Genre: New Wave, Art Pop, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock
Year Of Release: 1984/2023
Duration: 04:00:20
Label: Galileo
Quality: Blu-ray
Bit rate: 24/96, 24/48, 16/48
Format: DTS HD-MA, Dolby True HD, LPCM
Number of channels: 5.1, 7.1 w Atmos, 2.0
“The Big Express is the closest we’ve come to a concept album. It’s full of Swindon and the depths of life there that run through me, Colin and Dave (and Terry, of course). It is populated by members of our families, our hopes and dreams. The things we wished for or feared, a stew of memories.” – Andy Partridge
XTC’s seventh album, “The Big Express”, was virtually ignored upon its release, much like its immediate predecessor “Mummer”. If “Mummer” was XTC’s quiet album, “The Big Express” was the exact opposite: bright, shrill, loud – occasionally even overloaded when the song demanded it – as it became a kind of concept album, a partly autobiographical reflection on growing up in an industrial town, Swindon, with its history of engineering and railways.
Perhaps in keeping with this tradition of technical innovation, the album also made extensive use of (then) new technologies such as Linn drum programming (alongside drummer Peter Phipps), the E-mu emulator and other synthesizers, which took its place in the classic guitar, bass and drum line-up, and helped support the vocals.
This technology was juxtaposed with that of a slightly earlier pop/rock era, when phasing, tapes played backwards and the use of the Mellotron hinted at a psychedelic influence that would become more prominent with the band’s next project – “The Dukes of Stratosphear”. With XTC no longer touring, the sound was radically different from any previous XTC album, in a musical climate where the top end of the charts was mirrored by national radio, delivering the most mainstream output in years: Lionel Richie, Sade, Spandau Ballet, Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Queen – Frank Sinatra’s last solo studio album…. the space for a metallic post-punk concept album about growing up amidst the ghosts of Swindon’s industrial heritage was not there.
Of course, the songs were as good as on any other XTC album – a very high standard indeed – but they went largely unheard. Given this position, it would be easy to conclude that the timing of the album was wrong. But the best musicians follow the music and allow time to catch up with them; which is exactly what happened when XTC released their next album “Skylarking” in 1986. Just as the reputation (and sales figures) of “Mummer” have risen over the years, “The Big Express” is now considered a neglected classic of its era.
Now the album has been remixed by Steven Wilson in stereo, 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos to bring out the full impact and power of the album. Studio-quality audio samples have already been given to an invited audience in London and LA at the L-Acoustics studios. The reaction was collective amazement at the many new details and the clarity of the Atmos mixes. As always with XTC, the complete package on the Blu-ray disc includes every recorded song from that era, from the demos to the aforementioned Spatial Audio mixes.
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CD + BLU RAY set. 2014 remix by Steven Wilson in 5.1 Surround & stereo + original stereo + instrumental versions + bonus tracks incl session takes & alt mixes + promo film clips + sleeve-notes by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding & Dave Gregory. Third album,
Artist: XTC
Title: Drums and Wires [The Surround Sound Series] Genre: Alternative rock, pop rock, new wave
Label: © Ape House Ltd.
Release Date: 1979/2014
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Recorded: June–July 1979 at The Town House, London
Size: 34GB
• BD Audio
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 1000 kbps 1920*1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 / 192 kHz / 9216 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English LPCM 5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 / 96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 96 kHz / 8623 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
• Extras Video
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 24916 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 / 96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit (more…)
Artist: XTC
Title: Skylarking
Genre: Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Art Rock, Psychedelic Pop, New Wave, Neo-Psychedelia, Post Punk
Label: © Ape House Ltd.
Release Date: 2016
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: ~
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 2999 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 / 96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 96 kHz / 8243 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: English LPCM 5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit
Size: 30.99 GB
Skylarking is the fourth in a series of remixed and expanded XTC albums. For many music fans, the band’s Todd Rundgren produced 8th album is *the* classic XTC album, and therefore the one for which there has been the most demand for a 5.1 surround mix. The album has been remixed in both new stereo and 5.1 surround sound by Steven Wilson with input from Andy Partridge, and is fully approved by XTC.
