Tag Archives: XTC
ROUND LIKE A RECORD
During the 1970s “Sampler” LPs were a staple of record company marketing. Compiling a variety of tracks from various artists on their roster, these albums usually sold for much less than the prevailing price point of a new record. In fact, a number of companies called them, with disarming candour, “Loss Leaders”. There are a number […]
10 ALBUM COVERS WITH ARTIST PORTRAITS — FINAL SET
Welcome to the final part of this meandering series of album covers featuring what we will loosely call portraits of the band. Once again we’ll begin in the 1960s, with an all-time favourite. I love the way artist/designer Bernard Yeszin utilised the television image of The Monkees (Davey’s shirt, Mike’s beanie) to create an engaging […]
BRIGHT SKY BLUE
White Music Go 2 Drums and Wires Black Sea English Settlement Mummer What an amazing band XTC were. Few rock outfits have produced such an interesting and diverse catalogue of albums, nor shown the kind of growth and development the lads from Swindon demonstrated across fourteen albums between 1978 and 2000. From angular post-punk through […]
STRANGE THINGS
This week I noticed that Vinyl Connection was about to turn four. There have been a few stutters, but we are still spitting out regular posts on everything from 60s folk to twenty-first century electronica, from funked up Miles Davis to European Prog. Along with periodic celebrations of album cover art, of course. Vinyl Connection has […]
10 ALMANAC ENTRIES FROM 1955
Chuck Berry records his first single, “Maybelline”, for Chess Records in Chicago [May 21]. Despite the vitality of his early songs and his significance as a writer/performer, surprisingly few of his singles crossed over from the R&B charts to the upper echelons of the pop hit parade. * “Rock Around the Clock” becomes the first […]
XTC IN EXCELSIS
Back in the car-cassette days of the late twentieth century it was a mandatory part of any road-based holiday to prepare a compilation tape for the journey. These became known as the ‘In-flight Entertainment’ series and included a number of pleasant destinations in the state of Victoria. With the aim of spicing up the listening […]
HOT CROSS SONGS
There are certain sounds and rhythms that grab you tight and shake. Think The Kinks ‘You really got me’ with that distorted, snarling guitar or the irresistible loping boogie of ‘On the road again’ by Canned Heat. The first pop song I ever clocked as having a reference to religion combined – or perhaps appropriated […]
WHERE TO, MATE?
Having passed 150 posts, written nigh on 100,000 words about some eighty different artists across 200+ albums, I found myself wondering, ‘Where to next?’ Then I thought, why not ask Vinyl Connection readers? The democratic flavour of this strategy appealed. How then, to proceed? Now one way would be to post the entire Vinyl Connection catalogue and ask for suggestions […]
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