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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Where it all began. The first release under the XTC name, the 3D-EP was released on this day back in 1977. Did you buy a copy back then? #XTCmusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Another day, another XTC anniversary as the band's second studio album, Go 2, was released on this day in 1978! Best track? (I think mine's Battery Brides). Is Go 2 your favourite XTC album? #XTCmusic

The text-heavy front cover of the XTC album, Go 2. Black background and white courier-type text.

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Dragonfly @losdesfilms.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Though the party is over, everyone MUST give Oranges and Lemons a listen. Can't sing its praises enough.

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Definitely SMiLE era Beach Boys vibea: 'Chalkhills and Children anchor my feet' could have come straight from the pen of Van Dyke Parks. The beauty of the chorus air and how it bounces off that angular riff. And this coda is just majestic #XTCMusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And that's your lot for this month. Thanks for joining in this listen-along! We're getting closer to the end of the parties. The next party will be for 1992's NONSUCH album, on Wed 28 October at 9pm (GMT) - hope you can make it! #XTCmusic

Graphic for the Nonsuch Listening Party.
"XTC Listening Party. Wed 28 Oct - 9pm (GMT). Nonsuch (1992).
Tracklisting - - Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead - My Bird Performs - Dear Madam Barnum - Humble Daisy - The Smartest Monkeys - The Disappointed - Holly Up On Poppy - Crocodile - Rook - Omnibus - That Wave - Then She Appeared - War Dance - Wrapped In Grey - The Ugly Underneath - Bungalow - Books Are Burning. #XTCmusic."

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

CHALKHILLS AND CHILDREN - A gorgeous closer. Since they acknowledged that the track sounded like The Beach Boys, the use of wind chimes was a homage to The Beach Boys' 1967 song, "Wind Chimes". #XTCmusic

An Oranges and Lemons promo poster featuring a photo of the band on the left and the illustrations from the front sleeve on the right - Colin seems to be playing a tree here, though!

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

MINIATURE SUN - "The first half goes up -- a love song, how great it is. What great things the sun does for life. Then something happens in the middle. He's been rejected. And the other half is all down. He's upset and angry. And the sun is cruel." - Andy Partridge, sleeve notes. #XTCmusic

An Andy Partridge illustration showing green hills and a road on the lower third of the image, and then a figure with a split-face sun head. One half of the face is yellow and coyly smiling. The other half is red and angry.

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Does anyone know who laughs near the end of Pink Thing? Is it Andy? I've seen people say it's Colin, but I don't know.

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

PINK THING - A song very much open to interpretation with regards to what it's about... Personally, I think it's about Mr Blobby (ignoring the fact he debuted on British telly three years later). #XTCmusic

Newspaper clipping, Leicester Daily Mercury, 17 Mar 1989. "Oranges still get the pip! XTC: Oranges and Lemons. Pop's eternal triers plug away remorselessly in their bid for mega-stardom with an excellent LP. Andy Partridge and the boys seem destined to remain unloved in Britain at least, partly due to their reluctance to tour or make videos. I can see why they are so good - why can't anyone else?"

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Michael Ellis Day @michaelellisday.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Fox also produced Perspex Island for future AP collaborator Robyn Hitchcock, which gave him a #1 with So You Think You're In Love. #XTCmusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

HOLD ME MY DADDY - "I played it for my father and he wondered what the hell it was about. It was a bit touchy. Maybe he was embarrassed. It was a very difficult song to write." - Andy Partridge, sleeve notes. #XTCmusic

Newspaper clipping, Fraserburgh Herald, 31 Mar 1989. "XTC, 'Oranges & Lemons' (Virgin V 2581) - The influence of African music seems to be spreading into more and more unlikely corners these days, and 'Hold Me My Daddy' shows that XTC haven't been immune to its' charms either. Late sixties psychedelia also seeps from the grooves of this double-album too, including an update of the "All You Need Is Love" theme entitled "The Loving". Andy Partridge and company could well have become a very effective little pop band if they'd been willing to keep their natural quirkiness under control, but the unexpurgated XTC is a far more interesting proposition as far as I'm concerned."

