Summary: When the late 70s arrived, many musicians wanted to sweep away the “dinosaurs” of rock (imagine that in 2018). Punk was about to sweeping away the complexities (among other things) and getting back to raw honest energy. Many musos liked the rawness and energy of punk but felt they had stronger musical chops that they wanted to apply to that realm, as well as explore other stylistic avenues. 1977 saw the release of the debut album of one such band from Swindon, XTC. Welcome to episode 119 of Love That Album – the second episode for November 2018. Like The Beatles before them, the back catalogue of XTC shows a development where the band that released their final album scarcely sound like the band that released their first. By 1982, they were only five years into their recording career, but the album of that year, English Settlement bore little resemblance to White Music released only a few years prior. For this episode of the podcast, I welcome guitarist and first-time guest, Geoff Pearlman, as well as the return of Sydney guitarist Shane Pacey to focus on English Settlement as well as the development of the band that reached that point. The discussion is wide and varied covering the musicianship of the band and the different songwriting approaches of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. We also discuss how the songs on the album covered social issues like domestic violence, gun ownership, and the fragility of modern existence. We had a wonderful time and I thank Shane and Geoff for working their senses overtime for the show. I even found an excuse to do my Tom Waits impersonation. You can download the podcast from Spotify, iTunes (search for “Love That Album podcast”) or from the website at http://lovethatalbum.blogspot.com. You can follow Shane at http://shanepaceytrio.com.au/ and https://bondicigars.com/ Geoff’s musical activities can be found at https://www.geoffpearlmanmusic.com/ Both can be found on the usual social media platforms (Facebook, twitter etc) Both of these gents make terrific music in their own right, so check them out and give them your support. Send the show feedback at rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au (written or mp3 voicemail) or join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/lovethatalbum. If you’d consider writing an iTunes review or recommending the show to a friend, I’d be immensely grateful.
