Drummer reacts to "Jason and the Argonauts" by XTC

[@gergsar]

possibly the best band.. ever...their music is timeless... Partridge is a genius, period...

[@edgarsnake2857]

XTC is a great rabbit hole to go down. They inspired a rabid fan base that I remain part of. Long story short: Some friends and I went to England In the late 1980's to do a Beatles 'pilgrimage' in Liverpool AND an XTC pilgrimage in Swindon. We went to an outdoor shopping mall in Swindon looking for some lunch. We ran smack into Andy Partridge and his wife. We respectfully approached and ended up chatting for 45 minutes or so. We thanked him for allowing the intrusion and he ended by inviting us to dinner at his house! We went and it was a blast. I could go on and on but I won't. I'm glad you are listening to them and i loved your reaction.

[@mightyV444]

What a great experience! 😍 Thank you for sharing it here! 😀👍

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Wow!

[@FaceBat]

No, it's Andy Partridge singing this song, which he wrote. Basically, if Andy is singing, he wrote it; if Colin sings it, he wrote it. And yes, Colin is a great bass player, very underrated & overlooked.

[@dominicschaeffer909]

Drums and Wires, Black Sea, English Settlement, Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons… all amazing albums. You got your work cut out for you, L33!

[@Lwize]

Brilliant album from a brilliant group.

[@todwest]

English Settlement is one of my desert island records. This is an incredible song.

[@warrenbutson349]

Love xtc. They change a lot every album so much creativity but like Beatles never repeat themselves

[@stevedahlberg8680]

XTC was so incredible in so many ways. They have so much great material spanning several albums from the late 70s and through the 80s. For something more "punk", but with the same high level of musicality you always get with XTC, check out Respectable Street from their Black Sea album, a fairly polished album that is just so fun and it's this crazy blend of pop and punk and sarcasm and astonishing musicality. Drums and Wires is yet another iconic album by them. It just was so groundbreaking and hard-hitting and so creative. And speaking of album covers, that is probably their most famous album cover. How many of us had it in our record collections or just out in the living room, it was everywhere in the alternative music culture. Complicated Game from that album is a fan favorite and I just know you would have your mind blown by it and also really be intrigued with the message of it. In ways it echoes some of the things I've heard you say in your reactions. If you really want to see how energetic and creative and just different they were from the very start, check out these two songs from their first or second album: This Is Pop!, and, I'm Bugged. I Set Myself On Fire, and, Statue of Liberty from those first couple of albums are pretty frantic but still so catchy. It just occurred to me that you really ought to react to another British band from that era and so highly influential as well, Gang of Four, especially the early stuff.

[@davidrauh8118]

They started out as a punk band and eventually became one of the premier pop bands ever! They also did an excursion into parodying 60's psychedelia as the Dukes of The Stratosphear. Indeed a great rabbit hole to go down. Absolutely love these guys. Say hello to Alice when you get to Wonderland.

[@mightyV444]

Yes, the Dukes' 1st album in particular is superb! 😍👍

[@stephanie.r382]

XTC were actually classed as Alternative Rock. Makings Plans For Nigel is worth listening to for the drum pattern at the start of the song.

[@mightyV444]

And also for the fact that it's XTC's 'signature song', and sung by Colin Moulding.

[@Grizazzle]

@@mightyV444 Does that make 'Dear God' second? ;-)

[@mightyV444]

​@@Grizazzle- I guess it depends on geography!? That song seemed to have ruffled more feathers in the US than in Europe (where I'm originally from).

[@johnmavroudis2054]

XTC AND GENESIS!!! Great day! XTC might be my favorite band of all-time. They (particularly Andy Partridge) are amazing song writers... and their song catalog is VAST and diverse. This was a pivotal album for them (also one of their best) as this was the last album where the band toured. They became strictly a studio album band and their music got more complex as they felt more free to produce music they wanted (rather than what they could reproduce in a live setting.) This song is a lyrical masterpiece... with Andy writing "I've been to lands where women are forced to hide their facial features. And here in the West it's just the same but they're using makeup veils." Andy is simply one of the best songwriters in rock history. They are VERY influential to other bands. Some song I would highly recommend: "COMPLICATED GAME" (probably their most memorable song... it's a sonic punch in the face... and you'll never forget it.) "SENSES WORKING OVERTIME" (a hit from this same album), "THIS WORLD OVER," "WRAPPED IN GREY," and "HARVEST FESTIVAL." (There's a TON of other great songs, but these are my faves to start with.) ALSO: Don't sleep on their AMAZING alter-egos: THE DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR... they put out the absolutely brilliant original music that mimics the sound textures and vocals of famous bands from the 60s (Beatles, Kinks, Stones, Kinks, Beach Boys)... but in their own incredible way. Check out "25 O'CLOCK" to get the idea. The more you listen to them, the more you appreciate them. They're jaw-dropping great. Cheers!

