139-702: John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer . His production credits include Magazine 's Real Life (1978); XTC 's White Music (1978); Dukes of Stratosphear 's 25 O'Clock and the Fall 's This Nation's Saving Grace (both 1985); the Stone Roses ' The Stone Roses (1989); the Verve 's A Storm in Heaven (1993); Radiohead 's The Bends (1995); Cast 's All Change (1995); Muse 's Origin of Symmetry (2001); and
278-481: A Grammy nomination, the Recording Academy defines a producer: The person who has overall creative and technical control of the entire recording project, and the individual recording sessions that are part of that project. He or she is present in the recording studio or at the location recording and works directly with the artist and engineer. The producer makes creative and aesthetic decisions that realize both
417-655: A Day , Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance ). For Be-Bop Deluxe founder Bill Nelson , he produced the Red Noise album Sound on Sound and Nelson's subsequent solo album Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (the latter unreleased until 1981). Leckie recorded the début single, Public Image for Public Image Ltd and produced the Human League 's Holiday 80 EP. Leckie's work with XTC included producing their debut 3D single and EP, and first two studio albums, White Music and Go 2 . In 1981 he worked with
556-498: A Day " on Late Night with David Letterman marked the first time the group played in front of a live audience in seven years. A similar acoustic tour was planned for Europe, but cancelled when Partridge discovered that the Paris date would be broadcast from a sold-out 5,000 seater venue. After an unsuccessful attempt was made to coax Partridge back into regular touring, they took a short break. Partridge produced And Love for All (1990),
695-479: A Moulding composition. By this time, Moulding "wanted to ditch [our] quirky nonsense and do more straight-ahead pop." He was surprised to learn that the label chose his song as a single over Partridge's. Upon release, it was the first charting single for the band, rising to number 54 on the UK Singles Chart . For a period, most of the group's singles were not placed on their albums. Moulding explained that this
834-512: A bass, with four strings, would be infinitely easier than playing a guitar, with six strings. That was a horrible misconception!" At the end of 1972, Moulding and drummer Terry Chambers joined Partridge's band, replacing Nervous Steve and Paul Wilson, and the group was renamed "Star Park (Mark II)". Other members would frequently join and leave the group. After Star Park opened for Thin Lizzy in May 1973,
973-451: A bit more like The Police, with more international flavour, more basic appeal." Lascelles said that he had actually named Talking Heads , not the Police: "Andy likes to portray us as the strict, stern schoolmasters, but we never wanted him to compromise at anything we thought he was good at. Here were very talented songwriters – surely, surely, surely they can come up with that elusive thing that
1112-423: A broad project, the creation of a popular music recording may be split across three specialists: the executive producer , who oversees business partnerships and financing; the vocal producer or vocal arranger, who aids vocal performance via expert critique and coaching of vocal technique, and the record producer or music producer, who, often called simply the producer, directs the overall creative process of recording
1251-436: A corrupt manager, life was a bit of a nightmare ... When I said we don't want to play live anymore, they [Virgin] completely stopped [promoting us] ... We ran on negative equity for 20 years. —Andy Partridge, 2000 The cancelled American tour saddled XTC with a £20,000 debt, and since it left them unable to record new material, they decided to reexamine their financial affairs. Confused as to where their earnings had gone,
1390-471: A cylinder. By the 1930s, a gramophone etched it laterally across a disc. Constrained in tonal range, whether bass or treble, and in dynamic range , records made a grand, concert piano sound like a small, upright piano, and maximal duration was four and a half minutes. Selections and performance were often altered accordingly, and playing this disc—the wax master—destroyed it. The finality often caused anxiety that restrained performance to prevent error. In
1529-424: A frozen deposit account." For the next decade, the entirety of the band's earnings would be invested in the continued litigation. The group supported themselves mostly through short-term loans from Virgin and royalty payments derived from airplay. At one point, Moulding and Gregory were working at a car rental service for additional income. Partridge was eventually left with "about £300 in the bank", he said, "which
SECTION 10
#17328809828921668-570: A late 1960s group. When asked about the album in interviews, XTC initially denied having any involvement. In England, the six-track mini-album sold twice as many copies as The Big Express , even before the Dukes' identity was made public. The album also achieved considerable sales in the US. During a routine meeting in early 1986, Virgin executives threatened to drop the band from the label if their next album failed to sell more than 70,000 units. One reason why
1807-407: A leading A&R man of the 1950s. During the decade, A&R executives increasingly directed songs' sonic signatures, although many still simply teamed singers with musicians, while yet others exercised virtually no creative influence. The term record producer in its current meaning—the creative director of song production—appearing in a 1953 issue of Billboard magazine, became widespread in
1946-417: A living. We've had 'em all these years and we've got their catalogue and the copyright to their songs for evermore and we've stitched 'em up real good with a rotten deal so, erm, maybe we should let them go.' I like to think that it was a guilt thing." One of the group's first new recordings since the strike was released for the tribute album A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC (1995). "The Good Things",
2085-440: A lot. But when he left I thought, Oh shit, that's the sound of the band gone, this space-cream over everything. And I did enjoy his brain power, the verbal and mental fencing." XTC went through a "silly half-hearted" process of auditioning another keyboardist. Although Thomas Dolby was rumoured as a replacement, Partridge said that Dolby was never actually considered. Rather than hiring a replacement keyboardist, Dave Gregory of
2224-506: A member, characterizing himself as "the archetypal pub-rocker in jeans and long hair. But the fans weren't bothered. Nobody was fashionable in XTC, ever." He grew more comfortable with the group after playing a few shows, he said, "and things got better and better". XTC were impressed by Steve Lillywhite 's work on Ultravox 's 1977 debut , and Siouxsie and the Banshees ' The Scream , and he
2363-516: A musical element while playing a previously recorded record, Les Paul developed a recording technique called "sound on sound". By this, the final recording could be built piece by piece and tailored, effecting an editing process. In one case, Paul produced a song via 500 recorded discs. But, besides the tedium of this process, it serially degraded the sound quality of previously recorded elements, rerecorded as ambient sound. Yet in 1948, Paul adopted tape recording, enabling true multitrack recording by
2502-542: A new technique, " overdubbing ". To enable overdubbing, Paul revised the tape recorder itself by adding a second playback head, and terming it the preview head . Joining the preexisting recording head, erase head, and playback head, the preview head allows the artist to hear the extant recording over headphones playing it in synchrony, "in sync", with the present performance being recorded alone on an isolated track. This isolation of multiple tracks enables countless mixing possibilities. Producers began recording initially only
