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Archive-name: music/xtc-faq
Last-modified: 25 February 2002
Posting-Frequency: monthly
URL: http://chalkhills.org/FAQ.html
Subject: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
From: Chalkhills Administration
This page contains the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
often seen in Chalkhills, The XTC Fans Mail List. It is posted to help
reduce volume in the mail list and to provide hard-to-find information of
general interest.
Questions:
1. What are XTC up to these days, anyway?
2. What is Chalkhills and how do I join?
3. Is Chalkhills archived? Is the FAQ list available for FTP anywhere? Are
XTC lyrics available? Are charts, chords and/or tablature for XTC songs
available?
4. What are the addresses of the fan clubs? (updated)
5. Is that Woody Allen at the end of "My Love Explodes?" What is said at
the end of "Mole From The Ministry"?
6. Who is XTC's drummer?
7. What's the story with "Dear God" and "Mermaid Smiled" on _Skylarking_?
8. Why is the XTC mail list called "Chalkhills"? What does the cover of
_English Settlement_ mean?
9. Are the albums _Waxworks_ and _Beeswax_ available on CD? Are _Waxworks_
and _The Compact XTC_ the same album?
10. To what does the song "Pink Thing" refer?
11. Who were all XTC's producers?
12. What recordings should a new XTC-er buy?
13. Why does everyone hate Todd Rundgren, I liked _Skylarking_?
14. Why don't they tour?
15. Has anybody ever covered any XTC songs?
16. What's with the Virgin UK CD of _Drums and Wires_?
17. Who is `Brian' in "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)"?
18. Who are the children in "Dear God" and on _Psonic Psunspot_?
19. Who is that other guy in the photographs from _Psonic Psunspot_?
20. Did XTC do any other covers beside the Hendrix one on _White Music_?
21. What released songs have yet to be compiled on albums?
22. To what does the title of _Mummer_ refer?
23. How does one pronounce the name "XTC"? What is the origin of the band
name "XTC"? Is it related to the drug MDMA (ecstasy)?
24. What are the sources of the tracks on _Explode Together_?
25. Have any books been written about XTC?
26. What is "Oxo"? Who are the "never never navvies"? What do all these
English phrases mean?
27. Where can I find the _Look Look_ video? Does anyone know how I can get
my hands on any XTC merchandise? Where can I find XTC bootlegs?
28. Johnny Nexdor & His Neighbors are really XTC, right?
29. Are the "Curt" and "Roland" mentioned in the sleeve of _The Big
Express_ from Tears for Fears?
30. What is that word that Andy sings in the song "Great Fire"?
31. How rare is the _Wrapped in Grey_ single?
32. What is the "Homo Safari" series? Where can I find it?
33. Was "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" written about JFK?
34. What are all the messages scratched in the run-out grooves of XTC
records?
35. Has anyone heard They Might Be Giants' song "XTC vs. Adam Ant"?
36. What is Dave Gregory up to these days?
37. Did you notice that the title of the latest XTC album comes from the
lyrics of the previous album?
38. Is there sheet music for XTC songs available?
39. How can I contact XTC directly?
40. What happened to the proposed "bubblegum" album?
This document copyright (c) 1992-2002 by John Relph.
While some information included herein is not copyright and may be used
without permission, the compilation of this information in this document in
this format is copyright and may not be published in any form whatsoever
without the permission of the author. Just ask.
This document may be distributed electronically and otherwise if and only if
the entire copyright notice and attributions are included.
Send corrections, additions and the like to John Relph .
Thanks are due to these additional contributors: Ben Abbate, Klaus
Bergmaier, Stephen Bruun, John M. Chamberlain, Kevin Chanel, John Dioso,
Peter Fitzpatrick, Mitch Friedman, Wes Hanks, John Hedges III, Brad Johnson,
Jeroen de Jong, Tim Kendrick, Dominic Lawson, Paul Myers, Dave O'Connell,
Richard Pedretti-Allen, Jon Rosenberger, Bill Sherman, Harrison Sherwood,
Alan Welby. My apologies and thanks to anyone I've overlooked.
Answers:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. What are XTC up to these days, anyway?
