1,000 Umbrellas Open to Spoil the View: XTC’s English Legacy

All three of these mid-career albums bear the progressive rock influence in that the song arrangements are often complex and busy, the lyrics rich in cultural references and word play, inviting multiple interpretations. No other band was making music like this in the late ’80s, save Kate Bush, another English artist heavily influenced by progressive rock. The offbeat measure and backwards guitar parts of “The Garden of Earthly Delights” recalls the cross-genre experiments of Yes or Gentle Giant. On “Pink Thing,” is Partridge singing about his penis or his infant child? And “Wrapped in Grey” rivals “Eleanor Rigby” in its wonderful English chamber pop-ness.

Given the quality of the songwriting alone, it’s no surprise that XTC’s record company (Virgin) tried very hard to broaden the band’s audience. One strategy to accomplish this was the use of different high-profile producers for each record. When the platinum trophy was not won, a different producer was tried.

But this strategy was futile because XTC made music that was far too intelligent for the masses, and far too English for most American radio formats. Most people didn’t know XTC at the time, or years later. I remember telling a co-worker in 1992 about Nonsuch, and his reaction was, “XTC? There’s a band that dropped off the face of the earth.” My girlfriend at the time dismissed them as “too English.” She was into hip-hop, so I could understand her point. It’s tough being an Anglophile.

But XTC did drop off the face of the earth during the ’90s. They were literally on strike against Virgin Records over past-due royalties. Moulding and Partridge continued to write songs, but they stayed away from the studio. Fans began circulating bootlegged demos of those songs over the fledgling Internet, foreshadowing the file-sharing craze of this decade. But no new albums were made until after the Virgin contract expired in 1998.

By then, Partridge and Moulding were unabashed middle-aged McCartney freaks. “I’d Like That” sounds like a lost Rubber Soul track. Apple Venus is a baroque pop masterpiece, but so orchestral that Dave Gregory left the band during its recording. Gregory is a genius on guitar, but he’s no songwriter. And his departure spelled the end of the band.

Still, I think their last album, 2000’s Wasp Star, is one of their best. The last three songs are Andy Partridge’s parting shot, a mini-song cycle ending with the English-folk inspired “The Wheel and the Maypole.” XTC defined the English post-punk new wave in the ’70s, pushed the boundaries of the recording studio in the ’80s and ’90s, and seemed to sputter out in obscurity.

But anyone who believes XTC is obscure and not worth listening to is badly mistaken. Their legacy speaks for itself and can be heard in bands such as the Decemberists, Weezer, Fleet Foxes, Belle and Sebastian, Modest Mouse, Ween, Jellyfish, Kings of Leon, St. Vincent, Of Montreal, and the Shins. XTC are a quintessential musician’s band, and like the Beatles, their influence will be felt for generations.

For more on XTC, please check out their Official Site or MySpace page (which is frequently updated with blog posts and other interesting tidbits).

RELATED LINKS

XTC: The Never-Ending Obituary, Popshifter July/August 2009 issue

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