Dave Gregory, is the nicest musician that I’ve ever met and indeed, one of the finest human beings. A truly gentle soul and fabulous musician. A wise man listens when Dave Gregory speaks.
Yes, he is a lovely bloke. He's played in my friend's band for a time too on and off over the last 10 years or so. Interestingly, he talks about being in Chipping Norton Studios in '98. I think that's when I first bumped into him. Sadly, the studios are no longer there as they've been turned into flats I think.
I will never not be upset over this band's demise. When they were firing on all cylinders, there wasn't a band on the planet that could touch them. They were so ridiculously talented and together, the magic they made is undeniable. I've often wondered who was XTC's XTC? I won't ever hold my breath for a reunion - those days are dead. But I'm thankful to have the days from them that we do.
Just saw EXTC in Seattle and it was awesome to see Terry Chambers live! He really is a fantastic drummer. Considering I wasn't born yet when they stopped touring, I will take what I can get.
It is no wonder he was for years Big Big Train's guitarist, a band full of correctly rated musicians :) Whoever had "drafted" him for BBT knew what he did!
Dave Gregory is famously one of the rock world's most modest and affable gentlemen, and the type of chap who'll get embarrassed if you refer to him as a phenomenal guitarist, which is exactly what he is. Despite the fact that he wasn't a songwriter, his contribution to the XTC sound was immense and can never be overstated. XTCs final album, Wasp Star, as brilliant as it was, just sounded a bit hollow and incomplete without Dave. XTC were quite simply the only band that could be compared to The Beatles, and Dave can feel immensely proud of the big part he played in that. XTC never made much money, which was criminal (and thanks mainly to the criminally shit deal they got from Richard Branson), but music history will remember XTC very fondly indeed, and that's something money can't buy.
Dave Gregory's work on every album of XTC is so outstanding good, he was the important, eguivalent third of the triangle Partrige-Moulding-Gregory. Always love in each song, when I hear him playing.
All problems they had were due to Andy's megalomaniac attitude. The guy is a brilliant musician and songwriter, but his ego got the in the way sometimes.
What Andy wanted XTC were stuck with & as much as i love the guy & the band the day Dave left XTC were finished as he was just so important to the band & sticking with it all through the strike years & to be treated so badly was just unforgivable & i for one am so happy for Dave now as he's still doing it with a couple of fantastic bands ? Sad sad end to friendship......
Yeah & as was put to him on Twitter recently, XTC are definitely NOT just Andy Partridge (as he's said so himself) yet he tweets as 'XTC' which I don't really agree with and seemed to make him incandescent with rage (and the usual Twitter sheeple mob) when it was put to him. Most people I know discovered XTC through Colin's early chart hits like 'Life Begins at the Hop', 'Making Plans for Nigel' & 'Generals & Majors' and without them, may well have been dropped from the label years before the 'strike'. Andy claims he 'wrote 75% of it' which may well be true but without the chart success of Colin's songs, a lot of his stuff may very well never have seen the light of day.
It's also notable that Dave says when Andy was away they recorded, mixed & finished all of Colin's songs with no apparent fuss. Todd Rundgren reckons because they don't tour, the band only exist when they're recording so Andy likes to try and prolong this process as long as possible. However, when you're skint - you obviously can't do this!
I agree. It's hard 2 imagine that without touring they could even exist in todays music industry. Bands don't make money off records anymore, mostly on touring.
Well said. Dave is such a modest and unassuming guy, but he contributed a huge amount to the XTC sound. I suppose what made Andy great also made him a pain in the arse at times, and sad (but right) for Dave to leave. Andy is of course the biggest reason for XTC being a great band, but they wouldn't have been great without Colin and Dave. Hope that time can calm the waters a bit between Andy and Dave, because they have each other to thank for making XTC great.
I saw XTC twice in the eighties. I loved them live, loved them on record, still love them. I could tell by Dave Gregory's body language on stage that he was a gentle soul. Sorry to hear about these problems. I have been vaguely aware of Andy Partridge 's mental hang ups and I tend to go easy on the whole lot of them. Their songs were so important. Let's not forget either about the creativity of Shriekback...
For anyone who's ever been in a band, even shitty ones (as I have), egos, conflicts, resentments, petty competitions, and more are an inevitable part of the very emotional process. Things can happen in a moment that change everything and nothing is the same again. Bands can be emotional entanglements very much like romantic relationships. I don't think breakups are ever NOT ugly.
It makes me sad and mad that XTC eventually dwindled down to Andy after he drove out everyone else. It's unforgiveable. I appreciate Dave Gregory walking us through the entire set of issues that led to him leaving.
