Psonic Psunspot

Psonic Psunspot
Studio album by The Dukes of Stratosphear
Released August 1987
Recorded Sawmills Studios, Fowey, Cornwall, in June 1987
Genre Avant-pop[1]
Length 35:44
Label Virgin
Producer John Leckie, The Dukes
XTC chronology
Skylarking
(1986)Skylarking1986		 Psonic Psunspot
(1987)		 Oranges & Lemons
(1989)Oranges & Lemons1989
Singles from Psonic Psunspot
  1. "You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)/Vanishing Girl"
    Released: July 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]
Pitchfork(8.4/10) [3]
Q [4]
Robert Christgau(B+) [5]

Psonic Psunspot is the second album by English rock band the Dukes of Stratosphear, a sideproject of XTC, released in 1987. Also counted as XTC's tenth studio album, it is a follow-up to 25 O'Clock (1985).

In 2002, the website Pitchfork listed the album at 66 on their "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s," calling the songs "a surreal rock-opera of opaque, hallucinogenic wonder." [6]

Music

Some of its tracks were rejected XTC songs ("Shiny Cage", "Little Lighthouse", and "You're My Drug").[7] Like the previous album 25 O'Clock, this album is inspired by 1960s psychedelia. It showcases a variety of songs meant to evoke specific groups of that period (for instance, the Hollies on "Vanishing Girl", the Byrds on "You're My Drug", The Kinks on "You're a Good Man, Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)", Paul McCartney on "Brainiac's Daughter", and the Beach Boys on "Pale and Precious"). During this time, another song entitled "Martian Enslavement 1970" was written for the album but never recorded. Some critics, such as Pitchfork Media in their review of Chips from the Chocolate Fireball, argue that the members of XTC, free from the pressures of writing "serious" songs, turn in tunes superior to those on official XTC albums of the period.

Release

The album was released in its original form on vinyl and cassette, accompanied with the "You're A Good Man Albert Brown" single and the promotional-only "Vanishing Girl" single. A simultaneous CD release entitled Chips from the Chocolate Fireball incorporated all of the tracks from 25 O'Clock and Psonic Psunspot with different packaging. Later, a remastered and expanded version of Psonic Psunspot was released on 20 April 2009 by Andy Partridge's Ape House record label. This edition is credited to "XTC as The Dukes of Stratosphear".

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Andy Partridge, except where noted.

Side A ("In Side")
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Vanishing Girl"Colin Moulding2:45
2."Have You Seen Jackie?" 3:21
3."Little Lighthouse" 4:31
4."You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)" 3:39
5."Collideascope" 3:22
Side B ("Out Side")
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You're My Drug" 3:20
2."Shiny Cage"Moulding3:17
3."Brainiac's Daughter" 4:04
4."The Affiliated"Moulding2:31
5."Pale and Precious" 4:54

Also includes the promotional video for "You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)" as a QuickTime file.

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Grimstad, Paul. "What is Avant-Pop?". Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Cater, Evan. "Review: The Dukes of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Dahlen, Chris. "Review: The Dukes of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Cranna, Ian. "Review: The Dukes of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot". Q. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Review: The Dukes of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  6. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/4/
  7. ↑ Williams, Harvey S. (1988). "Strange Things Are Happening".
  8. ↑ http://www.chalkhills.org/articles/XTCFans20070107.html
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