XTC as the Dukes of Stratosphear Psurroundabout Ride

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ceddy10165, Aug 29, 2019.

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  1. Radagast

    Radagast Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ohio
    Two of my favorites as well. :)
     
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  2. paustin0816

    paustin0816 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio USA
    Preordered.....another no brainer from XTC. Frankly I am stunned (and delighted) I had read an interview where they had said we would never see Dukes in 5.1 because so many effects were flown in live that they couldn't recreate them....so just....wow. And TAKE MY MONEY!!!!
     
  3. Not excited about this one. Dukes material was released to sound like vintage 66-67 songs, not something clean, modern and 5.1. I’m happy others are excited though.
     
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  4. yamfox

    yamfox Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I think most likely Partridge and Wilson understand what the intention and appealing parts were about the project and that “clean and modern” won’t be an issue if they’re approaching this from the right way... I think the stereo mixes for these are less able to be improved than Oranges & Lemons, Skylarking, and Nonsuch because the Dukes’ stuff was recorded and mixed on period-accurate equipment to the 60s and simply sounds better than the common mixing practices of the late 80s and early 90s that were heavily reliant on post-processing the sound but I don’t think expanding it out to multi-channel will necessarily harm the artistic intent and aesthetic of the project so long as it’s done in a non-overly revisionist way, which so far Wilson has been good about doing (he brought bass and organic-sounding instrumentation to O&L but didn’t strip it of all gated reverb and other 80s-ism either).
     
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  5. willy

    willy hooga hagga hooga

    Imagine the fun Wilson had doing this. Working with Partridge on these projects must be a dream anyway but The Dukes... there is going to be some crazy surround sh!t going on...
    :agree: :love:
     
  6. willy

    willy hooga hagga hooga

    Anyone remember the hilarious Partridge/Leckie podcasts? The most entertaining 80+ minutes of anyone’s time... :laugh:

    Time to give these a good listen again... “you know, like p-h-a-s-i-n-g...”
     
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  7. PhoffiFozz

    PhoffiFozz Forum Resident

    I am so excited, I almost can't wait for this... But come to think of it, these releases have been so excellent that there isn't an XTC related album that I wouldn't feel this way about. But these 2 are really special, in that I didn't expect it at all.
     
  8. ceddy10165

    ceddy10165 My life was saved by rock n roll Thread Starter

    Location:
    Avon, CT
    Part 1

     
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  9. ceddy10165

    ceddy10165 My life was saved by rock n roll Thread Starter

    Location:
    Avon, CT
  10. Phil Tate

    Phil Tate Miss you Indy x

    Location:
    South Shields
    But that's a bit like saying you don't want 60s films to be cleaned up and available in beautiful 4K resolution, you just want to see grainy, scratchy, washed-out prints on VHS. Plenty of 60s albums sound absolutely stunning.
     
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  11. Mike Dow

    Mike Dow I kind of like the music

    Location:
    Bangor, Maine
    Oh my. I had dreamed of a Dukes reissue similar in design to the previous XTC sets. Thanks for the great news!
     
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  12. octophone

    octophone immaterial girl

    Location:
    Scotland
    Wasn't previously aware of these - thanks for posting.
     
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  13. I’m not sure how my post can be interpreted as you did. I do agree that many 60s albums sound great. My point was Dukes material was specifically recorded to sound like 60s songs (vintage equipment used, etc.) and may not benefit from getting an updated mix. They were intended to be vintage or retro sounding.
     
  14. I get what you are saying, but for me the whole idea of a remix feels wrong. I know I’m in a minority here, but I’ll be passing on this unlike all the previous SW XTC projects.
     
  15. rikki nadir

    rikki nadir Gentleman Thug

    Location:
    London, UK
    I will go further and say that I never 'got' the Dukes project. Big fan of the band, but this all just seemed a bit too clever-clever for me. It is the XTC-related stuff I listen to the least - once a decade if that. If it is of any significance, my favourite band is The Damned, and I feel similarly about their 'Naz Nomad And The Nightmares' garage-band project - a big yawn.

    I am also happy others find worth in it and are excited.
     