Hopefully things can be patched and they can at least all be friends again. There is a marked difference in Apple Venus to Wasp Star. Dave's loss is huge.
I'd heard that Dave and Andy had patched things up. On Fuzzy Warbles 3 there's a recording of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' on which Dave plays everything and Andy provides the vocals. I remember reading in an interview with Andy that recreating Beatles tracks was Dave's hobby, and they'd got together to do this one.
Wow! Do you think I could potentially hire him to play on a record I'm producing for a singer/songwriter in New York City? How would I get in touch with him? Thanks in advance for replying.
Andy’s da man! But it ain’t possible to be ‘da man’ in utter isolation, with no one to at least say ‘You’re da man!’ And there’s plenty of us XTC fans queuing up to say that! Things change, people evolve, one minute magic, next minute war. If we XTC fans are only sad/greedy/impatient for more more more of the same, then the whole point and simple joy and love and positive passions of Andy Partridge’s Musical Genie are wasted on us. Now how about we all find our best headphones and a few of our favourite XTC songs and love ‘em all over again, not least the jangly guitars, bass, drums and backing vocals. Fresh as Daisies, I say. And if Dave, Prairie, Colin, Andy or Terry are reading this, then we love you and your good work, on repeat, for all time. And no, you can’t have your records, tapes and CDs back. Keep in touch, ya silly West Country wastrels, you. x!
For no reason, I felt like mentioning that I used to be shocked bands would break up, because look at the wonderful work they created. But then I found myself in a (non-musical) creative team where the work we did together was better than the both of us combined, but personality, approach and style towards those goals meant that we just found great excuses to work on other things away from each other. We came together for a project years later and yes, it was great! But again, we knew it was just for a couple weeks and we weren't in the same town. It took going through that for me to understand it, and I'm glad Dave Gregory saw how much it wasn't about the quality of the music, just the facts of the band.
Yes, a band is basically a multi-party marriage. And, especially when you’re young, the mix of ego alongside confidence and insecurity can make things messy. Then add in the fact that some or all of the band members will feel that the music contains bits of their souls and therefore need to be beyond perfect and it can really get complicated.
This is one of the few things that are good about the modern process of making music - not sweating bullets over lost studio time. It's simply nothing like it used to be. I don't care how good particular rooms sound or how good real analog tape or decks sound, fact is, you can get a shit ton out of digital recording these days just about anywhere. Yes, you need the experience, and good musicians and some good analog gear (amps, keys) as well as decent software and a budget for plug ins, but it's nothing like the restrictions of the old days. Those studio clocks ticking would send amateurs into orbit, and the pressure was so antithetical to the creative process, especially if you were trying something new and weren't totally on top of it yet. I suppose the pressure did force people to get better and play better, despite the serious downsides, since it was assumed you had to get your take right, so players focussed. Today, the flipside is the problem, no pressure, too many choices, too little dependence on solid performances, too easy to do it another time, and paste a million edits together. Obviously, the music today is suffering, in the past, musicians and bands were suffering to the point of melting down under pressure and often, breaking up entirely.
everything sounds bad now and people like taylor swift with 72,000 people at her concerts proves people are both stupid and starved for any kind of musical experience and that the media can mass market the lowest trash out there.
Dave seems like a nice guy and a disrespectful egomaniac has basically dismissed him like an old rag. I would love to have nice people like Dave to work with. What a privilege that would be.
WHAT a nightmare.....and a crystal clear cut depiction of the REALITY of working in music. Poor Dave. Much as we (the listeners) marvel at the genius of Andy, he must've been a monumental pain in the f**kin arse to deal with and what's more he had no right to be that shitty. I would've walked out on him too, even if it was the great AppleVenus project. When it's impossible to resolve, people don't listen and compromise is too great a price, you have to go.
Terribly sad to hear that Andy really was the problem. Not a surprise, but...still sad. So few people have the gifts that the members of this band had. It can't be XTC without Andy but, geez, it happens every time in every band.
It's most likely to occur with creative people in any case. Usually highly strung and very often single minded. Dave Gregory, a thoughtful soul, is quite unusual (Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers being another example) in that he was quite obviously the most accomplished musician in the band but had little or no input into the actual songwriting, although perhaps some on the arranging, but all in all a peripheral figure when it came to the royalties. I can almost see this quiet dignified man stood there sighing with polite disbelief as XTC's future was thrown away in front of him.
So sad to hear the details of how an amazing band falls apart, it must be tough to have something wonderful at your fingertips and yet find yourselves unable to pull it all together. Enormous respect for the work you managed to achieve, thank you.
