An appreciation of the underrated and still-rocking XTC

Back in junior high, my friends and I really had an XTC phase. We mostly stuck to the band’s greatest hits, an awesome blend of very 1980s dance-y post-punk-pop. And I still don’t go very deep on the band, but its best songs are still so, so good. Total and underrated classics, I’d say. 

First, I offer my 17 essential XTC songs and second is a handful of things I learned about leader Andy Partridge (second from right in the photo) and his gang in a feature in the September 2023 issue of Uncut Magazine (a great zine that I subscribed to just recently, by the way):

1. Senses Working Overtime
2. Making Plans for Nigel
3. Generals and Majors
4. Science Friction
5. Statue of Liberty
6. The Mayor of Simpleton
7. Are You Receiving Me?
8. Ball and Chain
9. Dear God
10. This is Pop
11. Earn Enough for Us
12. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
13. Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down
14. Life Begins At the Hop
15. King for a Day
16. Towers of London
17. Sgt. Rock

• Partridge recently had a stroke and a heart problem and has since slimmed up and been on a health kick.
• Brian Eno is a fan of the band and once almost produced a record but didn’t.
• Partridge says, “If The Rolling Stones had more balls,” they would have gone in the direction of The New York Dolls.
• He was more influenced by bands like The Stooges and Richard Hell and The Voidoids than older rock bands like the Stones and Sweet.
• After five years straight of touring, Partridge, in 1982, didn’t want to do it anymore. 
• He also quit a 14-year addiction to Valium at that same time.
• He started writing better songs when he was off drugs and says colors and characterizations started popping out for him.
• Partridge doesn’t like crowds and never had a desire to be “part of the scene,” reasons he never moved to London from his hometown of Swindon, which is located straight west of London.
• XTC got kicked off Top of the Pops for goofing around and the band's subsequent lack of appearances on the TV show probably contributed to its  still-underrated (mainly because of being under-known) status.
• Great quote on why he is just email friends with all his old bandmates: “All artists are fucked up – that’s why they have to be artists, to get out the fucked-up-ery.”

Partridge notes that he’s a little sad XTC never reached Beatles levels of fame, but he is also very proud of the music and thinks it will “last a long time.” So far so good.