Published on Dec 31, 1998
Since this site started up, I’ve kind of made it a personal
crusade to help get the word out about XTC, a British band that I’m
particularly fond of who haven’t gotten commercial attention. So,
what I’m about to write might surprise some long-time readers: I’ve
found an XTC album that is so-so.
Go 2, their 1978 effort, shows the lessons that Andy
Partridge and crew had learned from such bands as Talking Heads and
The Clash – two bands that might not seem like they had much in
common with each other. What XTC tried to do on this album was to
merge the pure energy and aggression of punk with the quirkiness of
the blossoming New York New Wave scene. Unfortunately, they were
not completely successful.
Things start off strongly for XTC with “Meccanik Dancing (Oh We
Go!)”, a song that dares you not to get sucked into the groove that
they lay down. The problem is that Partridge and crew don’t follow
it up with strong material. “Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)”
just seems to drag on, and saps the energy level they started with
down to a dangerous level.
It will take time before you get back into
Go 2, though tracks like “Crowded Room” and “Red” do the
trick. If only the remainder of the album could continue in such a
vein; the remaining tracks, while okay, are just average fare for
your ears. Nothing leaps out and demands your attention; for all
you could know, “Beatown” could be “Jumping In Gomorrah” if you
weren’t paying attention to the liner notes.
Now, I will admit that I first made the mistake of listening to
Go 2 on a small boom box set at low volume; the difficulty
with this is that the quirks of the music can’t be heard clearly.
Popping it into the tape deck of my car at full blast helped things
markedly. (Maybe that’s the secret to this album; you have to
listen to it at high volume.)
Go 2 is an average album from an above-average band who I
happen to expect more from. Maybe long-time fans of the band will
find more enjoyment in this one than I did; either way, I don’t
think it’s the place to start your XTC collection at.