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I LOVE a good intro. And man, is this a good intro.... #XTCMusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

ACROSS THIS ANTHEAP - "It remains among my favourite of all XTC recordings... is a highlight of Oranges and Lemons and, had I had my way, would have closed the album in definitive "follow-that" style." - Dave Gregory speaking to Todd Bernhardt, 2009. #XTCmusic

Illustration by Andy Partridge of himself in bed at night with the covers up to just over his nose while a lot of ants are above him.

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

CYNICAL DAYS - This underrated song was one of the B-Sides of The Loving. "I wasn't feeling cynical when I wrote it. I think it had more to do with the melancholy nature of the chords. Sometimes you play something and these sentiments descend on you." - Colin Moulding, XTC: Stories. #XTCmusic

Newspaper clipping. "XTC - 'Oranges and Lemons' (Virgin): Wiltshire Rock is very much an acquired taste. XTC can irritate to the point of murder, or can instigate nothing but delight. They are willing to take exciting risks and throw together unlikely chords and rhythms. On 'Cynical Days' they mix psychedelia with Louis Armstrong and still sound like The Beatles! It is refreshing to see a band get more daring instead of the usual blanding out. Admittedly, now and again the going gets heavy. Thankfully their pop bent is still intact and 'Mayor of Simpleton' and 'Garden of Earthly Delight' is the perfect antidote to out-of-focus numbers like 'Across the Antheap'. (7/10)."

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

MERELY A MAN - The band's label, Virgin, had been nagging XTC to write songs more like ZZ Top. 'Merely A Man' was Andy Partridge's response, which opened Side 3 of the album. #XTCmusic

Image taken from the Oranges and Lemon album featuring the three band members of XTC and a guitar.

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Mouldings best track on here for me. Love that bass, that lovely bit of noodly brass, and oh this delightful middle 8. Actually, if any track on here has a Yacht Dancy vibe, it's this one. A Colin Classic #XTCMusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

ONE OF THE MILLIONS - A self-addressing Colin Moulding track which was also the B-Side to the Mayor of Simpleton single. #XTCmusic

The back sleeve of the Mayor of Simpleton single showing illustrations of all three band members.

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Join me in pedant's corner for a moment as I point out if they have no hearts or brains they're a sort of scarecrow-tinman hybrid people. (Also, isn't it weird that the Lion lacks 'courage'? Surely what he's really missing is 'balls', everyone's just too scared to say it.) #XTCMusic

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Ben Baker @benbaker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Always felt this is what Erasure would sound like if Vince lost his synth. #XTCmusic

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Sam @sodazen.cryptoanarchy.network · 30/09/2026

I remember hearing this & Mayor *a lot* on 91X in San Diego, the album came out the year after I started college there. Aside from URGH!, it's pretty much the only place I ever heard play XTC. 😂

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

THE LOVING - I heard a rumour that Richard Curtis wanted to use this track for the end of Love Actually, but XTC said no after discovering he wanted too many changes made to the song. Not sure if it's legit or not. Anyway, this was the final single but sadly didn't chart. #XTCmusic

Front cover of The Loving single by XTC. Shows a figure in military/police get-up with baton and a shield with a big red heart on it.

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

HERE COMES PRESIDENT KILL AGAIN - "When I walk the dog, I get ideas, and the pace I walk determines the tempo of the song. This one's like people chanting a nursery rhyme." - Andy Partridge, Oranges & Lemons inner notes. #XTCmusic

Black and white photographs of the three band XTC band members, from the Oranges and Lemons CD booklet.