2641-460: A penny of profits from either album sales or touring revenue. Reid, on the other hand, took out large loans from Virgin, borrowing against XTC's royalties, to the tune of millions of pounds by some estimates. Even after the band settled out of court with Reid, because of the terms of the contract, Virgin was able to hold XTC liable for the sum. Because of XTC's failure to tour, the likelihood of ever repaying Virgin dwindled further and further away. Over
2780-654: A radio station received a bomb threat, and in New York, a student forced their school to play the song over its public-address system by holding a faculty member at knife-point. Nonetheless, the commercial success of "Dear God" propelled Skylarking to sell more than 250,000 units, and it raised the band's profile among American college youth. In the US, the album spent 29 weeks on the Billboard 200 and reached its peak position of number 70 in June 1987. The music video for "Dear God" received
2919-525: A set of recordings in Los Angeles. Later, folklorist Archie Green called this perhaps the earliest printed use of A&R man . Actually, it says neither "A&R man" nor even "A&R", an initialism perhaps coined by Billboard magazine in 1946, and entering wide use in the late 1940s. In the 1920s and 1930s, A&R executives, like Ben Selvin at Columbia Records , Nathaniel Shilkret at Victor Records, and Bob Haring at Brunswick Records became
SECTION 20
#17328809828923058-470: A short time, helped the band reach a legal settlement with Ian Reid in 1989. However, they were again left with a six-figure debt. Virgin Records advanced the group enough money to cover their debt in exchange for the promise of four additional albums. Having written more than two dozen songs by 1991, some difficulties prolonged the start of recording sessions for the next album. Initially, the band had issue with
3197-569: A side project with Take Away / The Lure of Salvage in early 1980; a one-off record that appeared without much notice, except in Japan, where it was hailed as a work of "electronic genius" and outsold all other XTC albums. Black Sea , released in September 1980, reunited the group with Lillywhite and Padgham and was well-received critically. Singles " Generals and Majors ", " Towers of London " and " Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me) " returned them to
3336-595: A tape operator with artists such as George Harrison ( All Things Must Pass ), John Lennon ( John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band ) and Syd Barrett ( Barrett ). He moved up to the desk to be balance engineer for Pink Floyd ( Meddle and Wish You Were Here ), for Mott the Hoople 's album Mott and Paul McCartney and Wings ' Red Rose Speedway and the single " Hi, Hi, Hi ". Other engineering sessions at Abbey Road at this time were with Roy Harper , Soft Machine , Sammy Hagar , Jack Rieley 's Western Justice album and
3475-454: A variety of styles that ranged from angular guitar riffs to elaborately arranged pop . Partly because the group did not fit into contemporary trends, they achieved only sporadic commercial success in the UK and US, but attracted a considerable cult following . They have since been recognised for their influence on post-punk , Britpop and later power pop acts. Partridge and Moulding first met in
3614-448: A woman the reins of an immense, creative project like making a record." Ultimately, the reasons are multiple and not fully clear, although prominently proposed factors include types of sexism and scarcity of female role models in the profession. Women producers known for producing records not their own include Sonia Pottinger, Sylvia Robinson and Carla Olson. In January 2018, a research team led by Stacy L. Smith, founder and director of
3753-405: A £10,000 budget was supplied, while John Leckie returned as producer. Once again, the Dukes' record outsold XTC's previous album in the UK ( Skylarking in this case). Partridge felt it was "a bit upsetting to think that people preferred these pretend personalities to our own personalities ... But I don't mind because we have turned into the Dukes slowly over the years." Likewise, Moulding felt that
3892-485: Is a hit single. That was our psyche." After some remixing and additional songs at Virgin's behest, Mummer , the first product of the studio-bound XTC, appeared in August 1983. Virgin did little to promote the album and delayed its release by several months. At number 58, it was their lowest-charting album to date. The one single that did chart, " Love on a Farmboy's Wages ", did find significant airplay on BBC Radio 1. It
4031-407: Is mixed to the forefront; it's too well-arranged to be cacophonous, but there's a degree of sensory overload, especially given the band's newfound tendency to blast synthesizers in our faces. ... whether or not this album holds up for you depends on how much you like the band's boisterous side." It became the highest album they had in the charts since 1982's English Settlement , rising to number 28 in
4170-660: Is more forgiving of overmodulation , whereby dynamic peaks exceed the maximal recordable signal level: tape's limitation, a physical property, is magnetic capacity, which tapers off, smoothing the overmodulated waveform even at a signal nearly 15 decibels too "hot", whereas a digital recording is ruined by harsh distortion of " clipping " at any overshoot. In digital recording, however, a recent advancement, 32-bit float , enables DAWs to undo clipping. Still, some criticize digital instruments and workflows for excess automation, allegedly impairing creative or sonic control. In any case, as production technology has drastically changed, so have
4309-430: Is often likened to that of a film director though there are important differences. It is distinct from the role of an executive producer , who is mostly involved in the recording project on an administrative level, and from the audio engineer who operates the recording technology. Varying by project, the producer may or may not choose all of the artists. If employing only synthesized or sampled instrumentation,
John Leckie - Misplaced Pages Continue
4448-557: Is really heavy when you've got a family and everyone thinks you're 'Mr Rich and Famous'." A court-enforced gag order restricts the band from speaking publicly on the alleged improprieties. According to Partridge, Reid was "very naughty" and left the band with roughly £300,000 in unpaid VAT. Music journalist Patrick Schabe elaborates: ... what is known is that [Reid] inked a deal with Virgin that wound up working out primarily for Reid, secondarily for Virgin, and not at all for XTC. Throughout their first five years of existence, XTC never saw
4587-504: Is the first step in a broader effort to improve those numbers and increase diversity and inclusion for all in the music industry." XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in
4726-787: The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, based in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism , issued a report, estimating that in the prior several years, about 2% of popular songs' producers were female. Also that month, Billboard magazine queried, "Where are all the female music producers?" Upon the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's second annual report, released in February 2019, its department at USC reported, "2018 saw an outcry from artists, executives and other music industry professionals over
4865-805: The Levellers ' We the Collective (2018). Born in Paddington , London, Leckie was educated at the Quintin School , a grammar school in North West London, then Ravensbourne college of Art and Design in Bromley. After leaving school, he worked for United Motion Pictures as an audio assistant. Leckie began work at Abbey Road Studios on 15 February 1970 as a tape operator, later graduating to balance engineer and record producer. During his early career he worked as
