Senses Working Overtime: XTC and Dukes of Stratosphear Song-by-song

Coming back to "White Music" after not listening to it for probably 20 years (which is weird considering that so much of the XTC catalog is in heavy rotation for me, just not the first two albums), I actually have to say I think I enjoy it quite a bit more now than I did the last time I gave it a listen all the way through. Perhaps my tastes have changed/broadened to allow for more enjoyment of the experimental/quirky stuff, I don't know. But I've been to rough on White Music all this time. I'll be very interested to see how I feel about "Go 2"

 

I'm another who has largely abandoned the first 2 LPs (outside of the singles) in favor of what came after. This thread has given me a greater appreciation for what White Music was going for even if it's not quite my bag. I look forward to seeing if Go2 can be salvaged in a similar fashion though that still gets my vote for their best album cover outside of Psonic Psunspot. Spoiler Alert: All Dukes material will get a 5/5 here

 

Well, White Music is where I came aboard. I had absolutely no idea then where XTC would go, nor was I necessarily hoping they would go somewhere different. In its earliest incarnation, XTC was a blast of something that sounded entirely new. Sure, Talking Heads were doing the arty/angular thing too; Buzzcocks would also sell hooks along with energy; but Andy brought a bright-boy's grasp of his generation's musical roots to some of the more out-there trends disturbing the sub-surface of contemporary music.

I was sometimes put off by Andy's overselling everything, notably those compensatory verbal tics. But again, this was what the band sounded like at the time; there had as yet been no development to allow for retrospective regrets.

And in that context, I loved the record, and loved the ensuing singles even more.

3.5/5

 

Our votes for White Music

1-0
2-2
3-11
4-7
5-0
Average: 3

 

Today's song is "Hang On to The Night", written by Andy Partridge and produced by John Leckie.

XTC – Hang On To The Night Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Background:
Barry Andrews and previous keyboardist John Perkins hated playing this song, feeling that the carnival-like keyboard part (which was written before he joined the band) was beneath them.
Andy:

Line Up
Andy Partridge: vocals, guitar
Barry Andrews: organ
Colin Moulding: bass guitar, vocals
Terry Chambers: drums

The song was originally released as the B-side on the Statue Of Liberty single. Later released on Beeswax compilation and, as part of a live medley called "Atom Medley", which was performed with "ATom Age" and "Neon Shuffle", recorded in 1979 in Australia and released on Coat Of Many Cupboards in 2002.

It was also released as a bonus track on most if not all CD versions of White Music.

 

I just missed the tally for White Music, but I think I would've gone with a 2/5. There are several 4/5 level songs here (Radios In Motion, This Is Pop, New Town Animal), but as an album, the whole is less than the sum of its parts -- I can't imagine ever listening to this entire thing in one sitting ever again. The cumulative effect is like being bludgeoned with a quirk bat. So, my rating gets rounded down.

I'm going to skip out on the bonus/related tracks just so I can clear my palate, and rejoin the fray once the conversation turns to Go 2.

 

"Hang On to The Night", is quite enjoyable, would have fit on the album just fine and would have given one of the crappy songs their place as a B-side. It is a bit zany and I suppose I can see why the keyboardists who wanted to be taken very.seriously. would have balked at it. But the organ music fits. Andy was right.

3.5/5

 

Hang On to the Night: good song, I like the energy and even the keyboards, which are a bit loopy but not over the top like in some of the songs on the album proper. It's short enough that it doesn't wear out its welcome. I think it would be better with a proper ending instead of a fadeout, but that's not a big deal. The version in the medley on Coat of Many Cupboards is also good (and keyboard-free!) but too short, barely 1:30 out of nearly 7 minutes. (That said, I do really like the medley.) Agree with 3.5/5.

 

"Hang On To The Night" is good enough, but not so much as to knock one of the album tracks out of their spot in the LP sequence. I like it's place as the non-LP b-side and round it up 1/2 point for that. 3/5.

