XTC album review....

[Joe Turner <cutter%umb.umb.edu@RELAY.CS.NET>]

OK... *user putting in copy of "Skylarking"*

Notes:
-----
This album was produced by Todd Rundgren at the record company's request - XTC
had no choice in the matter. Todd forced a concept down their throats; the
concept was that the album would trace the seven stages of life; happiness of
youth, to the first hintings of love, to the more adult battlefield of love,
lust, marriage, infidelity, midlife crises, all the way to death and beyond.
Unfortunately, XTC already had songs written for the album, so Rundgren just
chose the ones that made sense and had them record those. Ah, sigh. There were
high hopes when the "Grass" 12" came out, because the b-sides ("Extrovert",
"Dear God") were two of the better XTC songs to come out in a while.
"Extrovert" was a big, brassy, funky number; "Dear God" was a quiet, defiant,
Andy Partridge Why-I-Hate-God song, and his most political/controversial in a
long time. I wouldn't say my hopes were dashed with the album.. but it wasn't
what I expected. Anyway...

SIDE ONE:
--------
"Summer's Cauldron"
	Oh, it's 60's. Lyrical visual imagery, birds twitting in the back.
Drone in the back, jangling guitars. "Mole From the Ministry" drums. Let's
sit in the grass, drink in the sun, and be carefree... sigh... Partridge
paints a perfect picture of youth in the summer. Segues into---

"Grass"
	Vague hints of Indian musical elements. Bongos for percussion. VERY
SHORT. Celebrates the first hints of love. Kinda wimpy, but it's short, so it's
cool. Fades off into the drone and birds from the start of "Summer's Cauldron".

"The Meeting Place"
	The pace picks up, with another song about love - though this time it's
more serious than the playful flirting of "Grass": "You're a working girl,
you've got money of your own". Neat synth setting, for some kind of bell.
Dissonant backing vox. Odd rhythmic sounds in the mix.

"That's Really Super, Supergirl"
	My pick for best song from side one. This one really moves, and is more
gutsy than any of the other side 1 songs.  Witty use of "Superman" imagery, and
a very catchy melody. Best use of flangers I've seen in a while. All about
spurned love.

"Ballet for a Rainy Day"
	Poetic lyrics about what to do on a depressing day. Pretty melody. Nice
piano part. Vocal interlude has some really 60s harmonies. The verses sound
almost like a detergent commercial, but the choruses get moving. Very catchy!
Smooth transition into--

"1000 Umbrellas"
	The WEIRDEST XTC song I've ever heard. This is to "Respectable Street"
what "Eleanor Rigby" was to "Only A Northern Song". Cellos, violins, etc. with
a solitary acoustic guitar somewhere there. Lyrics and vox fit quite well in
the symphonic sound. More about love and depression.

"Season Cycle"
	Bouncy, poppy, "up" peice. It also contains the worst forced rhyme I've
ever come across: in rhyming "umbilical" with "cycle", Partridge manages to
pronouce it "um-bih-LIE-kul". UGH!!! Unfortunately, it's kinda forgettable. For
a song that tries to convey a feeling of settling into life's rhythms, I think
"Extrovert" would have worked better.

SIDE TWO:
--------
"Earn Enough for Us"
	This song begins the trio of songs I like the most. This song also
sounds like a "Dukes of Stratosphear" outtake, without the organs and crud.
It is the most XTC-like song on the album. It is also the most catchy and
infectious song I've heard in a LONG while. Sounds like 1966 Beatles, which is
good cuz I *like* 1966 Beatles. Explores the joys of marriage and lack of
funds. I know THAT feeling... (well, the latter, at least)

"Big Day"
	Second in my trio of faves. Fuckin' awesome harmonies start it off. A
gentle, bouncy song about marriage. Also extremely catchy, and features
psuedo-"Waking the Witch" vocal effects. Jangling guitars float around the mix.
VERY VERY 60s. In fact, most EVERYTHING on this album is 60s.

"Another Satellite"
	Welcome to infidelity! Cool guitar sound and a funky syncopated rhythm
make this the last in the trio. Spacey whistle in the back and a neat echo
delay on the vox give it an almost scary feeling. Sparsely produced, with
unexpected dissonant chord changes. Not really 60's... but fun.

"Mermaid Smiled"
	Pleasant, ambiguous, forgettable.

"The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul"
	Counterpart to "1000 Umbrellas". This is basically a mid-60s soft jazz
peice in 7/8 time. Fun stuff about mid-life crises. Finger-snaps, funky bass
line, jazzy flute, etc... let's sit back and think about Brubeck, eh?

"Dying"
	Now we get REALLY depressing. The joys of growing old and having your
wife die first. Despair and lonliness seep through the song, which is done all
in minor keys. A depressed-sounding clarinet part doesn't help matters.
Well-done.

"Sacrifical Bonfire"
	Wistful, melancholy, metaphysical. Builds up to a swirling climax of
strings and horns, replete with metaphysical lyrics about good and bad and life
and death. Beautiful. First time I heard it I actually almost cried.


OVERALL SUMMARY:
---------------
Well, I liked it, but I like anything that gets pretentious and metaphysical.
The music is well-written overall, and until the very end, it's a fun album to
listen to.  People have complained the concept that Rundgren gave them is
"artificial" and forced --- I happen to like albums with unifying themes, so
even if the concept is aritificial, I still prefer it to just an album's worth
of random songs. I understand that Rundgren and XTC had a number of
disagreements during the final mixing, at which point XTC took off and said the
hell with it. Well, the production has TODD RUNDGREN stamped all over it, but
again, I like Todd, so it's cool. I also understand that Todd did not let any
of the more political songs on the album, fearing it would ruin the concept. I
feel this is a bad move. XTC's political bite is what gives their music a lot
of its hold and verve; their love songs just can't get it there sometimes. The
b-sides of the "Grass" 12", "Extrovert" and "Dear God", are two of XTC's better
songs, and should have been put on "Skylarking". I understand that the next
single may have four b-sides on it; I hope so! XTC reportedly wrote and/or
recorded three albums worth of material -- hopefully we'll see some of that in
the next album or the b-sides. This album is 60s psychedelia influenced; not as
bad as "25 O'Clock" had the influence, but enough. If ya don't like wimpy
jangling guitar music (Hi Tim! Hi Hoff!) don't listen. I think it's one of the
top albums for '86 -- maybe even the best.

THE FINAL UPSHOT IS:
-------------------
Not the best XTC album in existance, but damn, it's close. A near-miss. Buy it
for your friends and family for the holidays. Buy it for yourself. BUT BUY IT!
It's a solid, pleasing album from a very consistent band.

---

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