Senses Working Overtime

Jerry Garcia once said this about the popularity of The Grateful Dead. "The Dead are like brussel sprouts. Not everyone likes brussel sprouts. But those who do, really like them a lot". The same applies to British Pop wizards, XTC. Not everyone I know has heard of them, but I also have friends who have a good portion of their substantial discography on their shelves, myself included.

The men from XTC: Partridge, Moulding & Gregory

XTC began as a New Wave rock band in Swindon, England, formed by songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. The band was active from 1976 until 2005. Despite their long career, XTC were a performing and touring band for only six of those years, having retired from live performance in 1982. For the remaining years of their existence, XTC were a studio-based project involving session players around a nucleus of Partridge, Moulding and Dave Gregory. Their first singles, such as "Science Friction" and "Are You Receiving Me", presented a sharp, angular attack that worked well in the late 70's, but by the time of their 1982 album "English Settlement", they were morphing into a more polished, Pop-oriented sound, as best exemplified by one of their more popular songs, "Senses Working Overtime", which managed to reach #10 on the UK singles chart.

XTC never managed any sort of major commercial breakthrough in the US due to a number of factors. Their quirky songwriting and markedly British lyricism presented a challenge to stateside ears accustomed to Americanized English, despite the prevalence of new English bands at the time. Much like the music of the aforementioned Grateful Dead, XTC proved to be something of an acquired taste, though the styles of the two bands were night and day different. To this day, XTC isn't often thought of as an easy listen, though they were always very musical. Also, Andy Partridge's personal difficulties with extreme anxiety, which manifested as uncontrollable stage fright, directly contributed to the band permanently swearing off touring. XTC became a studio band exclusively, apart from occasional performances from radio stations, and a few TV appearances. This arrangement worked well for Partridge, but it inevitably affected the band's worldwide popularity, sales, and income.

XTC's Nonsuch; the new 5.1 surround Blu-Ray edition!

Management and contractual problems dogged the band throughout their career, but reached a peak in the early 90's. Around the time of the recording of the album "Nonsuch" in 1992, they found themselves having to reach a legal settlement with a former manager. Although most fans assume that there was some financial impropriety involved, the terms of the settlement imposed a gag on the band, which prevented them from speaking publicly about the matter.

Concurrently, XTC's relationship with Virgin Records had broken down. The final straw was Virgin's unfounded decision that XTC had no further prospects of charting. The band then asked that Virgin either allow them to renegotiate their contract or release them from it, but the label stalled for years until finally agreeing to release them after a change of management at the company. After leaving Virgin, Partridge had the band's accounts audited, and it was discovered that Virgin had withheld substantial royalty payments from them. The settlement of the accounts provided the group with much-needed cash flow, allowing Partridge and Moulding to install fully equipped studios and work comfortably from their homes, which they did for the next five years or so.

From their album "English Settlement", here's XTC with "Senses Working Overtime".

In the early 80's, I saw a bar band in Florida (whose name now escapes me) open their set with The Moody Blues' "Lovely To See You", which segued directly into "Senses Working Overtime". I was as gobsmacked as you can imagine, and went to see them play every chance I got. Theirs were the most tastefully chosen sets of cover songs I've ever heard. All killer, no filler. I subconsciously use them as a model for my band projects to this day.

There's always room for a thoughtful makeover of a song long thought too odd for the Pop charts, and that's the exact approach taken by singer/actress Mandy Moore on her 2003 album, "Coverage". This was Moore's 4th album, and as it turned out, her last one for Epic Records, who, like most major labels, has long been out of the artist development business.

But Moore, unlike most of her 90's Kid-Pop contemporaries, was focused on having her music evolve. Moore has often been praised by music critics for branching off and making her own music. Billboard stated "She has successfully dropped all the tacky accoutrements of her past and turned into a sweet, classy singer-songwriter whose charms are readily apparent". AllMusic wrote "Moore has smoothly evolved from adolescent starlet to mature songwriter, continuing to distance herself from the scene that launched her career one decade prior".

The album's production, headed by John Fields, was cutting edge in 2003, but now, it addles the record with a dated sound, much like the snare drum and synth tom sounds of the 80's. Moore admitted that her vocals were often laid down to a basic rhythm section track, then the production team would go in and 'fill things out'. Not my preferred way to make a record, but when you're on Epic's dime, you do it their way, especially when unbeknownst to the artist, it's your last shot on the label, and the bean counters want a hit.

As a finished product though, "Coverage" is actually a fine Pop album which overtly moved Moore several steps further from her musical past. While it wasn't successful, it is likable and admirable. Indeed, her choices of material for the album reflected a strong grounding in Pop's 70's and 80's past, as there are songs by Carole King, Elton John, The Waterboys, Joan Armatrading, Blondie, Cat Stevens, Joe Jackson, Todd Rundgren and others. Regarding the songs, Moore said, "I’m stuck in the 70's. I think I'll always have that kind of influence. Joni Mitchell, Harry Nilsson, McCartney, that's the sort of stuff I'm really inspired by". Moore also discussed "Senses Working Overtime" in a video interview, saying "It was one of the last songs we recorded. I love it and it's an incredible experience to play it live. The first time I heard it, I thought there was such a great smash hit of a song underneath this eclectic, eccentric rendition. I was kind of amazed that no one had covered it yet."

This is Mandy Moore's album-opening take on "Senses Working Overtime". I agree that this should have been a sizable hit, but there's a million reasons why good records fail. Go figure.

"Coverage" is available new or used, at Amazon. Since even a brand new copy can be had for super cheap, like less than $3 cheap, I'd suggest you opt for the Limited Edition, which features different cover art and a bonus DVD. It's all about content and value here, people.

The extensive catalog of XTC can be found at Amazon, of course, but you never know what you'll find at your local, well-curated record shop. Fans of XTC tend to be collectors, so things like vinyl and box sets get snapped up fast and hoarded, driving up the price. For those of you who are curious about their music, as well you should be, I will heartily recommend this 2 disc singles anthology, which gives you a solid overview of the band's musical history and is available new for well under $20. XTC, like many of their British peers, were always focused on singles as stand-alone releases. For fans and audiophiles, there is the new Blu-Ray audio reissue of "Nonsuch", which admittedly is aimed at a niche audience, but contains a truckload of high quality content, and therefore, at about $20-25, is a value-added bargain.