What's wrong with XTC's Oranges & Lemons (XTC versus Dukes)

[colm@mathcs.emory.edu (Colm Mulcahy)]

In article <33655@batcave.uucp> Love-Hounds@GAFFA.MIT.EDU writes:
>Really-From: batcave!batman@Sun.COM (Karl MacRae - The Surreal World of Customer Service)
>> 
>	Another Dukes? Got news for you; 'Lemons and Oranges' *IS* 
>the new Dukes album! 
>
>	Seriously, this record has far more in common with the Dukes 
>than with regular XTC albums,

almost ....

> which is kind of a pity. Now, I *loved*
>'Psonic Psunspots', but the album is a satire, and I'd like to see
>XTC put a little more into a record if they're going to release it 
>as an XTC album.

hear, hear !

> This thing sounds like a collection of leftovers from
>'Dukes', 'Skylarking', and 'Mummer'. 

no, i wouldn't go THAT far. it's less stylized, though it DOES sound very
beachboyish in places. still, thee are trademark XTC sounds not found on the 
Dukes albums, and Mayor of Simpleton is a standard XTC hit (lazy bastards !).
skylarking had the same problems mind you.

(notice how one of the demos on the B-side of Mayor 12" sound remarkably
like Crosby era psychadelic Byrds, as in early 1967 ?!).

>	...Sorry to get on a soapbox, but I think these guys still
>have material the quality of 'English Settlement' and 'Black Sea'
>in them, if only they'd quit fooling with this 60's sound. This record

well said, i mean the cover of the LP alone is rediculous enough .....

it's not like the kids NEED encouragement to go back and check out the 60s
anymore, it's a bloody disease at this point !

>up after first playing it. Don't get me wrong; I don't think it's
>a *bad* record; there's some great songs here. I just thing that 
>the whole feel of the thing is very, very wrong....

me too.

it's funny, Andy said that of the 36 songs he submitted to Rundgren, a lot were
hard edged, and Todd picked out the slicker ones. so andy claimed he would hold
back the harder edged ones for the next LP. well, where are they now ???!!

(incidently, all of the Dukes stuff was supposedly written around the same time,
the sucess of the first and moreso the sucess of Skylarking gave them the leeway
to go back into the studio and record the other Dukes songs, i.e., the 
second Dukes album.  they also did it incredibly cheaply, like for 5,000 pounds
or something rediculous, actually giving back their record company what they 
didn't use of the budgeted money.)


-
-- 
Colm Mulcahy         |  colm@mathcs.emory.edu             PREFERRED
c/o Emory University |  {sun!sunatl,gatech}!emory!colm    UUCP
Dept of Math and CS  |  colm@emory                        NON-DOMAIN BITNET
Atlanta, GA 30322    |  A pint of plain is your only man (Myles/Flann/Brian)