XTC Drums And Wires VIRGIN 1st Press A1//B2 EX+

	£		24
	$		32

A BREAKDOWN OF THE ARTIST/S :-

Formed in Wiltshire, England, in 1972 as Star Park (Rats Krap backwards) this widely beloved UK pop unit became the Helium Kidz in 1973 with the addition of bass player Colin Moulding (Born 17 August 1955, Swindon, Wiltshire, England), drummer Terry Chambers (Born 16 July 1955, Swindon, Wiltshire, England) and a second guitarist Dave Cartner (Born Swindon, Wiltshire, England), to the nucleus of Andy Partridge (Born Andrew John Partridge, 11 November 1953; guitar, vocals). The Helium Kidz were heavily influenced by the MC5 and Alice Cooper. In 1975, Partridge toyed with two new names for the band, the Dukes Of Stratosphear and XTC (an obscure reference to a Jimmy Durante film). At this time singer Steve Hutchins passed through the ranks and in 1976 Johnny Perkins (keyboards) joined Moulding, Partridge and Chambers. Following auditions with Pye Records, Decca Records and CBS Records they signed with Virgin Records - at which time they were joined by new keyboard player Barry Andrews (Born 12 September 1956, West Norwood, London, England).

The band's sparkling 1978 debut, White Music, revealed a keener hearing for pop than the energetic new wave sound with which they were often aligned. The album reached number 38 in the UK charts and critics marked their name for further attention. Shortly after the release of Go 2, Andrews departed, eventually to resurface in Shriekback. Andrews and Partridge had clashed too many times in the recording studio. With Andrews replaced by another Swindon musician, Dave Gregory (Born 21 September 1952, Swindon, Wiltshire, England), both Go 2 and the following Drums And Wires were commercial successes. The latter album was a major step forward from the pure pop of the first two albums. The refreshingly hypnotic hit single "Making Plans For Nigel" (UK number 17) exposed them to a new and eager audience. Singles were regularly taken from their subsequent albums and they continued reaching the UK charts with high-quality pop songs, including "Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)" and the magnificently constructed "Senses Working Overtime", which reached the UK Top 10. The main songwriter, Partridge, was able to put his sharp observations and nursery rhyme influences to paper in a way that made his compositions vital while eschewing any note of pretension. The excellent double set English Settlement reached number 5 on the UK album charts in 1982, but with Chambers opting to leave the band it was the final album to feature a full-time drummer (although he contributed to two songs on the subsequent Mummer).

Partridge subsequently fell ill through exhaustion and nervous breakdowns, and announced that XTC would continue only as recording artists, including promotional videos but avoiding the main source of his woes, the stage. Subsequent albums found only limited success, with those of the Dukes Of Stratosphear, their psychedelic pop alter ego, reputedly selling more copies. Mummer, The Big Express and the highly underrated Todd Rundgren-produced Skylarking were all mature, enchanting works, but failed to set any charts alight. Oranges & Lemons captured the atmosphere of the late 60s perfectly, but this excellent album also offered a further, perplexing commercial mystery. While it sold 500,000 copies in the USA, it barely scraped into the UK Top 30. The highly commercial "The Mayor Of Simpleton" found similar fortunes, at a desultory number 46. The lyric from follow-up single "Chalkhills And Children" states: "Chalkhills and children anchor my feet/Chalkhills and children, bringing me back to earth eternally and ever Ermine Street."

In 1992 Nonsuch entered the UK album charts and two weeks later promptly disappeared. "The Disappointed", taken from that album, was nominated for an Ivor Novello songwriters award in 1993, but could just as easily have acted as a personal epitaph. In 1995 the Crash Test Dummies recorded "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" for the movie Dumb And Dumber and in turn reminded the world of Partridge's talent. Quite what he and his colleagues in the band, and Virgin Records, had to do to sell records remained uncertain. Partridge once joked that Virgin retained them only as a tax loss. It is debatable that if Partridge had not suffered from stage fright and a loathing of touring, XTC would have been one of the major bands of the 80s and would have sold millions of records. Those who are sensitive to the strengths of the band would rightly argue that this would have severely distracted Partridge and Moulding from their craft as songwriters.

After almost showing a profit the band decided to go on strike in 1992, they were finally released from their Virgin contract in 1996 and signed with the UK's Cooking Vinyl Records in late 1997. Following the departure of Gregory, who had tendered his resignation from the team, Partridge and Moulding broke their recording silence in 1999 with Apple Venus Volume 1. This proved to be their most successful record in many years, well reviewed and lapped up by their loyal fans. Their familiar guitar-based pop sound was augmented by some sumptuous orchestral arrangements. Sadly, these songs, like their earlier classics, are never likely to be performed on stage in front of an audience. The following year's Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) was even better. This beautifully produced record (by Nick Davis) shares the sumptuous sound of albums such as Skylarking. All of the band's influences coalesce like never before, from the riff-laden "Playground" to the Beach Boys' simplicity of "In Another Life" and "My Brown Guitar".

