Melody Maker A.W.O.L, January 20 1996

The column that asks, whatever happened to...? This week, we're full of XTC

Who were XTC?

After years of experimenting and nearly arriving in The Helium Kidz, leading honcho Andy Partridge put XTC together in 1975 with chums Colin Moulding, Barry Andrews and Terry Chambers.

What did they sound like?

XTC are fairly darn hard to categorise in a few trite words, but we'll give it a go, eh kids? When they released their first records in 1977, they were hailed as innovators of the post punk scene, specialising in barmy vocals, spiky rhythms and uptight guitars. It was immediately apparent that XTC weren't your average chancers. As time when on Partridge proved himself a songwriter of considerable breadth and scope as XTC embraced all manner of styles and managed to actually sell quite a lot of records while they were about it.

Essential recording?

The seven inch mix of "This Is Pop" from 1978 is utterly fantastic and you should punch the man who say's it's not. For extended album enjoyment, try "White Music", "Drums And Wires" or "English Settlement".

Records to avoid?

The album, "Skylarking" was dismissed at the time (1986), so you could avoid that if you like. But it's actually quite good.

Low point?

The touring and the pressure made Andy Partridge rather poorly, and, in the wake of recording "English Settlement", he suffered a nervous breakdown and told his record company, Virgin, that the band would no longer be touring. Maybe the night when Colin Moulding had taken on the staff of a Japanese Hotel in what turned into an ugly brawl with the musician screaming, "We fought a war to get rid of you zipper-mouth bastard!", hadn't helped.

Greatest success>

XTC's career is liberally peppered with come of the oddest, most finely crafted pop music you're ever likely to encounter, which also charted like buggery! "Making Plans For Nigel", "Generals And Majors", "Towers Of London", "Sgt Rock (Is Going To Help Me)", and of course, their biggest hit, "Senses Working Overtime".

What the Maker said:

"What XTC could see and watch helplessly, we gradually became aware of. The police were moving into sections of the audience, machetes drawn for action and expelling large numbers of the crowd. Slapping anyone who looked like they were enjoying themselves with the flats of their machete blades, the police were bullying the audience into scarpering" Our leader, Mr Allan Jones, reporting on the joys of an XTC gig in Venezuela.

Are they still going?

Now a sporadic vehicle with their pop glories behind them, XTC still exist but Partridge is more likely to be spotted on solo jaunts - including his one-off in 1987 for Viz Comic as Johnny Japes And His Jesticles - as he joins the Egghead Elder Statesman Of Pop Club (Brian Eno, Bill Nelson, Jon Hassell, er, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, etc).

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