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

God that sleeve... ❤️ Not content with writing a Bach-beating bass line, Colin knocks each of his contributions on here out of the park, including this cracker. #XTCMusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

KING FOR A DAY - "[The single] was quite well-received in America... it still gets played quite a lot in the States. In comparison to some of my other stuff, it seems more favourable, perhaps, to Americans than to English, really." - Colin Moulding speaking to Todd Bernhardt, 2009. #XTCmusic

Front cover of XTC's King For A Day single. A medieval-like illustration.

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tune! One of the best bass lines ever written, and that's going back to Bach. It also has the most stunning array of hooks: this is the track where Andy's 'more-is-more' arrangement, abetted by a novice producer, pays off best. Most albums do not have a song as good as this on them. #XTCMusic

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Ben Baker @benbaker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Looked up the airplay for the week this came out and Radio 1 were playing it loads so its strange the public just couldnt be arsed. #XTCmusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

MAYOR OF SIMPLETON - An absolute banger of a song! Fans in the US thought so too as the single reached no. 1 in the US Alt. Rock Charts! (the band had another no. 1 in that chart three years later). #XTCmusic

Front cover of the XTC Mayor of Simpleton single. Has a medieval-type image but with bullet-holes over it.

Newspaper clipping, Mid Sussex Times, 20 Jan 1989. "Swindon boys are back. XTC have the first single from their forthcoming double album released by Virgin Records this week. Mayor of Simpleton was recorded with producer Paul Fox in Los Angeles last autumn, and conveys with a single pop metaphor how you don't need to be a clever cogs to go all gooey over someone. The first single from the band in over a year-and-a-half, is backed by One Of The Millions, with their homage to Captain Beefheart's Ella Guru as extra track on the twelve inch. Mayor of Simpleton was written by Andy Partridge, while One Of The Millions is a Colin Moulding composition. XTC's last album, Skylarking, was their most successful ever, performing the neat trick of establishing them in America without them scarcely having to leave their native Swindon."

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

One of their 'portal' openers, it acts like an overture and delivers you into the sometimes overwhelming world of Oranges and Lemons. It's not by design but it always reminds me of the opener to Around the World in a Day by Prince: the exotic percussion, the arabic scales, the microtones. #XTCMusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🎶PLAY! 🎶 GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS "Here I'm introducing children to the world: ‘This is your playpen. Enjoy the place. Come and be responsible and do great things in life... very optimistic and hopeful and a nice fanfare to open the album with." - Andy Partridge, from Chalkhills-org. #XTCmusic

Newspaper clipping, Chester Chronicle 10 Mar 1989. "XTC are back! Welcome back XTC, a band who manage to remain fresh-faced in a tired old pop scene creaking at the joints. After a spell collecting their musical thoughts, the band have come up with a gem of a double album, with catchy tunes and whimsical lyrics. Oranges and Lemons reveals the outfit at their brilliant best. Included is the recent single Mayor of Simpleton, which should have been a massive hit, together with other off-beat, quirky numbers that should give XTC the recognition they richly deserve. The album cover is a delightful pastiche of the 'Op Art' of the Sixties, and is a reflection of the fact that XTC's roots are firmly based in an era when musical exploration, lyrical eccentricity and the nerve to do something different were in vogue."

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

📢TEN MINUTES until the ORANGES & LEMONS Listening Party begins! 🎵 Prepare your copy, in whichever format you have, and join in the chat with some lovely folk (with excellent taste!) using the tag #XTCmusic (Reposts welcome!)

Colourful front sleeve of the 1989 XTC album, Oranges and Lemons.

The poster by Milton Glaser, which inspired the O&L artwork.

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Just back from the day job. Knackered but still up for a listening party tonight! Join in and follow/use #XTCmusic from 9pm BST!

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Join the ORANGES AND LEMONS listening party tomorrow night! Fruit optional, but your own access to the album a must. #XTCmusic

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Were you about to listen to Oranges and Lemons by #XTC ? Well hold off, and we can all do it together at 9pm GMT this Wednesday 30th. That way you can share beloved moments, air any grievances and mildly panic because you always seem to be a track behind everyone else.