XTC remain one of the most original pop bands of the era and Partridge's lyrics place him alongside Ray Davies as one of the UK's most imaginative songwriters of all time. Moulding, although much less prolific, is the vital lung to Partridge's ever-pumping heart.

Discography:
White Music (Virgin 1978)***, Go 2 (Virgin 1978)***, Drums And Wires (Virgin 1979)****, Black Sea (Virgin/RSO 1980)***, English Settlement (Virgin/Epic 1982)***, Mummer (Virgin/Geffen 1983)***, The Big Express (Virgin/Geffen 1984)***, Skylarking (Virgin/Geffen 1986)****, Oranges & Lemons (Virgin/Geffen 1989)****, Nonsuch (Virgin/Geffen 1992)****, Live In Concert 1980 recording (Windsong 1992)***, Apple Venus Volume 1 (Cooking Vinyl/TVT 1999)****, Homespun (The Apple Venus Volume 1 Home Demos) (Cooking Vinyl/TVT 1999)***, Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (Cooking Vinyl/TVT 2000)****, Homegrown (The Wasp Star Home Demos) (Idea/TVT 2001)***.

Solo: Andy Partridge Fuzzy Warbles 1 (Ape 2002)***, Fuzzy Warbles 2 (Ape 2002)***, Fuzzy Warbles 3 (Ape 2002)***, Fuzzy Warbles 4 (Ape 2002)**, with Peter Blegvad Orpheus: The Lowdown (Ape 2004)***.

THE HISTORY OF THE RECORD :- Released on 17 August 1979. It reached No. 34 on the UK album chart, and No. 176 on the U.S. Billboard album charts. It contained the successful single "Making Plans for Nigel", which was released on 14 September 1979, and reached No. 17 on the UK singles chart. It also contained the original recording of "Ten Feet Tall", a re-recorded version of which was released in March 1980 in the U.S. only, as their first American single, designed to coincide with the band's first American tour. Certain versions of the album also include "Life Begins at the Hop", which was released on 27 April 1979, and reached No. 44 on the UK singles chart.

The album was rated #38 on Pitchfork Media's The Top Albums of the 1970s list.

"Making Plans for Nigel" has been covered by Primus on their EP Miscellaneous Debris, by Robbie Williams on his single Old Before I Die, by The Rembrandts on the tribute album A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC and by Nouvelle Vague on their self-titled debut album Nouvelle Vague

THE COVER :- Single non laminated sleeve

THE LABEL :- Virgin red and green labels

THE VINYL VISUALLY :- On initial inspection of this piece of vinyl I cannot see any areas of immediate concern. The vinyl sits perfectly flat on the turntable so there are no nasty warps to worry about. The vinyl still retains its just pressed quality, full of deep shine and lustre. I have only noted one light smudge on Side One track 1 that does not affect play. A lovely piece of vinyl. Visually graded as Excellent Plus condition

THE VINYL PLAY GRADED :- The playgrading of the vinyl reveals hardly any lessening in the sound quality. It lives up to its visual grading. There is hardly surface noise. What there is can be only heard on the run in and run out of tracks and extra quiet areas of the album. The sound quality is high with a full dynamic range and very detailed sound. I feel certain this album has been played carefully and stored well over the years. I would grade the audio playback as easily Excellent plus condition maybe close to Near Mint.

THE SLEEVE FRONT CONDITION :- This is the very earliest 1st press textured sleeve. The front of the sleeve is free from writing and free from stickers. There is evidence in the light of a previously removed sticker that has caused a tiny pice of damage in the green hair area, you can see this on the photo just above the hair parting. The sleeve reveals very very light ringwear and no creases. There is a tiny dink a couple of inches in from the spine, nothing significant but worth a mention. Just some very light corner wear finaly. The colours are bright and crisp and have a just pressed feel. I would grade the front of the cover giving everything into consideration as Excellent condition.

THE SLEEVE REAR CONDITION :- The rear of the sleeve is free from writing, free from stickers or evidence of previously removed stickers. There are no creases on the rear of the sleeve and no ringwear. Just some very light corner wear and one or two light marks. Nothing other than that to report. Again the rear still retains its original crisp colours and just pressed feel. I would grade the rear as easily Excellent Plus condition.

THE LABEL SIDE ONE CONDITION :- Original Virgin green label in excellent order free from stickers or writing and no damage at all, next to no signs of play around the spindle hole. Near Mint condition.

THE LABEL SIDE TWO CONDITION :- Original Virgin red label in excellent order free from stickers or writing and no damage at all, next to no signs of play around the spindle hole. Near Mint condition.

