Customer Reviews

White Music

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

XTC didn't start out with any remote idea of aspiring to the very stifling punk classicism of the day.The only relation
'White Music' has to punk is the simple three chord structures.
Otherwise tunes like the catchy "This Is Pop" and the offbeat,
quircky reggae of "All Along The Watchtower" have more relation to not only early British invasion music but to the more abstract musical experiments of American avante rockers.Neither is this in any way typical XTC-in years to come the band would
develope a sound much more melodic and sweet (neither of those
terms ever apply to this music) but the stuttering vocals and
Andy Partirdge's clever humor are more then enough to carry this album.From a guy whose more interested in funk and fusion normally I find this album worth a listen-'White Music' will
definately command your attention.And it's not too loud either!

This is XTC's first album and it contains the band at their most nervy and manic. The band obviously had a lot of energy to burn and it shows through on this album. This is the first album I've purchased of theirs and it's so infectious that you can't put this album down. I'm Bugged is an obvious highlight as well as The Statue Of Liberty which would have got airplay only if the BBC didn't pick up on the " I sail the winds beneath your skirt " line. Which is unfortunate really as it really deserved more. It's unfortunate this band didn't do better but then.....that's what happens in life!

Although not my favorite XTC album, White Music has a number of strong tracks. What's most interesting on this reissue is how well the original vinyl artwork has been reproduced. The sound quality is very, very good although I don't hear a huge improvement between this and the previously issued version.

The big advantage here is the fact that the bonus tracks are at the end and not in the middle like the first CD edition (why someone would put them in the middle is beyond me. I don't recall seeing that happen to any other artist). There are hints at Partridge's further development as both a songwriter and vocalist (although here his shouter style most resembles that of Joe Strummer). Moulding's songs are fairly weak although there are a couple that suggest his distinct songwriter voice. Here he sounds as if he's trying to write material similar to Partridge's.

Barry Andrew's funhouse keyboards are a delight throughout the album. He helped give the early XTC a distinct sound compared to many of their contemporaries. Terry's propulsive drumming helps even the weakest of songs gain a foothold in the listener's memory.All in all this wasn't a bad debut. Kudos to producer John Leckie for trying to capture the band's live sound on tape. I have to admit I don't listen to this as much as the other stuff in XTC's catalog but I do prefer Go2 to the debut. Partridge's songwriting is more polished and his experimental nature begins to appear on that album.

I remember buying this import LP and hearing it for the first time. It was very different than what was coming out in the USA, with exception to the great underground punk stuff. The songs show the bands whimsical spirit and their awesome talent. This is a very upbeat album, with exception to I'm Bugged, which drives a beat into your cranium. This music is not for everyone, but if you like to walk on the wild side this is for you! The EP adds alone make this a buy for any XTC Fan. Finally, hands down, best rendition of All Along the Watch Tower ever.

This album wasn't released in the U.S. at the time; nevertheless it made a splash in England, and had a clear influence on a number of other artists. XTC established themselves as a preeminent "new wave" band, one full of squeaky dissonant sounds and manic energy that made them the antithesis of "hippy music", but did so with a greater intelligence, sensitivity, and timelessness than their peers.

The songs originally released on the "White Music" LP are slightly inferior to the tracks released on the "Science Friction" EP and 2 or 3 singles from this timeframe; happily those tunes are included on the CD reissue, making for one highly charged listening experience.

Pop music (i.e. the Beatles) with its calibrated rushes of energy meets the avant-garde (i.e. Captain Beefheart's rhythmically twisted structures). It's, on the whole, amazing.

Great initial touchstones are "Science Friction" (Jerry Lee Lewis meets Captain Beefheart), "She's So Square" (think early Dukes of Stratosphere), "Danceband" and "Heatwave" (two dissonent Colin moulding masterpieces), the would-be dance crazes the "Spinning Top" and the "Neon Shuffle" taken to extremes, the brilliant and wild take on "All Along the Watchtower", the minimal masterpiece "New Town Animal" ... great CD.

Strong debut from the band formerly known as the Helium Kidzand Star Park. Although not my fav XTC album (I came on board with Drums And Wires so I'm partial to the Gregory era line up), White Music proves to have legs; the best songs on White Music have withstood the test of time. Both This Is Pop, Statue of Liberty and Radios In Motion demonstrate the arrival of a unique and important voice in rock music.

Colin's songs aren't quite up to the quality of Andy's material here but they are quite charming in their own way. Terry Chambers' driving rhythm helps rescue the weakest material. Barry Andrews' fun house fueled keyboard playing adds considerable color to most of the tracks. His flamboyant style meshed well with the early XTC material. Although there aren't any songs by Barry on this album, he would develop into an interesting songwriter in Shriekback in years to come.

The bonus tracks are exactly the same as those on the earlier version except they're at the end of the CD instead of the middle. The result is an album that resembles the original as much as possible on CD. I never found the original CD configuration a distraction as most of the songs from the 3D EP and b sides were of a similar quality to the best songs on the album. Still, this is truer to the original work.

I much prefer this album and its hyper, intense rhythms to the stale flat "mature" sound of their work on albums like "Nonsuch". This might not be the case if they could produce more than one great song from these recent releases. "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" and "Easter Theatre" give hope for XTC's direction, but the whole albums are very disappointing. I got on too much of a tangent. Sorry. Back to White Music. This has two classic songs on one release. "This Is Pop" and "Statue Of Liberty" are two of the best songs they have done period. The rest is hit and miss with more hits. Songs like "New Town Animal", "Atom Age", "Science Friction", "Radios In Motion" and the cover of "All Along The Watchtower" being standouts. Too bad they abandoned this sound so quickly. An entertaining debut.

This is a great, quirky pop album: manic keyboards, and lyrics bursting out so quickly there isn't time to actually, you know, pronounce them. (The last line of the Crossed Wires sample is "Everything's buzz-buzz, everything's beep-beep", really.) Catchy pop that quickly gets in your head, if you're looking for frenetic fun.

In the beginning, the band XTC consisted of four members, Barry Andrews played keyboards, and later left the band, to form the band Shriekback. The original drummer Terry Chambers, really added to the bands sound, he stayed for awhile, but left after English Settlement, which was right about the time that the band was gaining a wider audience. Andy Partridge vocals and guitar and Colin Moulding bass and vocals, both write songs as well. After Barry left, who's keyboard sound wasn't really missed, they added a second guitar, Dave Gregory, and the songwriting and the sound of the group became more focused and successful. So, this first record represents, a raw sounding XTC, before they developed their songwriting skills. Their version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", is interesting, and goes off in a different direction, then the original, or the Hendrix version as well. Also interesting is "Statue of Liberty", "This is Pop", their first hit song. Also, notable are the additional tracks, seven in all, that were "B" sides from that time period. This disc isn't remastered, but should be, the later released version is though.

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since XTC's debut album on Virgin was released. But "White Music" still brings back fond memories of those hazy days when new wave and punk were still considered underground. Thankfully, this remastered CD version also contains the group's two early EPs ("3-D EP" and "Go+")and is a must for anyone who really wants to understand the origins of psychedelic new wave or avant-garde punk. Later on, the group streamlined their sound and, at least to these ears, lost some of their early vibrancy and charm. The first three XTC releases retain the urgency and dementia one would expect from Andy Partridge.