_Coat of Many Cupboards_, the definitive XTC box set from Virgin Records,
will be released on 25 March 2002 in the U.K. The 4-CD set will consist of
60 tracks of XTC's favorite songs, outtakes, alternate versions and
rarities, and the best of the demos (other demos unearthed by XTC not chosen
by Virgin for _Coat_ will become _Fuzzy Warbles_). The 128-page booklet
included with the set will feature an essay written by Harrison Sherwood.
(Thanks to Harrison Sherwood for this information.)
The official XTC web site was launched on November 23, 2001, at
"http://www.xtcidearecords.co.uk". The nicely designed site features all of
the latest news as well as visuals, audio, a boutique, chat, a version of
Shigemasa Fujimoto's "Wonderland" XTC discography, lyrics, and more!
Some of the more interesting recent developments:
An interview with Andy Partridge is featured in the new book _Behind The
Muse: Pop and Rock's Greatest Songwriters Talk About Their Work and
Inspiration_ by Bill DeMain. In addition to the interview with Andy,
conducted in 1999, the book features interviews with over 40 successful and
respected songwriters (including Brian Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Aimee Mann,
Matthew Sweet, Suzanne Vega, Todd Rundgren, Nick Lowe, Neil Finn, and many
others). Visit the Tiny Ripple Books website (www.tinyripple.com) for more
information.
_``Listen to What the Man Said,,: Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music
of Paul McCartney_, originally rumoured to include XTC with John Cleese, was
released on October 9, without any contribution from the band.
Virgin Records have remastered the first 10 XTC albums and The Dukes of
Stratosphear's _Chips From The Chocolate Fireball_ for CD reissue. The
Japanese and Canadian release of the remastered CDs feature limited edition
cardboard LP-style sleeves with all of the original artwork, mimicking the
original vinyl releases. The UK CDs have been issued in standard jewel
boxes. These reissues should be available at better music retailers near you
(and are available autographed for a limited time at the official XTC web
site).
_Homegrown - The Wasp Star Home Demos_ has been released in Japan, the UK,
and the USA. Unlike _Homespun_, which featured finished demos of the songs
of _Apple Venus Volume 1_ in the same order, _Homegrown_ features earlier
and rougher demo tracks as well as the final demos, with two or three
different versions of some songs. The Japanese CD also features two bonus
tracks, which do not appear on the UK or US release.
The _Los Angeles Times_ reports: ``XTC's Andy Partridge, having been sent
CDs of the band the Apples in Stereo by singer (and XTC fan) Robert
Schneider, liked what he heard so much that he called Schneider, and now the
two are co-writing songs for a Schneider solo album [_Orchestre
Fantastique_], due in the spring.'' Joe Hetz writes, ``Robert said that the
work was going great and that the songs keep on flowing. I think he said
they have written a dozen or so songs. Interestingly, Robert and Andy are
conducting a transcontinental recording session. Instead of being together
in a studio, Robert and Andy are trading tapes back and forth across the
ocean.'' The official XTC web site reports that Mssrs. Scheider and
Partridge are to begin recording together in November. (Thanks to Wes Hanks,
Joe Hetz and Sir Demon Brown.)
In their spare time, Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding are collecting demo
tapes for the release of a box set of demo recordings to be titled _Fuzzy
Warbles_. The set is likely to include all of the demos previously released
on the fan-club cassettes _Jules Verne's Sketchbook_ and _The Bull With The
Golden Guts_, and may also include the songs Andy Partridge wrote for
Disney's _James and The Giant Peach_ (the songs were not used). Mr.
Partridge imagines the set will include from four to six CDs, with perhaps
20 tracks on each CD. Virgin Records may contribute to the release of _Fuzzy
Warbles_.
Andy Partridge claims that a "live" version of "I Don't Want To Be Here"
will be released on an AIDS compilation some time in the near future. (What
exactly is meant by "live" and "near future" is not known at this juncture.)
_Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)_, the latest album from XTC, was released
on 23 May 2000, and features the drumming talents of Chuck Sabo and Prairie
Prince. The album contains "eclectric" songs, as opposed to the "orchoustic"
sound of _Apple Venus Vol. 1_. In the USA _Wasp Star_ peaked at number 108
on the _Billboard_ Top 200 chart, it reached the number 6 position on the
_Billboard_ Top Independent Albums chart, number 9 on the _CMJ_ Top 20
chart, number 2 on the _CMJ_ Adult Album Alternative chart, and number 6 on
the _Gavin_ Triple A chart. In the UK, it reached number 6 on the _Dotmusic_
Indie Albums chart.
