XTC Reel by Real: XTC: Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)

Wasp Star [Apple Venus Volume 2]	you may like Apple Venus volume 2! The Album TVT Press Release Cooking Vinyl Press Release The Songs Recording Info Chart Positions Reviews Discographical Info The Singles Art Homegrown Waspstrumental
		Mayan pictogram Xux Ek

XTC's Andy Partridge Quips Self to Death

According to Partridge, [Apple Venus] Volume 2's sound may boast more electric guitar than Volume 1, which featured lots of classical orchestration. In a statement, Partridge quips: “It's great to get our hands tangled up in electric guitar strings once again . . . this record has more hooks than a Long John Silver convention and it contains all the colors of the plectrum. I think it is head, shoulders and frenum above the rest of the pop music world. You will either love it or it will be the most expensive frisbee you ever purchased. Sure it's a collection of songs, but it's also a CD that you can shave your face in as well.” Partridge was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he immediately expired. A brief autopsy attributed his death to excessive wit trauma and finally allowed for the safe removal of the stick of gum that Partridge allegedly swallowed six years ago while attempting to synchronously rub his stomach and pat his head.

Lyrics, Charts and More

1. Playground
2. Stupidly Happy
3. In Another Life
4. My Brown Guitar
5. Boarded Up
6. I'm The Man Who Murdered Love
7. We're All Light
8. Standing In For Joe
9. Wounded Horse
10. You And The Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful
11. Church of Women
12. The Wheel and The Maypole

Recording Information

Produced by XTC and Nick Davis.
Engineered by Alan Douglas, Barry Hammond, Haydn Bendall.
Recorded at Idea Studios, Wiltshire, and Chipping Norton Studios, Oxfordshire, England, between April and December 1999.
Mixed by Nick Davis at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, South Wales, January 2000.
Originally released on 22 May 2000 in the U.K.
Reached No. 108 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart in the U.S.A. on 4 June 2000.
Reached No. 2 on the CMJ Adult Album Alternative chart in the U.S.A.
Reached No. 6 on the Indie Albums chart in the U.K.
Reached No. 22 on the Alternative Album chart in Canada.

Andy Partridge - vocals and guitar.
Colin Moulding - vocals and bass.
extra musicians:
Chuck Sabo - drums.
Prairie Prince - drums.
Matt Vaughn - programming.
Nick Davis - the more complicated keyboard parts.
Kate St. John - oboe.
Simon Gardner - flugelhorn.
Gavin Wright - violin.
Patrick Kiernan - 2nd violin.
Peter Lale - viola.
Caroline Dale - cello.
Holly Partridge - backing vocals.

Andy: “. . . a lovely row.”

Some working titles for this album included Apple Venus Volume 2 and Our Shiny Heart.

Singles

I'm The Man Who Murdered Love

Playground (Japan promo only)

Stupidly Happy (U.S.A. promo only)

On the Charts (With a Bullet)

(Highest chart positions reached, sometimes but not always current positions.)

Wasp Star:

Source	Chart	Peak Position (Date)
Billboard USA	Top 200	#108 (4 June 2000)
Billboard USA	Top Independent Albums	#6 (4 June 2000)
Billboard USA	Top Internet Album Sales	#11 (4 June 2000)
CMJ USA	(College and Commercial) Top 20	#9 (23 June 2000)
CMJ USA	Triple A (Adult Album Alternative)	#2 (23 June 2000)
Gavin USA	Triple A	#6 (4 August 2000)
Dotmusic UK	Indie Albums	#6 (28 May 2000)
Jam! Showbiz Canada	The National Top 50 Alternative Albums	#22 (29 May 2000)
Amazon.com USA	Top Sellers	#12 (19 May 2000)
Amazon.com USA	Alternative Top Sellers	#2 (30 May 2000)
Amazon.co.uk UK	Indie	#4 (2 June 2000)
CDNOW USA	Top 100	#15 (2 June 2000)
CDNOW USA	Top Alternative/Indie	#3 (2 June 2000)

"I'm The Man Who Murdered Love":

Source	Chart	Peak Position (Date)
Radio&Records National Airplay USA	Adult Alternative	#4 * (28 July 2000)
BBC Radio 1 UK	Alternative Indie Singles	#37 (16 July 2000)

"Stupidly Happy":

Source	Chart	Peak Position (Date)
Radio&Records National Airplay USA	Adult Alternative	#15 * (20 October 2000)

Homegrown (The Wasp Star Home Demos)

Homegrown (The Wasp Star Home Demos)	The Songs Recording Info Reviews Discographical Info
Released by Idea Records U.K. on 21 May 2001, the package features various early versions of "The Man Who Murdered Love" and other songs from the album Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2). The 24 page colour booklet contains reproductions of the handwritten lyrics and ideas for the songs. Colin and Andy write short descriptions about each of their songs as well. Released by Pony Canyon Japan on 14 March 2001, the Japanese CD features two bonus demo tracks, "Didn't Hurt a Bit" and "Bumpercars". The package also includes a one page black and white insert with the lyrics to "Didn't Hurt A Bit", and an 18 page black and white booklet with the lyrics for each song in both English and Japanese (strangely the lyrics are different between the book and the insert for "Didn't Hurt a Bit"). (thanks to Jon Rosenberger)
remember: lunch or be lunch

Lyrics, Charts and More

1. Playground
2. Stupidly Happy
3. In Another Life - Excerpt of Original Demo
4. In Another Life - Jug Band Version
5. Some Lovely
6. Boarded Up
7. I'm The Man Who Murdered Love - Early Other Song Cassette
8. I'm The Man Who Murdered Love - Tamla Demo
9. I'm The Man Who Murdered Love
10. We're All Light - Early Cassette Idea
11. We're All Light
12. Standing In For Joe - Lounge Version
13. Standing In For Joe
14. Wounded Horse
15. You And The Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful
16. Lie For A Lie - Cassette Demo
17. Church of Women
18. The Pot Won't Hold Our Love - Early Cassette Idea
19. Everything Decays - Early Cassette Idea
20. The Wheel and The Maypole

The Japanese edition also includes these two bonus tracks which will not appear on the U.K. edition:

21. Didn't Hurt A Bit
22. Bumpercars

Recording Information

All demos were recorded at the respective homes of the songwriters, on either 8 track cassette, 8 track reel to reel or 8 track digital recorders.
Originally released on 14 March 2001 in Japan.
Released on 21 May 2001 in the U.K.

Waspstrumental

The karaoke version of Wasp Star. Music mixes without 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

cover of Wasp Star	the back cover of the æsthetically and sonically beautiful Wasp Star LP package	cover of the Wasp Star promo CD
back cover of the Wasp Star promo CD	the Wasp Star promo CD	gatefold pic from Wasp Star CD booklet
cover of the Japanese edition of Homegrown	back cover of the Japanese edition of Homegrown	the back page of the booklet in the Japanese edition of Homegrown
Wasp Star publicity photo	Andy Partridge, Wasp Star promo shot	another Wasp Star promo pic
Wasp Star promo photo	Japanese store counter promo advert for Wasp Star	promotional poster for Wasp Star
large Wasp Star poster	full page ad for Wasp Star	half-page advertisement for Wasp Star on TVT Records USA
Chuck Bisson's autographed Wasp Star CD cover	Chuck Bisson's autographed Wasp Star promo poster	a promotional counter stand for Wasp Star
Wasp Star promotional hat	Wasp Star promotional hat

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