5004-461: The UK Albums Chart . Although the album was well received by the press ( Melody Maker , NME , Sounds , and Record Mirror all gave positive reviews ), none of its singles managed to chart. They rerecorded " This Is Pop " as a lead single. Its follow-up, " Statue of Liberty ", was banned on BBC Radio due to the lyric "I sail beneath her skirt". With each member placed on a £25 weekly salary,
5143-556: The UK Singles Chart , and in early 1990 he produced and mixed the single "One Love" which also charted at no. 4 in UK. Leckie also worked on much of the recording the Stone Roses' album Second Coming . In 1995, Leckie produced All Change by the Liverpool band Cast , which became Polydor Records ' highest-selling debut album. Leckie produced and engineered Radiohead 's second album, The Bends (1995), which drew significant critical attention. Radiohead praised Leckie for demystifying
5282-589: The punk rock movement had emerged, which opened an avenue for the group in terms of record label appeal, even though the band did not necessarily fit in the punk dogma . Partridge remembered hearing the Sex Pistols ' " Anarchy in the U.K. " (1976) and feeling underwhelmed by its similarity to the Monkees or the Ramones: "That sort of spurred me on – watching this stuff that I thought was rather average." Soon, John Peel saw
5421-441: The reverberating drum sound associated with 1980s popular music. Between 1979 and 1992, XTC had a total of 10 albums and 6 singles that reached the UK top 40, including " Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me) " (1980) and " Senses Working Overtime " (1982). After 1982's English Settlement , the band stopped concert touring and became a studio-based project centred on Partridge, Moulding and guitarist Dave Gregory . A spin-off group,
5560-707: The "bed tracks"—the rhythm section , including the bassline , drums, and rhythm guitar—whereas vocals and instrument solos could be added later. A horn section , for example, could record a week later, and a string section another week later. A singer could perform her own backup vocals, or a guitarist could play 15 layers. Across the 1960s, popular music increasingly switched from acoustic instruments, like piano, upright bass , acoustic guitar , and brass instruments , to electronic instruments, like electric guitars , keyboards , and synthesizers , employing instrument amplifiers and speakers. These could mimic acoustic instruments or create utterly new sounds. Soon, by combining
5699-511: The "psychedelic element was being more ingratiated into the pie" since 25 O'Clock . When issued on CD, Psonic Psunspot was combined with 25 O'Clock and given the title Chips from the Chocolate Fireball (1987). For their next album Oranges & Lemons , XTC traveled to Los Angeles to make use of a cheap studio rate arranged by Paul Fox , who was recruited by the band for his first production gig. Another reason for recording in
John Leckie - Misplaced Pages Continue
5838-457: The 1940s, during World War II, the Germans refined audio recording onto magnetic tape—uncapping recording duration and allowing immediate playback, rerecording, and editing—a technology that premised emergence of record producers in their current roles. Early in the recording industry, a record was attained by simply having all of the artists perform together live in one take. In 1945, by recording
5977-574: The 1950s, on simply improving the record's sonic match to the artists' own live performance. Advances in recording technology, especially the 1940s advent of tape recording —which Les Paul promptly innovated further to develop multitrack recording —and the 1950s rise of electronic instruments, turned record production into a specialty. In popular music, then, producers like George Martin , Phil Spector and Brian Eno led its evolution into its present use of elaborate techniques and unrealistic sounds, creating songs impossible to originate live. After
6116-513: The 1960s. Still, a formal distinction was elusive for some time more. A&R managers might still be creative directors, like William "Mickey" Stevenson , hired by Berry Gordy , at the Motown record label. In 1947, the American market gained audio recording onto magnetic tape. At the record industry's 1880s dawn, rather, recording was done by phonograph , etching the sonic waveform vertically into
6255-501: The 1980s, production's move from analog to digital further expanded possibilities. By now, DAWs, or digital audio workstations , like Logic Pro , Pro Tools and Studio One , turn an ordinary computer into a production console, whereby a solitary novice can become a skilled producer in a thrifty home studio. In the 2010s, efforts began to increase the prevalence of producers and engineers who are women, heavily outnumbered by men and prominently accoladed only in classical music. As
6394-460: The 1983 holiday single " Thanks for Christmas " under the pseudonym Three Wise Men. It was produced by David Lord , owner of Crescent Studios in Bath, and they subsequently negotiated a deal that allowed them to work as much as they wanted on their next album at his studio. Some of the album was recorded using a Linn LM-1 Drum Computer , and extensive time was spent on its programming. Partridge envisioned
6533-466: The 1987 Billboard Best Video award and was also nominated for three categories at the MTV Video Music Awards . Skylarking ultimately became XTC's best-known album and is generally regarded as their finest work. Partridge was reluctant to make another Dukes album, but to appease requests from his bandmates and Virgin Records, Psonic Psunspot (1987) was recorded. This time, 10 songs and
6672-626: The Bon Marche record shop in Swindon. Gregory was playing the Mahavishnu Orchestra 's album The Inner Mounting Flame (1971), which he later called "one of the watershed moments in my musical education." Partridge met Colin Moulding at the Stage Bar on Swindon's Old Town's Union Row, later known as Long's. Moulding had been playing bass since 1970 "because I liked music [and] I thought that playing
6811-471: The Doctor". Partridge recalled playing some demos for Virgin agents, and compared their reaction to the " Springtime for Hitler " scene from the 1967 film The Producers . The label rejected his idea. Virgin denied Partridge's requests to renegotiate or revoke XTC's contract. Paul Kinder believed that the label and the group were "poles apart" and that "the contract was so old it got to the point where Andy wanted
6950-427: The Dukes of Stratosphear , was invented as a one-off excursion into 1960s-style psychedelia , but as XTC's music evolved, the distinctions between the two bands lessened. XTC continued to produce more progressive records, including the albums Skylarking (1986), Oranges & Lemons (1989) and Nonsuch (1992). In the US, " Mayor of Simpleton " (1989) was their highest-charting single, while " Dear God " (1986)
7089-416: The Dukes, Partridge looked back on the project as the "most fun we ever had in the studio ... We never knew if it would sell ... We could never [subvert everybody's expectations] with XTC, as there was too much money involved and we were expected to be mentally honest and 'real.' Too much financial pressure." Released on April Fools' Day 1985, the album was presented as a long-lost collection of recordings by
SECTION 50
#17328809828927228-535: The Glitter Band , was quickly hired as a session musician to continue the recording sessions—XTC would never again employ a permanent drummer after Chambers' departure. In the meantime, Virgin released a greatest hits compilation, Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982 , to underwhelming sales. The group's new material was rejected by Virgin executive Jeremy Lascelles, who suggested that they write something more commercial. Partridge remembered, "He asked me to write something