Andy Partridge has agreed to complete the song "Susan Revolving" for Becki
diGregorio to perform on her forthcoming album. Recording is in progress.
Stay tuned for further details.
------------------------------
2. What is Chalkhills and how do I join?
Chalkhills is the XTC Fans mail list for the discussion of the music and
recordings of XTC (the band). Chalkhills is distributed through e-mail only.
Chalkhills is distributed in a digest format and is moderated and
administered by John Relph. The Chalkhills digests are sent out irregularly,
as posting volume warrants.
To join the Chalkhills mail list, send the command
subscribe
in the body of an e-mail message to
You can also subscribe to the list using a *DIFFERENT* address than the one
you use to send your e-mail by including the address with the command.
For example, to join the Chalkhills mail list with a different e-mail
address, send the command
subscribe e-mail@address
in the body of an e-mail message to
(Note: replace "e-mail@address" with the address you wish to use.)
By the way, there is no charge to subscribe to the Chalkhills mail list.
To cancel your subscription to the Chalkhills mail list, send the command
unsubscribe e-mail@address
in the body of an e-mail message to
(Note: your "e-mail@address" is optional if you have subscribed with the
same address you use to send the command.)
------------------------------
3. Is Chalkhills archived? Is the FAQ list available for FTP anywhere? Are
XTC lyrics available? Are charts, chords and/or tablature for XTC songs
available?
You can find lyrics, photos, chat forums, a discography, and more on the
official XTC site at "http://www.xtcidearecords.co.uk/".
The Chalkhills Archives are available through the World Wide Web at
"http://chalkhills.org/". The archives contain back issues of Chalkhills,
XTC lyrics, chord charts, pictures, a discography, and many other files.
No FTP access is available at present (FTP is so 20th Century).
The latest version of this FAQ file can be found at
"http://chalkhills.org/FAQ.html". A plain text version of this file is
available at "http://chalkhills.org/FAQ".
------------------------------
4. What are the addresses of the fan clubs?
For further reading, writing and rhythmatic on XTC you might like to drop a
line enclosing SAE and International Postal Reply Coupon or equivalent to
* Ecstasy: 1-38-18 Higashi-Tamagawa, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan 158 (in
Japanese)
Peter & June of _The Little Express_ write:
Not long ago, The Little Express was one of the few sources
of information for dedicated XTC fans. From 1981 until the
present, it became a centre from which the ebb and flow of
letters, photos, artwork and news were assimilated, eventually
producing and distributing a small, readable entity that
captured a part of XTC's world.
XTC's ever-growing circle of acquaintances and the arrival of
the internet now provides all the current news that the fans are
eager to acquire. Events as such have now guided this
newsletter to realistically appraise its relevance.
Although the printed word still exists and even thrives in
many quarters, we feel this particular newsletter, a.k.a. "The
Little Express" has reached its final destination.
. . . We would like to take this opportunity to say
many thanks to every one of you who made [The Little Express]
possible.
Mark Fisher wrote in to tell us this:
I'm now on-line and deeply apologetic for not producing an
edition of _Limelight_ for several decades. And not
answering anyone's mail for even longer. Fatherhood and a
busy job have meant I just don't have the time to be
producing fanzines for fun. Sorry.
Also, a very detailed (the most) XTC discography is available from Shigemasa
Fujimoto. The _Wonderland_ discography (in three volumes) is lavishly
detailed and nicely produced, and includes photographs of important and
interesting cover art. An indispensable resource for the serious XTC
collector. A few copies of the first three volumes of _Wonderland_ are still
available. For details, please contact Shigemasa Fujimoto at
. A new edition is in the works. Please see
Fujimoto-san's online discography on the official XTC web site at
"http://www.xtcidearecords.co.uk".
For still deeper historical details including early demos, gigs and concert
bootlegs, get the _Chain Of Command_ booklet from Martin Fuchs,
Stuevestrasse 9, D-30173 Hannover, Germany. Martin has also made his
information available on the web at
"http://mitglied.tripod.de/RaFuchs/xtc/".