Todd Rundgren has nothing but nice things to say about Dave Gregory as a musician, singer and person. Both Gregory and Rundgren have shown much more grace towards Andy then he did with respect to them, albeit he obviously has faced many challenges that contributed to his hostility towards them ( not slagging him but one hopes that he has a better apprectiation for them)
It's always fascinating to get this insight into band dynamics. From everything I know, watching the music scene for more than 50 years, if it's a band then all members have to be writers, or at least credited as such. Anyone who is "in the band" and not getting a writing credit will inevitably be sidelined creatively, and even worse financially. So many bands end because of these tensions.
i love dave so so much, i really think xtc wouldnt be xtc without him. i love apple venus volumes 1 and 2 a lot, i always will, but it often drives me crazy imagining how Better they wouldve been with his touch.
“Yes, everything decays Forest tumbles down to make the soil Planets fall apart Just to feed the stars and stuff their larders And what made me think “we're any better And what made me think we'd last forever Was I so naive? Of course it all unweaves”
Mr P has legit problems. This may not/may have something to do with the eclipse. It’s difficult to deal with anyone with problems, i’ve got them myself, you lose friends relatives. They were all casualties of that and other catalysts. Such a shame to break up such a lovely talented band. I wish them all well in future endeavours
While its received wisdom that AP is/was a talent in his field. The issue has always been that he was never as good as he thought he was. Truth is a lot of XTC's success, such as it was, was as much to do with Colin, Dave and Terry (very underrated drummer btw) as it was himself.
It's a shame that Andy didn't listen to what Dave Gregory was saying about that US studio with a bad rep. After all that they'd been through with Virgin Records (Nonsuch being the last XTC album under that label until Apple Venus under the Cooking Vinyl) you'd think he'd have at least considered Dave's compromise on the subject about approaching a different studio in the US. However, it's clear Andy was getting agitated regards limited moneys and tight schedule. He's a talented singer/songwriter, but sadly didn't have the business acumen to time/load manage, and often lacked patience with his fellow bandmates. As with all geniuses, there was often a downside to his personality. Nik Kershaw once stated: "I'd sooner enjoy working alongside a musician and happily receive half the share profits owed, rather than go through a nightmare collaboration to get full profits." Even though he was a brilliant interviewee despite the stage fright, and could be a fun person to be around. Seven years is too long a period when it comes to producing another album.
Bruce foxton once said he thought xtc was there biggest rivals and were a great band very true always loved the jam and then xtc we're my next favourite band excellent
It's appalling how individuals belonging to this group became an exploited cash-cow for selfish, callous and ruthless actions of others. A record deal/contract evidentially does not always end with happy a happy ending for some musicians. Sometimes there is no mansion and Rolls Royce etc to show for all that talent and song writing ability. Badfinger was another group that had little to show for all that was absolutely fantastic.
XTC for me we're on a par with the Beatles for great songwriting and Dave Gregory is one of the great guitarists that embellishes every track he plays on. If you haven't heard them, listen to Big Big Train. Dave guitar work for them was superb between 2009 - 2019.
@@delphinazizumbo8674 It's always a matter of opinion where any form of art is concerned. I am 66 and grew up with the Beatles. My dad had all their singles as they were released and I have every album on CD and Vinyl, so I am well versed on the band. I also have every XTC album and until you have heard all their output it's difficult to draw any accurate conclusion or draw any worthwhile and objective comparisons.
Slightly like New Order when Hook left for the last time .Sumner rerecorded the music the band had recorded earlier in the morning, while waiting for the master to come to work .Hooks bass parts had been down played by Sumner telling him to turn the bass down, Dave should have gapped it earlier but you hope for the best often it never comes
He has written some great songs (but so has Colin!) But Andy Partridge is an overly-egotistical pain the arse in lots of things I have read and heard in inteviews from Dave, Colin, Rubdgren, Pagham.
dang, man! yeah, well, i ain't even gonna tell ya about my band, haha! they were gonnabe great! but they're takin' forever, to learn how to listen! haha!
I would even go so far to say that XTC were the unrecognized "new Beatles." Not just SKYLARKING, but songs like "Shiny Cage" sound like Lennon and McCartney could have written them, and I would LOVE to know what Paul thinks of their music. The fact that the SHOWTIME network produced a documentary about XTC is more evidence of how great they were (thousands upon thousands of bands, few honored in this way.)
Yeah well Shiny Cage is the Dukes and they're deliberately ripping off 60s psychedelia - Shiny Cage is clearly a rip off of 'I'm Only Sleeping' by the Beatles 😄
Todd Rundgren has said that because of Andy’s stage fright issues, that XTC became exclusively a studio band. With no touring, Andy was never in a rush to finish anything. Always finding a flaw in something. Always tweaking, always changing.
