Playground

Recorded live to 24-track digital at our most recent show. My band The Dukes of Simpleton is an XTC tribute project, so no we didn't write it, but I'm pretty sure we're the only people playing any XTC songs live in a 1000 mile radius.

No edits, no auto-tune. Just a bunch of compression, a little reverb and some EQ. Only 19 more songs to go. *sigh*

Credit where credit's due, to the incredible Andy Partridge, one of the greatest pop writers of the last 50 years, and my favorite bassist, Colin Moulding. Also, thanks to David Barrow for dragging an entire van full of equipment to the club in order to make this happen.

I'm your lonesome mixing engineer.

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posted by Devils Rancher (8 comments total)

Indeed, Partridge has written some magnificent songs: he's certainly one of the most creative and adventurous living songwriters.

So, that's a helluva good job you've done with this cover. Impressive! I'm especially fond of many of the songs on their 1992 release Nonsuch. I wonder, does your band do (or plan to do) any of those? I swear, I love just about all of those songs... I was gonna list a few faves, but they're all just so damn good, they're pretty much all faves!

Wait... wait... Upon snooping around the Dukes of Simpleton link, I see you've done Peter Pumpkinhead as well as Books Are Burning. Ant plans to do, say, Crocodile? Holly Upon Poppy?

I'm checking out some of your videos now. That's one fine cover band you've got there! You're all obviously fine musicians, and your vocalist, wow, he's really up to the job, and that's no small feat! As far as you're aware, have Partridge Or Moulding ever heard any of these?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:15 PM on May 10, 2008

Here's another bit of encouragement to continue with this project. I love Partridge's lyrics and I listened to your Ballet/Umbrellas which is one of my all time faves. I can't believe you tackled that one, so rich, complex and well done.
posted by haunted by Leonard Cohen at 5:31 PM on May 10, 2008

Yeah, kudos on pulling off 1000 umbrellas *genuflects*. This must be so much fun to take apart these songs and put them back together again.

There are so many to learn! Earn enough for us, respectable street, the man who sailed across his soul, 10 feet tall, senses working overtime, optimism's flames.

Make sure to post the vanishing girl either on your site or here. I'd love to hear that one.
posted by umbú at 8:21 PM on May 10, 2008

Nonsuch is pretty stellar front to back, but to far all we've done off of it are Peter Pumpkinhead, My Bird Performs and Books Are Burning. Oh, and we played Rook once, but no one knew what to make of it, so it fell by the wayside. Crocodile has come up in conversation, & I'd like to do That Wave. My daughter was born in '92, and she had a "Dino-rocker" that she rode like a maniac when she was two, so Holly Up on Poppy has a special place for me, but that one would be tough. Our latest moment of mass insanity was to think that we could pull off Scarecrow People, and although we played it at the show, it really wasn't ready to go, and it chock full-o-clams. We are to day, so far as I know, the only humans on earth who have ever performed You're the Wish You Are I Had live. It was also a moment of temporary insanity. This shit's hard!
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:36 PM on May 10, 2008

I couldn't say for a fact that Partridge or Moulding have any clue about us, but I did exchange a couple of emails with Dave Gregory about sting arrangements, which he sadly could not provide me, because he doesn't technically own them. Kinda sad, huh?

I have this delusion that at some point in the next two years, we're gonna do all of Skylarking as a show, with a string section. That'll be an actual event.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:40 PM on May 10, 2008

Skylarking front to back actually came to mind when I heard this! You should definitely do it.
posted by umbú at 5:37 AM on May 11, 2008

we're gonna do all of Skylarking as a show, with a string section...
Oh Jeez, be sure to post a meet-up for that one! That would be incredibly tempting.
posted by haunted by Leonard Cohen at 7:49 AM on May 11, 2008

Awesome (and not just because I was listening to Science Friction on the way to work this morning.)
posted by Jofus at 4:28 AM on May 13, 2008