XTC – The Big Express (1984)

On my bike ride round the reservoir this morning, I listened to a podcast with XTC's Andy Partridge, in which this album featured heavily, having recently been given the Steven Wilson treatment, in Atmos and 5.1 mixes (typed as if I know what that means) and re-released.

I was given this as a Christmas present on vinyl on release by my brother (who I suspect also wanted to hear it himself) so it's a very familiar listen.

Beginning with the clanky chords of Colin Moulding's Wake Up, which works so well as an album opener, we're quickly into the lovely nautical All You Pretty Girls. Shake You Donkey Up is a quick throwaway piece of nothing, but it's followed by the jaunty, enjoyable Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. We end the first half with This World Over, Partridge's beautiful post-apocalyptic piece of fatalism.

The second half bursts into life with the very Kinks/Small Faces The Everyday Story Of Smalltown, followed by the personal and direct attack on a former manager in I Bought Myself A Liarbird. Reign Of Blows kicks in with a train like drum beat and harmonica whistle - it's moody and looming, but not the strongest. It's followed by two easy, gentle songs, Partridge's You're The Wish You Are I Had, and Moulding's I Remember The Sun before the album ends with the atmospheric and powerful Train Running Low On Slow Coal, which has the feel of an almost-but-not-quite XTC classic ending. It's a manic piece of fun, where harmony and melody occasionally break out to bring the original album to a conclusion.

On this reissue, there are three additional tracks. Red Brick Dream plods along in a dreamy acoustic mood piece, Wash Away is a much more bouncy singalong number, while Blue Overall is a thumping bluesy song.

This was probably the band's least commercially successful album (outsold two to one by their Dukes Of Stratosfear parody 25 O'Clock, even before it became known that The Dukes were XTC), coming in the lull between the and ceasing to tour and the success of Skylarking, but there are still a number of great songs here, and much to enjoy.

Link to full album (Steven Wilson remix)

4* - possibly XTC's weakest album, but still lots of great stuff