XTC Anniversary: Psonic Psunspot [The Dukes of Stratosphear]

Vanishing Girl (Moulding)

The first song that got me up dancing at last year’s XTC fan festival, Vanishing Girl is possibly the strongest contender for the ‘Wait, this wasn’t recorded in the 1960s?!?’ award. Considering it was written by Colin Moulding who was the least enthusiastic about the Dukes project initially, this is a startingly fantastic and authentic-sounding song. A promo copy was made available by the Geffen label in the US, which unfortunately just had a generic cover on it. The song ends and we find ourselves hearing a young girl (Lily Fraser) narrating a tale about opening a suitcase full of many-coloured butterflies, laughing cutlery, and more. The Lewis Caroll-inspired narration appears elsewhere on the album.

Lyrics: People gossip on the doorstep / Think they know the score / She’s giving him the runaround / The man from number four

Have You Seen Jackie? (Partridge)

In the grand tradition of cross-dressing characters in songs (most notably, the excellent Lola, by The Kinks), this second track demands that the townsfolk leave Jackie, a cross-dresser, alone. The chorus, in which this demand is stated, includes vocals by Lily Fraser and her little sister, two girls who feature on the album with their Alice in Wonderland-style dialogue. The song title was originally Have You Seen Sidney? (as a homage to Syd Barrett) but it was changed the more enigmatic Jackie. The wah wah organ, played by Dave (Lord Plum), is quite prominent in this and definitely gives that late ‘60s feel.

Lyrics: Have you seen Jackie? / He’s a strange, strange, strange little girl / Make up on his face and his hair in curls / Have you seen Jackie? / She’s a strange, strange, strange little boy / Her long black beard is her pride and joy

Little Lighthouse (Partridge)

A gorgeous tremelo guitar and high-noted second guitar helps kickstart this song… after a bit of a short faff at the beginning. I like where it settles into its rhythm around the 0:42 second mark. It’s a bit of an angular one, harking back to the edged songs found on the earlier XTC albums. This was originally written for the Skylarking album but Andy’s favourite producer, Todd Rundgren, wasn’t so keen on it. What was XTC’s loss turned out to be The Dukes’ gain.

Lyrics: She’s a little lighthouse when she / Opens up her huge mind and / Thoughts descending spears of crystal / Build a Jacob’s Ladder up to love

You’re A Good Man, Albert Brown (Partridge)

There’s a bit of piano-hesitation at the beginning of this penultimate track of Side 1 before it launches into a good old singalong song. Inspired by Andy’s grandad, Albert, we get a little glimpse into the history of the good man himself. Thankfully, we have a fun little video the band recorded for this very song (complete with Sooty, Sweep and Sue cameos)! Learn the song, rush to the nearest pub and get folks singing it round an old piano. Or failing that, a passed-out drunk.

Lyrics: Well you’re a good man Albert Brown / And you was wounded in the war / And though you shot some people down / You’re still a good man Albert Brown

Collideascope (Partridge)

With lyrics originating in 1978, Collideascope sees Andy at his most Lennon sounding. I love the vocal delivery of “Wakey wakey wakey little dreamer”, especially. The track includes some interesting saw action, and sampling from Nearest and Dearest, a British sitcom which ran from 1968 to 1973 (a comedy I’ve never seen, but I’m not sure I’m missing out there).

Lyrics: Collideascope / Careful don’t look down the wrong end / All the world’s colours will crash into one / Monochrome living’s no fun

You’re My Drug (Partridge)

This is quite a chilled-out track, in a way. One of my favourites from The Dukes. I always picture a montage of vintage 1960s beach shots, even though the song’s not about that at all. Ah well. I can’t remember the name of the ‘scratchy’ instrument (we used to have them at school) but you don’t often hear it in songs now.

Lyrics: You’re my drug / You’ve got to come on round and pick me up / You’re my drug / And I don’t ever know if I can give you up

Shiny Cage (Moulding)

This track sounds like something from the ‘90s Britpop era. No surprise there, really, as many bands from that era clambered to work with John Leckie because of the work he did with The Dukes. Colin’s second Dukes offering as The Red Curtain. He really does have a knack for this.

Lyrics: Take a walk under the subway / See an old school chum / Window shopping for a short while / Then we’ll have some fun

Brainiac’s Daughter (Partridge)

Baroque psychedelic McCartney-esque pop with a nod to comics. But first Lily Fraser’s back with tales of boarding a train and strange transformation. I’m not generally a reader of comics (more to do with time rather than lack of interest), but there’s a couple of references to DC Comics in the lyrics. Doing some quick searching about DC comics and the character of Brainiac’s Daughter, I was delighted to find out that the character only came into being in the DC world after the creators combined the character from this very song and That’s Really Super, Supergirl from Skylarking! Love cool little trivia like that!

Lyrics: All across the land the bells ring out / It’s night, the sun shines bright / So I reach to hold her frozen hand in flight / As we alight in the Bottle City of Kandor

The Affiliated (Moulding)

“Now we’re breaking into our programmes for the second time tonight” says an unidentified announcer at the start of the penultimate track. If You’re A Good Man, Albert Brown is the pub’s singalong song, then The Affiliated is about the pub itself. Colin’s final Dukes offering from the original tracklist is about a man’s pub life which changes after he meets a woman. Eight screaming kids later, his seat at the bar’s still there if he wants it. I absolutely adore the sudden change up from the trudgey sound of the verses to the kitschy, 1970s flashy tv advert-style music, heralding the arrival of “She”. I’d be interested to know what the plans would have been for a music video for this one: Colin performing on a tiny pub stage with a guitar before being dazzled by the arrival of a gorgeous woman (Dave as friendly landlord, Andy as grumpy drunk, Ian as pub patron who just wants to read his paper in peace), then the last scene sees him walking through the street with his wife and the aforementioned octet of screaming offspring while gazing longingly at the pub.

Lyrics: Had his own tankard / And the Evening Standard / And a trophy from darts / That he kept over the bar / He’d nothing to fear / He had his beer / Beer! Beer!

Pale and Precious (Partridge)

XTC as The Dukes do The Beach Boys. Apparently, when Brian Wilson heard this track he thought it was a homage to Paul McCartney. Don’t quite get that, myself. It definitely screams Beach Boys. Andy took over drum duty for part of this track. The song has a hymn-like quality to the beginning before it blossoms into a bouncy Beach Boys-inspired bop. It’s something they’d return to on Chalkhills and Children from Oranges and Lemons (but with less bounce).

Lyrics: So pale and precious is the light that will shine / Out of the windows in her head / So pale and precious like the sun as it climbs / Up every morning on her bed