7367-637: The Kinks produced some of their own songs, although many such songs are officially credited to specialist producers. Yet especially influential was the Beach Boys, whose band leader Brian Wilson took over from his father Murry within a couple of years after the band's commercial breakthrough. By 1964, Wilson had taken Spector's techniques to unseen sophistication. Wilson alone produced all Beach Boys recordings between 1963 and 1967. Using multiple studios and multiple attempts of instrumental and vocal tracks, Wilson selected
7506-628: The Rolling Stones ' " Satisfaction ". The song became a number 17 hit and helped propel the album to number 37 in the UK. Before "Nigel", XTC had struggled to fill more than half the seats of the small club circuits they played. Afterward, the single was playlisted at the BBC, which helped the band secure two appearances on Top of the Pops . When touring resumed in November, every date was sold out. In later years,
7645-471: The Teardrop Explodes said], 'Quite frankly, Andy, this is shit. ' " Other complications arose; he developed some health issues, and his wife divorced him. In 1997 (also reported as in late 1994 ), XTC found themselves freed from financial debt and from Virgin after "making some heavy concessions". Partridge fantasised that people from the label "met in the dark and thought, 'These blokes are not making
7784-425: The UK and number 44 in the US. Additionally, it combined with Skylarking for the group's best-selling albums to date. " Mayor of Simpleton " reached number 46 in the UK and number 72 in the US, making it their only American single to chart. To support the album, XTC embarked on an acoustic-guitar American radio tour that lasted for two weeks in May. The shows were carried out without financial compensation for
7923-454: The UK and was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award . Its follow-up " The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead " reached number 71. " Wrapped in Grey " was intended as the third single, and about 5,000 copies were pressed before being withdrawn from sale. Partridge remembered thinking, "that's it, they've suffocated one of our kids in the cot, they've murdered the album, basically through ignorance." In 1993,
8062-558: The US in support of Black Sea as the opening act for the Police . At this point, they were playing in arena stadiums while Partridge's mental state was beginning to deteriorate, and he requested to cease touring, but was opposed by Virgin, his bandmates, and the band's management. He would occasionally experience moments of memory lapse to the extent that he would forget who he was. His then-wife Marianne blamed his illness on his longtime dependency on Valium , which he had been prescribed since
8201-399: The US with an American producer, said Gregory, was that "America was our biggest market". Mr. Mister (and later longtime King Crimson ) member Pat Mastelotto was the drummer for the entire album. The album was released in February 1989 with music that was in a similar psychedelic vein as the Dukes. In a retrospective review, The Quietus ' Nick Reed notes: "Nearly every instrument
8340-527: The Year at the 2010 Music Producers Guild Awards , the songwriter, Matt Bellamy , thanked Leckie for "teaching us how to produce". Record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensuring artists deliver acceptable and quality performances, supervising
8479-476: The age of 12. She threw away the tablets, and over the next year, he experienced intense withdrawal effects that he later described as "brain melt". XTC became their own producers for their next album project. Until this point, Partridge had insisted that every part of the band's arrangements on record could be replicated live. He believed that "if I wrote an album with a sound less geared towards touring then maybe there would be less pressure to tour." As such,
SECTION 60
#17328809828928618-438: The album became the best-known of XTC's discography and Moulding and Partridge would look back on this point as the symbolic start of the band's career. To follow up "Nigel", the band released "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" (1980), a reggae -influenced Partridge song with production by Phil Wainman of Bay City Rollers fame. It was their lowest-selling single to date. Concurrently, Virgin issued Moulding's "Ten Feet Tall" as
8757-415: The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album , but lost to Tom Waits ' Bone Machine . In 1993, Partridge conceived XTC's next project to be an album of bubblegum pop songs disguising itself as a retrospective compilation featuring 12 different groups from the early 1970s. The lyrics were also heavily sexual, with song titles such as "Lolly (Suck It and See)" and "Visit to
8896-409: The artist's and label's goals in the creation of musical content. Other duties include, but are not limited to: keeping budgets and schedules; adhering to deadlines; hiring musicians, singers, studios, and engineers; overseeing other staffing needs; and editing (Classical projects). The producer often selects and collaborates with a mixing engineer, who focuses on the especially technological aspects of
9035-655: The band perform at Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's and asked them to appear on his BBC Radio 1 block. Partridge credited him as "responsible for us getting a recording contract. ... As soon as we recorded that session for the BBC, suddenly three or four record labels wanted to sign us up." After declining CBS , Harvest and Island , they signed with Virgin Records . In August 1977, XTC made their first commercially released studio recordings with producer John Leckie at Abbey Road , which appeared on their debut album 3D EP in October. Their first full-length record, White Music ,
9174-601: The band renamed themselves the Helium Kidz. Partridge's musical conceptions were "blown away" upon hearing the New York Dolls : "I suddenly just wanted to play three chords again and get out my mum's makeup and stuff." He subsequently wrote hundreds of songs for the Helium Kidz, and some demo tapes were sent to Decca Records . NME ran a small profile on the "up and coming" band, which consisted of Partridge, Moulding, Chambers and guitarist Dave Cartner: "They aspire to attain
9313-517: The band toured for the next five years. The group also made appearances on the children's television shows Tiswas and Magpie , which meant they would occasionally play for under-16 crowds on these early tours. Partridge enjoyed these early shows, but would later resent touring as the band's audience numbers grew and the performing experience became more impersonal. By August 1978, XTC were prepared to record their next album. The band had contacted Brian Eno to produce after they learned that he
9452-420: The band's first US single. According to Gregory, "Colin began to fancy himself as the 'writer of the singles'". In response to "the fuss made over Colin's songs", Partridge attempted to exert more authority in the group: "I thought I was a very benevolent dictator." Gregory disagreed, recalling that the band was "pretty tired" and that Partridge "could be a little bit of a bully". Partridge at this point released
9591-609: The band's stock-in-trade and didn't rock out until the last song, 'Funk Pop a Roll.' ... Mummer signaled a strange rebirth for XTC." Moulding thought that "when we came back from America after our aborted tour of 1982 ... people like Spandau Ballet had moved onto the scene; new groups were coming up and there was no place for us." Mojo journalist Chris Ingham summed up the period: "In 18 months, XTC had gone from Top 10 hits and critical superlatives to being ignorable, arcane eccentrics. Partridge later said "Your average English person probably thinks we split up in 1982". XTC released
9730-441: The band. Gregory commented that it was an "interesting" style of promotion, but "incredibly hard work", as the band performed at about four radio stations a day for three weeks: "We also did a live acoustic set for MTV in front of an audience which worried Andy a bit but he got through it." This inspired the network to invite more artists to perform stripped-down sets, calling the series " unplugged ". XTC's performance of " King for
