XTC: Apple Venus Volume 1

		push your car from the road! The Album The Songs Recording Info Homespun Singles Instruvenus Art Reviews Discographical Info

XTC's Apple Venus, Vol. 1 is the first new album in seven years for this beloved, ambitious British band. The album's sound leans heavily on orchestral and acoustic arrangements, for what the band's main songwriter Andy Partridge terms an "orch-oustic" sound. The band utilizes this remarkable sonic architecture to flesh out a collection of timeless, compelling songs, as accessible as they are thought-provoking. Apple Venus, Vol. 1 is being hailed as an incredible return to form and forward step for one of the most consistently innovative bands of the past 20 years.

Apple Venus Volume 1 charted in the U.S.A. at #106, in the U.K. at #42, in Canada at #39, and in Japan at #14!

Andy: “It sounds unlike anything else out there at the moment. It's pagan, verdant, greasy, idiosyncratic, salacious.”

Lyrics, Charts and More

1. River of Orchids
2. I'd Like That
3. Easter Theatre
4. Knights in Shining Karma
5. Frivolous Tonight
6. Greenman
7. Your Dictionary
8. Fruit Nut
9. I Can't Own Her
10. Harvest Festival
11. The Last Balloon

Recording Information

Produced by Haydn Bendall and Nick Davis.
Engineered by Barry Hammond and Alan Douglas.
Recorded at Chipping Norton Studios, Oxfordshire, England, Abbey Road Studios, London, England, and Idea Studios, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, between November 1997 and September 1998.
Mixed by Nick Davis.
Mix engineered by Simon Dawson.
Mixed at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, South Wales, September 1998.
Originally released on 22 February 1999 in the U.K.
Reached No. 106 on the Billboard album chart in the U.S.
Reached No. 42 on the U.K. album chart.
Reached No. 39 on the Canadian album chart.
Reached No. 14 on the Japanese album chart.

Colin Moulding - vocals and bass.
Andy Partridge - vocals and guitars.
with
Dave Gregory - piano, keyboards, guitar and backing vocals.
Prairie Prince - drums, handclaps, thigh slaps, percussion.
Guy Barker - trumpet and flugelhorn solo on "The Last Balloon".
Steve Sidwell - solo trumpet on "Easter Theatre".
Orchestral arrangements for "Greenman" and "I Can't Own Her" by Mike Batt.
All arrangements played by The London Sessions Orchestra under their leader Gavin Wright.
Extra keyboards played by Nick Davis and Haydn Bendall.

Some working titles for this album include The History of the Middle Ages and Firework.

Homespun - The Apple Venus Volume One Home Demos was released by Cooking Vinyl U.K. on 27 September, by TVT Records USA and Festival Records Australia on 5 October, and by Pony Canyon Japan on 17 September. This is the original demo version of XTC's recent critically acclaimed album Apple Venus Vol. 1. Includes a 24 page booklet featuring handwritten lyrics and exclusive extracts from the band's personal note books.

The Demos Of: River of Orchids I'd Like That (Say a Sunflower) Easter Theatre Knights in Shining Karma Frivolous Tonight Greenman Your Dictionary Fruit Nut I Can't Own Her Harvest Festival The Last Balloon

Andy: “Usually, you're not aware that you're writing an album. What I mean is, stylistically, songs of a certain feel don't come in neat batches of a dozen. Say, for example, you had a mad crush on a certain instrument, or a certain guitar tuning or certain issues wouldn't leave your pencil arm alone, it's really tricky trying to corral these desires or intentions into a field exactly one album long. No, perhaps what I mean is I never had any conscious control or forethought into what sort of record I'd like to make, until Apple Venus volume one loomed on the horizon.

“Before, things just largely... happened. For example, ‘English Settlement’ came out like that mostly because of the new instruments everyone had bought, acoustic guitar, fretless bass etc. Or ‘Skylarking’ came out of the oven that way because Todd Rundgren had picked and cooked all of the summery type of songs. He could have easily gone for harder numbers like ‘Little Lighthouse’, ‘Across This Antheap’ or ‘The Troubles’, which would have put a whole different slant on things. But by the time we came to start writing for what was to be the eventually titled ‘Apple Venus Volume One’, I had a real vivid map in my head of where I wanted to go, up front, no hindsight needed, I knew, in terms of atmosphere I wanted to work with orchestral sounds.

“Of course we'd dipped our toes into these waters before. Tentative and few strings on ‘Great Fire’ or ‘Grass’. A smattering of woodwind on cuts like ‘Sacrificial Bonfire’. The odd horn on ‘Cynical Days’ or ‘Extrovert’. But these beautiful colours were always looking in from the margin, we played centre field and they occasionally waved their pom-poms from the side lines. Now the time had come for us to stand down a little, suck our half time oranges and bring these (to me) new and timeless tones in to form the broad flesh of songs. Not to be just the odd herb sprinkled on top. By the time we'd finished ‘Nonsuch’ I was gagging to hear an orchestra tackle our tunes. This barely suppressed desire bubbles up all the way through that album and I truly believe that songs like ‘Rook’ or ‘Wrapped In Grey’ were really the first rays of Apple Venus shining in the window. But then nothing comes in neat bundles, see paragraph one.”

[Thanks to R. Stevie Moore]

See also the press release from TVT Records.

I'd Like That is the second single from Apple Venus Volume 1. It was released by Cooking Vinyl U.K. on 14 June. The single also features the home demo of "I'd Like That" and "How I'd Like That Came To Be", Andy Partridge's explanation of the development of the song.

Easter Theatre is the first single from Apple Venus, Vol. 1. The single also features the home demo of "Easter Theatre", and "How Easter Theatre Came To Be", Andy Partridge's amusing explanation of the development of the song.

Instruvenus is the karaoke version of Apple Venus, Vol. 1, the music mixes without the vocals. The U.K. CD is luxuriously packaged in a larger-than-standard A5 digi-pak with full colour booklet. (The Japanese CD is in a standard jewel box.)

Art

Apple Venus Volume 1 promo CD cover	Apple Venus Volume 1 front cover	Andy's band sketch from Homespun	the Homespun CD
Apple Venus Volume 1 TVT promo ad	an Apple Venus Volume 1 promotional poster	advertisement for Apple Venus Volume 1 from Rock&Folk magazine, May 1999	Japanese promo poster for Homespun in-store
advert for Homespun	Apple Venus Volume 1 advertisement from Les Inrockuptibles magazine	1999 French marketing plan for XTC	1999 French promotional poster
advertisement from Q, April 1999	Phil Corless's Apple Venus T-shirt (detail)	promo poster for XTC in-store, 1999.2.17

Go back to XTC Reel by Real.