Go 2

Last updated

Go 2
XTC Go 2.jpg
Studio album by
XTC
Released6 October 1978
RecordedAugust–September 1978
Studio Abbey Road (London)
Genre
Length40:47
Label Virgin
Producer John Leckie
XTC chronology
White Music
(1978)		Go 2
(1978)		 Drums and Wires
(1979)
Singles from Go 2
  1. "Are You Receiving Me?"
    Released: 27 October 1978

Go 2 is the second studio album by the English band XTC, released 6 October 1978 on Virgin Records. The United Kingdom version contained no singles, but the American and Canadian versions included the single "Are You Receiving Me?" released on 27 October 1978 along with a music video produced for the song.

Contents

It is the final album to feature keyboardist Barry Andrews, who went on to form Shriekback.

Background

By August 1978, XTC were prepared to record their follow-up to White Music . [2] The band had contacted Brian Eno to produce after they learned that he was a fan, but he declined, telling them that they were good enough to produce themselves. [3] Virgin rejected Eno's advice, and the group instead returned to Abbey Road with producer John Leckie. [3] One of the album's tracks, "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)", was written in tribute to Eno. [2]

Keyboardist Barry Andrews appeared at the sessions with several original songs, but frontman Andy Partridge did not feel they were right for the band. Andrews began taking bassist Colin Moulding and drummer Terry Chambers out for drinks without inviting Partridge, allegedly in an attempt to take over the group. After most of Andrews' songs were dropped from the final track list, the keyboardist told journalists that he foresaw the band "explod[ing] pretty soon". [3]

An earlier version of "Are You Receiving Me?" was recorded during the Go 2 sessions and was later released on the 2005 boxed set Coat of Many Cupboards . Other outtakes from Go 2 include "Sargasso Bar", "Us Being Us", "Instant Tunes", "Looking for Footprints", "Things Fall to Bits" and "Strange Tales, Strange Tails".

Packaging

The album's title was chosen in reference to the board game Go in order to continue the black-and-white colour scheme from White Music . [4] The "2" was added by Andrews. [5] Its cover was designed and executed by Hipgnosis. It consists of an essay about how album covers are used to attract buyers of the album. On the first British pressings of the LP version of the Go 2 album the track listing on the vinyl disc label mimicked the type style of the cover art. The label is crammed full of text. In some non-English speaking countries, the group shot that was featured on the album's inner sleeve in the UK was used instead as the album cover. The French 13-track album, including the bonus track "Are You Receiving Me?", was one of the releases that featured this sleeve. Yugoslavia was another country that issued this version of the sleeve.

The essay would change depending on the medium (vinyl or CD) and label (Virgin, Epic or Geffen) the album was released on. A separate essay was prepared for cassette editions in the UK.

Release and Go+

Go 2 was released in October 1978 to positive reviews and a number 21 chart peak. [3] The initial 15,000 pressings of the album came with a bonus disc of five dub remixes entitled Go+. [3] In 1990, these tracks were included on the compilation Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80 .

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [8]
Pitchfork 6.9/10 [9]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 7/10 [13]

Like White Music, Go 2 was given praise in Sounds , Melody Maker , and the NME . [14] The Nottingham Evening Post wrote that "there's a wider range of experimentation, less instrumental clutter and a hatful of unpredictable twists," and noted that the hooklines are "just as tricksily devastating." [15]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!)" Andy Partridge 2:36
2."Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)"Partridge4:37
3."Buzzcity Talking" Colin Moulding 2:41
4."Crowded Room"Moulding2:53
5."The Rhythm"Moulding3:00
6."Red"Partridge3:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beatown"Partridge4:37
2."Life Is Good in the Greenhouse"Partridge4:41
3."Jumping in Gomorrah"Partridge2:04
4."My Weapon" Barry Andrews 2:20
5."Super-Tuff"Andrews4:27
6."I Am the Audience"Moulding3:48
2001 remastered CD bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Are You Receiving Me?"Partridge3:06

Go+

Bonus EP included with initial LP pressings – later included on Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80 . Track notes adapted from XTC: Song Stories (1998), by XTC and Neville Farmer. [16]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."Dance With Me, Germany"Partridge Dub version of "Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!)"3:17
2."Beat the Bible"PartridgeDub version of "Jumping in Gomorrah"2:06
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)NotesLength
1."A Dictionary of Modern Marriage"PartridgeDub version of "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)"2:27
2."Clap Clap Clap"MouldingDub version of "I Am the Audience"2:17
3."We Kill the Beast"MouldingDub version of "The Rhythm"2:05

Personnel

XTC

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [17] 93
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)21

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XTC</span> English rock band (1972–2006)

XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in a variety of styles that ranged from angular guitar riffs to elaborately arranged pop. Partly because the group did not fit into contemporary trends, they achieved only sporadic commercial success in the UK and US, but attracted a considerable cult following. They have since been recognised for their influence on post-punk, Britpop and later power pop acts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Partridge</span> English musician (born 1953)

Andrew John Partridge is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing and singing about two-thirds of the group's material. While XTC were a formative British new wave group, Partridge's songwriting drew heavily from 1960s pop and psychedelia and his style gradually shifted to more traditional pop, often with pastoral themes. The band's only UK top 10 hit, "Senses Working Overtime", was written by Partridge.

