Wednesday, May 04, 2005

in search of xtc

i guess this is gonna be xtc week here in the old room . . . (i'm kinda feelin' for the gang at last night an mp3 saved my wife) . . .
so, here is a show from the 1980 usa tour. i saw them later that spring at 'ol' man river's' in new orleans and that is when i fell head over for these guys. they were a gas live, always yakkin' up the crowd, bouncing around and playing that quirky, elecrocuted power pop.
this was the xtc before andy's crash and burn, with dave gregory and andy working syncopated guitar magic over terry's off beat cymbal smashings and colin's melodic bass running all over the place. this was the xtc before they all bought acoustic guitars and became the pastoral band they would evolve into during the mid-80's.
this is when the band was just very, very cool.

jan. 22, 1980 ann arbour michigan
wutf-fm detroit broadcast (mp3)
real by reel
when you're near me i have difficulty
life begins at the hop
the rhythm
meccanic dancing
roads girdle the globe
ten feet tall
helicopter
this is pop
battery brides (andy paints brian)
instant tunes
crowded room
complicated game
making plans for nigel
(break)
outside world
dance band
statue of liberty
(mystery announcer)

3 comments:

sleepybomb said...

mr van dyke,
if this helps in your election woes, then i can only hope i can help some more. . .
maybe some more xtc, or . . . cream?
(i should be doin' fats and the professor, oh well).

erik hogstrom said...

Great to see the XTC posts. I can explore all avenues of music and I keep finding myself returning to the chalkhills.

Anonymous said...

Great gig, but this was NOT on a station called "WUTF-FM". There was never any such station in MI. If you have the same version as elsewhere online, it's from WDET-FM in Detroit MI, just listen to the "mystery" announcer. The correct answer is on your own recording. The original broadcast was WCBN-FM in Ann Arbor MI