Let's listen to XTC!
You're welcome.
I've always been XTC-curious. But except for a brief time in 1989 when I had their big Oranges And Lemons ("Mayor Of Simpleton", "King For A Day"), I've never owned a album. I've collected a few hits here and there over the years, but no real coverage. But, I last weekend gave in and bought a 'singles' collection (Fossil Fuel - 31 songs!). It's great, actually. The early stuff sounds like Elvis Costello, and a lot of the early 80's songs are in the same area as Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians - punchy and melodic post-punk-pop with very clever lyrics. They are underrated, in the US anyway.
But it's this tune, even though I already knew it, which has glued itself to my ears. That guitar picking is awesome. Their drummer quit over this song.
Here's Fairport Convention's cover:
Not as good, IMO.
Indeed, thank you.
I love XTC, though as with much of pop music from the late 1970s to, say, 1990, I didn’t discover them until very late. I was asleep to so much during those years.
You might like this; it’s a series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uteEVnyJgRw&t=35s
Many fine songs, but this one always gets me. It captures so much. It’s Whitmanesque:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRWavflyBXk
You might like this; it’s a series:
fascinating.
i love when people who can really play guitar don’t care about the names of the chords they’re playing. i just watched this thing with Alex Lifeson of Rush where he shows you exactly how he plays the song. he’s like “well, this thing looks kindof like an A, so i call it an A, but i don’t know it’s real name. and i have no idea what this is, but here’s how i finger it.”
here i am learning enough theory that i know both of those chords he couldn’t name are Asus4 (one with a 7th). but knowledge is completely useless when it comes to playing the solo. theory can’t teach my dumb old fingers to go any faster.
Produced by Todd Rundgren, which makes so much sense.
i don’t know a ton of XTC stuff, but this is my favorite as well.
As a possible point of interest, Fairport’s drummer lives around the corner from me these days. I bump into him now and then and we talk drums.
Small world.
oh cool