Chalkhills: The XTC Resource

Updated: 15 May 2022

Top Headlines

Andy Partridge: My Failed Songwriting Career Volume 2
February 27, 2022: Volume 2 of My Failed Songwriting Career is now available for pre-order, and will be released on 8 April 2022. These songs were written by Mr. Partridge for other artists, but were not used, and so he has recorded them and released them himself.
Colin Moulding: The Hardest Battle
May 23, 2021: Burning Shed announces Colin Moulding: The Hardest Battle, his first ever solo release (if you disregard the single by "The Colonel", that is). The EP contains two songs and an "exploratory demo". It is characterized as a tantalising glimpse into the creative process of one of the UK's finest songwriters. The EP will be released on 2 July 2021, pre-order now.
Andy Partridge: My Failed Songwriting Career
March 6, 2021: In Episode 28 of The ProgCast, Andy Partridge said he will be releasing 16 "or so" EPs over an unspecified period, containing demos of songs written for other artists, which he's calling My Failed Songwriting Career. Most of the artists requested songs in a certain style (for example, "McCartney", classic rock, folk, Christmas, etc.). Andy would write several songs for them to choose from, and they would pick one, often not the one he thought was the best, leaving him with an enormous backlog of worthy songs. The songs are not about himself, but written to order or, as he says, it's him "in fancy dress." Most of these demos were recorded very quickly, sometimes with the artist present, so he's spending time now "tarting them up" for release, but only the best (in his opinion) of the many demos that were recorded. Volume 1 will be released on 23 July. [Thanks to Tom Demi]

Ape House News

October 10, 2018: CLASSIC XTC VINYL RELEASES
September 29, 2017: BLACK SEA now in 5.1
March 8, 2017: POWERS RETURNED
December 3, 2016: XTC SHIRTS AU GO GO
October 17, 2016: SKYLARKING NOW IN 5.1

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Chalkhills is a web resource dedicated to XTC (the now defunct band). Peruse Chalkhills to find a wealth of information about XTC, their music and recordings, and much more.

Chalkhills was created by me, John Relph, and is infrequently updated (I try to have a life) so check back often. Chalkhills was the longest extant XTC mailing list, created in April 1989 as an offshoot of the venerable Love-Hounds list and killed off (in a bizarre kitchen accident, of course) in August 2014. Chalkhills is the longest extant XTC web site, first hacked together in May 1994, although FTP archives were first made available in April 1991.
“Shut your wretched pie trap, you ridiculous prick.”
© John Relph

Other News

February 27
Brendan Milburn contributed a transcription of the lower vocal harmony part of “Merely A Man”.
February 1
Kenn Scott contributed “XTC pops up from underground”, a brief XTC profile from The Toronto Star, January 18, 1980
January 31
Kenn Scott contributed “British band too tough on the old brain waves”, a review of their concert at the Masonic Temple in Toronto in October 1980, from The Toronto Star.
January 30
Kenn Scott sent in a review of Oranges and Lemons, from the Toronto Star, March 17, 1989, a review of Black Sea from the Sherbrooke Record, January 9, 1981, and a review of English Settlement from the Toronto Star, August 5, 1989. ¶ Keith Morris sent in a few corrections to the tablature he contributed for “Life Begins at the Hop”. ¶ Austin Emerson Lucas contributed what he hopes is a thorough tab of “New Town Animal (in a Furnished Cage)”.
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Recent Site Updates

March 13, 2022: Discography - XTC: Mummer
March 7, 2022: Discography - Ghosts – A soundtrack to the novels of John Connolly, Volume IV

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Twitter: apehouseXTC

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