Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song

Posts Tagged XTC

Archive

April 22, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

XTC – This Is Pop: Film

XTC: This Is Pop Directors: Roger Penny, Charlie Thomas Special Treats Distribution We open with Andy Partridge giving us one of those I’m not gonna give you a quote-quotes: “Rockumentaries, I really dislike them. They always have that lugubrious keyboard player from that prog rock group…” Cue interview snippet from Rick Wakeman.
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Andy Partridge, Barry Andrews, Charlie Thomas, Colin Moulding, Dave Gregory, Doc, Doco, Documentary, Film, Film Review, Movie, Rick Wakeman, Roger Penny, Terry Chambers, This Is Pop, Todd Rundgren, XTC, XTC - This Is Pop: Film, XTC: This Is Pop, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

November 9, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

Back To The Future: The DVD Player as CD Player – Strange Revelation

Last night I found an old DVD player – I remember buying it a few years back, using it for a while, but it wouldn’t play any multi-zone discs and so it was tucked away in a cabinet. I bought an even cheaper model ($19.99 in a supermarket) and that one works brilliantly; plays everything. […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Albums, Back To The Future, Back To The Future: The DVD Player as CD Player - Strange Revelation, Barb Jungr, Burns, Burnt, CD, CD Player, Christopher O'Riley, Copies, David Axelrod, Discman, DVD, DVD Player, Favourites, Felix Da Housecat, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, LP, Madlib, Music, Music Collection, Nostalgia, Quasimoto, Range, Records, Strange Revelation, The Black Crowes, The Dukes of Stratosphear, The DVD Player as CD Player, Vinyl, XTC ·

Archive

June 20, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

From The Archives: The Todd Rundgren Interview

A few years ago Todd Rundgren toured New Zealand with a ‘blues’ show. It wasn’t very good – but the two-song encore (I Saw The Light and Can We Still Be Friends) was worth the price of admission. I wish he’d tour here again, maybe with his solo piano show, with anything in fact… I […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Archives, Arena, From The Archives: The Todd Rundgren Interview, Interview, NZ Tour, Robert Johnson, Skylarking, Something/Anything, The Todd Rundgren Interview, Todd, Todd Rundgren, Todd Rundgren's Johnson, XTC ·

Archive

January 18, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

Field Music (Measure): A Work of Genius

Field Music (Measure) is the third album by British band Field Music. The band is basically brothers David and Peter Brewis (with some occasional outside help). Have you heard it? Do you know about them? I’d heard the name before but I hadn’t heard the band’s 2005 debut Field Music, nor the follow-up from 2007, […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged A Work of Genius, Abbey Road, David Brewis, Field Music, Field Music (Measure), Field Music (Measure): A Work of Genius, Led Zeppelin, Measure, Paul McCartney, Peter Brewis, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Todd Rundgren, Tones of Town, Wings, XTC ·

Archive

May 30, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

The Monkees: Good Times!

The Monkees Good Times! Rhino Records Perhaps no one expected that a new album by The Monkees in 2016 would get rave reviews, but Good Times! is deserving of a great gush. For a start it’s fun (with an exclamation mark to remind us – though it almost evokes that famous question-mark from those hippie-times, […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 50th Anniversary, Adam Schlesinger, Album Review, Andy Partridge, Ben Gibbard, Death Cab For Cutie, Fountains of Wayne, Good Times, Harry Nilsson, Mickey Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Monkees, Neil Diamond, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Peter Tork, Rivers Cuomo, The Monkees, Weezer, XTC ·

Archive

February 7, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 97 Post-Punk

The early eighties in Wellington was the best place and the soundtrack for me was what I suppose you would call post punk. It was a new type of music and I loved it – Echo and XTC, Furs and the Cure, Magazine and Joy Division, Dexy’s and Only Ones, Stranglers and Members, Japan and […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1980s, Art, Barry Jenkin, Beat Rhythm Fashion, Buzzcocks, Dexys Midnight Runners, Echo and The Bunnymen, Gang of Four, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Heaven Up Here, Hoodoo Gurus, Hunters and Collectors, Japan, Jon Mcleary, Joy Division, Life in The Fridge Exists, Magazine, Music, Naked Spots Dance, New Romantics, Over The Wall, Painting, Pere Ubu, post-punk, Robert Smith, Shoes This High, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Spines, The Cure, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 97 Post-Punk, The Gordons, The Mekons, The Members, The Only Ones, The Skeptics, The Spines, The Steroids, Toy Love, Violent Femmes, War Stories, War Stories # 97, Wellington, Wire, Write Studio, Writing, XTC ·

Archive

August 6, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

Analog Birds: Anti-Presence (ep)

Analog Birds Anti-Presence Mount Valley/Bandcamp It’s Analog Birds’ first collection of all-new music since 2007, it’s just an EP, just 4 tracks (but also just $2 via Bandcamp) and it is a delightful set of songs – there’s more in the seven minutes of Exit Visa than in the full career of many bands. It’s […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Analog Birds, Anti-Presence, Bandcamp, Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Dirty Projectors, Elephant 6, EP, Todd Rundgren, XTC ·

Archive

July 15, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

The Veils: Time Stays, We Go

The Veils Time Stays, We Go Pitch Beast Recordings In just under a decade The Veils have offered four albums and a couple of EPs and the quality of this output has, for the most part, been high. It’s easy for some to get annoyed with the cute parts of the back-story, Finn Andrews is […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Finn Andrews, The Veils, Time Stays, We Go, XTC ·

Archive

December 7, 2012 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1449

XTC, Skylarking (1986) “I had never had something as difficult as working with XTC. I was fully aware of ‘The Syndrome’ – which is to say, I was a fan. I listened to the records, I followed the band and I knew the band’s dynamic. And by the time I got to working with them Andy’s stage fright meant […]
Posted in The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, Skylarking, The Meeting Place, Todd Rundgren, XTC ·

Archive

June 3, 2011 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1979

Field Music, Field Music (Measure) (2010) One of my favourite albums of last year was this, the third by Field Music. It was my first time hearing an album by the band. I loved it so much I picked up their first two albums. And I wrote this rave about the Measure album. So I’m […]
Posted in The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged David Byrne, Field Music, Field Music (Measure), Led Zeppelin, Measure, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Todd Rundgren, Vinyl, Wings, XTC ·

Popular

  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • Ricky Gervais: SuperNature
  • Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Dirt Does Dylan
  • Top Gun – Maverick: Film
  • Apparently The 30 Best Horror Films Of All Time
  • R.I.P. Vangelis
  • Sweetman Podcast: Episode 73 – Janna Lapidus Leblanc

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Blog Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Poetry Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spines Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2022 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press