Virgin Records Reissues First Ten XTC Albums



The ten albums XTC recorded for Virgin Records have been remastered for CD. The albums were remastered from the original stereo mix tapes by Ian Cooper at Metropolis Mastering, November / December 2000. Bonus tracks have been moved to the end of the CDs, following the original album tracks. The original art has been reproduced. A limited edition initial release features LP-style paperboard sleeves, mimicking the original LP release as closely as possible (including the original round cover of The Big Express). The remastered CDs will be released by Caroline Records in the U.S.A. beginning in May 2002. You should be able to find these reissues in better record shoppes everywhere.


WHITE MUSIC (1978)
“Unbelievably accurate. . . Sounds great . . . very punchy.”
Tracks:
“Radios in Motion”, “X Wires”, “This is Pop?”, “Do What You Do”, “Statue of Liberty”, “All Along the Watchtower”, “Atom Age”, “I'll Set Myself on Fire”, “I'm Bugged”, “New Town Animal”, “Spinning Top”, “Neon Shuffle”
Bonus tracks:
“Science Friction”, “She's So Square”, “Dance Band”, “Hang On to the Night”, “Heatwave”, “Traffic Light Rock”, “Instant Tunes”


GO 2 (1978)
“Sound [is] good but then so is the current CD. [Includes] a mini facsimile of the cover of GO+. . .”
Tracks:
“Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go!)”, “Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)”, “Buzzcity Talking”, “Crowded Room”, “The Rhythm”, “Red”, “Beatown”, “Life is Good in the Greenhouse”, “Jumping in Gomorrah”, “My Weapon”, “Super-Tuff”, “I am the Audience”
Bonus track:
“Are You Receiving Me?”


DRUMS AND WIRES (1979)
“Sounds fantastic. ‘Ten Feet Tall’ contains a previously unheard spoken intro by Colin . . .”
Tracks:
“Making Plans for Nigel”, “Helicopter”, “Day In Day Out”, “When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty”, “Ten Feet Tall”, “Roads Girdle the Globe”, “Real by Reel”, “Millions”, “That is the Way”, “Outside World”, “Scissor Man”, “Complicated Game”
Bonus tracks:
“Life Begins at the Hop”, “Chain of Command”, “Limelight”


BLACK SEA (1980)
“Sounds better than it ever has.”
Tracks:
“Respectable Street”, “Generals and Majors”, “Living Through Another Cuba”, “Love at First Sight”, “Rocket From a Bottle”, “No Language in Our Lungs”, “Towers of London”, “Paper and Iron (Notes and Coins)”, “Burning With Optimism's Flames”, “Sgt. Rock (is Going to Help Me)”, “Travels in Nihilon”
Bonus tracks:
“Smokeless Zone”, “Don't Lose Your Temper”, “The Somnambulist”


ENGLISH SETTLEMENT (1982)
“The cover is great, textured and embossed. . .”
Tracks:
“Runaways”, “Ball and Chain”, “Senses Working Overtime”, “Jason and the Argonauts”, “No Thugs in Our House”, “Yacht Dance”, “All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)”, “Melt the Guns”, “Leisure”, “It's Nearly Africa”, “Knuckle Down”, “Fly on the Wall”, “Down in the Cockpit”, “English Roundabout”, “Snowman”


MUMMER (1984)
“Another dramatic improvement.”
Tracks:
“Beating of Hearts”, “Wonderland”, “Love on a Farmboy's Wages”, “Great Fire”, “Deliver Us From the Elements”, “Human Alchemy”, “Ladybird”, “In Loving Memory of a Name”, “Me and the Wind”, “Funk Pop a Roll”
Bonus tracks:
“Frost Circus”, “Jump”, “Toys”, “Gold”, “Procession Towards Learning Land”, “Desert Island”


THE BIG EXPRESS (1984)
“Night and day difference. The songs completely envelop you.”
Tracks:
“Wake Up”, “All You Pretty Girls”, “Shake You Donkey Up”, “Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her”, “This World Over”, “The Everyday Story of Smalltown”, “I Bought Myself a Liarbird”, “Reign of Blows (Vote No Violence!)”, “You're the Wish You Are I Had”, “I Remember the Sun”, “Train Running Low on Soul Coal”
Bonus tracks:
“Red Brick Dream”, “Washaway”, “Blue Overall”


SKYLARKING (1986)
“The sound quality is somewhat improved and much fuller . . .”
Tracks:
“Summer's Cauldron”, “Grass”, “The Meeting Place”, “That's Really Super, Supergirl”, “Ballet for a Rainy Day”, “1000 Umbrellas”, “Season Cycle”, “Earn Enough for Us”, “Big Day”, “Another Satellite”, “Mermaid Smiled”, “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul”, “Dying”, “Sacrificial Bonfire”
Bonus track:
“Dear God”


ORANGES & LEMONS (1989)
“. . . much fuller . . .”
Tracks:
“Garden of Earthly Delights”, “The Mayor of Simpleton”, “King for a Day”, “Here Comes President Kill Again”, “The Loving”, “Poor Skeleton Steps Out; One of the Millions”, “Scarecrow People”, “Merely a Man”, “Cynical Days”, “Across This Antheap”, “Hold Me My Daddy”, “Pink Thing”, “Miniature Sun”, “Chalkhills and Children”


NONSUCH (1992)
“. . . definite, though not dramatic, improvement.”
Tracks:
“The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead”, “My Bird Performs”, “Dear Madam Barnum”, “Humble Daisy”, “The Smartest Monkeys”, “The Disappointed”, “Holly Up On Poppy”, “Crocodile”, “Rook”, “Omnibus”, “That Wave”, “Then She Appeared”, “War Dance”, “Wrapped In Grey”, “The Ugly Underneath”, “Bungalow”, “Books Are Burning”


CHIPS FROM THE CHOCOLATE FIREBALL (1987)
“The fidelity is sharp, full, loud. It's a totally different experience.”
Tracks:
“25 O'Clock”, “Bike Ride to the Moon”, “My Love Explodes”, “What in the World??...”, “Your Gold Dress”, “The Mole From the Ministry”, “Vanishing Girl”, “Have You Seen Jackie?”, “Little Lighthouse”, “You're a Good Man, Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)”, “Collideascope”, “You're My Drug”, “Shiny Cage”, “Brainiac's Daughter”, “The Affiliated”, “Pale and Precious”

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[Thanks to Andy Miller, Darryl Bullock and Sean Robison]