Connect the Dukes of Stratosphear Track To the Song It's Parodying

Yes, there's lots of unreleased stuff

25 Oclock (APECD023)
1. 25 Oclock
2. Bike Ride To The Moon
3. My Love Explodes
4. What In The World ??..
5. Your Gold Dress
6. The Mole From The Ministry
DEMOS
7. 25 Oclock
8. Bike Ride To The Moon
9. My Love Explodes
10. What In The World??..
11. Nicely Nicely Jane
12. Susan Revolving
EXTRA RECORDINGS
13. Black Jewelled Serpent Of Sound (Radio Caroline Edit)
14. Open A Can Of Human Beans
15. Tin Toy Clockwork Train

Psonic Psunspot (APECD024)
1. Vanishing Girl
2. Have You Seen Jackie?
3. Little Lighthouse
4. Your A Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)
5. Collideascope
6. You're My Drug
7. Shiny Cage
8. Brainiacs Daughter
9. The Affiliated
10. Pale & Precious
DEMOS
11. No One At Home (Vanishing Girl)
12. Little Lighthouse
13. Colliedeascape
14. Shiny Cage
15. Brainiac's Daughter
16. The Affiliated

OK. Alternative versions of the same song has no interest for me though. Only new songs that had never been released before (preferrably in more or less finished and polished version) are interesting.

Well, APartridge's demos are like other people's finished stuff.

I was gonna say! The other Partridge demos I've heard are fascinating enough in their own right.

yeah but a bunch of them are on Fuzzy Warbles

The Affiliated - Kinks, Bacharach and Love?

this has come up on Captured Tracks facebook page. Your Gold Dress has a lot of Yardbirds. Still I'm Sad i.e.

"Tin Toy Clokwork Train" off the reissue is frickin' brilliant.

Andy's such a great interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN0R450zJVw

I just listened to this whole thing... brilliant stuff! Has John Leckie ever written a book about his career or the albums that he's worked on over the years? The guy has had a phenomenal career.

not that I know of, but yeah would definitely be worth reading

Just now listening to "My Love Explodes" was the first time in ~10 years of owning the album that I've really paid attention to the gnarly gtr solo in that "disgusting, degeneratized song" -- in the past, I was always 'taken out of the moment' by the bridge immediately preceding it, which sounds too much like straight XTC for my liking.

Isn't "What in the World" a Zager & Evans uh hommage?

I finally got round to getting those expanded reissues.

Boy, "Tin toy clockwork train" is massively irritating!

had no idea "You're a Good Man Albert Brown" is basically just an autobiographical sketch of Andy's granddad

