Day 0881 - Apple Venus vol.1

XTC "Apple Venus vol.1" (1999) - got it

It had been 7 years since the previous XTC album.  The band had been arguing with their record label Virgin and essentially went on strike until they were allowed the freedom to do things their way.   Eventually the band left the label and were able to move forward with their music.  

Songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding had amassed over 40 songs and at first had planned to release a double album, but changed this to release two volumes.   The second Apple Venus volume "Wasp Star" would consist of more straight ahead rock/guitar songs.    Volume one though is a masterpiece of baroque pop mostly consisting of orchestral instruments and acoustic guitars.   Due to budgetary restrictions the album's orchestral parts were all recorded in one day.

From the opening pizzicato strings and dripping sounds of "River of Orchids" that build to a swirl of strings and layered vocals, the album is a gorgeous journey with hints of Beatles, Bacharach and Beach Boys while still being totally XTC.   

 

There are a couple of more light-hearted tracks ("Frivolous Tonight" and "Fruit Nut") courtesy of Moulding, but the bulk of the album is Partridge's with a McCartney-eqsue upbeat acoustic track "I'd like that".  A bitter reflection on the end of his marriage with "Your Dictionary".   Album-closer "The Last Balloon" is an appropriately elegant melodic journey with its slow keys and strings with choirs building to booming percussive accents and sailing the album away on a mournful lilting trumpet solo.

XTC are one of those musical oversights for me.   I liked and bought this album when I first skimmed through the 1001 albums book and have since bought two other of their albums... but given they have 14, I could probably delve deeper.

Day 0580 - Skylarking

XTC "Skylarking" (1986)

I'm always keen to check out more XTC.   I got into their album "Apples Venus vol.1" (I think through looking at the 1001 albums book back in 2009 or so) and I loved the lovely, lush, slightly 1960s-esque pop with it's orchestral touches here and there.

By the time this album came out, the band had largely become a studio-based project, following singer/songwriter Andy Partridge's breakdown and refusal to continue touring.  I do wonder if artists would be able to work as a solely studio-based unit nowadays with the majority of people not bothering to pay for recordings of music anymore.

This albums is typical of the other XTC albums I've heard before: excellent songcraft, some lush and interesting orchestrations, but with the occasional song that suits and utilises a more stripped-down approach.  The tracks range from baroque pop to faux jazz to eastern psychedelia.

Apparently lyrically it is supposed to be the journey from birth, school, marriage, kids through to death.  I picked up on bits and pieces of that, but for me it was largely just a musically enjoyable album.