are pushing 40, but they feel as fresh as they did when I discovered them in the late 80s. If you need a good wallow after a break-up, “Heaven is Paved with Broken Glass” is your buddy. I guess the primary difference between “single” and “b-side” is whether XTC has its serious face on or not. Both songs are about domestic squabbling, “Punch and Judy” has a slightly slower pace and a bit of fiddling on the guitar that’s pleasant. When I listen to “Tissue Tigers (The Arguers)” and “Punch and Judy” back to back I feel like somebody’s having a rough time at home. There’s a lot of punk sneer here, but also a slightly “plastic” aesthetic. Or, perhaps, where they’re spirits sitting on Andy Partridge’s shoulders and neither one quite has sway. “Science Friction” makes you wonder whether you’ve put on an album or set off an alarm, but that quickly resolves into a rough and discordant guitar bit, before settling into a fast-paced song that makes me think of an alternate reality where The Ramones and DEVO join forces. You’ll note that 1977-1982 corresponds with XTC’s touring years, before the band stopped touring and being constrained by playing songs live. “This album has 12 songs, but this one is the same price and it’s 25 songs! Score!” I’ve never really thought of side two as b-sides, probably because XTC’s b-sides were usually just as good as their singles – and certainly better than a lot of bands’ singles. However, I’m lumping them together because that’s how I first found them, as a long-play cassette from Virgin released in 1982.Īt 25 songs, it was one hell of a score when I still chose new music based on how much I could scrape together from part-time jobs. Officially Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982 and Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977–1982 are separate albums. This pairing captures the very best of XTC’s early period, before they evolved into a more “pastoral” (and Beatlesque) sound on later albums. Waxworks and Beeswax are a double dose of angular, jumpy, frenetic pop from Swindon’s XTC.
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