9869-462: The band. In search of his replacement, Partridge found Barry Andrews through a "keyboard player seeks band" advertisement. Instead of a formal audition, the two went out drinking together. Andrews was immediately hired. During the first band rehearsal, Partridge recalled, "He sounded like Jon Lord from Deep Purple ; fuzz box, wah wah pedal, bluesy runs. I said, You don't have to play like that, you can play like us if you want. The next rehearsal, he
10008-444: The band." After the group arrived at Utopia Sound recording studio in upstate New York , Rundgren played a large role in the album's sound design and drum programming, providing them with string and brass arrangements, as well as an assortment of gear. However, the sessions were fraught with tension, especially between him and Partridge, and disagreements arose over drum patterns, song selections, and other details. Partridge likened
10147-469: The best combinations of performance and audio quality, and used tape editing to assemble a composite performance. The 1980s advent of digital processes and formats rapidly replaced analog processes and formats, namely, tape and vinyl. Although recording onto quality tape, at least half an inch wide and traveling 15 inches per second, had limited "tape hiss" to silent sections, digital's higher signal-to-noise ratio , SNR, abolished it. Digital also imparted to
10286-544: The book Chalkhills and Children ) or a couple years afterward (according to Partridge). He legally retained the title of XTC's manager until near the end of the decade. In April 1984, the group learned that he had incurred them an outstanding value-added taxes [VAT] bill and that he had significantly mishandled their revenue stream. A lawsuit was filed by the band, while he counter-sued for "unpaid commission on royalties". Virgin were then "legally required to freeze royalty and advance payments and divert publishing income into
10425-448: The capabilities of tape, multitrack recording, and electronic instruments, producers like Phil Spector , George Martin , and Joe Meek rendered sounds unattainable live. Similarly, in jazz fusion , Teo Macero , producing Miles Davis 's 1970 album Bitches Brew , spliced sections of extensive improvisation sessions. In the 1960s, rock acts like the Beatles , the Rolling Stones , and
10564-429: The charts at numbers 32, 31 and 16, respectively. "Sgt. Rock" provoked feminist hate-mail for the lyric "keep her stood in line". Partridge regretted the song, calling it "crass but not enjoyably crass". " Respectable Street " was banned from BBC radio due to its references to abortion and a " Sony Entertainment Centre ". Partridge believed Black Sea was the closest the group had come to representing their live sound in
10703-534: The community as being populated almost entirely by people with physical, mental or emotional defects. In the 1960s, he was a fan of contemporary pop groups like the Beatles , but was intimidated by the process of learning guitar. When the Monkees grew popular, he became interested in joining a music group. He recalled watching local guitarist Dave Gregory performing Jimi Hendrix -style songs at churches and youth clubs: "Sort of acid - skiffle . I thought, 'Ah, one day I'll play guitar!' But I didn't think I would be in
10842-452: The course of a 20-year contract with Virgin Records, and after achieving gold and platinum status in album sales on a number of discs, XTC never saw any publishing royalties. During the middle months of 1982, Partridge spent his time in convalescence and writing songs. He later surmised that relinquishing Valium inadvertently gave him a new sense of creative direction: "I was thinking clearer and wanted to know stuff. Life's big questions." In
10981-424: The covers band Dean Gabber and His Gaberdines was invited to join as a second guitarist. Partridge remembered holding a "pretend audition" where Gregory was asked to play "This Is Pop", only for Gregory to inquire whether they wanted the album version or the single version: "We thought, 'Bloody oh, a real musician.' But he was in the band before he even knew." Gregory was anxious of whether the fans would accept him as
11120-536: The early 1970s and subsequently formed a glam outfit with drummer Terry Chambers . The band's name and line-up changed frequently, and it was not until 1975 that the band was known as XTC. In 1977, the group debuted on Virgin Records and were subsequently noted for their energetic live performances and their refusal to play conventional punk rock, instead synthesising influences from ska , 1960s pop, dub music and avant-garde . The single " Making Plans for Nigel " (1979) marked their commercial breakthrough and heralded
11259-479: The first two albums by Muse , Showbiz (1999) and Origin of Symmetry (2001). The albums drew comparisons to Radiohead, which Leckie dismissed, saying: "In the late 90s, any British band that sang passionately and played guitar was going to get compared to Radiohead." He said he had been invited to produce several "Radiohead copycats" after The Bends , and chose to produce Muse because he had "intentionally looked for something different". When Muse won UK Single of
11398-416: The first two albums is focused into a cohesive statement with a distinctive voice that retains their clever humor, quirky wordplay, and decidedly British flavor. ... driven by the powerful rhythms and angular, mainly minimalistic arrangements." The distinctive drum pattern of its lead single, Moulding's " Making Plans for Nigel ", was an attempt to invert drum tones and accents in the style of Devo 's cover of
11537-462: The group devoted two weeks to the sessions. Calling themselves " the Dukes of Stratosphear ", the spin-off group consisted of Partridge and Moulding with Dave and his drummer brother Ian. Each adopted a pseudonym: Sir John Johns, The Red Curtain, Lord Cornelius Plum and E.I.E.I. Owen. At the sessions, the band dressed themselves in Paisley outfits and lit scented candles. With "nothing to live up to" as
11676-458: The group requested that manager Ian Reid help pay for the debts, but he refused, saying that they had owed him money. They tried distancing themselves from Reid by renegotiating their contract with Virgin. Six more albums were promised to the label in exchange for covering their debts, as well as a guarantee that subsequent royalty and advancement cheques be redirected into the band's own deposit account. Royalty rates were still kept relatively low, as
11815-489: The group to work with him: "I reminded Andy that Todd had produced one of his favourite New York Dolls records [ New York Dolls , 1973]. In the absence of any better alternatives, he agreed." Once contacted, Rundgren offered to handle the album's entire recording for a lump sum of $ 150,000, and the band agreed. In January 1986, Partridge and Moulding mailed Rundgren a collection of more than 20 demo tapes they had stockpiled in advance. Compared to previous XTC albums, much of
11954-450: The group was not selling enough records, Virgin reportedly concluded, was that they sounded "too English". The label forced the group to work with one of their selected American producers. When shown a list of their names, they recognised none except for Todd Rundgren . Gregory was a fan of Rundgren's music, particularly since hearing the 1978 album Hermit of Mink Hollow . His bandmates were not as familiar with Rundgren, but Gregory urged
12093-425: The group's A&R man Paul Kinder explained, they had "appalling management for a number of years. Usually if a manager has got any kind of business acumen he will renegotiate the contract to get a better royalty. A record company expects this, which is why they keep royalties low initially. It's just business really. Nobody addressed the contract for XTC." Reid remained XTC's manager until January 1983 (according to
