Reviews of The Dukes of Stratosphear: Psonic Psunspot

24,000 Dischi, October 2004 Hurtmore!, October 26, 2004 In The 80s, circa 2002 All Music Guide, circa 2002 The Ultimate Mellotron Recordings List, circa 2002 Pitchfork, November 2002 Mark's Record Reviews, circa 1999 TNT, 1999 Matt Kaden, January 26, 1999 Gary Pig Gold, circa 1989 Village Voice, January 26, 1988 Q, circa 1987 Rolling Stone, December 1987 Billboard, August 29, 1987 CMJ New Music Report, August 28, 1987 The New York Times, August 26, 1987

Gary Pig Gold
circa 1989

               Psuccinct Psonic Psunspot Pstudy
                      by Gary Pig Gold

    Vanishing Girl: Hollies tune, circa '66 (i.e., Pay You
    Back with Interest) harmonies and bass line especially.
    Beatles ending chord (6th, I think).

    Have You Seen Jackie: Magical Mystery mellotron.
    Ogdens Nut intro w/ touch of Keith West and '67 Bowie.
    Music effects Electric Prunes (I Had Too Much to Dream)
    Strawberry Alarm Clock (done with a harmoniser unit set
    on "octave", by the way).

    Little Lighthouse: More Prunes! (tremolo effect on
    guitar).  Slight XTC influence (a la This Is Pop).
    "Conquistador" trumpet).  19th Nervous Breakdown
    bassline on end fade.

    Albert Brown: '67 Kinks Khorus with a Rutles dash.
    Piano solo Mungo Jerry 1970 (early!).  Laughing at end
    from end of "We're Only in it for the Money" (the song
    based on Kafka's "Penal Colony" ...forget the name...)

    Collideascope: More Lennon ("Walrus") / Rutles
    especially chord progression and voice overs on intro.

    You're My Drug: "So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star"
    (bass line and percussion and 12-string fills).

    Shiny Cage: "I'm Only Sleeping" chords and acoustic
    strumming.  Touch of '66 Hollies too (again).  GREAT
    ending!!!

    Brainiac's Daughter: Yellow Submarine solo bubbles and
    vocal answers on last chorus.  More bouncy Carnaby
    Street chords.

    The Affiliated: A Mini-Opera!  More minor-chord Beatles
    ("Cry Baby Cry") / "Dating Game" and Byrds break in
    middle.

    Pale and Precious: Andy imitating Eric Carmen initating
    Brian (with Dennis "Be Still" keyboard). Brian "Heroes
    and Villians" bass tone... and NOTES!, but mellotron
    makes it distinctly British.  Also "Help Me Rhonda"
    ba-ba-ba's.  "California Girls" jaunty keyboard riffs
    in middle part.

[Thanks to Gary Pig Gold]

circa 1987

The Dukes Of Stratosphear Psonic Psunspot Follow-ups to one-off bright ideas are usually disasters - the consequence of using all your best shots first time and not knowing when to leave well alone. It's a pleasant surprise, therefore, to find that this LP - the follow-up to the 25 O'Clock 6-track mini-LP of 1985 and Andy Partridge of XTC's obsession with having missed being a child of the '60s - is actually a considerable improvement on the original. (The CD version, incidentally, will contain both albums - under the title Chips From The Chocolate Fireball.) Much less self-conscious and over the top than its predecessor (though sharing the same producer in John Leckie), this actually consists of 11 bright, energetic pop songs - good enough to stand on their own and generally executed with more life, invention and direction than the past couple of pastoral XTC albums. It's almost as if this new fantasy game is more like Andy Partridge's old self. Musically the material - to which bassist Colin Moulding also contributes a couple of his recognisably more straightforward songs - is a more refined mixture of affectionate parody and the sincerest form of imitation of late '60s experimental pop, principally British but also American. (Its inspirations include Pink Floyd, Keith West, The Byrds and Moby Grape). Both the stylistic borrowings and the use of '60s effects like phasing and mellotrons are used with subtlety and restraint, and the remodelled result is correspondingly more acceptable and enjoyable, with the ersatz and contrived no longer dominant. Partridge still hasn't got it quite right and there are odd slips into a kind of sub-Alice In Wonderland whimsical nonsense. Nevertheless this is 90 per cent good stuff and there's even a potential hit single in the pub-piano anti-war singalong You're A Good Man Albert Brown. The best of contemporary '60s pop - this one could run and run. Ian Cranna

Billboard
August 29, 1987
Reviews & Previews

Dukes of Stratosphear
Psonic Psunspot
Producer(s): John Leckie, the Dukes
Geffen 24169
Genre: POP
RECOMMENDED

Ten new cuts from the XTC boys in psychedelic garb; "Vanishing Girl," especially, is as fine as any vintage era track. CD contains the Dukes' earlier EP release as well, previously available only on import.

[Thanks to Wes Hanks]

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