THE SPINE CONDITION :- The writing on the spine is crystal clear, no spine splits at all just very light signs of shelfwear in the two corners. Excellent Plus / Near Mint condition

THE INNER SLEEVE CONDITION :- Generic white polylined inner in Excellent condition with just some age related discolourment

THE EXTRAS :- No extras were given with this album

THE CATALOGUE NUMBER :- V 2129

THE YEAR OF RELEASE :-  1979

THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN :-  UK

PLAYING FORMAT :- STEREO

THE MATRIX NUMBERS :-  V 2129 A//1  &  V 2129 B//2

TRACK LISTING :-

SIDE ONE :-

1. MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL
2. HELICOPTER
3. DAY IN DAY OUT
4. WHEN YOU'RE NEAR ME I HAVE DIFFICULTY
5. TEN FEET TALL
6. ROADS GIRDLE THE GLOBE

SIDE TWO :-

1. REAL BY REEL
2. MILLIONS
3. THAT IS THE WAY
4. OUTSIDE WORLD
5. SCISSOR MAN
6. COMPLICATED GAME

WHAT WE PLAY THE RECORD ON :- 

We use a Project 6 Perspex Turntable to play grade our records which delivers a rich authoritative sound and achieves a rich and weighty vibrancy unrivalled by the majority of decks within its price range

HOW WE CLEAN YOUR RECORD :- 

We use a V.P.I. HW-16.5 record cleaning machine to clean your vinyl. "A highly recommended machine" as quoted by Stereophile magazine. This removes any excess dirt before playing

HOW WE PACKAGE YOUR RECORD :- 

Your record will be package very securely to minimise any risk of damage during transit. We remove the record from the outer sleeve unless asked not to do so. This helps to minimise the risk of seam spliting. We use a high quality record mailer which is designed to give superior protection for your vinyl record. We place stiffeners either side of the record for added protection. The album will also be placed in a 450 gram Poly outer sleeve for even extra added protection

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING CHARGES FOR UK CUSTOMERS :-

We advise that items reaching over £50 in price to be insured and sent by Special Delivery. This protects both of us and ensures better handling of the parcel during transit.We are in no way out to make money from postage. The postage price includes the record mailer, stiffeners and plastic sleeve. We just want your item to reach you in the best possible condition. A breakdown of insured postal services are listed below. Please choose to use the relevant postal service for your own protection as once these rare records are lost they can quite often seldom be replaced

SECOND CLASS RECORDED (INSURED UP TO £50) :- FREE

FIRST CLASS RECORDED (INSURED UP TO £50) :- £0.45

SPECIAL DELIVERY NEXT DAY UPTO 500g :- £3.80

SPECIAL DELIVERY NEXT DAY FROM 500g - 1000g :- £5.00

(SPECIAL DELIVERY INSURES YOUR ITEM UPTO £500)

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION :-    

All records reaching under £15 are sent to the European Union by Airmail small packets. We will not ship abroad without insured post for items reaching over £15

AIRMAIL SMALL PACKETS  :-  £6.22 (For items under £15)

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR :-  £11.37 (For items £15 - £50)

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR :-  £13.97 (For items £50 - £500)

(These prices are based on a package weight of no more than 500g and can vary for heavier packages)

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING FOR THE USA AND CANADA :- 

All records reaching under £15 are sent to the USA & Canada by Airmail small packets. We will not ship abroad without insured post for items reaching over £15

AIRMAIL SMALL PACKETS  :-  £8.78 (For items under £15)

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR :- £13.93 (For items £15 - £50)

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR :- £16.53 (For items £50 - £500)

(These prices are based on a package weight of no more than 500g and can vary for heavier packages)

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING FOR THE AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN AND ROW :- 

All records reaching under £15 are sent to the Australia & Japan by Airmail small packets. We will not ship abroad without insured post for items reaching over £15

AIRMAIL SMALL PACKETS :- £9.06 (For items under £15)

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR :- £14.21 (For items £15 - £50)

INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR :- £16.81 (For items £50 - £500)

(These prices are based on a package weight of no more than 500g and can vary for heavier packages)

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT PROFIT FROM POSTAGE, THE PRICES WE QUOTE ARE QUITE ACCURATE AND INCLUDE THE PACKAGING MATERIALS AT COST PRICE

NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS:

PLEASE AWAIT AN INVOICE BEFORE PAYING SO WE CAN WORK OUT THE CORRECT POSTAGE/SHIPPING CHARGES

BUYERS OF MULTIPLE ITEMS :- 

Postage prices and courier methods for multiple purchases will be calculated after the auction end. It is impossible for us at the pre auction stage to determine these prices as the final weight is unknown.If you are the winner of multiple items the please await contact from us or alternately contact us yourself for a breakdown of the shipping costs.You will only pay the stamp price + relevant packaging charges so there are big savings to be made with multiple purchases

HOW TO PAY FOR YOUR RECORD :-

We can accept the following payment methods

UK BUYERS :- 

• PayPal
• Personal cheque (Please allow to clear)
• Bankers Draft
• Postal Order

OVERSEAS BUYERS :-

• Paypal only

TERMS AND CONDITIONS :-

We always try to appraise the record for sale as openly and honestly as possible and provide plenty of pictures for you to look at but please be aware that errors however rare do occur and not everyone has the same audio  equipment. There is no problem that cannot be worked out in a civilised manner. We urge you to contact us so that we can discuss any small problems that may occur. We offer a refund of the purchase price for returned items within 7 days of purchase and are happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have during the auction

SAVE US TO YOUR FAVOURITES LIST AS WE INTEND TO LIST MANY MORE RARE VINYL TREATS OVER THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS