Customer Reviews

Go 2

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, I was once like you. Enraptured by XTC's more lush productions like Skylarking. But maturity encouraged me to pay closer attention to GO 2 and it has proven to be their finest hour. Pure, raw, creative energy captured on tape. This is what Andy and Colin are capable of when not distracted by their more Beatlesque leanings. There are lots of good tunes on the later albums, of course. Drums and Wires and English Settlement are personal favorites. But XTC never exploded with this level of combustion again.

The songs here are very much the epitome of what "New Wave" is supposed to sound like, with the possible exception of Elvis Costello's early work. Barry Andrews' plastic organ was essential to XTC's flavor at this point in their history. This is a much darker album than their debut, WHITE MUSIC. Darker because Barry and Andy Partridge were fighting for dominance within the band. The tense competition between these two made for some really exceptional tunes. Unfortunately, Andrews was to leave the band after this record.

The first track, Meccanic Dancing, alludes to "a disco song from Germany." It is followed by the second track, a mechanical sounding Battery Brides wherein Partridge tips his musical hat to German techno-heads Kraftwerk in tribute.

Barry Andrew's two tunes, Super Tuff & My Weapon are good enough to be on the album, but he would later make a much bigger mark for himself as a songwriter with the band SHRIEKBACK.

This album is brilliant. It's an edgy clash of direction. I can understand fans of later-XTC not digging "Go 2" but I was really into them when I picked this up (on vinyl) sometime in 1983. Truthfully, I really have not much use for later-period XTC. I find them too predictable and maudlin. "Oranges and Lemons" pretty much bookends their place in my collection. "Go 2" came out before the term "New Wave" defined anything and, put into the context of the musical times it was released, the album finds the band staking their claim and announcing themselves to their contemporaries (and audience) of that short and exciting era. Namely, The Talking Heads, Wire, Gang of Four, Oingo Boingo, Devo, and a few forgotten but pretty neat acts. All bands initially founded on principles of edgy, arty, and unique new ideas of melody and structure. Almost all steadily moved towards entirely predictable and traditional styles of their chosen subgenre of popular song. (Whew!)
I'm aware XTC isn't particularly fond of this release. They have a wealth of fantastic records but given their output of, say; the last ten years, that opinion matters little to me. "Go 2" is XTC's most interesting release. The smartly-designed LP (CD art boringly altered) cover required you to pull out the inner-sleeve and place it just so to read the entire spiel. The songs are interesting, ponderous and open to wide interpretation. Like good jazz, it requires the listener to pay attention. If you prefer your messages spoon-fed to you, messages you know you'll agree with anyway, download, "Dear God."

I am not surprised critics and Andy Partridge consider this XTC's worst release. To be honest I am more surprised so many people are sticking up for this one. I always thought I was alone in my appreciation of this release. I am surprised that everyone that likes this album hates the Barry Andrews songs. I absolutely love "Super Tuff" and "My Weapon". "My Weapon" may have juvenile lyrics, but they are also rather truthful and the music adds power to Andrews frustration. Why is this song hated so much? "I Am The Audience", "Jumpimg In Gomorrah", "Battery Brides" and "The Rhythm" are also favorites. I love the lyrics to "Life Is Good In The Greenhouse" and the atmosphere, but the bass can be annoying and is mixed too high. "Meccanik Dancing" has grown on me a lot. The rest is annoying, though "Red" seems to be another song I am starting to like. Finally is the clssic, "Are You Receiving Me", which is the bonus track. Another ace. This is a consistently enjoyable album that will probably be out of print soon.

