Apple Box

XTC are Britain's great hidden musical treasure.This collection of their two most recent albums is a real bargain. Volume 1, their 'orchoustic' masterpiece, is full of achingly beautiful, touching, romantic and quirky songs. Volume 2, previously released as Wasp Star, includes several bright and sparky guitar based tracks, along with a few where frankly Andy Partridge sounds like he's indulging in some pastiches - tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Paul Simon and then Sting - but even these songs are still worth a listen, or several. (Except perhaps Wounded Horse.) Many others you'll never want to stop playing.The demo discs might be more useful for completists or for those musicians and songwriters who are interested in the evolution of songs from first mumbled lyrics on cassette to finished composition played by 40 piece orchestra at Abbey Road.The booklet notes are entertaining and informative too, as each writer explains how the songs were inspired.A fine collection from a wonderful and sadly neglected band.

This is a 4 disk package:Disk 1: Apple Venus 1 gets a 5 out of 5. If you like orchestral pop it's for you. If you're into XTC it's up there with Skylarking, Oranges & Lemons and Nonsuch.Disk 2: Wasp Star gets a 3 1/2 out of 5. There's something missing in the last XTC LP. Perhaps it's the influence of Dave Gregory that is absent, or perhaps it is the inclusion of the tracks Brown Guitar and Wounded Horse (both written by Andy Partridge. Both serviceable tunes, but both equally missing the mark. Listen to some of Andy Partridge's Fuzzle Warbles series of CDs, and you'll hear superior tracks that would have made Wasp Star a better swan song, namely, Young Marrieds, End Of The Pier, When We Get To England, Tiny Circus Of Life, I Don't Know What Truth Is Anymore and My Land Is Burning (although I'd drop the Daily Mailesque melodrama lyrics about crack addict skaters). At least Bland Leading The Bland didn't make it to Wasp Star, and for that I am thankful).Disks 3 & 4: Demos of the Apple Venus and Wasp Star Albums. These disks get a 2 out of 5. The most interesting tracks on here are the Colin Moulding ones. The Andy Partridge tracks are generally so like the final LP versions that they are unnecessary. The Man Who Murdered Love demos being the exception. (To be honest, these Demo LPs and the instrumental versions of Apple Venus and Wasp Star (available elsewhere) are all lesser releases that the XTC canon could do without, and I'd therefore recommend only getting the Apple Venus and Wasp Star LPs individually (if you can get them at a cheaper price).