Colin Moulding - unsung hero

[super al]

On 17/10/2025 at 16:43, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

The Dukes of Stratosphear stuff is pretty damn good as well

The Dukes was my introduction to XTC, I was in a band and the BL/songwriter taped some stuff for me. Only many years later did I get Skylarking which I love.

I'm going to listen to more of their albums but I'm worried that after Skylarking the rest might be disappointing.

I used to know a Nigel who claimed to be from the same school as Colin but I'm sure any Nigel from that era of Swindon has laid claim to having that song written about them. There is a recent ish interview with Andy P on the Rockonteurs podcast, he goes through the whole Colin v Andy songwriting thing (he sounded a little bitter)

Any suggestions as to what album to listen to after Skylarking will be much appreciated 😁

[NancyJohnson]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

 

An excellent, well-filmed and apparently honest documentary; thanks for sharing. 

 

A bit longer than four minutes, eh?  😏

[NancyJohnson]

1 hour ago, super al said:

Any suggestions as to what album to listen to after Skylarking will be much appreciated 😁

 

To be honest, anything.  Start from the beginning and listen to how they evolved!

 

[Piers_Williamson]

What a great great thread.  The sort of thing Basschat does so well.  I loved the documentary.

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, super al said:

The Dukes was my introduction to XTC, I was in a band and the BL/songwriter taped some stuff for me. Only many years later did I get Skylarking which I love.

I'm going to listen to more of their albums but I'm worried that after Skylarking the rest might be disappointing.

I used to know a Nigel who claimed to be from the same school as Colin but I'm sure any Nigel from that era of Swindon has laid claim to having that song written about them. There is a recent ish interview with Andy P on the Rockonteurs podcast, he goes through the whole Colin v Andy songwriting thing (he sounded a little bitter)

Any suggestions as to what album to listen to after Skylarking will be much appreciated 😁

 

'After Bathing At Baxters'..? 

 

...

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Dad3353

[super al]

42 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

To be honest, anything.  Start from the beginning and listen to how they evolved!

 

Thanks, I'll do that. After posting I was working on the house whilst listening to someone's XTC playlist on YouTube...first 7 or 8 tracks, not one from Skylarking 😄

[BassTractor]

3 hours ago, super al said:

Any suggestions as to what album to listen to after Skylarking will be much appreciated 😁

This is what I would do: go one album forward and two albums backward at a time, and see where it ends.
Now, I haven't listened to the albums to check my impression-of-the-day-today, but I think you can do worse.

So first:

- "Oranges & Lemons" for much of the same, and it's arguably a demn fine album in its own right
- "Mummer" for a softer or mellower, maybe even slightly contemplative approach.

If both are to your liking, you can then safely invest in "The Big Express" and start listening to:
- "Nonsuch", which to me seems a bit like a more developed, less '60s Beat, continuation from "Oranges & Lemons"
- either "Black Sea" or "Drums and Wires". Can't tell right now.
What I can tell right now though is that D&W contains glorious and single-worthy, more poppy songs like "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Life Begins at the Hop" as well as the quite less poppy "Roads Girdle the Globe" and "Complicated Game".
Whilst I love "Black Sea", it seems a bit less pronounced to me, and it has fewer Coiin Moulding songs.

If you like "Nonsuch" muchly, then I think "Apple Venus" and "Wasp Star" are very safe, and I believe they are great.
The ones I'd be most wary about from your experience, with only "Skylarking", are "White Music" and Go 2", as they are the earliest and most new wave ones. Now I love them, but I gather not everybody does.

All IMHO of course, and from hazy memory.
 

Edited 2 hours ago by BassTractor

[NancyJohnson]

Once you get past the XTC and Dukes regular release stuff, I would strongly suggest delving into Transistor Blast (4CD) and the Coat of Many Cupboards (4CD) collections. 

 

Andy Partridge's 'Fuzzy Warbles' collection (just the nine CDs) is great, as is his Failed Songwriting Career EPs.  Andy has also done the Powers and Monstrance albums, which for the sake of completion are worth a listen, although probably not more than the once.

 

Colin's reboot with Terry Chambers as TC&I (EP and Live album) is good.

 

There's also some decent live recordings on the Internet Archive website (from 1978-81).

 

Finally, there's also superb tribute album called 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' on Futureman Records.