The Wheel and The Maypole by X T C : REMASTERED

This I remastered directly from the audio CD version of WASP STAR (Apple Venus Volume 2), released in 2000 on Idea Records.

[@chrismannion3418]

I was young, and a friend said, I off to see a band in Liverpool, wanna come? It was XTC, it was 1978. Huge fan ever since. Magical, no other words for it

[@edlawn5481]

Last song on the last album, XTC went out still at the top of their game.

[@absolutelypositively]

They sure did go out on top of their game. Happy fall solstice

[@rain73ful]

They sure as hell did!

[@homerco213]

Masterpiece

[@smithfield06]

It really is the type of song you want to end your band, let alone an album

[@duncefunce1513]

Yeah, the album this closes was pretty nish, though

[@laurence2824]

I know embarrassingly little about pop and rock music, having spent the last 40 years lecturing in Classical, but I'm always delighted by XTC. Please excuse any crass un-coolnesses in what follows, but I cannot listen to this song without tapping my feet and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Album after album by this band is just wall-to-wall terrific and I love the fact that the harmonies are so un-corny (some of them are really difficult to pitch but Andy Partridge's tuning is bullseye accurate each time). Songs like "Garden of Earthly Delights", "That's Really Super, Supergirl", "Stupidly Happy", "Another Satellite" and "Chalkhills and Children" are genuinely fine compositions by any standards. The montage at the end of "Chalkhills and Children" is incredibly ambitious (and rather beautiful). I wholeheartedly agree with all contributors who say this band is unfairly neglected.

[@joaquimcraveiro7991]

This music is amazing

[@RoadLord-hu9oc]

One of their best tracks. Your reaction is completely correct, and your assessment of their material overall is right on target. I've always been blown away by their multi-textural approach to voice and harmony, one of the best things about the band, as well as Partridge's laser-focus and deadly accurate social commentary. One of the best bands of the 20th Century and beyond.

[@rain73ful]

They were a wonderful band, and we have lots of their music to enjoy!

[@toddhowland890]

Have a listen to The Last Balloon.

[@laurence2824]

@@toddhowland890 I already know and really appreciate that piece - not a corny bar from beginning to end!

[@MagicJacket]

Who else could have written this? No one. Masterfully creative and unique. I miss XTC!

[@bentwick6675]

Totally true… 👍👍👍

[@Cloud-wp9wc]

Although everything decays, this song never will. Let's dance.

[@absolutelypositively]

Yeah it too will eventually be gone. Just like everything.

[@ericmalone3213]

XTC surpassed The Beatles in the Sublime Pop Song Department. Yet their work exists, somehow, at an odd angle outside popular culture; it seems to be music for initiates/those-in-the-know. And XTC's music only gets better with time. VOILA! CHEERS!

[@krollpeter]

This is better than most the Beatles have written, but we shall not forget it's 40 years later.

[@Pneuma996]

A good friend and former colleague of mine called John (incredibly talented musician but too humble to admit it) introduced me to XTC among many other bands. His opinion is that had Partridge's condition never materialized and the band continued on the same trajectory, they would have been definitively more influential than the Beetles, I agreed and have been called everything under the sun for mentioning it in general music chat Nice to see a similar opinion! This work is ridiculously underrated, criminally so

[@ericmalone3213]

@@Pneuma996 The Beatles & XTC made some magnificent recordings after they stopped touring, when they didn't have to worry any longer about reproducing their music on stage. They used the recording studio as a creative instrument instead of simply a documentarian device. Creatively, stopping touring was great for the work. I suspect great fame/attention/scrutiny & massive record sales would have had a negative effect on XTC. And I suspect they would have really sucked as a stadium act (!). I reckon it was perfect for them to have had the career they had. After their seven year recoding strike, Partridge came up with perhaps his best work. Some of the material on Apple Venus surpasses The Beatles, Ray Davies, et al. XTC has a larger audience & "influence" today than ever. More and more people keep discovering their work over time. Most of the music that is especially important to me is way out of view of popular culture & large audiences: Charles Ives, Stefan Wolpe, Bela Bartok, John Cage, Henry Cow, Fred Frith, Evan Parker, Maryanne Amacher, John Zorn, Tim Berne, Henry Threadgill, Mette Rasmussen, Mahogany Frog, et al. I don't think of the above-mentioned as being underrated or unappreciated, they just exist for a different demographic. marsupialsonogram.com/music/18-Apotheosis-of-Claudia-Cardinale.m4a marsupialsonogram.com/music/23-Paul-Dirac-Goes-To-A-Rave.m4a marsupialsonogram.com/music/19-Elm-Grove.m4a These may interest you. I play all the instruments. CHEERS