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  16. octophone

    octophone immaterial girl

    Location:
    Scotland
    I think The Dukes represent one of the things the music industry has really lost in the digital age - the sound of your favourite bands having fun. Consider Blur's genre-prank b-sides, Depeche Mode's odd instrumentals and multiple cover versions by, oooh, almost everyone...we're in a b-sideless space now where everything has to be a serious statement, rigorously artistic and full of meaning, however occluded. The Dukes were FUN (fun fun). And bloody good fun at that - highly gifted musicians and songwriters tipping the hat to their influences. And all done on a small budget, recouped many times over (unlike their "proper" albums, a lesson neither they nor the industry as a whole saw fit to learn). The Dukes is XTC's show-and-tell presentation, what they did on their holidays. The collected works are an absolute delight, ideal for children of all ages as well as being stuffed with clues for those with a keen eye for a period reference.
     
  17. I have bought The Dukes material several times over, the last being the very nice 2014 expanded CDs in the cool little book packaging. I think I have all the bonus material being offered in this new set, excepting the instrumental tracks, but here is what has already been released on those expanded CDs:
    25 O'clock:
    1. 25 O'Clock
    2. Bike Ride to the Moon
    3. My Love Explodes
    4. What in the World?
    5. Your Gold Dress
    6. The Mole from the Ministry
    7. 25 O'Clock (Demo)
    8. Bike Ride to the Moon (Demo)
    9. My Love Explodes (Demo)
    10. What in the World? (Demo)
    11. Nicely Nicely Jane (Demo)
    12. Susan Revolving (Demo)
    13. Black Jewelled Serpent of Sound (Radio Caroline Edit)
    14. Open a Can of Human Beans
    15. Tin Toy Clockwork Train

    Psonic Psunspot
    1. Vanishing Girl
    2. Have You Seen Jackie?
    3. Little Lighthouse
    4. You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)
    5. Collideascope
    6. You're My Drug
    7. Shiny Cage
    8. Braniac's Daughter
    9. The Affiliated
    10. Pale and Precious
    11. No One at Home [Vanishing Girl]
    12. Little Lighthouse [*][Demo Version]
    13. Collideascope [*][Demo Version]
    14. Shiny Cage [*][Demo Version]
    15. Braniac's Daughter [*][Demo Version]
    16. The Affiliated [*][Demo Version]

    The original album/EPs sound great on the 1991 Chips From The Chocolate Fireball collection -nicer (less compressed) than the more recent CD remasters, particularly the squashed compressed mess that was the 2001 reissue.

    My favorite demo from this set: Colin's No One At Home. It was really transformed into the Byrds-like masterpiece from something very different -a revelation.
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
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  18. Mumdad

    Mumdad Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Really excited for the LP versions, I passed up the ones that came out around 2010 as I remember them being quite pricey for the time.. I think they were more than the £20 these new ones are actually?

    With Black Sea coming too I'll have almost all the XTC-related stuff I'd like, only English Settlement missing. Anyone think there's a chance of a standalone release for that like Skylarking had? I'm sure the set is great but it's a bit overkill for me.
     
  19. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    The ones he did with Barry Andrews for Monstrance were also entertaining!
     
  20. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    I wonder, are these the same cuts as what came out a few years ago on Ape? Or have they been remastered/recut?
     
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  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I personally get excited when sixties stuff get announced for 5.1 ... to me the only difference here is that the tracks were recorded on equipment that can actually have enough channels to do the music justice in 5.1.
    I understand what you mean, but I don't really agree. I think most sixties psychedelia would sound fantastic in 5.1, the whole idea suits the principle of 5.1, but unfortunately the recording equipment of the day somewhat castrates the possibilities.
     
  22. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    Per the Burning Shed website: "Cut at Loud Mastering by Jason Mitchell." That makes it sound like a new cut.
     
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  23. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    I think they were cut at Loud mastering in 2010 but by someone else - I felt those versions were a bit polite compared to the originals, but the packaging was lovely. I guess another £40 won't break the bank...
     
  24. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I don't know if these phony Dukes promo blurbs from the website are new or not, but they're (not surprisingly) hilarious:

     
  25. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    Ordered - despite the fact I have too many variants of this material already...! £8.16 postage was a bit steep, but I would assume they will be carefully packed...

    Will be interesting to see how these new cuts fare against both the 2010's and the originals...
     
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