<i>Oranges & Lemons</i> (album) 1989 studio album by XTC

Oranges & Lemons is the 11th studio album and the second double album by the English band XTC, released 27 February 1989 on Virgin Records. It is the follow-up to 1986's Skylarking. The title was chosen in reference to the band's poor financial standing at the time, while the music is characterised as a 1980s update of 1960s psychedelia. It received critical acclaim and became the band's highest-charting album since 1982's English Settlement, rising to number 28 in the UK and number 44 in the US.

<i>Black Sea</i> (XTC album) 1980 studio album by XTC

Black Sea is the fourth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 12 September 1980 on Virgin Records. It is the follow-up to the previous year's Drums and Wires, building upon its focus on guitars and expansive-sounding drums, but with more economical arrangements written with the band's subsequent concert performances in mind, avoiding overdubs unless they could be performed live.

<i>English Settlement</i> 1982 studio album by XTC

English Settlement is the fifth studio album and first double album by the English rock band XTC, released 12 February 1982 on Virgin Records. It marked a turn towards the more pastoral pop songs that would dominate later XTC releases, with an emphasis on acoustic guitar, 12-string electric guitar and fretless bass. In some countries, the album was released as a single LP with five tracks deleted. The title refers to the Uffington White Horse depicted on the cover, to the "settlement" of viewpoints, and to the Englishness that the band felt they "settled" into the record.

<i>Mummer</i> (album) 1983 studio album by XTC

Mummer is the sixth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released on 30 August 1983 on Virgin Records. It was the first XTC album to be recorded following the band's retirement from live performance in 1982. The album's title and artwork refers to a Mummers' play, in which the identity of the players is hidden. A working title considered for the album was Fruits Fallen From God's Garden.

<i>White Music</i> 1978 studio album by XTC

White Music is the debut studio album by the English rock band XTC, released on 20 January 1978. It was the follow-up to their debut, 3D EP, released three months earlier. White Music reached No. 38 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the single "Statue of Liberty", which was banned by BBC Radio 1 for the lyric "In my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt". In April 1978, the group rerecorded "This Is Pop" as their third single.

<i>Drums and Wires</i> 1979 studio album by XTC

Drums and Wires is the third studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 17 August 1979 on Virgin Records. It is a more pop-orientated affair than the band's previous, Go 2 (1978), and was named for its emphasis on guitars ("wires") and expansive-sounding drums. The album was their first issued in the United States and their first recorded with guitarist Dave Gregory, who had replaced keyboardist Barry Andrews earlier in 1979. It features a mix of pop, art rock, new wave and punk styles with much rhythmic interplay between XTC's two guitarists.

<i>Skylarking</i> 1986 studio album by XTC

Skylarking is the ninth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 27 October 1986 on Virgin Records. Produced by American musician Todd Rundgren, it is a loose concept album about a nonspecific cycle, such as a day, a year, the seasons, or a life. The title refers to a type of bird (skylark), as well as the Royal Navy term "skylarking", which means "fooling around". It became one of XTC's best-known albums and is generally regarded as their finest work.

<i>The Big Express</i> 1984 studio album by XTC

The Big Express is the seventh studio album by the English rock band XTC, released on 15 October 1984 by Virgin Records. It is an autobiographical concept album inspired by the band's hometown of Swindon and its railway system, the Swindon Works. In comparison to its predecessor Mummer (1983), which had a modest, pastoral approach to production, the album features a bright, uptempo sound marked by studio experimentation and denser arrangements, setting a template that they further developed on subsequent albums.

<i>25 OClock</i> 1985 studio album (mini-LP) by the Dukes of Stratosphear

25 O'Clock is the debut record by English rock band the Dukes of Stratosphear and the eighth studio album by XTC, released on April Fools Day 1985 through Virgin Records. It was publicised as a long-lost collection of recordings by a late 1960s group, but actually consisted of new tracks recorded by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, and Dave Gregory of XTC with Gregory's brother Ian.