[@kiwimax4659]

"The pot won't hold our love." 😂❤

[@bellabecks1]

mesmerized since 2018... new fan. rock on. 🤙

[@Jesus_in_the_Coliseum]

This song will resonate with me for the rest of my life.

[@richdelgado3405]

I'm close to 60 years old. I have listened to all sorts of bands and singers. Bread, Fugazi, Sammy Davis Jr., The Fall, Elton John, The Carpenters. But this song is easily one of the most finely crafted swan songs ever written. How can you hear "Planets fall apart just to feed the stars and stuff their larders" and not hear the genius in this song?

[@TheOldTapeArchive]

If the pot won't hold XTC's talent, then they'll dash it to the ground. And they did.

[@guyedgerton1843]

The second half of the song just slays me, every time I hear it. I love the whole thing, but wow, that second half...

[@richdelgado3405]

Agreed. Somewhat like Roxy Music's "If There is Something", it's an absolute shocker how the song starts vs. how it ends.

[@absolutelypositively]

It is always a fantastic moment in time when I listen. ✌️

[@watts111]

It's so skiffley, (English) country, and delightful....

[@wereleeroads9311]

Utterly stunning. The way the Wheel and Maypole parts come together at the end is really artful writing.

[@garrystanton8583]

One of my absolute favourite pieces of music...ever!!

[@smithfield06]

amazing especially the 2nd part, partridege manages to combine english folk with jazz and 60s pop but he has been doing that for his whole songwriting career

[@richdelgado3405]

I haven't heard this song for about 10 years. I crying now, it's just such a beautiful song.

[@heraldeventsandfilms5970]

Masterful.

[@piratexander]

i feel it man!

[@bentwick6675]

Damn, was Andy und Colin allein hier in diesem Song fabriziert haben, das bekommen 1000 vermeintlich große Bands in 1000 Jahren nicht hin. Es ist einfach nur unfassbar……..

[@psychinthevalleys5324]

This is just a great song that sits at the end of the record like a hidden gift. A song that never fails to make me smile. Life affirming and brilliant.

[@brianparker663]

The greatest end to a career since Abbey Road.

[@psychinthevalleys5324]

Just a fantastic song. I can’t stop playing it. Hidden away on Wasp Star just waiting to be discovered. Beautiful.

[@scottmiller8195]

I agree that this is a fitting coda to an exceptional career of music making. What makes the second half of the song so great is how it's juxtaposed with the equally good first half. When the two halves are woven together at the end, well, it's simply perfect. I miss this band so much.

[@Joejoesan]

Such a classic song. One of my 10 and maybe even 5 favourite XTC songs ever. I think Wasp Star is mighty underrated

[@tobiasdavidson3161]

Ranking Worst to Best Albums can be very boring and predictable when applied to giants such as Pink Floyd and Genesis but I have always found rankings of XTC’s output genuinely intriguing. In one ranking Wasp Star came out at the bottom of the pile, the author making out that the band was a busted flush by then and sorely missing David G, but after a few listens I came to find the criticism harsh. Like all XTC records it has some wonderful wonderful songs. I think where it compares less favourably with earlier records is that Colin M’s contributions don’t stand up well against Andy P’s - Colin’s world weariness no longer serves as useful counterpart to Andy’s more engaging ideas. Also, the weaker songs come across as genuine turkeys because Andy P was still very much on top of his game so there seems no excuse for lamer efforts (such as ‘We’re all light’). Anyway, I sympathise with all the people who find this song very emoting probably because there’s something poignant about the lyrics (presumably about a relationship) being equally apt for the band’s last sentiment to be committed to vinyl. . .

