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

Forgot to add a mark for "She's So Square" - 3/5.

 

I really need a copy of that U.K. 7”…! One of the few U.K. 7”s I don’t have…

 

Still hunting for a ticket stub, here...

 

Barry's early songs that didn't make the cut but finally appeared on Coat are great fun, would have been a different band for sure had he stayed.

But he seems to have a back catalog as eccentric as any outside of XTC

 

"She's So Square" -- 3.5/5

Agreed that this is superior to "Science Friction". Probably not as commercial, but it still has a fantastic hook.

 

She’s So Square

I like this one more than I like Science Friction. It’s just overall catchier to me, and there are fewer (and less annoying) vocal affectations. And the lyrics make me laugh! This is always a good thing.

One thing I really do like about early XTC is the crunchy guitar sound. I definitely get the comparison to Split Enz, and have often pondered why I like early XTC more than I like Split Enz. I think it partially comes down to the use of keyboards. Split Enz was much more focused on the keyboards than XTC, although Split Enz does have some great guitar songs (Give It A Whirl springs to mind). I’m just not that crazy about Eddie Rayner’s keyboard style. That’s not the only difference, but it’s a big one for me.

3.25/5

 

"She's So Square" is an infectious, retro-themed pop confection, delivering plenty of light-weight fun. The hooks cut deeper than "Science Friction". The band sounds amazingly tight and confident at this early stage.

3.5/5

 

This will be an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself to the first 3 albums. Follow the progression from the beginning. A lot of the fun of people who already know this material is to hear what people hearing it for the first time think.

So definitely contribute with your impressions if you’re so inclined- we’d love to hear them.

 

She’s So Square

It is catchy, and I actually like the vocal affectations - they’re funny and quirky to me and I know they go away on future albums, so they don’t bother me at all and I see them more as artifacts of early primitive XTC.

Like all of the things you all mentioned earlier about the song, and overall like it about equally to Science Friction.

3.9/5

 

"She's So Square":

First single / EP and the B-side is as good as the A-side. Way to start your career! I wish I'd been already aware of them in 1977...

 

"She's so Square" is, as others have noted, very amusing today for how "cool" 1967 would have been perceived when the 60s boomeranged back around. It's a good song, but the lyrical affect keeps me from enjoying it as much as I could (see also: "Complicated Game").

3.6/5

I never really felt like primordial Enz and primordial XTC lent themselves to much comparison outside of being artsy for the sake of being artsy, but to me one was always much more "art pop" and the other "art punk..."

 

She’s So Square - I like this even better than "Science Friction". The energy and enthusiasm is infectious, and there are hooks galore. 4/5

 

Drums and Wires got a vinyl reissue last year. Sounds better than the original. Hopefully Andy will get round to reissuing the first two albums in time.

 

i dont think there's been a ton of discussion on the APE reissues here. D&W, Black Sea, O&L, and Nonsuch all sound like the recent Steven Wilson stereo remixes. The gem is the English Settlement.

Now back to the 3DEP....

 

I like "She's So Square" a lot. It's nice to find a single where the b-side is as good as the a-side. 3/5.

Me too! And a few others...

 

I've been debating whether or not to pick up the reissue. I have a US Virgin original that sounds pretty good to me, is the reissue a significant improvement?

 

Sounds good to me if you want a clean copy. Likely better than US version as it's at least as good as the original UK.

 

She's So Square - I like this one much better than Science Friction 4/5

 

Keep in mind it's a different tracklisting to the US Drums and Wires (no "Life Begins at the Hop"), and it comes with a bonus 7". I've played most of the Ape House reissues back to back with the US 1st pressings, and there's no comparison, IMO. The reissues are better. Highly recommended!

 

Yeah, I thought it might have. Amazon calling !!

 

She's So Square - 3/5 - Fun and hooky, but not as memorable as the a-side.

 

She’s So Square

Yeah, definitely a B-side/album cut for me. Got a lot of energy but not too much melody. Wouldn’t turn it off, but I wouldn’t use it to turn anyone on to XTC. An early appearance of the hiccuping Andy vocal we’ll see a lot more of soon. Best part for me is the mock-stately intro/outro. If they’d made this a couple years later they might have crafted the intro/outro into a proper mock-60s thing, but here it just sounds like they wanted some kind of contrasting part.

really a 2.5/5 but I’ll round it to 3.

 

She’s So Square always reminds me of those early Joe Jackson albums, with many of the same charms.
It’s propulsive, nervous and nervy, quirky and just radiates intelligent ambition. Hooky, too.
3.5/5

 

Wonderful! I'd never heard this before. I prefer it to Science Friction. Barry's keyboards are used sparingly and effectively here, compared to some other songs of the time. 4/5

 

Square -- rounding up to 3/5 -- it's got a good chorus, but the verse lyrics are unintelligible (and that's not a hallmark of great XTC songs)