------------------------------
5. Is that Woody Allen at the end of "My Love Explodes?" What is said at the
end of "Mole From The Ministry"?
ANDY: The little voice at the end after all the fireworks go off, courtesy
of the same BBC sound effects record, is a tape that John Leckie had. He was
in New York a little while ago, and had his radio cassette player going and
he was tuned into this ludicrous New York radio station where this chap was
singing this rather... How would you describe this song he was singing?
DAVE & COLIN: Rude!
DAVE: It was actually a protest song.
ANDY: Called "Hey, go f... yourself with your atom bomb" [performed by Tuli
Kupferberg. Ed.], this chap was singing this song over the air, and John
Leckie couldn't believe the banality of this song so he turned on his
cassette to capture it for posterity, and he left the cassette running. At
the end of the thing there's a phone-in where they invite people to phone in
and comment on the song, and there's this marvellous guy who phones in, with
this Woody Allen voice, and he is really outraged... "That's the most
obscene abomination of a song!" So we thought this was marvellous and we
nailed him on the end of "My Love Explodes". So the strange "Woody Allen"
voice is a very irate New Yorker who's commenting on the song "Hey, go f...
yourself with your atom bomb".
DAVE: In fact, if you want to hear more of the original version, at the end
of side 2 [at the end of "Mole From The Ministry"] on the run-out grooves,
if you've got a record player capable of playing it, you'll hear spinning
backwards at twice the speed, a snatch of this gentleman's song in its
original form.
John A Lane adds:
How many out there realized that the quote on the 25 o'clock
record, which goes "go f--k yourself with your atom bomb",
comes directly from Allen Ginsberg's book of poems, _HOWL_?
Richard Pedretti-Allen adds:
To be a bit more specific it is from Allen Ginsberg's
poem "America" published by City Lights Books 1956.
Ralph Simpson DeMarco adds:
The "ludicrous New York radio station" is WBAI FM a Pacifica
Foundation left-wing listener-sponsored station. This is the
ONLY station in NY that would ever play that sort of song!
That guy is named "Frank"! I'd bet my life on it. I used to tape
him on the radio all the time. He called every other show on
that station in the 80s. He was always upset about something.
------------------------------
6. Who is XTC's drummer?
XTC was founded with drummer Terry Chambers, who "just hits 'em" on _White
Music_, _Go 2_, _Drums and Wires_, _Black Sea_, _English Settlement_, and on
the songs "Beating of Hearts" and "Wonderland" on _Mummer_, after which he
left the band. Since that time, XTC have hired drummers for recording
sessions.
Peter Phipps drums on the majority of _Mummer_ and on _The Big Express_.
Ian Gregory (E.I.E.I. Owen), Dave Gregory's brother, drums on _25 O'Clock_
and _Psonic Psunspot_.
Prairie Prince, originally from The Tubes, plays the part of the time bomb
on _Skylarking_. On _Apple Venus Volume 1_ he contributes drums, handclaps,
thigh slaps, and percussion. Prairie also drums on a few tracks on _Wasp
Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)_.
Pat Mastellotto, from Mister Mister, plays acoustic and electronic drums and
percussion on _Oranges and Lemons_.
Dave Mattacks, from Fairport Convention, drums on _Nonsvch_.
Brian Doherty drums on "Cherry In Your Tree", from the _Carmen Sandiego Out
Of This World_ compilation album.
Chris Sharrock drums on "The Good Things", found on _A Testimonial Dinner --
The Songs of XTC_.
Chuck Sabo drums on the majority of _Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)_.
------------------------------
7. What's the story with "Dear God" and "Mermaid Smiled" on _Skylarking_?
Originally _Skylarking_ was released with the song "Mermaid Smiled"
appearing in between "Another Satellite" and "The Man Who Sailed Around His
Soul". "Dear God" was originally released as the B-side to the UK _Grass_
single. "Dear God" started getting some airplay in the US, so Geffen
withdrew initial copies of the _Skylarking_ LP and re-released the LP,
removing "Mermaid Smiled" and adding "Dear God" in between "The Man Who
Sailed Around His Soul" and "Dying".
