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Drums And Wires reissue - buy it now!
Last update: 30 July 2017
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May 10, 2017: Tim Kendrick recapitulates, "There will be a convention of XTC fans the weekend of Sept 15-17, 2017, town of Swindon, in the UK. Friday night and Saturday events will be held at the Southbrook Inn pub, Southbrook St, Swindon. Sunday will be a coach/bus trip to the Uffington White Chalk Horse (seen on cover of English Settlement). There will be an Open Mic evening, Walking Tour of Town Centre, Quiz, Panel Discussion, Tribute Acts and much more. Complainers need not attend. Tickets are £27.50 (non-refundable). All tickets must be purchased in advance. We recommend the Jury's Inn, a 5-minute walk from the train station and about a 15-18 minute walk to the convention spot, with a 20% group discount rate, ask for discount code."
March 26, 2017: A long time ago, in a library far far away (well, Swindon, actually), a shy schoolboy who loved books, but was a slow reader, borrowed three science fiction books per week. He didn't read them. Instead, mesmerised by the covers, he imagined his own stories to match the cover paintings which he stared at intently for hours. His response was to record a sort of soundtrack to the paintings which had been so inspirational to him. The resulting album conjures, via 12 enigmatic pieces akin to a virtual Musique concrete (with the computer/editing process replacing the more cumbersome scissors/tape method), a musical accompaniment to the variety of alien landscapes which Richard M. Powers illustrated so profusely.

Now a much sought after album, A.J Partridge's album Powers has been reissued as a mid-price jewel cased CD with 12 pages of sleeve notes and illustrations by long-time Ape House sleeve artist Andrew Swainson.

Ape House News

March 8, 2017: POWERS RETURNED
December 3, 2016: XTC SHIRTS AU GO GO
October 17, 2016: SKYLARKING NOW IN 5.1
June 10, 2016: BACK TO VOLUPTUOUS VINYL
February 22, 2016: FUZZY WARBLES ARE HERE AGAIN

Chalkhills is a web resource dedicated to XTC (the now defunct band). Peruse Chalkhills to find a wealth of information about XTC, their music and recordings, and much more.

Chalkhills was created by me, John Relph, and is infrequently updated (I am often busy with other things) so check back often. Chalkhills was the longest extant XTC mailing list, created in April 1989 as an offshoot of the venerable Love-Hounds list and killed off (in a bizarre kitchen accident, of course) in August 2014. Chalkhills is the longest extant XTC web site, first hacked together in May 1994, although FTP archives were first made available in April 1991.

Other News

July 30
As a big fan of Nonsuch and an enthusiast bass player, Florian Decros decided to transcribe the bass parts of all the songs from the record. (Non, you're not seeing double.)
July 23
As a big fan of Skylarking and an enthusiast bass player, Florian Decros decided to transcribe the bass parts of all the songs from the record.
July 3
Rolling Stone published “15 Legendary Tours That Never Were”. Were you there? ¶ According to Music Week, Andy Partridge signs worldwide deal with Warner/Chappell!
June 11
Kenn Scott provided a contemporary review of 25 O'Clock that appeared on page C7 of the Edmonton Journal (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) on May 9, 1985. ¶ Thierry Samzun let us know that XTC's Oranges & Lemons is among ten records inspired by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bands according to les inRocks. ¶ Dan Pinder updated the tablature for the guitar solo on “Pink Thing”, 19 years after he originally tabbed it out.
May 21
Paul Ferguson would like to present bass tab for “I Remember the Sun”.

Recent Site Updates

July 30, 2017: Songs - XTC: "Rook", XTC: "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead", XTC: "My Bird Performs", XTC: "Humble Daisy", XTC: "Dear Madam Barnum", XTC: "Wrapped in Grey", XTC: "War Dance", XTC: "Then She Appeared", XTC: "The Ugly Underneath", XTC: "The Smartest Monkeys", XTC: "The Disappointed", XTC: "That Wave", XTC: "Omnibus", XTC: "Holly Up On Poppy", XTC: "Crocodile", XTC: "Bungalow", XTC: "Books Are Burning"; Press - "Partridge Tweets: XTC (xtcfans)", Twitter (2014-); Discography - XTC: Black SeaThe Surround Sound Series
July 23, 2017: Songs - XTC: "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", XTC: "That's Really Super, Supergirl", XTC: "Season Cycle", XTC: "Sacrificial Bonfire", XTC: "Mermaid Smiled", XTC: "Earn Enough for Us", XTC: "Dying", XTC: "Big Day", XTC: "Ballet for a Rainy Day", XTC: "Another Satellite", XTC: "The Meeting Place", XTC: "Summer's Cauldron", XTC: "Grass", XTC: "Dear God"
July 15, 2017: Discography - Best of the Land of Nod Store Music, Volume 2
July 3, 2017: Vision - Vintage Video: Drums and Wires-era XTC live performance captured by French TV: For this week's installment of Vintage Video, we flash back to XTC's early turn as a touring band for this 1979 performance filmed in Paris and broadcast by French TV. The 20-minute set comes a few months after the release of Drums and Wires, and opens with three songs off that album. Within three years of this performance, XTC would quit touring altogether.; Press - “Andy Partridge signs worldwide deal with Warner/Chappell”, Music Week, June 23, 2017, “15 Legendary Tours That Never Were”, Rolling Stone, June 29, 2017

Twitter: xtcfans

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Album of the Day
The Big Express
The Big Express

XTC's most powerful and least popular album. Includes Andy Partridge's favorite XTC song: “Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her”.

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