12232-512: The group. After most of Andrews' songs were dropped from the final track list, the keyboardist told journalists that he foresaw the band "explod[ing] pretty soon". Go 2 , a more experimental venture, was released in October to positive reviews and a number 21 chart peak. Like White Music , it was given praise in Sounds , Melody Maker , and the NME . One of the tracks, "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)",
12371-524: The heart to tell anyone you can't carry on so I'm gonna mess you up." The band's remaining tour dates in England were cancelled. After recovering from the episode, Partridge rejoined the group for their first tour of the US as a headlining act. The band played the first date in San Diego. Gregory said that they were "totally unrehearsed" during the performance because "we'd not played together for two weeks. ... It
12510-435: The impossible dream of being able to throw a TV or two out of the window of an American hotel and have no one complain." This version of the group lasted until 1975, when the Helium Kidz decided to rebrand themselves and change their music to "three-minute pop songs that were fast and inventive." Gregory auditioned for the band at this juncture, but did not end up joining. His musicianship was determined to be "too good". It
12649-460: The industry are Logic Pro and Pro Tools. Physical devices involved include the main mixer, MIDI controllers to communicate among equipment, the recording device itself, and perhaps effects gear that is outboard. Yet literal recording is sometimes still analog, onto tape, whereupon the raw recording is converted to a digital signal for processing and editing, as some producers still find audio advantages to recording onto tape. Conventionally, tape
12788-521: The interim, Chambers moved to Australia and started a family. Feeling dismayed by Partridge's decision not to tour, he had to be persuaded to return to Swindon for the next album's rehearsals in September. At one rehearsal, Partridge recalled asking Chambers for "tiny, cyclical, nattering clay pots", which he replied sounded "a bit fucking nancified". The newly-wed Chambers soon left the band to be with his wife in Australia. Drummer Pete Phipps , formerly of
12927-669: The knowledge demands, although DAWs enables novices, even teenagers at home, to learn production independently. Some have attained professional competence before ever working with an artist. Among female record producers, Sylvia Moy was the first at Motown , Gail Davies the first on Nashville's Music Row , and Ethel Gabriel , with RCA , the first at a major record label . Lillian McMurry , owning Trumpet Records , produced influential blues records. Meanwhile, Wilma Cozart Fine produced hundreds of records for Mercury Records ' classical division. For classical production, three women have won Grammy awards, and Judith Sherman 's 2015 win
13066-507: The lack of women in music" and "the plight of women in music", where women were allegedly being "stereotyped, sexualized, and shut out". Also in February 2019, the Recording Academy 's Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion announced an initiative whereby over 200 artists and producers—ranging from Cardi B and Taylor Swift to Maroon 5 and Quincy Jones —agreed to consider at least two women for each producer or engineer position. The academy's website, Grammy.com , announced, "This initiative
13205-650: The last recordings with Syd Barrett . His first jobs as producer, in 1976, were Be-Bop Deluxe 's third album, Sunburst Finish , and Doctors of Madness ' Figments of Emancipation. His collaboration with Be-Bop Deluxe continued with Modern Music , Live! In the Air Age and Drastic Plastic . In 1977 Leckie produced the Adverts ' Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts , Magazine 's Real Life ,. Leckie left Abbey Road in 1978 and produced albums for Simple Minds ( Life in
13344-612: The legendary Irish band the Atrix on their single "Procession". Later he went on to produce 25 O'Clock and Psonic Psunspot , which XTC issued under the pseudonym the Dukes of Stratosphear in the mid-1980s. In 1989 Leckie produced the Stone Roses ' debut album, The Stone Roses . The album was voted the best record of all time on a music poll taken by BBC Radio 6 Music and features as Number 1 on Observer's June 2004 "100 Greatest British Albums". Some months later he produced and mixed their single " Fools Gold ", which charted at No. 4 in
13483-494: The making of Apple Venus Volume 1 (1999), after which the XTC name was used by the duo of Partridge and Moulding. In 2006, Partridge announced that his creative partnership with Moulding had disintegrated, leaving XTC "in the past tense". Moulding and Chambers briefly reunited as the duo TC&I in the late 2010s. Partridge and Gregory remain musically active. Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding grew up on Penhill council estate in Swindon . Partridge jokingly characterised
13622-520: The manufacturing of record discs. After World War II , pioneering A&R managers who transitioned influentially to record production as now understood, while sometimes owning independent labels, include J. Mayo Williams and John Hammond . Upon moving from Columbia Records to Mercury Records , Hammond appointed Mitch Miller to lead Mercury's popular recordings in New York. Miller then produced country-pop crossover hits by Patti Page and by Frankie Laine , moved from Mercury to Columbia, and became
13761-450: The material contrasted significantly with its mellower feel, lush arrangements, and "flowery" aesthetic. Rundgren responded with the idea of a concept album to bridge "Colin's 'pastoral' tunes and subject matter and Andy's 'pop anthems' and sly poetry. ... The album could be about a day, a year, or a lifetime. ... Using this framework, I [Rundgren] came up with a sequence of songs and a justification for their placement and brought it to
13900-648: The moon and Virgin weren't prepared to give it him." Whatever new music the band recorded would have been automatically owned by Virgin, and so the band enacted strike action against the label. Prince and George Michael also went on a strike against their respective labels that was heavily publicized at about the same time. XTC's strike, however, received little press. In the meantime, Partridge produced Martin Newell 's 1993 album The Greatest Living Englishman and early sessions for Blur's second album . "I thought I did sterling work. ... Next day, [ David Balfe from
14039-770: The music a perceived "pristine" sound quality, if also a loss of analog recordings' perceived "warm" quality and better-rounded bass. Yet whereas editing tape media requires physically locating the target audio on the ribbon, cutting there, and splicing pieces, editing digital media offers inarguable advantages in ease, efficiency, and possibilities. In the 1990s, digital production reached affordable home computers via production software. By now, recording and mixing are often centralized in DAWs, digital audio workstations —for example, Pro Tools , Logic Pro , Ableton , Cubase , Reason , and FL Studio —for which plugins , by third parties, effect virtual studio technology . DAWs fairly standard in
14178-424: The musical director of Virgin, who, after seeing the songs, was convinced the band "could do better" and asked them to write more material. With the band sitting on the material, the director left the label a year later, and his replacement liked the band's content, hurrying them to record the album. Gus Dudgeon produced, even though Partridge felt he was the wrong choice, and Fairport Convention 's Dave Mattacks
14317-452: The new music showcased more complex and intricate arrangements, song lengths were longer, and subject matter covered broader social issues. Much of the new material also featured acoustic instruments. Gregory bought a Rickenbacker 12-string and began contributing to the records as a keyboardist. In February 1982, English Settlement was released as the group's first double album. The hook of its lead single, " Senses Working Overtime ",