Go 2 is THE definitive early XTC album. "Meccanik Dancing (Oh we go!) is one of the most unusual catchy songs I've ever heard. The psychedelic "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)" sounds like brainwashed factory workers at work. "Buzzcity Talking","Crowded Room" and "The Rhythm" are some of Colin Moulding's most exciting
contributions to the XTC cannon. Check out the crazy ascending/descending chords in "The Rhythm". "Red" sounds like a
hot, sweaty nightclub somehow but does feature some interesting saxophone from Barry Andrews. "Beatown" and "Jumping in Gomorrah"
are hyper Partridge workouts. "My Weapon" and "Super Tuff" are
both amusing and entertaining. Although the Andrews songs that
SHOULD have appeared here are "Sargasso Bar" and "Things Fall To Bits". "I Am The Audience" features the yob chorus of Terry and Barry. But the MOST innovative and interesting track here is
"Life Is Good In The Greenhouse". Sure it's far from Partridge's
best by a long shot but the "dub" process used as far as emptying things out is brilliant. Very unique drumming from Terry Chambers
on this one. The excellent "Are You Receiving Me?" single is the featured bonus track here. There's really no reason why its B-Side, "Instant Tunes" isn't on this issue of GO 2. Virgin screwed up the first time and added it as a bonus trach to White Music. Why they screwed up a second time is beyond me. It's also
creatively in line with the production line concept behind GO 2.
Barry's playing makes a bit more sense and in place on this album
and Terry and Colin prove to be a rhythmic force to be reckoned with. Andy and Barry are uninhibited mavericks scribbling merrily
over Terry and Colin's canvas. The only LP in existence like this one is Adam And The Ants debut Dirk Wears White Sox but that's way more of a sour experience than this. This record delights, surprises, entertains, rocks, baffles, innovates and inspires.
Highly reccomended!

Go 2, sadly, is more famous amongst XTC fans for the turmoil surrounding its creation than the actual music. True, it is more roughly hewn than its predecessor, as the songs hadn't been kicking around for the past ten years. However, it is its roughness which gives it its charm. The dry, boxy drum sounds, spiky guitars, bat-s**t crazy organ and fluffy-Fender bass showcases a band revelling in its nuttiness.

With hardly any time between tracks to breathe, the album is a barrage of angular, syncopated guitars and gothic fairground keyboards rarely found today (although you might want to check out the new album from Hot Hot Heat). There are rock-out moments, such as the power-chord drenched "Crowded Room", one of Moulding's best early efforts. "Jumping in Gomorrah" is a crazed train ride through Christianity, complete with trademark falsetto backing vocals.

This album is a delight when taken in context of the band's career. The burgeoning talent of these two songwriters is very apparent. Unfortunately, at the time, the general public told them to go and burgeon somewhere else, and Barry Andrews burgeoned off shortly after. Burgeoning aside, Go 2 is a charming stepping stone on a long, tuneful career.

The follow up to "White Music" and the last by the original band (Barry Andrews took his squawling keyboard to the underrated Shriekback after this LP). It was an improvement over "White Music", more refined, though the lack of bonus tracks here make WM a superior CD as they are now issued.

"Meccanic Dancing" ... whew ... music doesn't really get much better than that track in my opinion. "Battery Brides" is a stunner also (its sustitle is "Andy Paints Brian", and it appears to be an attempt to write a song in Brian Eno's style. Eno deferred on an opportunity to produce this record, saying the band had enough ideas of their own and didn't need him ... thankfully, John Leckie remained on board and recorded this in strong and clear style).

The rest of the LP is mostly slightly charming, but potentially annoying ... wordy songs with somewhat precious lyrics. Most of the songs have their charms, but aren't everyone's cup of tea. Notice the great band sound in "Beattown". Notice that "Crowded Room" sounds like a Talking Heads parody. Notice that that song and Molin's other 2 songs on Side 1 have a strong, almost pub-rock feel to them.

Unarguably, this is the group's least liked album, and though it stands far above most of the drivel that other bands release these days, it falls short from the usual excellence with which XTC has rewarded its admirers (and there are more out there than most people may realize!).