The original UK _Skylarking_ CD preserves the original running order with
"Mermaid Smiled" and sans "Dear God"; the US CD has "Dear God" but no
"Mermaid Smiled". The 2000 remastered edition of the _Skylarking_ CD (and a
previous Canada-only CD) has the same running order as the original UK CD
(including "Mermaid Smiled"), but also adds "Dear God" as a bonus track to
the end of the album (and features improved sound quality over the previous
CD releases).
------------------------------
8. Why is the XTC mail list called "Chalkhills"? What does the cover of
_English Settlement_ mean?
The XTC mail list is called "Chalkhills" because the name captures the
essence of middle and late XTC albums. The "Chalkhills and Children"
reference is obvious, from the _Oranges and Lemons_ album, but the name also
refers to the `chalk horse', the White Horse of Uffington, in the Vale of
the White Horse in Oxfordshire near the borders of Wiltshire and Berkshire.
About nine miles east of Swindon, the `chalk horse' was pictured on the
cover of _English Settlement_; Andy Partridge says it's a ``prehistoric hill
carving of a horse, literally a kind of Iron Age advertisement for an
English settlement that was on top of the hill.''
------------------------------
9. Are the albums _Waxworks_ and _Beeswax_ available on CD? Are _Waxworks_
and _The Compact XTC_ the same album?
_Waxworks_ has been re-released on CD by Geffen Records USA. In other
countries you can get _The Compact XTC: The Singles 1978-85_, which contains
every track from _Waxworks_, with the addition of three singles from
_Mummer_ ("Great Fire", "Wonderland", and "Love on a Farmboy's Wages") and
three from _The Big Express_ ("All You Pretty Girls", "This World Over", and
"Wake Up"). And now you can get _Fossil Fuel - The XTC Singles 1977-92_,
which contains all of _Waxworks_ and _The Compact XTC_ and also includes the
singles from _Skylarking_ ("Grass", "The Meeting Place", and "Dear God"),
_Oranges and Lemons_ ("The Mayor Of Simpleton", "King For A Day", and "The
Loving"), and _Nonsuch_ ("The Disappointed", "The Ballad of Peter
Pumpkinhead", and "Wrapped In Grey"). The sound quality on _Fossil Fuel_ is
much improved over the other two CDs. Also, _Fossil Fuel_ features the
original single mix of "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" which was not
previously available on CD.
_Beeswax_ has been re-issued on CD by Virgin Records Japan. However, almost
all of the tracks from _Beeswax_ are available on other XTC CDs. The only
track that does not appear anywhere but on _Beeswax_ is the extended version
of "Hang On To The Night" which is only 6 seconds longer than the version on
the _White Music_ album.
Here's a breakdown of where to find the tracks from these albums (if you are
unable to find the CD re-issues):
_Waxworks: Some Singles 1977-1982_ Where to find it:
Science Friction _White Music_
Are You Receiving Me? _Go 2_
* Life Begins at the Hop _Drums and Wires_ (US, Japan)
Senses Working Overtime (edit) _Fossil Fuel_
Ball and Chain _English Settlement_
_Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977-1982_
She's So Square _White Music_
Dance Band _White Music_
Heatwave _White Music_
Instant Tunes _White Music_
Pulsing Pulsing _Rag & Bone Buffet_
Don't Lose Your Temper _Black Sea_
Smokeless Zone _Black Sea_
The Somnambulist _Black Sea_
* Blame the Weather _Rag & Bone Buffet_
* Tissue Tigers (The Arguers) _Rag & Bone Buffet_
Punch and Judy _Rag & Bone Buffet_
* Heaven is Paved With Broken
Glass (remix) _Rag & Bone Buffet_
* Notes:
"Life Begins At The Hop" appears on most, but not all, _Drums and Wires_
CDs; early CDs from Virgin UK do not feature this track. It also appears on
the USA-only compilation _Upsy Daisy Assortment_.
"Blame the Weather" is also available on the Virgin UK CD-3 of _Senses
Working Overtime_ and on the Virgin France compilation CD _The Tiny Circus
of Life_.
"Tissue Tigers (The Arguers)" is also available on the Virgin UK CD-3 of
_Senses Working Overtime_.
The original version of "Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass" does not appear
on CD at all. It is only available on the original _Ball and Chain_ singles.
------------------------------
10. To what does the song "Pink Thing" refer?
It's about the singer's ``John Thomas''. It's also about a baby. Apparently
Andy and Mrs Partridge referred to their baby as ``The Pink Thing'' and the
song grew out of that nickname. As it were.
------------------------------
11. Who were all XTC's producers?
John Leckie produced _White Music_, _Go 2_, _25 O'Clock_ and _Psonic
Psunspot_.
Steve Lillywhite produced _Drums and Wires_ and _Black Sea_.
Hugh Padgham produced _English Settlement_.
Steve Nye and Bob Sargeant produced _Mummer_.
David Lord produced _The Big Express_ and co-produced The Three Wise Men:
_Thanks for Christmas_ (with XTC).
Todd Rundgren produced _Skylarking_.
Paul Fox produced _Oranges and Lemons_.
Gus Dudgeon produced _Nonsuch_.
Haydn Bendall and Nick Davis produced _Apple Venus Volume 1_.
Nick Davis co-produced _Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)_ with XTC.
XTC has had various producers and co-producers for their singles and other
non-album tracks, including R.J "Mutt" Lange, David Yazbek, Martin Rushent,
Alan Winstanley, and Phil Wainman. They have also self- or co-produced many
of their B-sides.
------------------------------
12. What recordings should a new XTC-er buy?
All of them.
------------------------------
13. Why does everyone hate Todd Rundgren, I liked _Skylarking_?
Andy Partridge says:
``Musician and producer Todd Rundgren squeezed the XTC clay into
its most complete / connected / cyclical record ever. Not an
easy album to make for various ego reasons but time has humbled
me into admitting that Todd conjured up some of the most magical
production and arranging conceivable. A summer's day cooked
into one cake.''
------------------------------
14. Why don't they tour?
Andy has debilitating stage fright. And he doesn't think their live gigs
sounded any good. Aren't their albums good enough for you?
------------------------------
15. Has anybody ever covered any XTC songs?
"King For a Day", "The Mayor of Simpleton" and "Thanks for Christmas" have
been heard on Muzak. Ouch.
Swedish industrial metal band Misery Loves Co. recorded a version of
"Complicated Game" which can be found on their album _Not Like Them_ (CD
1998 SE Earache MOSH 184).
Pitchshifter covered "Making Plans For Nigel", released on their limited
edition _Genius_ single (7" 1998 USA DGC GFS 223245).
Louis Philippe covered "I Can't Own Her" on his 1999 album _Azure_. Dave
Gregory plays on that album and others, including Martin Newell's _The Off
White Album_, produced by Louis Philippe.
The rock/rap/funk group Shootyz Groove cover "Dear God". The cover is called
"Dear God (Oh My God)" and appears on their album _High Definition_ (CD 1999
USA Reprise 9 47359-2). The cover only uses the lyrics of the original in
the chorus, the verses are completely different.
The duo Hautekiet & Riguelle have released a covers-only album entitled _A
Minor Thing_. The album includes their versions of "1000 Umbrellas" and
"Books Are Burning" (Via Belgium).
The Indoorfins, from Lima, Ohio, have released their cover of "Respectable
Street", on their album _Sour Toe Cocktail_ (CD 1996 Action Boy USA).
Primus covered "Scissor Man" on their _Rhinoplasty_ EP (CD 1998.07
Interscope USA INTDE-90214) and "Making Plans For Nigel" on their
_Miscellaneous Debris_ EP (CD 1992 Interscope USA 96208-2).
There is an XTC tribute band called The Partridge Family doing the rounds in
the UK. No reviews are available, unhappily, but they need a bass player.
Send e-mail to DLang1234@aol.com.
Robbie Williams's (ex-Take That) _Old Before I Die_ single (1997 Chrysalis),
includes a cover of "Making Plans for Nigel".
The Italian band Senzabenza covered the Dukes' "Your gold dress" on their
first record _Peryzoma_ (CD 1992 Mac Guffin Italy MG-001). The band also
played the song on their Italian tour promoting their album _Deluxe_.
There is a band called The Vanishing Girls in the city of Groningen,
Holland, that only plays XTC songs. It started as a one-gig project, but
they've done three or four gigs so far and are planning to continue.
The band Soul Brothers, from San Diego, California, did a version of "New
Broom" on _We Were Rhythm Gods_ (CT 1987 Scheming Intelligentsia USA).
Richard Pedretti-Allen has compiled three fan tribute tapes of XTC covers.
The tapes are entitled _Chalkhills' Children '96_, _Chalkhills' Children
'97: Don't Ring Us_, and _Chalkhills' Children '98: Modern Time Neros_.
Check on the Chalkhills pages for further details, including ordering
instructions.
Three fan tribute cassette tapes of XTC cover songs, _Obscene Collection_
(14 songs), _Beasts I've Seen_ (15 songs), and _Skylacking_ -- covers of the
entire _Skylarking_ album -- were produced by Bizarre Depiction. All three
of these cassettes are now out of print. A fourth is in the works.
Big City Orchestra covers "Grass" on the b-side of their newest single. The
song was also included on Bizarre Depiction's _Skylacking_ tape.
Poole released a single called _Sparkle_ with a cover of "Earn Enough For
Us" on the B-side.
Slowburn cover "Complicated Game" on their 1997 album _Slowburn_.
Saeko Suzuki covered "Happy Families" on her album _Studio Romantic_ (LP
1987 Japan Dear Heart MIL 1030).
R. Stevie Moore has covered "Another Satellite" and "Mermaid Smiled" on his
multifarious home-produced cassette releases.
The band Moonshine Willy released a 7" single of "Complicated Game" on the
Chicago label Bloodshot Records.
Cone of Silence recorded "No Thugs in Our House" on their album _From the
Ladle to the Gravy_.
Verve Pipe cover "Blue Beret", featured on their single _Photograph_, the
promotional collection _85 on 31_ (CD 1997 US RCA RJC 67411-2), and on the
compilation album _Volume 5...So This Is A Compilation_.
The Cleaners From Venus covered the unreleased Andy Partridge song "Pearl"
on their hand-made tape _Living With Victoria Grey_ (CT 1986.04 UK Man at
the Off License 0010), also re-released on the box set _Don't Step On My
Rainbow_ (7"x5 1996.12 DE Jarmusic JAR-012 NR 2914).
_A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC_, an XTC tribute album, features
performances of XTC songs by artists as diverse as Joe Jackson, They Might
Be Giants, Crash Test Dummies, Sarah McLachlan, Ruben Blades, Freedy
Johnston, Spacehog, The Verve Pipe, The Rembrandts, P. Hux, and Terry & the
Lovemen.
Iva Davies and Icehouse cover "Complicated Game" on their album _The Berlin
Tapes_ (CD 1995.10 OZ Diva 17476-2).
Crash Test Dummies recently covered "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" for
the soundtrack to the film _Dumb and Dumber_. Their version of the song has
been released as a single.
Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin covered "Roads Girdle the Globe", available on
their album _Up From The Dark_ (CD US Rykodisc ?).
Cayuga's Waiters, a college singing group, covered The Dukes' "Vanishing
Girl" on their self-produced album _Maintaining the Illusion_.
The Japanese group Shonen Knife apparently were inspired by "Making Plans
for Nigel" when they wrote their song "Making Plans for Bison", also known
as "Bear Up Bison". Listen for yourself. Big Dipper cover the Shonen song on
the tribute album _Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them_.
Robert Wegmann, pop musician from Tampa, Florida, has covered songs by XTC
in his live act.
The Scottish band Trash Can Sinatras released a limited edition free single,
given away at concerts, with covers of "Senses Working Overtime" and "Love
on a Farmboys Wages".
The Poozies cover "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" on their album _Chantoozies_.
The French punk band Burning Heads recorded a cover of "Making Plans for
Nigel". The song appears on the compilation _Louder Than Words_ (CD 1993
Noise/Rough Trade N 0214-2) and also on their debut album _Burning Heads_
(CD 1993 Noise/Rough Trade N 0206-2).
The Austrian band Der eiserne Vorhang (The Iron Curtain), with Ronald
Fleischmann on vocals, performed a song called "Franzi" (Frankie), credited
to "Moulding/Fleischmann", released on their own Panza Records circa 1980 or
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