14456-576: The phrase used for French cinema of a certain period . ... [Our music was] blatantly just pop music . We were a new pop group. That's all. —Andy Partridge elaborating on XTC's song " This Is Pop ", 2007 Ian Reid , owner of a Swindon club named The Affair, was their third manager and brokered deals for the group to perform at more popular venues such as the Red Cow in Hammersmith , The Nashville Rooms and Islington 's Hope and Anchor . By this time,
14595-416: The power struggle to "two Hitlers in the same bunker". He expressed resentment toward Rundgren's contributions when sessions concluded, but later softened his view and praised the result. Rundgren said that in spite of all the difficulties, the album "ultimately ... sounds like we were having a great time doing it. And at times we were having a good time." On Skylarking ... the band has accomplished
14734-438: The precursors of record producers, supervising recording and often leading session orchestras. During the 1940s, major record labels increasingly opened official A&R departments, whose roles included supervision of recording. Meanwhile, independent recording studios opened, helping originate record producer as a specialty. But despite a tradition of some A&R men writing music, record production still referred to just
14873-438: The producer may be the sole artist. Conversely, some artists do their own production. Some producers are their own engineers, operating the technology across the project: preproduction, recording, mixing , and mastering . Record producers' precursors were "A&R men", who likewise could blend entrepreneurial, creative, and technical roles, but often exercised scant creative influence, as record production still focused, into
15012-463: The recording process, namely, operating the electronic equipment and blending the raw, recorded tracks of the chosen performances, whether vocal or instrumental, into a mix , either stereo or surround sound. Then a mastering engineer further adjusts this recording for distribution on the chosen media. A producer may work on only one or two songs or on an artist's entire album, helping develop the album's overall vision. The record producers may also take on
15151-476: The remarkable feat of pulling the kinks out of its music without sacrificing its peerless originality. The band members have become the deans of a group of artists who make what can only be described as unpopular pop music, placing a high premium on melody and solid if idiosyncratic songcraft. —Writer Michael Azzerad , 1989 Skylarking spent one week on the UK album charts, reaching number 90 in November 1986, two weeks after its release. Moulding's " Grass "
15290-438: The role of executive producer, managing the budget, schedules, contracts, and negotiations. (Artists and Repertoires) In the 1880s, the record industry began by simply having the artist perform at a phonograph . In 1924, the trade journal Talking Machine World , covering the phonography and record industry, reported that Eddie King, Victor Records ' manager of the "New York artist and repertoire department", had planned
15429-489: The same band as this kid on the stage." Partridge eventually obtained a guitar and taught himself how to play it with no formal training. At the age of 15, he wrote his first song, titled "Please Help Me", and attracted the nickname "Rocky" for his early guitar mastery of the Beatles' " Rocky Raccoon " (1968). By the early 1970s, his music tastes had transitioned "from the Monkees to having a big binge on this Euro-avant-garde stuff. I got really in deep." One of his first bands
15568-431: The song in its final mix. The producer's roles can include gathering ideas, composing music, choosing session musicians , proposing changes to song arrangements, coaching the performers, controlling sessions, supervising the audio mixing , and, in some cases, supervising the audio mastering . A producer may give creative control to the artists themselves, taking a supervisory or advisory role instead. As to qualifying for
15707-422: The stage during the opening song 'Respectable Street', and afterward, took a flight back to Swindon for treatment, which amounted to hypnotherapy . He described feeling nausea and stomach pains while on stage: "My body and brain said, You're hating this experience I'm going to make it bad for you. When you go on stage I'm going to give you panic attacks and stomach cramps. You're not enjoying this and you haven't got
15846-425: The studio environment. The guitarist Jonny Greenwood said: "He didn't treat us like he had some kind of witchcraft that only he understands. There's no mystery to it, which is so refreshing." Radiohead's future producer, Nigel Godrich , worked on The Bends as an engineer . He named Leckie as one of the producers who had taught him his craft, whom he had "watched directly and emulated". Leckie's next projects were
15985-512: The studio. It remains XTC's second-highest charting British album, placing at number 16, and the most successful album in the U.S. of their career, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard 200 . That October, the documentary XTC at the Manor , which featured the band faking a studio session for "Towers of London", was broadcast on BBC2 . From 1980 to 1981, XTC toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and
16124-419: The technical engineering of the recording, and coordinating the production team and process. The producer's involvement in a musical project can vary in depth and scope. Sometimes in popular genres the producer may create the recording's entire sound and structure. However, in classical music recording, for example, the producer serves as more of a liaison between the conductor and the engineering team. The role
16263-559: The third album by the Lilac Time , and compered for an unbroadcast children's game show named Matchmakers . Gregory played for Johnny Hates Jazz , Marc Almond and Francesco Messina whilst producing for Cud . Moulding performed a special event concert with David Marx and the Refugees, a Swindon-based band that reunited him with Barry Andrews. Tarquin Gotch , who served as XTC's manager for
16402-481: The vast majority have been men. Early in the 2010s, asked for insights that she herself had gleaned as a woman who has specialized successfully in the industry, Wendy Page remarked, "The difficulties are usually very short-lived. Once people realize that you can do your job, sexism tends to lower its ugly head." Still, when tasked to explain her profession's sex disparity, Page partly reasoned that record labels, dominated by men, have been, she said, "mistrustful of giving
16541-414: The work as "industrial pop" inspired by Swindon, a "railway town". The result, The Big Express , returned the group to a brighter and uptempo sound marked by studio experimentation and denser arrangements, setting a template that they would develop on subsequent albums. He jokingly referred to some parts of the album as the only time the group were befallen with stereotypical 1980s-style production. It
16680-423: Was a devout Catholic). Partridge was feeling inspired by Nick Nicely 's 1982 psychedelic single "Hilly Fields 1892", and devised a recording project to fill the newfound gap in his schedule. The rules were as follows: songs must follow the conventions of 1967 and 1968 psychedelia; no more than two takes allowed; use vintage equipment wherever possible. After receiving a £5,000 advance from a skeptical Virgin Records,
16819-416: Was a fan, but he declined, telling them that they were good enough to produce themselves. Virgin rejected Eno's advice, and the group instead returned to Abbey Road with Leckie. Andrews appeared at the sessions with several original songs, but Partridge did not feel they were right for the band. He began taking Moulding and Chambers out for drinks without inviting Partridge, allegedly in an attempt to take over