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Real Gone (Raaargh Grrrrrrr) @realgonerocks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

New at REAL GONE: Colin Moulding - Want It Bad: The Pep Talks and Playing Fields of Old England EP (review) www.realgonerocks.com/2026/09/coli... #MusicSky

realgonerocks.com

COLIN MOULDING – Want It Bad: The Pep Talks And Playing Fields Of Old England EP | Real Gone

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Many happy returns to Dave Gregory who turns 74 today!

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xtclimelight.bsky.social @xtclimelight.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast: Skylarking at 40 with XTC’s Colin Moulding, Blur’s Dave Rowntree, MP Rupa Huq and presenter Samira Ahmed. Have a listen:

share.transistor.fm

Skylarking at 40 with XTC’s Colin Moulding, Blur’s Dave Rowntree, MP Rupa Huq and presenter Samira Ahmed

27 October 2026 is the 40th anniversary of XTC’s Skylarking and a big...

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

'You're A Good Man, Albert Brown' music video crew! 👇

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

And that's our last visit to The Dukes! Thanks again to all who joined in! On the 30th September, we'll be returning to XTC and listening along to 1989's ORANGES AND LEMONS. Please join in then if you can and do spread the word! #XTCmusic

Graphics for the next XTC Listening Party. Shows cover of the Oranges and Lemons album. Text reads:
"XTC Listening Party.
Wed 30 Sept - 9pm (BST)
Oranges and Lemons (1989)

Tracklisting - Garden of Earthly Delights - Mayor of Simpleton - King For A Day - Here Comes President Kill Again - The Loving - Poor Skeleton Steps Out - One Of The Millions - Scarecrow People - Merely A Man - Cynical Days - Across This Antheap - Hold Me My Daddy - Pink Thing - Miniature Sun - Chalkhills and Children. #XTCmusic"

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It's a great impression of Carl Wilson on the vocals, and that fade-away into the Smiley-Smile climb is just a delight. Can't believe it's over so soon. #XTCMusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Certain radio stations will just have to play it LOTS...

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

And we bring tonight's listening party to an end with PALE AND PRECIOUS, a Beach Boys homage - though apparently when Brian Wilson heard the track he thought it a nod to Paul McCartney instead. #XTCmusic

A promo image of The Dukes of Stratosphear from their Psonic Psunspot album.

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Ray Aoki @rahrahrock.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

@xtclisteningparty.bsky.social I love the fact that pretty much all of these songs were all rejected at some point for XTC but re-purposed for The Dukes. #XTCmusic

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XTC Listening Party @xtclisteningparty.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

THE AFFILIATED - Intended for inclusion on the next XTC album (which would be 1989's Oranges and Lemons), The Affiliated was instead slightly tweaked to give it a Ray Davies/Kinks vibe and added to Psonic Psunspot. #XTCmusic

Newspaper clipping from Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Sat 22 Aug 1987. Text reads:

"The Dukes of Stratosphear: Psonic Psunspot. Virgin V2440.
My first thought on this LP was what a lusciously over-the-top gatefold sleeve. Second thought - who are The Dukes of Stratosphear? I can't say for sure but will give you my educated guess at the end of this review. In the meantime, let me tell you something about the music. It's very late sixties-ish, powered by flowers and totally mind-expanding. The songs are constructed in the classic psychedelic style - lots of phasing and tape effects (electro-digital these days, of course), and acid-influenced lyrics touching on the Edwardian humour the Beatles so-often used.
Between some tracks there's even the awestruck child talkover gimmic employed by Traffic on Hole In My Shoe (I climbed on the back of a giant albatross... that kind of thing.) And throughout the proceedings the listener happily stumbles across various musical methods nicked from..."

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Wiz Ball @wizball50.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Chooon! I bloody love this one. Yes, it's a bit whimsical but come on, it's psyche, of course its whimsical. Such great lyrics too. Would have made a brilliant theme for a similarly titled Saturday Cartoon if it existed. Sweet Macca vibes! #XTCMusic

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