Disco de XTC: “Drums and Wires [2001 Reissue]”

Sometimes, when I haven't listened to this album in a while, I forget how great it is. This is often regarded as the first "true" XTC album, as it begins to create the "Beatle-based pop" sound for which the band is now (somewhat) famous, rather than the organ-heavy pseudo-punk of the first two albums (which are also good, by the way). It kicks off with XTC's first hit single, "Making Plans For Nigel," followed by the frantic "Helicopter." Other highlights include the tongue-twisting "Outside World" (about not wanting to know what depressing things are going on in the world, a subject with which I can often identify), the cautionary fantasy (or mockery thereof, perhaps) of "Scissor Man," and the world-weary "Complicated Game." There are also odes to the overwhelming feeling of being in love ("When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty" and "Ten Feet Tall"), and social commentaries on such issues as factory work ("Day In Day Out"), lack of privacy ("Real By Reel"), and devotion to the automobile ("Roads Girdle The Globe"). A great aspect of this album is the way that the music fits the mood of each song. "Making Plans For Nigel" is mechanical; the whirring sounds of "Helicopter" bring an actual helicopter to mind; "Roads Girdle The Globe" is noisy and droning; and "Complicated Game" is delightfully paranoid. I wouldn't say this is XTC's best work (that would be Skylarking), but it is an all-around wonderful album.

"Go 2" showed a band with an increased focus; "Drums & Wires" showed the band backing up that focus with songwriting. It's about the same quality level because about the same number of songs hit, but this is the first XTC album where you can actually pick out distinct, fully-developed songs which in a weird universe might actually come close to being on the radio. I'm speaking of "Making Plans For Nigel," "Ten Feet Tall," and "Life Begins At The Hop," three sublime tracks which showed that Colin Moulding had actually developed talent beyond his superb bass skills. The addition of second guitarist Dave Gregory also helped the band discover a more full, meaty sound than before (Steve Lillywhite's production is also to thank for this) which helped toughen up the material. Only a few duff songs and a surprising lack of energy throughout (very noticeable compared to the last two albums) keeps this from achieving pure greatness. Buy it anyway; it takes a few listens to sink in yet it's very rewarding if you give it time.

What I like about "Drums and Wires" is that it doesn't start off strong and then dissipates. It's good all the way through. Am I the only one obsessed with the song "helicopter"? Anyway, the songs are catchy and sometimes weird, which adds to the quality. This is the epitome of good pop music.

Although their first two albums have their moments, neither WHITE MUSIC nor GO 2 had any sense of artistic direction and lacked the craft that would be characteristic of Andy and Colin's songs later in their career. With the addition of Dave Gregory on guitar(this was his first album with the band), XTC grew into a band that exceeded the boundary of their "new wave" musical ghetto.

Colin Moulding's songs show him flowering as a songwriter. "Making plans for Nigel" was a huge step up for the band and one of their first big hit singles. Likewise, Andy Partridge showed a continuing growth as a songwriter. Initially, he was the better songwriter of the two. Here, Andy shows an uncanny way with strange song structures and melodies(not unlike...Lennon & McCartney).

The bonus tracks are, curiously, stuck in the middle of the album(like most of the Virgin/Geffen cd issues). While, this is distracting, it doesn't disturb the continuity as much as WHITE MUSIC & BLACK SEA.

A minor bit of trivia...the original English issue has "Are you receiving me?" listed on the cd(and the booklet), but the track isn't on the cd. Also, "Chain of Command" and "Limelight" are not listed on the cd, nor are they listed on the booklet. They are(horray!) on the cd at the very end as bonus tracks, not the middle of the cd(making for an unexpected and pleasant surprise!)

A fine XTC album--a pity the band couldn't have had both Dave and Barry Andrews(their former keyboardist)in the band--what a sound they would have made together! Oh, and Terry Chambers plays terrifically throughout the album, too.

It's the summer of 1979. You've just graduated high school. You're eighteen and know everything about EVERYTHING, especially music. Then one day, quite by accident, you discover you don't know ANYTHING. It seems that somewhere in merry old England (the armpit of Swindon, I believe) a group of four very sharp young men have created something unlike anything you've ever heard before. Each cut on the album proves to be stranger, fresher, and more glorious than the last. In Roads Girdle the Globe, the guitars sound like steamrollers, the drums like jackhammers. In Millions, the band transports you to the exotic far East, dips you in the Yangtze, rinses years of radio pablum from your spongey little brain. All with guitars ad drums... like the Beatles' loopy cousins sending messages from a parallel universe... Drums and Wires is a freaking revelation. And you know what? Twenty-plus years later, it's still as fresh as the day it was released. It still beats the hell out of anything being recorded today. Drums and Wires is pure XTC. Buy this album, and play it LOUD.