Just discovered XTC, what a band.
Indeed..one of those groups ( and there are where many inthe late seventies/early eighties ) who recieved good critical acclaim, some success but never quite reached the status their music deserved ( Wire and Skids similar groups come to mind)
Brilliant intelligent pop without being smug..infact I have always for some reason ( and Im not sure why) associated them in a surreal way with Radiohead...theyre all cousins and XTC went to Oxford Polytechnic and Radiohead went to Oxford Uni....XTC make fun music , Radiohead make 'serious' music....my musical dream is to kick Radiohead up the arse and for them to make a LP of XTC singles covers and call it " Lets do the Okey-Cokey Computer!"
Think my favourite Lp is Drums and Wires and fave song of theirs is " Life at the Hop" a brilliant pop song with an intense guitar riff that explodes the song into a wonderfull climax.
I have a story about XTC ( which may prove apocryphal) .When I was 17/18 and went to Erics there was a girl I knew from school , same age but very geeky and looked about 13...New Wave done wonders for her as she embraced it all and it helped her come out of her shell ( Punk/New Wave done a lot for women that its not credited enough for , but I digress)..any way looking so young she couldnt get into Erics night time gigs so went to the Matinee Gigs at Erics , Saturday afternoons, pop and crisps served and you get to see The Clash etc...she told me she went to see XTC and met them afterwards, they had a great time and XTC thought the matinee gigs where brilliant idea and she said they would write a song for her.
Couple of months later...
https://www.youtube.com/v/7vq1U8BKsEwI have learnt there's a magical spot at the hop
Come with me to the church on the corner the hop
There's nuts and there's crisps and c-c-cola on tap
A good time had by those boys and those girls at the hop
Tell me what do you say
Tell me what do you say
Life begins at the hop, boys and girls
Prepare yourself for the boys in the band at the hop
The cheap guitars, there too young for the bars at the hop
We'll jive around, make fools of ourselves and then stop
We're back next week with another ridiculous tie knot
Tell me what do you say
Tell me what do you say
Life begins at the hop, boys and girls
Tell me what do you say
Tell me what do you say
Life begins at the hop, boys and girls
Now I