Steven Wilson remixing XTC

[@xtstevie]

Every XTC 5.1 & new stereo mix done by Mr Wilson has been absolutely stunning & i'm really looking forward to the forthcoming Apple Venus set but as a lifelong fan since the (very) early days of the band i'm sad the original tapes for White Music, XTC Go 2, Mummer, The Big Express & especially English Settlement haven't been located up till now which if they aren't soon it'll leave a really big void in my own & every other fans collection.....

[@youandwhosearmy6339]

If they can't be found or remixed, remaster them to a high quality, and put them out on CD/Bluray with all the b-sides, demos and whatnots. Not hard is it? After all, none of us are getting any younger and we want our XTC!

[@BlackRoomProductions]

He will not rest until he's remixed every album he says...Mr Wilson is a serious man I love it!

[@BlackRoomProductions]

Dude Mark this is perfect timing, I've recently finished all the XTC 5.1s and preparing to dive into Steven Wilson's Royal Albert Hall DVD and here's your podcast bringing it all together!

[@XTCsLimelight]

Happy to oblige! Thanks for listening.

[@glennlea]

Excellent interview!! What is really frustrating is some releases in the Surround series are out of print and are only available at hugely inflated prices: Oranges is priced at $150, Black Sea and Dukes are approaching $90. It’s a real shame that with all the work that went into these, the label doesn’t keep them available.

[@XTCsLimelight]

I didn't realise that. Crazy prices.

[@BlackRoomProductions]

Hi Glenn I believe all the 5.1s are available again through Burning Shed for purchase.

[@aorcloud3199]

As a 5.1 fan, very interesting conversation with a very nice man, muscian and mixer :-) Have almost all of his 5.1 mixes.

[@TheGreatConstantini]

I was watching an interview with, I believe it was Hugh Padgham, who said that back in the time of working with XTC and Peter Gabriel, Phil etc, he and the other engineers would just record Kate bush on the side basically. They would fit her in at night. She was just this quirky girl with a great voice. It was really disheartening to hear they would just throw up some mics, record her, then get ready for the big sessions. I truly believe she is one of the greatest artists ever period. That said, they were great engineers because her albums sounded wonderful. But I think the album Hounds of Love is screaming for 5.1. It is so cinematic!

[@quaid667]

She soon built her own studio didn't she? I think The Dreaming was the first.

[@TheGreatConstantini]

II’m not sure but I think it was the Dreaming as well. She was just getting into the beginning of using sampling, thanks to Peter Gabriel. It was an early fairlight sampling system. Which of course led to Hounds of love. Both Peter and David Gilmour were very important in her musical life and they both championed her music.

[@quaid667]

@@TheGreatConstantini it's also great that the younger generations are digging Kate's work. Running Up That Hill became a much bigger hit not that long ago. How cool is that?

[@TheGreatConstantini]

A bit late and amazing. I was in the super market the other day and it was playing while I shopped. Hopefully it inspires her to write some new material. Her voice is still lovely but I do understand she is raising her son and enjoying her garden. But fans can dream.

[@quaid667]

@@TheGreatConstantini Why is it a bit late? The fact that old tunes still sell more than most new music shows that talent doesn't go away. Fads come and go. The magic is always there. You never know, Kate always surprises us with something different.

[@radiognome420]

fantastic interview!

[@XTCsLimelight]

Thanks for listening

[@riknbkr330]

Fantastic interview. Really love all my SW remixes, and I don't have a 5.1 setup. Well, I cobble one together, but nevertheless love the work and being respectful of the original mixes as well. Keep it up Steve!!

[@XTCsLimelight]

I agree - they're worth getting even for those of us without 5.1

[@h.m.7218]

Does he talk about Skylarking somewhere in there ?

[@youandwhosearmy6339]

The Big Express is coming!

[@vanishing_girl]

great interview but that Apple Venus news is so disheartening, I was so excited to listen to it

[@XTCsLimelight]

Agreed!

[@TheGreatConstantini]

I have to chuckle a bit when I think about fans. Steve certainly has never tried to please his base. Every album they complain that it’s so different than the previous one. For the last few weeks I’ve been defending The Future Bites on social media. I tell folks, yeah, this one is different but actually if you go back a relisten it’s all been there from the earliest works. And it is the double edge sword. Yes it may hamper commercial success and certainly record companies cringe a bit when they think you may release something that is too different and you will lose fans. But it is also liberating to not be rope tied to a style and not having to please everyone. As a musician, albeit not a great one, myself, yeah I want to people to hear and like what I do, but not being famous and having a career I really get to just do it for me. It becomes a personal therapy thing. I can paint with whatever paints make me happy. It has to at some point become a nightmare being a famous band or musician.

[@XTCsLimelight]

Yes, I think it's slightly odd that some musicians choose a style and stick to it. However great their music might be, you'd think they'd want to mix it up sometimes.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

I am so excited if More XTC Albums are Remix on Blu-Ray and CD so badly. It feels.

[@scottrader6411]

59:20 the 2008 Universal vault fire destroyed a LOT of masters. Also labels, management, and artists themselves all too often do a poor job of keeping track of tapes (I've seen some in studio 'vaults' that were just left, never picked up). And when Steven was talking about terrible digital backup formats I got the shivers. If you think dat's are bad, try getting data off of datadats (same tape format but backs up data, not realtime playable audio). The ~easy~ part is finding a 20-30 year old computer with the appropriate old software and datadat drive that somehow still works, then it all goes downhill from there ;(

[@XTCsLimelight]

Yikes!

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

These amazing albums by classic artists having their original Multi tracks being mishandled or lost by these record companies is infuriating.

[@XTCsLimelight]

Yes, I agree. I suppose they regarded the product (ie the vinyl records) as being the important thing, but from this perspective, it seems like leaving old masters to go mouldy in the basement of an art gallery.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@XTCsLimelight it is like that, but even worse. I think about the fire at Universal and all these numerous incidences of carelessness and neglect. So much great music will never see a remix or any serious upgrade in sound, it’s just so sad. All the old lost 78s ugh. Other bands like Grateful Dead kept their own masters and all those concert tapes in their own vault. Anyway thanks for the reply and the great interview. God bless people like Steve Wilson for preserving and improving these masterpieces.

[@cosmicdrifter287]

Haha Xtc's cocaïne mix.