XTC - Ball and Chain - 1982

XTC - Ball and chain-Multi-Coloured Swap Shop BBC1 Television 1982

[@pilgpilg]

I grew up near Swindon during the 70's and early 80's and XTC were our local band. This song will always be a classic for me as it evokes memories of watching the old town demolished and concrete everywhere. The song is a journey through my youth.

[@2008alde]

I had the supreme privilege to have seen them in this smallish theater in Staten Island, NY of all places .. Jesus it just friggin irritates me how success eluded this band but in the end it doesn't matter. fame or not they are probably one of the best bands to have existed .. songwriting .. performance ... just such a joy to listen to .. every DAM album

[@jonathanbennetts2632]

love your comment..because its true,, if they were from 1964 they would have been bigger than the beatles the stones ore the who.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

Why this band never became famous as the top bands of all time is a mystery to me. Genius and perfection.

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

Lack of promotion from Virgin and they didn't tour after 1982.

[@costabotes9107]

A great, great band. Endlessly interesting. They never made it big, but they’re not forgotten. They will be remembered long after lesser talents have faded from earshot.

[@vanishing_girl]

I pray you're right

[@anibalseminara9264]

My idols when I was younger and still love having 54 !!!

[@SonicVineyard]

Me too

[@seanharrington730]

60 this year and still love them

[@geoffreyjonathanwilson5826]

The band that time forgot!!! Brilliant band !!!

[@seanharrington730]

The most underrated band ever....simple

[@alanstrom2221]

Partridge/Moulding songwriters for XTC, bloody great songs.

[@richardawrhodes6965]

Such talented musicians

[@InParticularNobody]

that trumpet is fooling no-one, Mr Moulding..

[@jagdpanther1944]

It was Andy's fault..he hated performing live (stage fright)

[@jacopomuneratti3178]

@@jagdpanther1944 I doubt they would have performed live here anyway. They were likely forced to mime and decided to take the piss out of the producers.

[@mysnellvilleblog]

InParticularNobody oh good, I thought it was just me lol

[@gatasucia5973]

i remember taping this and watching it nonstop

[@tigerlight430]

Terry is proper hammering them drums!

[@gurgisjones1120]

Yeah, Terry was a powerful element of the early XTC music! His drums are especially huge on this album

[@maxb9315]

You should listen to John Bonham.

[@jonnybirchyboy1560]

@@maxb9315 Shutup normie

[@jonathanbennetts2632]

i drove passed the white horse between Swindon and Oxford because of this album.. stopped and paid my respects to what i do not know,, it's a magical place.. the oldest chalk horse in the UK.

[@RustyJerome]

I walked past it on a trail a few years back, while listening to English Settlement on my iPod ...like a religious pilgrimage. and then a day later, listened to album Black Sea while flying over the Black Sea, on my way to India.

[@CarlSnow]

possibly my fav drum-line of all time!

[@lupodelupis3672]

XTC= modern Beatles!

[@gerardmccavana4905]

Brilliant band

[@thenameisbond]

I know it's lip synched, but this video is still an awesome snapshot of XTC in their prime.

[@diskochimp]

@realself1 Brilliant drummer, YES!

[@101Volts]

Thanks a lot for the upload, I enjoyed it. What a coincidence you uploaded this like only one hour ago and I found it on your channel.

[@fanniterrette]

Andy's footwork 🙂

[@griiseknoen]

With the blurry picture quality and the Rickenbacker guitar, one could easily mistake Dave for a young Pete Townshend... :- )

[@ThePersecutor]

Great!

[@thegloballifestylesgroup5544]

Noel Edmonds yes... 99% sure this wasn't Swap Shop though, it was some programme looking at upcoming new bands (even though they had been going 5 years as XTC at this point).

[@dh7314]

Nobody can touch xtc.

[@Rushynet]

So that's what Jinxed XTC.. Noel Edmonds liked em!

[@tigerlight430]

Noel didn't really become a parody of himself until much later, he was great on Swap Shop

[@paulpeartsmith]

Field Music brought me here.

[@KafeSociety]

@Rushynet Their inability to tour after Partridge's breakdown. They never would've been the worldwide household names contemporaries like U2 became, they were nonetheless consistent hit-makers by that point, and on the verge of taking things to the next level. *sigh*

[@101Volts]

I'm not convinced it's "stage fright," I feel as if he was tired of touring by 1982 and he had just gotten off valium for the first time in 12-13 years. Andy said he was forgetting how to play guitar and his mind was going elsewhere while performing.

[@jouettejeantoir6955]

Someone PLEEEAAASEE save me.....

[@bonzodog6872]

XTC do social comment so well

[@scillyautomatic]

"A very clever song, indeed."

[@davidstobie2751]

Best band since the Beatles? Since the Kinks? Since ok now.

[@vanishing_girl]

best band post Beatles

[@jayrox40]

This was actually 1982. :)

[@alanstrom2221]

English Settlement album, great days, great time to be 21 yrs young.

[@realself1]

brilliant drummer, no?

[@whitlowjohnonly1_2]

Lip-synced XTC doesn't cut this mustard.

[@whitlowjohnonly1_2]

So the Hollywood Bowl-Andy flips his shit onstage was an act all along? Maybe Colin I Young pushed Andy to play pretty for the camera again? How quaint. Stage fright is only real if you imagine it, ?yeah

[@AD65]

SWAP SHOP not Wap Shop !!!

[@guymandude999]

Good song, bad lip synch.

[@maxb9315]

Undistinguished.