Lifestyles of the rich and famous, but not so much the case as it pertains to Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, and Terry Chambers, better known as the group, XTC.
The English rock group was formed in the 1970's after Partridge and Moulding met, gaining in popularity from their unconventional approach to punk, which melded it with pop and new wave. However, prior to this, their beginnings were as a glam band, alongside drummer, Chambers. It wouldn't be until 1975 that they would officially adopt the name, XTC, and 1977 when they would debut on Virgin Records.
XTC would release three albums in the 70's, White Music (1978), Go 2 (1978), Drums and Wires (1979), and while they featured singles which got noticed, and as a whole, their albums were met well by critics. However, because the group blurred lines for the genre of music in which they recorded, they struggled with finding a foothold in mainstream music, and as such, remained labeled as a "cult classic" band.
The 80's started off well for the group with 1980's Black Sea. However, by 1981, Partridge began to suffer mentally, which began to impact their live shows. This prompted him to request that the group stop touring, which was met by pushback from their label, management, and other band members. To help combat this, Partridge set to work on their 1982 album, English Settlement. A series of song he made so complex that they couldn't possibly be replicated live. The unfortunate side was that this would become their most popular album to date.
English Settlement is crafted meticulously with acoustic guitars, synth pop, punk, and everything in between. It starts out on a savage note, delivering the two best tracks it has to offer early on, Senses Working Overtime, and Jason and the Argonauts. However, for me, with a run time of one hour thirteen minutes, and fifteen tracks, the album ultimately feels bloated, and over extended.
By the back half, I found myself losing interest fast. There's too much content, and not enough effort put into it to polish them. This seems to be a mirrored statement from the band who state it was a rushed recording process, which left them feeling like portions of the record were incomplete.
Overall, English Settlement just doesn't resonate with me, which is disappointing. The two tracks I noted above are incredibly well crafted, and I can't help but feel the album simply could have, and should been better.
Also unfortunate, for Partridge, was that the band continued to tour. This led to several events of panic attacks for the singer, one such which resulted in him running off the stage. The group would eventually start to understand the severe nature of mental health issues he was having, and agree to cancel all further touring. However, this left them holding the bill for the defunct shows. This only served to lead to a bigger financial question and issue. For a band that was successful, where was their money?
Well, as the old story goes, while the manager and label were reaping all the rewards, the actual talent was left to live in poverty. Legal measures would soon come into play, and despite the band parting ways with their manager, a review of their current financial status isn't one of high stature, as far as musicians go.
Additionally, as a result of the band ceasing touring, drummer Terry Chambers, opted to quit. However, this didn't stop the overall material which XTC would go on to produce and release. They continued to release albums throughout the 80's, and into the 90's, ending with 2000's Wasp Star. In 2006, Moulding and Partridge would disband XTC, with Partridge stating that his band member seemed to have lost interest in writing or even listening to music, and had gone so far as to move and change his phone number without sharing it. This was echoed by Moulding in a 2008 interview.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS March 7, 1981 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS March 7, 1987 |
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