[@mastertoymaker5249]

"Complicated Game!" "Easter Theatre" "Dear God"

[@TheHakanWidman]

One of the best albums ever, lots of interesting stuff on it. I wouldn’t call it pop but they have a lot of pop sensibilities inbedded there, you can hear beatles a lot, and some times The Beach Boys. But most of the time they are in their own universe, quiet unique. I’ve never heard “Prog pop” before but I think it actually fits. They once said “we play chords no one else wants” I bought the album when it came out in the spring of -82 and it’s hard to pick a favourite, but these days, more than 40 years later, with a gun to my head, I recommend the softer more folksy “Yacht Dance” which has both a killer bass lines and such beautiful acoustic guitar. Have to add the drummer Terry Chambers is such a composer of melodic drums, listen to “Ball and Chain” where the drum part, played live without overdubbs, in my book is the most important aspect of the song.

[@davelouis4004]

Great band , Oranges and Lemons is worth a listen ! Incredible musicians!

[@stevecampbell8152]

Dave Gregory went on to Big Big Train for a decade or so. Great experimental sound with XTX. How about some East Coast Racer by BBT. A long, very engaging song telling a story. A must listen!! Thanks for bringing this music to many that have never heard it!

[@markdrechsler5660]

Another top tier band. Terry Chambers on drums.

[@briansummers6074]

Incredible band, touchy subjects, great musicians, try dear God.

[@wowwhywow]

great group.... River of Orchids is another hypnotizing song by them.

[@Bob.L.Shirley]

Misters Partridge, Moulding, Gregory and Chambers killing it as usual. You've got months worth of happy surprises left on this double album and I can't wait for you to hear more of their VERY varied catalog. If you ever hear a song from them that doesn't work for you, just try another track, another album... so many styles, done so well. And this was Andy on lead vox but he and Colin swap off in that role. Really happy to hear you get into them.

[@helmuthredschlag9756]

"melt the guns"...!

[@dominicschaeffer909]

Look at the video for the song “This is POP?” by them in their early daze… good fun!

[@davidmarsh9897]

Drums and Wires by XTC is definitely in my all time top 10. Choose any track from that album, they're all brilliant.

[@davidmarsh9897]

Also check out a side project they did called The Dukes of Stratosphear. Thier album called Psonic Psunspot is equally brilliant, if not better.

[@a.k.1740]

@@davidmarsh9897 I couldn't agree more! ...and even better, the Chips from the Chocolate Fireball compilation, which combines their mini album 25 O' Clock with their Psonic Psunspot album, is the real deal!

[@jtenaz]

My favorite band of ever. The XTC song Complicated Game is my recommendation for the next reaction.

[@mightyV444]

That's the final song on 'Drums And Wires', isn't it?! 😅

[@mightyV444]

Oh yay! I'm already looking forward to this one, as it's one of my XTC favourites, and I'm curious about your opinion 😉👍 I'd first heard about this band already in 1980 (I was 10) but heard one of their songs for the first time only 15 years later, their biggest Hit 'Making Plans For Nigel'. A second song popped up on a DVD I bought another 10 years later. But it was only two years ago that I felt inspired to give their music a proper listen, and man did this turn into a massive rabbit hole! 😄 And I _still_ am far from having heard everything they'd recorded! 😅

[@kevtruth]

Hope you take a journey with this band. Andy on vocals here. Colin's a monster bassist

[@user-ik4xq9hm1x]

This one is a great one to go find a nice spot outside, take a puff and go on a magical percussion adventure

[@radiovalkyrierecords5102]

Oh boy! Get ready for a deep dive. One of the best bands ever.

[@Grizazzle]

Great band! Do more of them!

[@brie_b]

Came here straight from your Genesis video. The Genesis link to this album is produer Hugh Padgham who discovered/created gated reverb with Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins on Peter Gabriel 3/Melt and then Face Value with Phil, etc. It's a cool story if you look into it. But this is a top 10 album for me. Love that you reacted to Tori Amos as well. I think her composition style is very similar to Tony Banks, especially on Boys for Pele. Loving your reactions!

