XTC

XTC
DRUMS AND WIRES (1979)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Most people's first taste of XTC came from this CD, originally released in 1979. The band's first full-length without cofounder Barry Andrews, it was a cavalcade of Andy Partridge's neuroses and paranoia. Although it contained two quirky bona fide pop songs--the calling card "Making Plans for Nigel" and the breezy "Life Begins at the Hop"--the music as a whole was as jagged as Partridge's attitude. "Complicated Game" and "Scissor Man" have the singer's haunting howl echoing and whispering throughout, sounding like a fun house operator gone mad, while "Real by Reel," another pop standout, might be the most conventional song on the CD. Drums and Wires is a must-have for anybody who is only discovering the band. Skylarking and the collected singles are the only other releases that come close to capturing the band's early and earnest dementia.

1. Making Plans For Nigel
2. Helicopter
3. Day In Day Out
4. When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty
5. Ten Feet Tall
6. Roads Girdle The Globe
7. Reel By Reel
8. Millions
9. That Is The Way
10. Outside World
11. Scissor Man
12. Complicated Game
13. Life Begins At The Hop
14. Chain Of Command
15. Limelight