Search - Andy Partridge :: Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album

Greetings From the Recording Shed

jokamachi | california | 10/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"John Wesley Harding once wrote a wonderfully witty song called 'When the Beatles hit America,' a lyrical narrative of a dream the guitarist had, one in which the Beatles reunite and tour the US with a new album. After hearing the latest recording by the long-defunct pop-group, Harding quips, "It didn't sound a lot like P.S. I Love You... but it did sound like XTC... it sounded a LOT like XTC."



And that comparison continues to this day. Andy Partridge has been the brain trust of XTC for over twenty five years and even at this late date he shows no sign of letting up in his quest to produce muscially lush, lyrically dense pop songs, the sort we rarely hear these days. Every record the man has crafted has, in many ways, carried forward the musical inventiveness of that band to which Harding compared XTC.



Though one would not call this a proper "album," Fuzzy Warbles might as well be. Listening to this collection of richly-crafted, so-called demos is the musical equivalent of reaching into the grab bag of eternal promise with few, if any, disappointments. True, the compilation spans many years, but you wouldn't know it as the variety of the songwriting is supported by the meticulous care with which Partridge pursues his craft. Andy never shirks his duties, and even the weakest of tracks provides a unique bridge or lyric worthy of further attention.



Fun fun fun."

A treasure trove.........

simpon | dorset | 01/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"..........just waiting to be plundered.

Some of this stuff you would only need to listen to once but much much more remaining to go some way to make up for the fact that it looks like XTC have left the building for good.



how they were never recognised and rewarded as one of the finest bands of their era is utterly beyond me."

Some collected samples from Mr. Partridge's Musical Gland

E.I.E.I. Owen | Philadelphia, Pa United States | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the bowels of Muscle Sheds and the back cupboard of Shabby Road Andy Partridge has given his fans the most comprehensive collection of demo recordings and out-takes ever assembled in one place by one artist (Pete Townshend's "Scoop" series notwithstanding.)



This collection was released as individual CD's via Andy's APE imprint and now you can get the whole kit and caboodle in a very attractive box made to resemble a child's stamp book with a nice booklet by Andy describing his experiences in home recording.

The earliest recording dates back from "Drums & Wires" and continue all the way to the last XTC album, also included are other anomalies like Andy's outgoing phone messages made for friends, scraps of ideas for songs, completed songs for film projects and other outside projects. There is also an added CD called "Hinges" which contains more material only available with this set.



The sound quality ranges from "ok" to studio quality due to the technology that was available at the time. Some of the recordings were mastered from cassettes so do not expect hi-fi all the time but do expect many musical gems.



This is not for the occasional XTC fan; this is for the hardcore fan. Keep in mind that we are dealing with demo recordings and not necessarily finished songs. Some songs do not have any lyrics just Andy humming a melody over guitar chords or are completely different from the released recordings. Nevertheless, if you are a fan you will get this, you should get this. So, go get it.





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