[@claudiotacchi]

A truly underrated band

[@VidiotSavante]

I'm glad you're checking out XTC - one of my all-time favorite bands! They have so many great ones to choose from, but I recommend you hit "The Smartest Monkeys" next. Enjoy your musical journey through their amazing catalog!

[@mightyV444]

Great suggestion! 😍👍 Also because it's one of the XTC songs I haven't heard yet myself! 😁 'Towers Of London' is among my own XTC favourites 😊

[@VidiotSavante]

@@mightyV444 Another good one by XTC!

[@mightyV444]

@@VidiotSavante - 😊👍 I had 'Life Begins At The Hop' playing in my head a few moments ago 😄

[@3CatAlfie]

Good to see someone reacting to XTC. Both them and Talk Talk are so underrated. And both are still relevant for me to this day.

[@davidmarsh9897]

I never saw XTC as a pop band but because they had a few top 40 hits they were sometimes seen that way. I'd say they were more post-punk I guess but they are quite hard to categorise for sure.

[@a.k.1740]

Great track from a great album! Along with The Police and The Talking Heads (among many others), XTC were one of the best bands of the early 80s. The best way to see XTC's talent was live, and what better way than this 21-minute extract from Berg en Bos Apeldoorn in the Netherlands where XTC played on August 8, 1980 (the link is: XTC Berg en Bosch Apeldoorn 8-1980).

[@mightyV444]

I looove that show! 😍 Also on the bill that day were The Cure! And I think it was a free-entry event, too! 😃

[@a.k.1740]

@@mightyV444 The whole band was energetic on stage! It's ironic that XTC stopped playing gigs two years later when they were one of the greatest live bands of all time (although I understand that this decision was taken solely by Andy Partridge for many reasons).

[@mightyV444]

@@a.k.1740 - Yes, very sad indeed. Something to do with his mental state and having been dependent on Valium medication - which his girlfriend at the time had flushed down the toilet he and her were staying at, before the concert at which he had that nervous breakdown (in the US, I think) that would result in the end of XTC's touring days.

[@a.k.1740]

@@mightyV444 Yep, plus the fact that he'd had enough of touring and wanted to concentrate on studio work, but this only served to fracture the relationship between the band members and Partridge (primarily Terry Chambers who left in early 83).

[@mightyV444]

@@a.k.1740 - Yes, that's right! Andy found it limiting having to arrange the band's songs for their albums in a way that it would be possible to reproduce them live on stage, and those limits were gone after touring had ended. He talks about this also in the very recommendable 'This Is Pop' documentary, which no doubt you have watched already, too! 😉

[@jackhebert2140]

As a musician, XTC is one of my top ten bands. Period. In my eyes, they are up there with The Beatles as one of the most musically diverse, complex, inventive and somehow also catchiest bands of all time. It really sucks they didn’t get the success they deserved. LEAGUES above all the hair metal crap we got in the 80s

[@pubsworld9862]

Great band. You’ll get a lot of “Dear God” requests. I concur! 😂

[@jimbricker4982]

English Settlement is a pop rock masterpiece... not a naff track across this double-LP. "Senses Working Overtime" should be your next stop (it's the track that precedes this one).

[@mightyV444]

It also was their biggest Hit song in the UK! 🙂

[@shanewalsh2262]

XTC is so many things - almost impossible to put into any one genre - they explore so many genres and are so well worth a go .

[@seanconnors1613]

6:33 honestly dude drift off, seeing people in full immersion is one of the reasons we all love reaction channels❤

[@robertdolby]

Lee: Love this reaction as usual. Next, please check out the first two songs (they run together) on Skylarking -- "Summer's Cauldron --> Grass." I heard it new back in 1986 and it literally changed my life. BTW -- sending good vibes your way. XTC has gotten me through a lot of rough times. And know they you being "weird" is a part of your appeal!

[@yes_head]

XTC were a unique band, with Beatle-y and punk influences that somehow melded instead of clashing. This album is a good place to start, although I rate 'Black Sea' as their best. Andy Partridge is one of those 'on the spectrum' musicians and songwriters, so he can take some time to get into. But the entire band -- while drummer Terry Chambers was still with them -- were solid. It's hard to believe they produced so much great music in a very compact span of time, from '79 to '86. Few bands kept up the pace of studio output these guys did, although a lot of that had to do with the shitty contract they signed where they basically saw no money from their record sales.