There are a handful of eyebrow-raising moments here, like the lyrics to "Jumping in Gomorrah" and "My Weapon," and the band's experiments with atonality and noise are realized on tracks like "Meccanic Dancing" and "Beatown," two rousing rockers; however, dull tracks like "Super Tuff," "Buzzcity Talking," and the excruciatingly boring "Battery Brides," which is perhaps the only forgettable song written by Andy Partridge, fail to match anything on their debut album, "White Music," a much more polished and groundbreaking collection of songs.

XTC newbies ought to investigate the band's other albums first before taking a chance on this lukewarm offering that only the most devoted collectors should own.

What is it that makes an album be reviled? In finding the answer, will we also discover what makes an album celebrated? It would be nice, of course, to think that all albums dissed by critics were bad, and hence, avoidable and all albums praised by critics were good and hence, what you should buy. The album in question here, XTC's "sophomore slump" album 'Go 2' is traditionally a critical whipping boy. But dare one approach it on its own terms? Aren't we supposed to say "Are you Receiving Me" is great but the rest is bollocks? Is it in fact greatness so great that the critics simply had their noses stuck too high in the air to get a whiff of it?

Well, first off we should squelch that one. It's not the great lost XTC album. That one is probably 'Nonsuch' which nobody bothered to buy anyway and which they're giving away at your local record shop. But taken as what it is 'Go 2' is a hoot, so away with that handkerchief, you've nothing to sneeze at! The first half, especially, finds a cognizance missing from the fun frolics of the band's first album, 'White Music' without sacrificing the "fun." "Meccanic Dancing" herky jerks you right into the Eno-esque realm of "Battery Brides." A few songs later you get "the Rhythm" one of the catchiest early XTC songs there is, followed by the already mentioned "Receiving." So that means the second half MUST be what all the negative fuss is all about, and there's some truth there. Do we really need to hear Barry Andrew's bathetic song pairing? Do we really care that Andy Partridge feels like a plant? On the other hand, should we toss the album out before banging our heads to "Red" or "Beatown?" Not if you're an XTC fan, and if you own this album, you probably will be.

Unless of course, you're a critic, in which case you'll write the whole thing off cause the Critic's Bible tells you so. Yes, 'Drums and Wires' IS a better album and would carry the band's career careening forward...but so what? Most of 'Go 2' is a blast, and the rest is easily avoided. So what are you waiting for? 'Go 2' it!

This is the album that turned me on to XTC. Go2 is their second album and for those that haven't heard their first two albums you are in for a big suprize. This is the last album to feature original keyboardist Barry Andrews who was replaced with multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory for the next album Drums and Wires. And largely because of Barry, the music is radically different from subsequent albums. At this stage of their career XTC were playing '60s inflected absurdist, speed freakbeat new wave punk pop. Energetic as a live wire and drastically spastic. XTC's take on pop/punk music was completely original, sounding like nothing their contemporaries were playing circa 1979, owing as much to the British invasion of the sixties, and krautrock as punk rock. From the disco on acid Meccanik Dancing to the totally incorrect My Weapon to the heroin electro haze of Battery Brides to the wonderful upbeat punk of Crowded Room, this is XTC at their most unconventional, energetic and for me their most original, with lyrics as irreverently clever as the music is daring. I love Barry Andrew's crappy sounding spastic organ playing, and Andy Partridges herky jerky slash and burn guitar. It's not their best album, that would (probably) be Black Sea or Drums And Wires and it's far from their worst album, the mannerist exercise in tedium that is Mummer. But hey I'm a guy who liked Big Black Express much more than their overheated and overproduced "masterpiece" Skylarking. I like drums and guitars not violins. Go2 is XTC at their irreverant best, before the gorgeous pop pretentions of Nonsuch and back when the band thought that guitars were "fishing rods for girls." I have this on vinyl and the album cover was one of the funniest and most subversive I've ever seen basically explaining what the function of what an album cover is, telling you that you are being duped while duping you, very funny and cynical.