[@bentwick6675]

Diese beiden Teile so zusammenzufügen…., und es passt so dermaßen genial….., Genies…..

[@juanluiszarzuela314]

Wonderful song that keeps moving me every time I hear it!

[@johnheart6890]

Masterpiece.

[@ThomasJackMoore]

I wish this album was on Spotify.

[@tiffanymcgillie7114]

If Andy Partridge can't stay married, there is no hope for anybody.

[@InParticularNobody]

A beautiful, joyous hymn to Entropy.

[@bentwick6675]

2:56 ====> …………………… 😀😀😀😀😀😀… könnte diesen kleinen Part stundenlang hören….

[@4rwmediaproductions152]

One of my favorites

[@DrTomoculus]

+4RW Media Productions Agreed! This, Church of Women, and Stupidly Happy are Andy at his best.

[@davidstobie2751]

stupidly happy listening this

[@piratexander]

fucking amazing. can't help but feel overcome with some bittersweet feeling i can't describe. what a way to go.

[@wasntborntofollow]

Glorious & Super Generous Tune!

[@markthompson1729]

This really hits me deeply. Some kind of cultural DNA thing, I guess.

[@absolutelypositively]

You and me both brother..deeply indeed

[@themasterbee]

What a way to end off.. damn

[@thomasrichmond2413]

As glad as I am that this record exists, it saddens me that Dave Gregory isn’t part of it. This song in particular is a canvas begging for Dave’s creativity. If you doubt me, check him out on Summer Now by Tin Spirits.

[@brendankane1647]

I love the part at 3:56 and how the guitar sounds

[@bellabecks1]

💯 truth

[@brunonacoul2528]

...Is what remains when everything decays

[@chrisguygeezer]

Surely one needs a master tape to remaster.

[@DrTomoculus]

Surely!

[@TheMacasso]

nice brightened remix

[@DrTomoculus]

Thank you

[@steelyman08]

This should make pretty much anyone stupidly happy (-: Excellent. Thanks for uploading it.

[@italianplastic23]

"Wedding cake begins to must and moulder".... reference to "great expectations " Miss Haversham..?

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

Oh wow, that's a good catch.

[@sylvestermatera2719]

Magical!

[@donnyboymackie2755]

Good job SST! See! We're not all trolls! 😃

[@tonyfleming9130]

MAYPOLE!!!!!!!

[@KonradWax-jw2sz]

XTC ...who else ??

[@intj4978]

perfection

[@almada1113]

‘Pon the pillion of Time’s bike

[@vincentzandri]

As ironic as the Beatles The End

[@wcsxwcsx]

What made him think they'd last forever? Of course it all unweaves ....

[@大友亘-j7v]

great tune

[@BeatlesBowieKrimson]

My cousin called this a masterpiece.

[@someiguyee59]

Your cousin is absolutely right.

[@krollpeter]

The entire album is an almost flawless masterpiece, and this is piece that would have been one of the crown jewels in the Beatles catalogue. And lastly: Listen to the production, Mr. Rundgren! Shame on you, you raped this band.

[@Pneuma996]

Listen to your cousin, they're bang on the money!

[@andrewrosen6508]

New XTC Album for 2019 anyone?

[@SuperRocky74]

If only they would get back together. They are my generation's Beatles. Andy partridge and colin moulding and Lennon and McCarthy reborn

[@andrewrosen6508]

@@SuperRocky74 I feel , and share your passion for this amazing band. Everyone's alive and thank God , in relative good health. The five guys should re-unite for World Peace.

[@SuperRocky74]

@@andrewrosen6508 damn right they should. It would be the greatest concert in history

[@andrewrosen6508]

@@SuperRocky74 There are no less then a million fans out there , us included, that still have an obsession STILL with this group. I agree, damn right bro!! Keep the faith! You never know!!

[@andrewg984]

" If The Pot Won't! Hold Our Love!". : kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4bTXqighJ5qb7c

[@marcum211]

the remaster is lacking... the original sounds better.

[@rienpost3145]

"REMASTERED" Eh, why? There was nothing wrong with it.

[@DrTomoculus]

You don't remaster something because something is"wrong" with something. You do it because there's more that can be done with it.