Reviews of White Music

Village Voice, circa 2006 24,000 Dischi, October 2004 Hurtmore!, July 25, 2004 Music Junkies Anonymous, June 12, 2004 Guy's Music Reviews, 2003 Blender, circa 2003 Instant Edification, circa 2003 OTG, 2002 Amazon.com, circa 2002 It.Arti.Musica.Rock, June 2002 Mark's Record Reviews, April 2002 Jaguaro, March 9, 2002 Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews, February 2002 George Starostin's Reviews, circa 2002 Martin Venator, circa 2001 Adrian's Album Reviews, 2001 Cole Reviews, October 2001 Soundi, September 2001 Music Junkies Anonymous, September 3, 2001 Blindsummit, 2001 eye, May 24, 2001 Diari de Balears, circa 2000 1-0, 2000 All Music Guide, circa 2000 Dom's Pornographic Wasp Colony, circa 1999 Mark's Record Reviews, January 1999 Matt Kaden, January 6, 1999 The Old Punks Web Zine, circa 1998 TNT, 1998 33 RPM, 1997 The Independent, by Nick Heyward, December 1995 Q magazine reviews of White Music, Black Sea, and Mummer, 1987 Village Voice, July 31, 1978

Diari de Balears
circa 2000

XTC "White Music" (1978)

De totes les bandes aparegudes durant els efervescents darrers anys de la dècada dels 70 ens quedam amb XTC, grup que a través d'una dotzena de magnífics àlbums ha creat un especial univers de pop subtil i deliciós. Optaren per viure al marge de la indústria discogràfica i ràpidament s'apartaren de les actuacions en directe, mostrant predilecció per les llargues estades dins els estudis. Això va impedir que arribassin a un públic massiu però els convertí en autèntica banda de culte, sempre a la recerca d'alta qualitat. Cap dels seus elapés és sobrer; absolutament tots amb més d'un joiell de pop artesanal. Procedents de Swindon, Colin Moulding (baix i veus), Andy Partridge (guitarra i veus), Terry Chambers (bateria) i Barry Andrews (teclats) s'anomenaren Helium Kidz abans d'adquirir el definitiu XTC que, pronunciat en anglès, connecta amb "èxtasi", cosa que, actualment, no ha agradat gens ni mica a l'inventor del nom, Andy Partridge, decididament contrari a les drogues. El 1977 Virgin els va acollir i allà han estat fins l'any passat, quan fitxaren per la independent Cooking Vinyl on enregistraren el darrer treball "Apple Venus"  en què els supervivents Moulding i Partridge elaboren més dosis de pop gloriós. Format per dotze enèrgiques cançons que havien estat escrites molt abans, "White Music" (Virgin) va publicar-se a principis de 1978. Produït per John Leckie i majoritàriament signat per Partridge va ser enregistrat amb la premura d'una setmana als estudis The Manor. Un disc massa dissonant per ser pop però amb les suficients línies melòdiques per desmarcar-se del punk. Hi destaca tot el material de Colin Moulding ("Do What You Do", "Set Myself On Fire") i unes inspirades "This Is Pop" i "Statue Of Liberty" de Partridge. Imperiosa és "Radios In Motion". Sorprenent la versió de la dylaniana "All Along The Watchtower" que envesteixen amb nerviosisme. Sobresurten els teclats urgents i agressius de Barry Andrews (qui després marxà amb Robert Fripp). Chambers, superb a la bateria. Andy Partridge encara no explota com a guitarrista. Moltes de les posteriors virtuts de XTC circulen pel primer elapé: elegant excentricitat, detallisme, sentit de l'humor i, sobretot, energia i molta arrogància. Naïf i ímpetu. Però "White Music", a pesar de ser un lliurament brillant, estava mancat de les melodies enganxadisses que tenien altres discos de la "new wave" com, per exemple, el primer elapé de Police o de Pretenders. Obtingué un notable nº 38 a Gran Bretanya però els seus primers "singles" no varen ser programats per les ràdios. L'aventura comercial de XTC sempre ha estat molt tímida. Aconsellam la versió digital de "White Music" que incorpora l'introbable "3-D", un interessant "extended play" que, realment, és la seva primera obra. El millor del grup vendria més tard. El mateix 1978 editaren "Go 2", molt similar al primer. Amb un nou teclista, continuaren el 1979 amb el sofisticat "Drums And Wires" que presentava noves facetes. El 1980 realitzaren "Black Sea", un petit manual del qual begueren descaradament bandes del britpop com Blur, Oasis i The Boo Radleys. Serà el pròxim disc que comentarem. Posteriorment, crearen més llampecs carregats de psicodèlia i sons acústics. Extraordinaris XTC. Per a iniciats.

The Independent (London)
12/29/95 Pop Music

Nick Heyward on White Music by XTC

I was desperate for this album when it came out. I'd been with the punk thing from the beginning, but I don't think I was really into it musically until I saw XTC on television. Andy Partridge looked like he'd been plugged into the electricity. They didn't look dissimilar to bands around now.

They had beaten-up plimsolls, old jeans and T-shirts. Andy had a Peter Tork haircut; it was an early indie thing, really.

The bass player, Colin Moulding, had this Fender bass and just stood there looking Bill Wyman-ish. It was instant, and there was something very funny about them, though it took me a while to like the music.

The sound was really sparse; there was hardly anything there. And the other thing I liked was that few of the tracks lasted longer than two minutes.

It suited me at the time - I was young and had lots of energy and liked my pop music a bit twisted, a bit upside-down. Listening to White Music was a 100 per cent religious experience for me. I remember learning to play the harmonica because of the version of "All Along the Watchtower" that is on the album. And on the back sleeve Andy was wearing this great jumper; I searched everywhere for that jumper. I thought that if ever I did an album, I'd wear a jumper like that on the cover.

When I met the band and told them how much I was into them, they looked at me in utter disbelief, as though they were thinking, "Why would anyone be into us?" But they were the band that you would always desperately try to get your girlfriend into.

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