25 O'CLOCK: I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) by THE ELECTRIC PRUNES and hints by early Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd (See Emily Play), Incence And Peppermint by Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paint It Black by The Stones and lyrics of The Time Has Come Today by The Chambers Brothers.
BIKE RIDE TO THE MOON: My White Bicycle by TOMORROW, a lot of ealy MOVE songs like Yellow Rainbow, I Can Hear The Grass Grow, Cherry Blossom Clinic (i'd like to ride my bycicle on the moon...), Bike by Pink Floyd and the gnome effect voice is more Scream Thy Last Scream of a Barrett next to departure then Bowie's Laughing Ghnome...
MY LOVE EXPLODES is cross Over Under Sidways Down by The Yardbirds and early Pretty Things and a lot similar bands with Bo Diddley sound like Blues Magoos (Rush Hour), Chocolate Watch Band (In The Past), The Electric Prunes (Get Me To The World On Time), The Monkees (Last Train To Clarksville) and The Misunderstood.
WHAT IN THE WORLD has fragments and offal of Only A Northern Song and It's All Too Much by The Beatles and specially 20000 Light Years From Home. The lyrics come from In The Year 2525 by Zager & Evans psychedelic folk duo with a hint of Semi Detached Suburban Mr James by Manfred Mann.
YOUR GOLD DRESS start with gregorian chorus a la Yardbirds (Turn To Earth) and a bass line a la Troggs (Night Of The Long Grass). The refrain is in the same style of She's A Rainbow or Auntie Mary's Dress Shop by Tomorrow (and some Kinks songs with Nicky Hopkins piano session).
THE MOLE FROM THE MINISTRY IS OBVIOUS the WALRUS of Lennon cross We Are The Moles (Part 1) with final a la Strawberry Fields Forever. And maybe a hint of Hole In my Shoe by Traffic.
VANISHING GIRL is of course a lot of HOLLIES songs (Look Throw Any Window, You Need Love, On A Carousel, etc...).
HAVE YOU SEEN JACKIE is a Barrett tribute, ARNOLD LAYNE in particolar way. And Humanoid Boogie by The Bonzo Dog Band is also a strong reference.
THE LITTLE LIGHTHOUSE is the most west coast Duke song (with You're My Drug). It starts in the same way of Song Of Our Ancestors by The Steve Miller Band (the sirens of ships on the bay...) and it sounds like The Golden Road by The Grateful Dead, Mr Soul by Buffalo Springfield, the trumpet of Alone Again Or by Love and a final a la 19th Nervous Breakdown by The Stones!!
GOOD MAN ALBERT BROWN is a psychopub masterpiece. It's like some Kinks songs (Mr Pleasent, Tin Soldier Man), The Small Faces (Happy Days Toytown, The Universal, Rene, Lazy Sunday), The Bonzos (The Equestrian Statute), Pink Floyd (Corporal Clegg), Over The Wall We Go by Bowie/Oscar, Procol Harum (Captain Clack), Cream (Mother's Lament) and mny many others songs by the same style.
COLLIDEASCOPE is The Move who steal by The Beatles. It has the chords of Blackberry Way and the style of Being Of Benefit Of Mr Kite and Hey Bulldog!
YOU'RE MY DRUG is a cross of So You Want To Be A Rock'N'Roll by THE BYRDS and Monterey by ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS.
SHINY CAGE is all Revolver album in one song. I'm Only Sleeping is the most reference here.
BRAINIAC'S DAUGHTER is a way to play like Mc Cartney in 1967/68. It's like Lovely Rita, Lady Madonna, etc...
THE AFFILIATED has Ray Davies style with Concrete And Clay by The Unite 4+2 in the mid part.
At last PALE AND PRECIOUS is a Beach Boys fantastic tribute. The styles are different, Surf's Up, Help Me Rhonds, Good Vibrations...

25 O'CLOCK: I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) by THE ELECTRIC PRUNES and hints by early Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd (See Emily Play), Incence And Peppermint by Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paint It Black by The Stones and lyrics of The Time Has Come Today by The Chambers Brothers.
BIKE RIDE TO THE MOON: My White Bicycle by TOMORROW, a lot of ealy MOVE songs like Yellow Rainbow, I Can Hear The Grass Grow, Cherry Blossom Clinic (i'd like to ride my bycicle on the moon...), Bike by Pink Floyd and the gnome effect voice is more Scream Thy Last Scream of a Barrett next to departure then Bowie's Laughing Ghnome...
MY LOVE EXPLODES is cross Over Under Sidways Down by The Yardbirds and early Pretty Things and a lot similar bands with Bo Diddley sound like Blues Magoos (Rush Hour), Chocolate Watch Band (In The Past), The Electric Prunes (Get Me To The World On Time), The Monkees (Last Train To Clarksville) and The Misunderstood.
WHAT IN THE WORLD has fragments and offal of Only A Northern Song and It's All Too Much by The Beatles and specially 20000 Light Years From Home. The lyrics come from In The Year 2525 by Zager & Evans psychedelic folk duo with a hint of Semi Detached Suburban Mr James by Manfred Mann.
YOUR GOLD DRESS start with gregorian chorus a la Yardbirds (Turn To Earth) and a bass line a la Troggs (Night Of The Long Grass). The refrain is in the same style of She's A Rainbow or Auntie Mary's Dress Shop by Tomorrow (and some Kinks songs with Nicky Hopkins piano session).
THE MOLE FROM THE MINISTRY IS OBVIOUS the WALRUS of Lennon cross We Are The Moles (Part 1) with final a la Strawberry Fields Forever. And maybe a hint of Hole In my Shoe by Traffic.
VANISHING GIRL is of course a lot of HOLLIES songs (Look Throw Any Window, You Need Love, On A Carousel, etc...).
HAVE YOU SEEN JACKIE is a Barrett tribute, ARNOLD LAYNE in particolar way. And Humanoid Boogie by The Bonzo Dog Band is also a strong reference.
THE LITTLE LIGHTHOUSE is the most west coast Duke song (with You're My Drug). It starts in the same way of Song Of Our Ancestors by The Steve Miller Band (the sirens of ships on the bay...) and it sounds like The Golden Road by The Grateful Dead, Mr Soul by Buffalo Springfield, the trumpet of Alone Again Or by Love and a final a la 19th Nervous Breakdown by The Stones!!
GOOD MAN ALBERT BROWN is a psychopub masterpiece. It's like some Kinks songs (Mr Pleasent, Tin Soldier Man), The Small Faces (Happy Days Toytown, The Universal, Rene, Lazy Sunday), The Bonzos (The Equestrian Statute), Pink Floyd (Corporal Clegg), Over The Wall We Go by Bowie/Oscar, Procol Harum (Captain Clack), Cream (Mother's Lament) and mny many others songs by the same style.
COLLIDEASCOPE is The Move who steal by The Beatles. It has the chords of Blackberry Way and the style of Being Of Benefit Of Mr Kite and Hey Bulldog!
YOU'RE MY DRUG is a cross of So You Want To Be A Rock'N'Roll by THE BYRDS and Monterey by ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS.
SHINY CAGE is all Revolver album in one song. I'm Only Sleeping is the most reference here.
BRAINIAC'S DAUGHTER is a way to play like Mc Cartney in 1967/68. It's like Lovely Rita, Lady Madonna, etc...
THE AFFILIATED has Ray Davies style with Concrete And Clay by The Unite 4+2 in the mid part.
At last PALE AND PRECIOUS is a Beach Boys fantastic tribute. The styles are different, Surf's Up, Help Me Rhonda, Good Vibrations...

