XTC: English Settlement: Deluxe Edition Box Set (Ape House/2016)

XTC were one of the most important, influential and experimental bands to come out of the UK Punk/New Wave movement. For the last few years they've been releasing definitive, deluxe versions of their albums (both on Blu Ray and on Vinyl). Last Summer yielded vinyl releases of both English Settlement and Skylarking. English Settlement is easily on of the bands' best albums; "Senses Working Overtime", "Ball & Chain" and "No Thugs In Our House" were the singles. Noteworthy album tracks include: "Jason And The Argonauts", "Melt The Guns" and "English Roundabout". The band has an easy confidence to their playing and sound at the top of their game.

As far as definitive vinyl box sets go, it doesn't get much better than this.
Double album on 200 gram vinyl, a CD flat master of the album, a sixteen-page booklet with very detailed liner notes written by all four members of the band, and lyrics for all songs. The audio source is the original half-inch masters.

Very highly recommended to fans of XTC and to anyone not familiar with the band; do yourself a favor and check out this album, Black Sea and/or Drums And Wires.

Here's the video review:


Special Thanks to: Dave Rerecich of TeeVee Games.

The Fleshtones: The Band Drinks For Free (Yep Roc/2016)

In 2016, New York's The Fleshtones celebrated their 40th anniversary. They're the only band from the mid 70's downtown scene to remain active every year of their existence. Celebrating this milestone, the band released their twenty-first record, The Band Drinks For Free.

A groovy cover of Ten Years After's "Love Like A Man" (which features guest vocals from Lisa Kekaula of The Bellrays) starts things off confidently enough, and that confidence doesn't seem to let up. The album reveals a few modern-day Fleshtones classics in "Rick Wakeman's Cape", "Suburban Roulette", "Living Today" and "Stupid Ole Sun". The band also cover the forgotten surf-movie ditty "The Gasser" by The Hondells. The band rocks in it's usual way; classic garage rock with stomping beats, fuzztone bass, Farfisa-organ strains all laced with the right amount of harmonica wails.

Lead singer, keyboardist and harmonica man Peter Zaremba (aka the host of Count Zaremba's Crypt on SiriusXM) is in excellent form, as always. guitarist/vocalist Keith Streng, bassist/vocalist Ken Fox and drummer extraordinaire Bill Millhizer, are, as always, never less than excellent.

Yep Roc offers a Bundle which includes the vinyl LP, the CD, an MP3 download code of the album, a 7" single of the non album title track (which for my money is the best song by the band in years) and the album B-Side of "Love My Lover". And the real selling point, for fans of the stealth carrying of liquors is a Fleshtones flask!

Most very highly recommended!

Here's the video review:

Robyn Hitchcock: The Man Upstairs (Yep Roc/2014)

Ex-leader of The Soft Boys, The Egyptians and The Venus Three, Robyn Hitchcock, released his twenty-first album The Man Upstairs. It's ten songs; five Hitchcock originals and five covers. He covers The Psychedelic Furs' "The Ghost In You" (which Hitchcock has covered since the 80's), Roxy Music's "To Turn You On", The Doors' "Crystal Ship", Grant Lee Philips' "Don't Look Down" and I Was A King's "Ferries". The album was produced by the legendary Joe Boyd (Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Cool It Reba) and features cover art by Gillian Welch. The best tracks on this are "San Francisco Patrol" and "Trouble In Blood". The album fits alongside Robyn's several acoustic albums and is a fine addition to an already wonderful back catalog.

Here's the video review:




Thanks to: Doug Mashkow.