[@tedsmith7814]

Good reaction! This entire album is 🎆, imo.

[@Squarewave39]

Regarding music genres back in the day, we went to the record stores and we bought our records and didn’t think of categories as such it wasn’t until computers popped up on the scene and by their very nature has to categorize things that’s when all hell broke loose

[@BaccarWozat]

My favorite band (1972-2003). The song I would recommend of theirs next is when they were called The Dukes of Stratosphear and sang "25 O'Clock".

[@adriangaray5913]

Check out the album skylarking. It’s wonderful

[@Ken-Hayes]

Somebody once said XTC were GOD's apology for the Beatles breaking up.

[@mightyV444]

Lee, please try and do give your body and your mind rest and recovery when they do ask you for it! 😌🙏 Don't burn out!

[@Squarewave39]

Just a comment regarding record stores that’s what our networking was. We met people we met friends. Somebody said try this. Somebody else sit by this album and before you knew it, you were listening to all kinds of stuff which is sort of what’s happening to you.

[@sylvanm4216]

Funny to hear you go on a little digression about labels over the term "pop" as applied to XTC - their first statement-of-purpose song, 1978’s "This Is Pop?", was a response to that exact question. :v As for "Jason"... Colin Moulding’s bass always stands out, but Terry Chambers kills it on the weird off-beat drums. I also think XTC’s guitar work is underrated. No one in rock did twin-guitar rhythm work quite like XTC, and it gives their songs, especially from this era, a unique kind of bounce. They played Beatles-esque art-pop, not funk, but they put the kind of attention into the rhythm track that a funk band would have done, if that makes sense.

[@adriangaray5913]

This is pop is brilliant

[@terrycunningham8118]

And off we go to the the land of Colchis...

[@ignatzmuskrat3000]

You'll get more recommendations for these remarkable artists. I'll recommend a shadow project of theirs shortly after this record, The Dukes Of The Stratosphere; a short side project that spoofed psychedelic pop and became a fan favorite. Prog wasn't a thing back then. Progressive was a term, but even then a term coined by the elite Pop Academia of rock journalism. The rabble just heard it as radio fare and thus Popular Music. Genres are a relic of the mega record stores like Tower, who first broke their store into sections... or "genres". The birth of Musicologists, who spoke in Knowing terms.

[@greggorup1006]

This is not an 80s album. Don't look at the albums year. This a fing great album.

[@brianvernon249]

Richard Branson was their first huge fan & bankrolled them. He was banking on them being the next huge thing. And he was right. Until….. Their documentary made me turn from a casual fan to a “must complete the library” fan. XTC was the first band my late wife knew better than me & she got me into. Then Ween. Then Echo & the Bunnymen. Then the first Wolfmother album came out and it never left the CD player until we no longer used a CD player.

[@davidrauh8118]

Listen to No Thugs In Our House from the same album, or Senses Working Overtime.

[@32INCHSTRIPER]

Daddy Longlegs bass.

[@thescrewfly]

Everything about XTC is pretty interesting and intelligent and I saw several excellent gigs with the early Barry Andrews line-up. I owned the first four or five albums and a couple of the later ones. Andy Partridge in particular is clearly a fine songwriter, has unique production ideas and seems like a smart and decent person. Yet, I'm not sure I actually enjoy their music as much as I feel I ought to. I approve but I don't really dig... dunno what the problem is. As the saying almost goes, it's not them so it must be me.

[@Grizazzle]

You said 'Avalon' at some point..... Roxy Music - Avalon, give it a listen.

[@tinicum54]

80's whiny voice singer.

[@TheHakanWidman]

The singer himself, Andy Partidge, was early in their career a bit modest about his singing abilities and compared his voice to a seal 😅

[@johnmavroudis2054]

Sure... if you want to be vapid about it. This is the same guy that did a vast array of brilliant songs in a variety of brilliant vocal styles... but best make some pedantic comment when you can squeeze it out.

[@TheHakanWidman]

Hello John, don’t know if you are commenting me or Mr tinicum54 here, But I may add that I love XTC and am in awe of Andy Partridge. I was only referring to his ability to mock himself.

[@johnmavroudis2054]

@@TheHakanWidman Yeah... I was definitely responding to the original poster... and not you. Andy has a great sense of humor and you are absolutely correct. He's definitely self-deprecating about his singing especially in the early years...but he really got better and better (I know you know... but for those reading the comments). This particular vocal performance was really good, imo. Cheers!