<i>3D EP</i> 1977 EP by XTC

3D EP is the debut record by English rock band XTC, released on 7 October 1977 through Virgin Records. The songs were recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios with production and engineering by John Leckie. "I'm Bugged" and "New Town Animal in a Furnished Cage" were also recorded at these sessions and these versions later appeared on their debut LP White Music (1978). Promotional videos were made for "Science Friction", "She's So Square" and "Dance Band". These same songs appeared on the White Music CD as bonus tracks.

<i>Take Away / The Lure of Salvage</i> 1980 remix album by Mr. Partridge

Take Away and The Lure of Salvage are sides one and two, respectively, of the debut record by English musician Andy Partridge. Co-produced with John Leckie, the LP was released in February 1980 by Virgin Records and consists of dub remixes of tracks originally recorded by Partridge's band XTC.

<i>Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982</i> 1982 compilation album by XTC

Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982 is the first compilation album by English rock band XTC, released in November 1982 by Virgin Records. Though it followed closely on the heels of the successful English Settlement album and its lead-off single "Senses Working Overtime", it failed to crack the Top 40 perhaps signalling their commercial decline in Britain. All twelve tracks appear on the first disc of 1996's Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977–92. It was initially released shrinkwrapped with the Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977–1982 included as a "free bonus album".

<i>Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977–1982</i> 1982 compilation album by XTC

Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977–1982 is a compilation album by English rock band XTC, released in November 1982 by Virgin Records. It was initially released as a "free bonus album" shrinkwrapped with the A-side collection Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982.

<i>Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80</i> 1990 compilation album by XTC

Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80 is a compilation of songs by English rock band XTC, released in 1990 by Virgin Records. It includes the Go+ EP as well as the Take Away / The Lure of Salvage LP. Recorded during sessions on various breaks for the albums Drums and Wires (1979) and Black Sea (1980), the album consists of remixes of tracks recorded for the band's first three albums, with additional overdubs—and sometimes new vocals and lyrics—recorded by Partridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Plans for Nigel</span> 1979 single by XTC

"Making Plans for Nigel" is a song by English rock band XTC, released by Virgin Records as the lead single from their 1979 album Drums and Wires. It was written by Colin Moulding, the band's bassist. The lyrics are told from the point of view of overbearing parents who are certain that their son Nigel is "happy in his world", affirming that his future, to be spent working for British Steel, "is as good as sealed", and that he "likes to speak and loves to be spoken to".

<i>Sunburst Finish</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Be-Bop Deluxe

Sunburst Finish is the third studio album by English rock band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in February 1976. It was recorded in Abbey Road Studios, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dukes of Stratosphear</span> English psychedelic band

The Dukes of Stratosphear were an English rock band formed in 1984 by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, Dave Gregory, and Ian Gregory. Modelled after psychedelic pop groups from the 1960s, the Dukes were initially publicised by Virgin Records as a mysterious new act, but were actually an XTC spin-off band. They recorded only two albums: 25 O'Clock (1985) and Psonic Psunspot (1987). In the UK, the records outsold XTC's then-current albums The Big Express (1984) and Skylarking (1986).

"Thanks for Christmas" is a song by the English band XTC, credited as "the Three Wise Men" and written by Andy Partridge It was released by Virgin Records in late 1983 as a holiday single backed with "Countdown to Christmas Party Time". The song made its first album appearance on the 1990 compilation album Rag and Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts and Leftovers.

References

  1. ↑ Hoffmann, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. p. 2359. ISBN   978-1-135-94950-1.
  2. 1 2 DeRogatis 2003, p. 341.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ingham, Chris (March 1999). "XTC – 'Til Death Do Us Part". Mojo . No. 64. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "XTC on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "XTC on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Woodstra, Chris. "Go 2 – XTC". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Kot, Greg (3 May 1992). "The XTC Legacy: An Appraisal". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "X". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN   0-89919-026-X . Retrieved 23 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  9. ↑ Dahlen, Chris (9 July 2002). "XTC: Go 2 / Black Sea / English Settlement". Pitchfork . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ↑ Harrison, Andrew (July 2001). "XTC: Britpop's Spiritual Granddads". Q . No. 178. p. 139.
  11. ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "XTC". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  890–92. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Mitchell, Tony (7 October 1978). "Minimalism by design". Sounds .
  13. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (1995). "XTC". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 441–43. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  14. ↑ Twomey 1992, p. 79.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Robin (20 October 1978). "New XTC triumph". Nottingham Evening Post. p. 10.
  16. ↑ XTC; Farmer, Neville (1998). XTC: Song Stories. London: Helter Skelter Publishing. pp. 57–58. ISBN   1-900924-03-X.
  17. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 344. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.