This seems like a great opportunity for a spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/olken2000/playlist/3PHx8IzBEx8AuyXeFDUel5

I'd love to know what else I can add

Nice!

Sweet playlist.

Oh looky here:

Psurroundabout Ride – C­omplete Dukes’ recordings remixed in stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound by Steven Wilson & approved by Andy Partridge on CD & Blu Ray. PLUS 200g vinyl of 25 o-Clock & Psonic Psunspot also out same day https://t.co/LDPVy2vbfp #dukesofstratosphear #xtc #5.1remixes pic.twitter.com/YN63iAq78j

— APE HOUSE (@apehouseXTC) August 29, 2019

Groovy! Admittedly, I usually pull out 5.1 albums for the occasional stoned listening rather than my go-to, but I'll check that out. I hope the surround mix stays true to the albums' inspirations with crazy effects and room swirling guitar solos etc. rather than just adding "tasteful" room ambiance.

The complete set of demos is the big draw for me!

It’s Steven Wilson, so the mix is almost guaranteed to be great.

And agree, those demos should be amazing.

This does not disappoint.

I got mine a couple of days ago with a nice Sir John Johns autograph, haven't dug in yet because half my life is still in boxes after a house move.

I just got a new sound system and, man, does this 5.1 mix sound incredible. I almost forgot how good this sounds with all the Rick Wright-y Farfisa parts and Nick Mason-esque tom tom parts pattering around your head.

This may be my favorite XTC album.

If you've not heard it, the Steve Wilson re-mix disc(s) of the entire Dukes discography really provides a genuinely new listening experience. Seek it out.

Ah, I see someone already evangelized same. IGNORE ME (more than usual).

I dunno who Lewis Tollani upthread is/was but I thank them for their service.

