XTC: The Bubblegum album; could it ever be reconstructed?

Hi,

It is well known amongst XTC scholars that in the early 90s, they proposed a tantalising album project called 'The Bubblegum Album' which would be an ersatz compilation of fictional late 60s early 70s Bubblegum bands.

Virgin rejected it while the project was only half baked: relations froze between the 2 parties and the album was never completed, which is a damn shame when you look at the band names and song titles they had lined up:

BAND NAMES

The Lemon Dukes
Knights in Shining Karma
The Captain Cooks
Sopwith Caramel
The Ten Commandos
The Twelve Flavours of Hercules Solid Gondolas
The Barbers of Penzance
Anonymous Bosch
The Brighton Peers
The Tweedledeens
The Herbert Fountains
Irving Merlin
The Lollipopes
The Four Posters
The Periwig Pack
Cake’s Progress
Jellyache
Funnel Of Love
The Rubber Ducks
Ancient Grease
The Piccadilly Circus Tent Rip Repair Company
Kitchener’s Sink
Isambard Kingdom Necessary On A Bicycle?

SONG TITLES

Lolly Let’s Suck It And See
My Red Aeroplane
Cherry in Your Tree
Candy Mine
Jelly Baby
Standing In For Joe
I’m The Kaiser
Visit to the Doctor
Cave Girl
All Aboard for Bubble Land


A few tracks have surfaced on one offs and the Fuzzy Warbles series, but they are only a frustrating scattering of what could have been. Does anyone think in this day and age it would be possible to persuade Andy Partidge to gather up all the associated tracks, finish off what's left and put it out in reconstructed form?

 

Here's one that escaped: Candymine.

 

Standing in for Joe was apparently originally bound for this project:

 

"Candymine" also appeared here:

Probably the same version as on Fuzzy Warbles.

 

'Cherry in your tree' was meant to be on this: instead it ended up on the soundtrack of 'Where in the world is Carmen SanDiego'.

 

Are the 3 tracks I've posted the only 3 tracks that are known to have surfaced in some form from this project? Any more of those titles above ever appeared?

 

Oh wait, here's one more:

 

Oh my god... that list of band names had me laughing like a madman! I love XTC but was unaware this much preparatory work had been done for this project. I wonder how many songs were written?

Getting back in to Jellyfish recently has lead to me listening to some Partridge Family and Ron Dante stuff (and The Monkees are always in rotation in my house), so this is right up my alley!! Would love to see this finished!

 

....... and,SCREW VIRGIN for not thinking THIS was a 'cool' idea!

 

Ask Mr Partridge via Twitter?? Always good for an answer.

 

I just went on his Twitter and..... there's a 'STOP THE PRESS' moment here!!!
He wrote:
XTC ‏@xtcfans 21h21 hours ago
The Monkees gave me SO MUCH joy as a kid,it's all I can do to repay it.They are liking 3 of my tunes so far,and I hope they dig the latest?

Does that mean THEY'RE gonna do songs HE WROTE?!?!?!?!?!

WOW!

 

I asked, but sadly he hasn't replied.

 

I would love to see Andy do anything. He's by far my favorite "MIA" artist. Sadly, I think he's content with having Steven Wilson polish XTC's catalog instead of creating new music.

 

This is a archive project,that would just take a little more polishing that usual!

I think XTC were just a little ahead of the curve with this project: that kind of affectionate obsessive pastiche of a very specific genre that is really only recognised by music nerds would have more fitted in on an indie label in the late 90s onwards than on a major label trying to get radio hits.

 

Andy is still making music - he just wrote some new tunes for the upcoming Monkees reunion album. He tweeted that they were considering three, but one was definitely going to be used.

 

I, for one, CAN'T WAIT!!!!

 

https://twitter.com/themickydolenz1/status/696144011719888896

 

Andy just replied to me on Twitter. He said the list is mostly right apart from the Lemon Dukes name. I'd love to hear these tracks though.

 

Anyone know why Chalkhills is down ?!

www.chalkhills.org

 

I love the Bubblegum genre ,this could have been awesome. "All Aboard For Bubble Land"

 

I believe Sandoval said he wrote eight !
hopefully we'll get to hear 'em all !