16958-653: Was an early female record producer, having produced both of her Ivor Novello award-winning songs. Across the decades, many female artists have produced their own music. For instance, artists Kate Bush , Madonna , Mariah Carey , Janet Jackson , Beyoncé (even that of Destiny's Child and the Carters ), Lana Del Rey , Taylor Swift , and Lorde have produced or coproduced and Ariana Grande who produces and arranges her vocals as well as being an audio engineer. Still among specialists, despite some prominent women, including Missy Elliott in hip hop and Sylvia Massy in rock,
17097-479: Was based on Manfred Mann 's " 5-4-3-2-1 " (1964), Both the album and single became the highest-charting records they would ever have in the UK, peaking at number five and number 10, respectively. In several territories outside the UK, the album was released as only a single LP. The group scheduled television appearances and an international tour in support of English Settlement . During a live-broadcast gig in Paris on 18 March, Partridge stopped playing and ran off
17236-455: Was because of an industry convention in the 1960s and the 1970s, and that when "we wanted to shift albums later on, that approach got blown out of the water." Drums and Wires , released in August 1979, was named for its emphasis on guitars and expansive drums. AllMusic reviewer Chris Woodstra wrote that it signalled "a turning point ... with a more subdued set of songs that reflect an increasing songwriting proficiency. The aimless energy of
17375-541: Was brought in as drummer. Nonsuch was received with critical acclaim when released in April 1992, and like Oranges & Lemons , peaked at number 28 in the UK, becoming their second consecutive and final Top 40 album. Rolling Stone ' s Michael Azerrad reviewed: "Emphasizing wonder and wit in opposition to the rage of most college rock , XTC makes alternative music for people who don't like ' alternative music '." Lead single " The Disappointed " reached number 33 in
17514-406: Was called "Stiff Beach", formed in August 1970. In early 1972, Partridge's constantly evolving group settled into "Star Park", a four-piece that featured himself with guitarist Dave Cartner, drummer Paul Wilson, and a bassist nicknamed "Nervous Steve". In 1972, Partridge became closer acquainted with Gregory, a diabetic then suffering from a bout of depression , while working as an assistant at
17653-470: Was chosen as lead single. It was issued exclusively in the UK with the B-side " Dear God ", an outtake. "Dear God" became so popular with American college radio stations who imported the record that Geffen Records (XTC's US distributor) recalled and re-pressed Skylarking with the track included. Controversy also broke out over the song's anti-religious lyrics, which inspired some violent incidents. In Florida,
17792-456: Was contacted to produce their third album with a drum sound that would "knock your head off". With engineer Hugh Padgham , the band embarked to the newly built Townhouse Studios , "with its now world-famous stone room"; Gregory later recalled that Padgham had "yet to develop his trade-mark ' gated ambience ' sound". Coinciding with Gregory's arrival, the band recorded " Life Begins at the Hop " (1979),
17931-411: Was controversial for its anti-religious message. Due to poor management, XTC never received a share of profits from record sales (of which there were millions), nor from touring revenue, forcing them into debt throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1993, they went on strike against Virgin, citing an unfair recording contract , and soon extricated themselves from the label. Gregory left the band during
18070-439: Was decided that the band have another name change. "The Dukes of Stratosphear" was considered, but Partridge thought it was too "flowery" and "psychedelic". He derived "XTC" from Jimmy Durante 's exclamation upon discovering the lost chord : "That's it! I'm in ecstasy!" The name was chosen mainly for its emphatic appearance in print. Meanwhile, owing to creative differences with Partridge, synthesizer player Jonathan Perkins quit
18209-493: Was going to say." The tour ceased. He continued his hypnotherapy treatment, fearing that he was turning into the archetypal rock burn-out (such as Syd Barrett ). "It got to the point where if I touched the front door knob, I wanted to throw up." For a period afterward, it was rumoured among fans and industry insiders that the group stopped performing because Partridge had died, and some American bands put on XTC tribute shows in his remembrance. [Because of our] bad record deal and
18348-404: Was her fifth. Yet in nonclassical, no woman has won Producer of the Year , awarded since 1975 and only one even nominated for a record not her own, Linda Perry. After Lauren Christy 's 2004 nomination, Linda Perry 's 2019 nomination was the next for a woman. On why no woman had ever won it, Perry commented, "I just don't think there are that many women interested." In the U.K., Lynsey de Paul
18487-484: Was immediately put to consideration, but the group could not go through with it due to their commercial obligations to Virgin. In November 1984, one month after The Big Express ' s release, Partridge and John Leckie traveled to Monmouth to produce the album Miss America by singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara , who had recently signed with Virgin. Partridge and Leckie were dismissed due to conflicts related to their religious affiliations or lack thereof (O'Hara
18626-479: Was like a maniac, like if Miró had played electric organ. Fantastic." December 1976 officially marked the beginning of the Partridge–Moulding–Chambers–Andrews line-up. The members cut their long hair and, for a time, wore " kung-fu mechanic" outfits on stage. I really didn't like the phrase 'punk'—it just seemed kind of demeaning. I didn't like ' new wave ' either, because that was already
18765-513: Was obvious that he was ill, but exactly what it was, no-one knew." On 4 April 1982, XTC were scheduled to headline a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Partridge woke up that morning, he said, and "couldn't get off the bed. My legs wouldn't function. Walked to Ben Frank's coffee shop, where we'd all agreed to meet, in slow motion like I had both legs in plaster, trying not to throw up. I got in there, they knew what I
18904-413: Was released in October 1984, reaching a higher chart position than Mummer , but was "virtually ignored" by critics. Virgin invested £33,000 into the music video for " All You Pretty Girls " to little effect. The band were charged for the sum. When Gregory joined the band in 1979, Partridge learned that they both shared a longtime enthusiasm for 1960s psychedelic music . An album of songs in that style
19043-441: Was the first of a handful of XTC songs written over the years that reflected their poor financial state. Virtually every contemporary review of Mummer accused the band of falling out of touch with the contemporary music climate. Journalist Serene Dominic retrospectively wrote that the album was seen as "something of a disappointment at the time of release ... [It was] devoid of silly songs like 'Sgt. Rock' that had heretofore been
19182-549: Was then recorded in less than two weeks, and released for January 1978. Partridge characterized the album as " Captain Beefheart meets the Archies " shrouded in 1950s-style retrofuturism . He reflected that the album was the sum of everything the band enjoyed, including the Beatles, Sun Ra , and Atomic Rooster , but dismissed the contents as premature songs "built around this electric wordplay stuff". White Music reached number 38 on
19321-505: Was written in tribute to Eno. The album also included a bonus EP, Go+ , which consisted of five dub remixes of XTC songs. Andrews left the band in December 1978, while they were on their first American tour, and went on to form the League of Gentlemen with Robert Fripp of King Crimson . Partridge said: "He enjoyed undermining what little authority I had in the band. We were bickering quite
#891108