Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: XTC's cult 1984 album 'The Big Express' was essentially just that - a 'big expression' of brash indie noise, tempered by the shadow of the industrial old Wiltshire town in which the band grew up, Swindon. In true post-punk fashion, the band combined the electronic Linndrum with guitar, bass and vocals. But the 'Express', in their words, wasn't just self-expression; electronic rock, to XTC, also reflected the quite literal concept of the 'railway express', reflecting Swindon's reputation as one of the core towns behind the UK's railway system. A remarkable album, and a slice of history at that.

Review: The legacy of XTC simultaneously reveals the inner workings and inflexibility of the music industry and how easy it is to be incredibly talented and forward-thinking yet still languish in relative obscurity. Of course most musos are pretty familiar with these New Wavers, but at least some of that knowledge has been garnered retrospectively, through revisiting and reappraising.

'Oranges & Lemons', first released in 1989, is the band at their smash hit-potential best, and also on the cusp of their eventual decline. It's as fresh as any that came before - far more than just New Wave happening here (synth pop, DIY indie), and nobody was looking to reign anything in, allowing the sprawling contents to span two whole discs unabridged. Another piece of compelling evidence to say that XTC's main problems were the fact managers and labels didn't really get what they were aiming for, musically, rather than their notorious avoidance of tours.

Review: A whole series of XTC classics are being reissued right now and the latest is Mummer. It has been freshly cut at Loud Mastering and pressed up onto an eye waveringly good 200g vinyl. It was the sixth record from the British rock outfit and was released in 1983. It was the last record to feature the drumming of Terry Chambers and though it didn't have much album chart success it did spawn singles 'Great Fire', 'Wonderland' and 'Love on a Farmboy's Wages', which managed to hit No. 50 on the UK singles chart.

Review: XTC's 1986 album Skylarking, under the production of Todd Rundgren, is a remarkable example of chamber-pop that traverses a single day through its evocative tracks. The recording process was marked by friction, with Rundgren's dominant style clashing with Andy Partridge's precise vision. Nonetheless, Rundgren's choice to structure the album to reflect the progression of a dayifrom the morning's 'Summer's Cauldron' to the evening's 'Dying' and 'Sacrificial Bonfire'iprovided a unifying narrative arc. With amazing material like 'Dear God', this made for a winning combination in laying out the album as a whole. Songs like 'Grass' and 'The Meeting Place' highlight the band's flair for pastoral storytelling, while "Earn Enough for Us" poignantly explores themes of love and financial struggle. Despite the behind-the-scenes turmoil, the album's lush arrangements and insightful lyrics present a whimsical, profound perspective on the natural world, establishing Skylarking as a standout work in XTC's catalog. Now, reissued by Steven Wilson, this version is perhaps the most ideal one to have.