XTC - Mummer (1983)

Tracklist

1.  Beating Of Hearts - 4:01

2.  Wonderland - 4:43

      Synthesizer [Mini Korg] – Steve Nye

3.  Love On A Farmboy's Wages - 3:58

4.  Great Fire - 3:47

     Strings – Gavin Wright, Nigel Warren-Green

5.  Deliver Us From The Elements - 4:34

      Mellotron – Steve Nye

6.  Human Alchemy - 5:11

7.  Ladybird - 4:32

8.  In Loving Memory Of A Name - 3:16

9.  Me And The Wind - 4:16

10.  Funk Pop A Roll - 3:01

2001 CD bonus tracks

11.  Frost Circus  (B-side of "Great Fire" 12-inch) - 3:53 

12.  Jump  (B-side of "Wonderland") - 4:39 

13.  Toys  (B-side of "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" double 7-inch) -  4:20 

14.  Gold  (B-side of "Great Fire") - 3:33 

15.  Procession Towards Learning Land  (B-side of "Great Fire" 12-inch) - 3:46 

16.  Desert Island  (B-side of "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" double 7-inch) - 4:52 

XTC

• Andy Partridge – guitar, vocals; saxophone ("Great Fire")
• Colin Moulding – bass, vocals
• Dave Gregory – guitar, keyboards, vocals

Additional personnel

• Terry Chambers – drums ("Beating of Hearts", "Wonderland", "Toys")
• Pete Phipps – drums on remaining tracks
• Steve Nye – miniKORG ("Wonderland"), Mellotron ("Deliver Us from the Elements")
• Gavyn Wright – strings ("Great Fire")
• Nigel Warren-Green – strings ("Great Fire")
• Hans the wind – de vente
• Vince Sullivan – trombone ("Gold")

Technical

• Steve Nye – co-producer, engineer (except "Great Fire", "Gold", "Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land")
• XTC – co-producer; producer ("Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land"); mixing ("Desert Island", "Toys")
• Bob Sargeant – co-producer ("Great Fire", "Gold")
• Alex Sadkin – remixing ("Wonderland", "Human Alchemy", "Funk Pop a Roll")
• Phil Thornalley – remixing, engineer ("Wonderland", "Human Alchemy", "Funk Pop a Roll")
• Mark Dearnley – engineer ("Great Fire", "Gold")
• Jim Russell – assistant engineer
• Howard Gray – assistant engineer; engineer ("Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land"
• Gavin Greenaway – assistant engineer
• Marcellus Frank – assistant engineer
• Mike Nocito – assistant engineer
• Ian Cooper – mastering
• David Lord – mixing ("Desert Island")
• Glenn Tommey – mixing ("Toys", "Desert Island"
• Gavin Cochrane – album sleeve photography
• Ian Hoolen – inner sleeve photography
• Ken Ansell – artwork

Notes

Released:  30 August 1983 

Recorded:  September–December 1982 Studio The Manor (Oxfordshire) / Genetic (Berkshire) / Odyssey (London)

Genre:  Progressive pop

Length:  41:19 

Producer(s):  Steve Nye, XTC, Bob Sargeant 

Label - Virgin Records

XTC - The Big Express (1984)

"The Big Express" was XTC's album released in 1984. It was one of XTC's harder-edged albums, in contrast to the pastoral "Mummer" and "Skylarking" which were released in sequence with it. The track, "I Bought Myself a Liarbird" is about their former manager, Ian Reid. XTC took full advantage of their studio-bound status with The Big Express, creating their most painstakingly detailed, multi-layered, sonically dynamic album to date. The more upbeat material and brighter sound recall some of the band's earlier moments, but most of all, The Big Express signals a turning point for the band, setting the blueprint for their later approach -- a combination of studio perfection matched with impeccable songcraft that results in a thoroughly consistent and enjoyable album beginning to end. Skylarking, the album that followed, gets much more glory, and certainly its impact was greater (this one was virtually ignored), but really, The Big Express covers much of the same territory and is just as strong an album in many ways. Three songs were added to the CD reissue -- "Red Brick Dream," "Washaway," and "Blue Overall" .
The singles released from the album were "All You Pretty Girls", "This World Over" and "Wake Up".

Track List:
01. Wake Up (Colin Moulding) - 4:40
02. All You Pretty Girls (Partridge) - 3:40
03. Shake You Donkey Up (Partridge) - 4:19
04. Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her (Partridge) - 3:50
05. This World Over (Partridge) - 5:37
06. Red Brick Dream (Partridge) - 2:01
07. Washaway (Moulding) - 3:01
08. Blue Overall (Partridge) - 4:26
09. (The Everyday Story of) Smalltown (Partridge) - 3:53
10. I Bought Myself a Liarbird (Partridge) - 2:49
11. Reign of Blows (Vote No Violence!) (Partridge) - 3:27
12. You're the Wish You Are I Had (Partridge) - 3:17
13. I Remember the Sun (Moulding) - 3:10
14. Train Running Low on Soul Coal (Partridge) - 5:19

Released: 15 October 1984
Recorded: Early 1984 at Crescent Studios, Bath, England
Genre: Pop rock
Length: 53:24
Label: Virgin Records
Produced By: David Lord and XTC
Mixed By: David Lord, Phil Thornalley

Personnel:
Peter Phipps - Drums
Dave Gregory - Guitar [Electric], Piano, Mellotron, Synthesizer
Stuart Gordon - Violin, Viola
Colin Moulding - Vocals, Bass
Andy Partridge - Vocals, Guitar [Electric], Drum Programming [Linn Drum], Harmonica