A few weeks ago on Steve Lamacq's feature 'National anthem' the 'listeners had to request a song to tie in with the news story about a rd. called 'Butt hole rd.' (not far from where I live as it happens). Anyway, the song they chose to play was Respectable st.

Anyone listen to Stuart Maconies Critical list? The show started off with songs played around a theme for each show but then changed format with a featured album and all the other songs played linked, however tenuously, to the featured album. It ran from 2001-2005/6).Although no XTC albums were ever the 'featured' album there were several XTC songs played. I'll try and remember why.
Chalkhills and children
10ft. tall
English roundabout
Dear god
Summer's cauldron (i think) as part of the Countryside theme (i think...perhaps although that might have been C&C)

I think that's it.

There's an interview with John Wetton - Asia and King Crimson singer/bassist - where he mentions XTC!

Q: Getting back to a similar theme I raised regarding your early years, if you read enough rock encyclopedias and hang with enough rock nerds there's a notion that "Progressive Rock" and "Art Rock" are not quite the same genre. Crimson would be categorized as part of the former group, while Roxy Music would be lumped in with the latter. (No one's ever sure where Pink Floyd belongs.) As few years later the Art Rock group would mostly be celebrated by punk and new wave artists, while most of the Prog-Rockers would be considered pariahs. As a musician whose work and relationships straddled those scenes, did you and your mates ever sense a stylistic spectrum from "cool" Art Rock bands to "outdated" Prog Rock dinosaurs?
JW: I always think of Art Rock as 10CC, XTC, Styx---good pop songs with 6th form lyrics. Prog was always more enigmatic and self-indulgent to the n'th degree.

Nice seeing XTC and 10cc mentioned in the same breath.
But that Styx business really bothers me...although it DOES explain a lot about Asia!

John also has his George Martin story:

JW: I got on really well with George, and did quite a lot of work with him.
He helped me enormously, and is a terrific man.

There is one priceless moment that I will treasure with George.
A guitar player was busy throwing down a solo over a song that we were working on.
George turned to look at me, pressed the "dim" button, and said,
"John, does it bother you that James is playing OUTSIDE the chords?"
"Yes, George, it does."
"Then be a good fellow and take him your chord-sheet, would you?"
I don't think we talked Beatles very much at all---this was only one year after their break up.

Marc Riley's just played Life begins at the hop on his 6music show

Radcliff and maconie played This is pop on their show. They both said they loved it and that early XTC was like punk mixed with prog.

I'm not surprised that the BBC don't play more of our songs,it seems to me that we simply don't appear on their computer system,let me explain.
Couple of years ago I went to do an interview at the beeb for something or other.At the end I was invited to pick an XTC song to play from the selection on their computer. I found six titles. Some early singles and a couple of album tracks.
All of the tracks I asked for they told me "oh that's not in our computer". Trouble was,seemingly the most obscure bands or artists I enquired after the show had ended had what appeared to be,in some cases,hundreds of choices in there.The MOST obscure,and of course the most well known.I was rather dismayed.
We simply don't exist to the BBC.

maybe they've improved their library since then. Apart from the songs I've already mentioned on this thread I think I've heard Jeremy Vine play err Nigel a few times. *uneasy grimace*

This seems to be a "data base syndrome" affecting many occupations and industries as well as music.

You can always rely on Danny Baker to play XTC and Dukes every now and then on BBC London. He's one of the few people who they seem to let play what he wants, and most of the time he has brilliant taste. In the past I've hear him play Towers Of London, 25 O'Clock, Vanishing Girl, Peter Pumpkinhead, Mayor Of Simpleton and We're All Light. Shame to hear he's come down with a serious illness that's taking him off the air a lot these days. Get well soon Danny!

Andrew collins is playing Statue of liberty...RIGHT NOW!!! on 6music

I'm whistling "Human Alchemy" as I work.

...wait... what's your job!?

HA !