 

What a great release that is Barry the unsung hero

 

"Hang On to The Night" is better than some of the album tracks. Andy has passion and is looking for perfection.
A 2/5 for the effort. And I like the organ, too.

I missed getting here on time for my album rating of White Noise. Can only go a 2.5/5 for the few songs I really
liked. Only one of the songs did I enjoy more than I did back when I owned the record. To tell the truth I didn't
remember how so much of the keyboards of English new wave artists sounded similar. I was a Wreckless Eric
fan during the '78/'79 time-frame and do still own one of his albums and some singles. Nothing on Cd. Haven't
listened to any of them in a long while except for "A Pop Song". Think I'll go have a listen.

 

"Hang On To The Night"

A happy little song, typical of early Andy tracks. I wouldn't necessarily say it's inferior to everything on White Music, but then again I couldn't really make a case for it dislodging anything from the album. It's good enough for one of those extra tracks that you're happy to find once you've digested the albums and are seeking out the leftovers. 2.5/5.

 

Hang On To The Night

I think this is a reasonable song in the same style as other songs on the album. However, I think the decision to not include this on the album and release it as a b-side is a reasonable decision.

The keyboard part is quite simple and if Barry had been allowed to rewrite it, maybe it would have been better.

3.1/5

 

Hang On is a great little track, and one of the reasons I like Beeswax so much (much more than White Music). A decent 3/5. The organ part is definitely fitting - Barry at his best here, but as said above, a spiky character best away from Mr P (though they both still live in the same area of Swindon).

 

Hang On To The Night

I love this! It’s got great energy, makes me smile, and makes me want to jump up and down. There isn’t anything about it that I find annoying. This is better than much of what ended up on White Music.

4/5

 

"Hang On To The Night" -- 3/5

Agree with those saying this song is superior to a few of the tracks on the album. I don't think it's top level stuff, but it's a good one. I wish Colin played this tune with a bit more bottom end, and I think the chorus needs something more in the production end. The keyboard solo in question is interesting...but I'd tend to agree with John Perkins and Barry Andrews here. Something other than what's there might've been better, and the fact that Andy was telling them exactly what to play is very telling.

 

Ooops, my original post seems to have disappeared.
At the risk of repeating myself, yes, more straightforward than some of the album tracks and better for it. Recognised it instantly from Beeswax. Still standard new wave fayre though.
2/5

 

"Hang On To The Night" is so cute!! It sounds like XTC playing the band in the club in a movie where Matthew Modine and Rosanna Arquette escape to after they get kidnapped by Griffin Dunne. Hair is teased. Cars are destroyed. The night is held onto. 3/5

 

I'm another one who came on board properly after the first two albums.
I bought them later but don't listen to them and can't name most of the tracks from them.
Dance Band and the first couple of singles got me interested.
It all took off for me with Drums And Wires.

 

Hang On To The Night. I love it, one of the best of this early period. Great energy, catchy fun. Barry even plays something that fits. I bet it went down well on stage too.

 

Hang On To The Night:

Perfectly adequate song for me. Would not have been out of order on the album. And if indeed Andrews and Perkins thought the keyboard part was beneath them, then I can only applaud the fact that the band got rid of them.

 

Hang on -- 3/5 in the context that it's better than some of the stuff that made it on to White Music.

 

In the liner notes for Coat of Many Cupboards, both Barry and Andy freely admit that they were fighting for control of the band. Barry tried to take over, and Andy fought back with the record company at his side to kick Barry out. It sounds like things are relatively amicable now, at least publicly. Barry admits he was trying to take over a band that really want his, and Andy admits that he didn’t handle Barry’s ouster in the best way. Both acknowledge that rock bands aren’t democracies!

 

Yes I think their frankness and honesty about it is very interesting and strangely down to earth.

 

This one is a good example of what kept me from getting really into the earliest XTC output. It's not bad... it just doesn't feel like it goes anywhere - or if it does, it doesn't persuade me to come along.

3/5