Blu-Ray features:
– 5.1 surround album mix in 24bit/96khz in LPCM and DTS HD MA
– The new stereo album mix in 24bit/96khz LPCM audio
– The four additional songs from the album sessions in both stereo and 5.1
– The original (uncorrected polarity) stereo album mix hi-res stereo
– The original (corrected polarity) stereo album mix in hi-res stereo
– Instrumental versions of all new mixes in 24bit/96khz LPCM audio
– A complete alternate album in demo form based on Todd Rundgren’s original sequence
– Numerous additional demo & work tape sessions showing the evolution of the album and associated recordings
– Promo films for “Dear God and “Grass” (more…)
Artist: XTC
Title: Oranges & Lemons
Genre: New Wave, Pop Rock
Label: © Ape House – APEBD109
Release Date: 1989/2015
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: 06:42:38 + 00:25:16 (Video)
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 2749 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 2.0 / 192 kHz / 6006 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 192 kHz / 9216 kbps / 24-bit
Size: 37,5 GB
Oranges And Lemons is the third in a series of expanded XTC album reissues, including 5.1 Surround mixes, new stereo mixes and High-Resolution stereo mixes by Steven Wilson, along with a wealth of extra audio and visual material.
Steven Wilson produced the mixes with the input of founder band member Andy Partridge and the full approval of the band.
* Blu-ray (Region 0, NTSC) features:
Presented in 24bit/96khz LPCM Audio:
– Album mixed in 5.1 Surround.
– Steven Wilson stereo mix and original album mix in High Resolution stereo.
Blu-Ray exclusive material includes:
* Two separate sets of demo and work tape sessions showing the evolution of the album and associated recordings; one set of pre-recording rehearsals, promos and ID links for radio stations and record companies; a collection of single mixes and XTC’s version of Captain Beefhearts Ella Guru.
* Promo films for The Mayor of Simpleton (3 versions), King for a Day and a Road to Oranges & Lemons, a rarely seen home-made film by the band explaining the album (and themselves!) to Geffen Records USA. (more…)
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Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Baroque Pop
Media: Blu-Ray
Publishing year: 1992
Publisher (label): Panegyric
Audio Codec: DTS-HD MA 5.1 (48 kHz / 4799 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM 5.1 (96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM 2.0 (96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit)
Type rip: BD.iso
Duration: 1:09:01
Size: 33.4 GB
Nonsuch is the first in a series of expanded XTC album editions including 5.1 Surround mixes, new stereo mixes and High-Resolution stereo mixes of the original material along with a wealth of extra audio and visual material.
Steven Wilson has produced the new mixes with the input of founder band member Andy Partridge and the full approval of the band.
Presented in special packaging with an expanded booklet and sleeve-notes by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory, this is the cd and blu-ray version.
• The album has been mixed for 5.1 Surround Sound from the original studio masters by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) with the input of founder band member Andy Partridge and the full approval of the band.
• CD features a completely new stereo album mix by Steven Wilson and non-album track Didn’t Hurt a Bit.
• Blu-Ray features:
– an LPCM 5.1 Surround mix (24bit/96khz) mixed from the original multi-track tapes, with a DTS-HD Master Audio stream at 24/48.
– the new stereo album mix – LPCM at 24/96.
– exclusive instrumental versions of all new mixes
– exclusive Andy Partridge home demos and Colin Moulding work tapes for songs written for the album and contemporaneously.
– filmed footage of the band working on the album in Chipping Norton Studios.
– promo films for The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead and The Disappointed also feature on the Blu-Ray. (more…)
XTC – Black Sea (1980/2017) [FLAC 2.0 & 5.1]
FLAC 2.0 (tracks) Stereo 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 49:55 minutes | 1,06 GB
FLAC 5.1 (tracks) Multichannel 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 49:55 m | 2,56 GB
BD-Audio Rip | Features Stereo & Multichannel Mixes | Artwork: Front cover
More Power Rock than Power Pop, when released in September 1980, the album became XTC’s first Top 20 chart album in the U.K., narrowly missed the Top 40 (No. 41) in the USA where it was issued in November, but spent an impressive 24 weeks on the Billboard chart nonetheless. The sense of immediacy, the rush of a band fully living up to its potential is as apparent now as it was when the album first came out & Steven Wilson’s new stereo & 5.1 mixes bring out every nuance of the original performances on what was, already, one of the best engineered & produced albums of the era. (more…)
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