Dear god has appeared on a list of the most controversial songs ever! link

Thanks for the link Nman, but when I went to it, I got security warning from flash. watch out for malware folks.

The top 10 most controversial songs:

1. Smack My Bitch Up - The Prodigy

2. God Save The Queen - The Sex Pistols

3. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4. Kim - Eminem

5. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine

6. Ebeneezer Goode - The Shamen

7. Suicide Solution - Ozzy Osbourne

8. Get Your Gunn - Marilyn Manson

9. Angel of Death - Slayer

10. Dear God - XTC

That's what I thought!

God save the Queen wasn't even the most controversial SEx pistols song. Belsen was a gas and Bodies are far more controversial.

I just quoted from your link.

I don't see any Zappa in there: Jewish Princess, Catholic Girls, Crew Slut, Harder Than Your Husband, Broken Hearts Are For Assholes....

(Zappa got grief from the Jewish anti-defimation league for that first one. His literal response: "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.")

the sadly departed Jonathan Ross - often played XTC songs - many from Wasp Star and Apple venus although I cnt remember detials. I do remember them playing church of women - but maybe they bring their own cd's in!

This was on a thread about how people got into Beefheart

There was a feature in Q or Mojo or something involving Andy Partridge talking about the Record That Changed His Life or whatever. Anyway, I seem to recall that he had swapped a copy of 'Sgt Pepper' for 'Trout Mask Replica' with a friend, and he had wanted to go back and renege on the deal when he actually listened to it. It obviously started to yield up its charms after repeated listens and I remember him saying that 'Dachau Blues' had really given him the creeps.

I'm currently reading Phill Jupitus' book about radio: "Good Morning Nantwich". At the end of each chapter he was a playlist of songs relevant to that chapter. At the end of the chapter about him launching the first show on BBC 6 Music he adds this playlist:

Six in the City

'Little Bitch' - The Ordinary Boys
'First Day' - Futureheads
'Glamorous Glue' - Morrissey
'Big Pimpin" - Jay-Z
'Contact' - Roy Richards with The Baba Brooks Band
'Johnny Kickstart' - Go! Team
'Johnny Appleseed' - Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros
'Stupidly Happy' - XTC
'Murray' - Pete Yorn
'Don't Falter' - Mint Royale featuring Lauren Laverne
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have absolutely no idea of the relevance of Stupidly Happy in this list but there ya go!

aw, nevermind

Stumbled across an Israeli radio station the other night (it came from a link on Wire's website: Wire are the finest veteran band still on the go, XTc would be the finest if they were still fully active, of course)

Anyway Wire's track 'Smash' was the second song on the playlist of this show on said Hebrew channel – and what was the first track they played, you may ask? Well it was 'Beating of Hearts' from the X T of C (the 1983 vintage, another very fine year by the way).

Wonder how many shekels Andy gets for that?!!

woke up and had an XTC song in my head all morning. It wasn't even one I'd been listeing to lately and now, ironically, I'm not sure which it was. When your near me...or Your the wish...

From Paul Macca's forum

I'm absolutly sure that John liked this great (she's leaving home)song. Otherwise he would have vetoed it instead of helping with lyrics and singing (so well) on it.
Remember it was also John who wrote Good Night for Ringo.
A male version of She's Leaving Home albeit with more punk attitude was XTC's Making Plans For Nigel in 1979, also written by their bass player Colin Moulding, a songwriter you definitely have to check out in case you don't know him.

Wow, very cool if that was Macca - I wonder if Paul has ever heard Apple Venus?

O thank you SO much Paul,I really needed to know that.

Praising Colin without mentioning Andy is like complimenting George Harrison's songwriting without acknowledging Lennon-McCartney. But Andy, you've said some harsh things about Paul on occasion, and regardless of whether those comments were justified, I'm sure you've never expected much in the way of compliments from him (assuming this really was Paul).
For what it's worth, I think "Chaos and Creation" was Paul's best record in a very long time -- perhaps because he had Nigel Godrich performing his job properly as a producer?