Named after a song by Kaleidoscope (UK) is all I know.

is the 2019 reissue the Steven Wilson version? cuz it sounds amazing...much heavier low end. I've got 25 O'Clock on now, it's crazy how good this is. I don't think any of the actual psych-era records it's imitating sound as cool as this. this pastiche stuff really brought out the best of these guys somehow.

yeah the 2019 reissue is the steven wilson mix

i'm listening to it now and yeah it's fantastic. the dukes records have always been some of my favourite xtc material - i think the real benefit of doing psych pastiche was that it got partridge working in a more consistently pop mode than before

No slight on the vocals, but the instrumental versions included are absolutely delightful.

can i just say how much i fucking _love_ "Have You Seen Jackie?" it's what all of those genderbaiting songs of the '60s _should_ have been but weren't. (Shout-out to "Baby Can I Wear Your Clothes" by the Ted Lucas' group The Spike Drivers, though. I don't know if it's _actually_ trans but I'm gonna interpret it that way.) It's kind of a special interest of mine, and a rewrite of "Arnold Layne" that isn't all "Arnold Layne, don't do it again!"? And it's also a great fucking song? YES, PLEASE.

they really do make that "she's a queer, queer, queer, little bird" line work

Arnold Layne is literally about someone stealing women's underwear from washing lines, which isn't to be encouraged I would have thought.

that's the problem, isn't it? you do a song about a transvestite and they're a "nasty sort of person", a creep who steals women's underwear from washing lines. that's the only way gender non-conformity was ever portrayed. one could very well get the impression that crossdressing is deviant, fetishistic behavior, the sort of thing that only a "nasty sort of person" would do.

i recently found a 2cd compilation set by Simon Dupree And The Big Sound.
there hidden in amongst their 60s pop excess were the two tracks by their side hustle - The Moles.

https://www.discogs.com/master/1391336-Simon-Dupree-And-The-Big-Sound-Part-Of-My-Past-The-Simon-Dupree-And-The-Big-Sound-Anthology

oh the moles single was one of my faves back in the day, one of the many groups rumored to secretly be the beatles though really i think of them as more being a forerunner to the residents (though maybe that's just because of _mark of the mole_). really underrated group, possibly best known these days because the shulman brothers went on to form gentle giant. associates project 39 lyon street did a great cover of their hit "kites". there are so many great buried gems on that comp, particularly if you're a big mellotron nerd like me. the original "kites" is great too, one of the great underrated '60s weirdo pop songs! "kites" is fun.

Yes indeed. The only problem is the Shulman brothers hated "Kites"!

and this is why i stan barthes

found Psonic Psunspot and grabbed it too, forgot how much I absolutely adore certain tunes on here. "You're My Drug" especially. something kinda funny I noticed is when talking about these guys I actually start out a bit defensive, like "oh no it's actually really good, they do it all justice", mainly because these sort of throwback/nostalgia projects are so extremely common right now. but back in the mid 80s they weren't! dare I say the idea of a band imitating 20 year old music was actually quite novel back then? like what would the equivilent of that be right now, "oh wow it sounds just like Franz Ferdinand"?

ha maybe. yeah, as much as i appreciate franz ferdinand, i hardly think that there was anything so particular or distinguishing in them as there was in some of the flourishes of haute psych stuff.

maybe it’s the dimming of my eyes with age i guess— nothing of ff seems so “other” to me now. and in 1985, 1965 psych felt totally silly and weird and funny and remarkable to me.

i know ff was just exemplar not actual

I don't think any of the actual psych-era records it's imitating sound as cool as this.

July, SF Sorrow, Piper.... all sounding pretty cool to me. No shade on Andy and Co who absolutely love and worship this music, but there is a demarcation line of cringe that while the Dukes avoid, many 80s-present 60s obsessives stop their beatle boots waayyyyy over. And it's a fine line before it's just cosplay.

*stomp

found Psonic Psunspot and grabbed it too, forgot how much I absolutely adore certain tunes on here. "You're My Drug" especially. something kinda funny I noticed is when talking about these guys I actually start out a bit defensive, like "oh no it's actually really good, they do it all justice", mainly because these sort of throwback/nostalgia projects are so extremely common right now. but back in the mid 80s they weren't! dare I say the idea of a band imitating 20 year old music was actually quite novel back then? like what would the equivilent of that be right now, "oh wow it sounds just like Franz Ferdinand"?

There was the Damned doing Naz Nomad & the Nightmares, which (just) predates Dukes of Stratosphear and I've always wondered if it didn't influence in some way. I've never heard the album though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naz_Nomad_and_the_Nightmares

Plus, around the same time, Julian Cope (inevitably) did the Rabbi Joseph Gordan single, so some kind of 60s psych/garage rock revival was definitely in the air.