I was at a gig yesterday, and between acts and whilst stage was being set up, Fossil Fuel was being played out to the audience. Which gig would this be I hear you not asking? It was only Chris Difford of Squeeze!

Nice to see Mr Moulding getting a well deserved thumbs up.

And a thumbs-up for Mr. M doesn't necessarily constitute a thumbs-down for Mr. P.

It's like mentioning in passing that "Something" is a very nice song. Doesn't reflect on "Yesterday" or "A Day in the Life" or the rest of the catalog.

Indeed it doesn't, and indeed it is.

Indeed!

I'm glad that's clear then.

It seems that was taken as from Macca. It wasn't and I'm a bit gobsmacked it was taken that way. He doesn't post on his own forum...probably dosen't know it exists.

Oh well never mind then.

2 things lately
-While perusing tweets about B.Wilson's appearence on the One show I found someone had tweeted 'Brian Wilson on #theoneshow Andy Partridge next? #notachance
-ON a website called Blackcat bone they had a poll of the best album of the last 20 yrs. & APv1 came 25th.

here's the results for a poll about albums with England/ish in the title on The Fall's forum
Broken English – Marianne Faithfull [ 3 ] [9.09%]
England Half English – Billy Bragg [ 1 ] [3.03%]
England Made Me – Black Box Recorder [ 3 ] [9.09%]
England's Newest Hit Makers – The Rolling Stones [ 2 ] [6.06%]
English Settlement – XTC [ 9 ] [27.27%]
Let England Shake – PJ Harvey [ 9 ] [27.27%]
Made In England – Atomic Rooster [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Made In England – Elton John [ 0 ] [0.00%]
New England – New England [ 0 ] [0.00%]
New England – Wishbone Ash [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Selling England by The Pound – Genesis [ 4 ] [12.12%]
Somewhere In England – George Harrison [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Sweet England – Shirley Collins [ 2 ] [6.06%]

The Fall forum clearly needs AV

..............said Nick Clegg.

i have it on good authority that macca owns a copy of 'dog eared moonlight' which is both wierd and wonderful - imagine that... a fab putting on a cd of my songs...too strange...

That's great! The fan in you must be thrilled...the table's turned.
It's nice to know as well,that macca enjoys the bounty of APE.

Exciting new! I'm sure he loves your album

On a website called Black cat bone Skylarking has beeen voted 31st best album of the 80s. The top 30 are still to come.

Rick Buckler (The Jam) mentions XTC's Drums & Wires as "essential listening" in Dec 2005's edition of Rhythm magazine!

This is a John Leckie quote from an article about the Stone roses song Fools gold

"I've worked on a lot of projects there," states Leckie, "including a psychedelic album named Chips From The Chocolate Fireball that I produced in 1987 for the Dukes of Stratosphear. This was XTC under a different persona, and the Roses told me that record was the main reason for them asking to work with me.

While we were working on PSONIC PSUNSPOT John got a package from another band who wanted him to produce them because of 25 O'CLOCK,they were the Shamen.

More on the Dukes influence on TSR.

Ian Brown from the Guardian Soundtrack of my life feature.

WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON OUR DEBUT Dukes of Stratosphear 25 O'Clock (1985)

Mani had a record by Dukes of Stratosphear, the alter egos of XTC. We thought whoever had produced it [John Leckie] was a genius because he'd made a pastiche of 60s psychedelia and we wanted to make a kind of psychedelic album with state-of-the-art beats. We didn't necessarily like it; we didn't play it out of enjoyment – well, I didn't, Mani did. But I understood from the way it was recorded that the guy who had recorded this could definitely work with us. [John Leckie then produced the first Stone Roses album.] For me, that was more of an academic thing than a record I loved. There was no music around that I loved in the 80s. That was why we started the Roses.

-----------------
I didn't really see Ian liking XTC/DOS so that doesn't surprise me.

N.M.E 100 greatest albums yyou've never heard

@

65.XTC <white music >1978