Love Andy, but he seems to be a difficult, fussy guy - stage fright, addiction, and bitterness about success and label issues - disregarding how much the fans love him and their music.
When you think of all the crap boybands who had everything handed to them, while real musicians like XTC got shafted left, right and centre and discarded like bad rubbish, it really is a sad indictment of the music industry.
Partridge seems like he's got a personality disorder they way he seems to disenfranchise people, musicians, producers, partners, friends whatever. Great musician, maybe not so great human.
Probably all that valium they prescribed him as a kid had a lot to do with that. Highly creative person, obviously sensitive, given a highly addictive substance with little care or concern about the effects it has on a pubescent / still developing human being. I don't necessarily blame Andy for Andy. I don't blame anyone for being who they are, or who they end up being. There's always a great degree of something or somebody else, helped get them there.
Never liked Andys demeanour. Much preferred Colin's tune. Andy wrote a few good tunes but way more that were very ordinary. Dave comes across as a gentleman. Andy seems like a bully and a smartarse
![Andy Partridge - XTC's Secret Chords Revealed [Part 4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0IvYTsXpRNA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Andy Partridge - XTC's Secret Chords Revealed [Part 4]](/img/tr.png)
![XTC - King For a Day + Great Fire & Dear God (medley) [July 1989]](/img/n.gif)
That was the most gentle sounding rant I've ever heard.
Lol -- so true!
It's like a disappointed father when you're 26 explaining why things went so sour during your college years
Hahaha if only Whispering Bob Harris was interviewing DG! Quiet Rant lol
Well said.
It's not a rant, it's an explanation.
Dave Gregory, is the nicest musician that I’ve ever met and indeed, one of the finest human beings. A truly gentle soul and fabulous musician. A wise man listens when Dave Gregory speaks.
Yes, what a lovely bloke.
Yes, he is a lovely bloke. He's played in my friend's band for a time too on and off over the last 10 years or so. Interestingly, he talks about being in Chipping Norton Studios in '98. I think that's when I first bumped into him. Sadly, the studios are no longer there as they've been turned into flats I think.
I will never not be upset over this band's demise. When they were firing on all cylinders, there wasn't a band on the planet that could touch them. They were so ridiculously talented and together, the magic they made is undeniable. I've often wondered who was XTC's XTC? I won't ever hold my breath for a reunion - those days are dead. But I'm thankful to have the days from them that we do.
You should listen to Cardiacs. Great friends of XTC and definitely one of the greatest bands to ever exist
Just saw EXTC in Seattle and it was awesome to see Terry Chambers live! He really is a fantastic drummer. Considering I wasn't born yet when they stopped touring, I will take what I can get.
XTC's XTC? Based on what I've read about them, The Kinks. ...if we have to settle on just one band.
Agree
Probably good that Barry got out during the early days. If you haven't listened to any Shriekback please do.
Such a perfect guitarist for XTC. Criminally underrated.
I couldn’t stop playing his solo on That Wave. Searing!
Criminally under known!
He’s respected and totally rated by those that know him / know of him.
It is no wonder he was for years Big Big Train's guitarist, a band full of correctly rated musicians :) Whoever had "drafted" him for BBT knew what he did!
@@willard2729Yes! "That Wave" is amongst my top 5 fave XTC songs. And Dave crushed it on so many others. I _really_ felt his absence on Wasp Star.
Dave Gregory is famously one of the rock world's most modest and affable gentlemen, and the type of chap who'll get embarrassed if you refer to him as a phenomenal guitarist, which is exactly what he is. Despite the fact that he wasn't a songwriter, his contribution to the XTC sound was immense and can never be overstated. XTCs final album, Wasp Star, as brilliant as it was, just sounded a bit hollow and incomplete without Dave. XTC were quite simply the only band that could be compared to The Beatles, and Dave can feel immensely proud of the big part he played in that. XTC never made much money, which was criminal (and thanks mainly to the criminally shit deal they got from Richard Branson), but music history will remember XTC very fondly indeed, and that's something money can't buy.
You've beautifully described Dave and XTC.
Dave Gregory is a great guitarist!
Correction… he’s a great musician.
World class in fact.
“Merely a man” still thrills me every time I hear those wonder fills
I feel sorry for this man...he so sweet!
It's very sad to hear this. I like Andy a lot, but Dave seems so patient and grounded. All good things come to an end I guess.
Dave Gregory's work on every album of XTC is so outstanding good, he was the important, eguivalent third of the triangle Partrige-Moulding-Gregory.
Always love in each song, when I hear him playing.
What a lovely man, such dignity. Met him once and made a total bell-end of myself cos i was in total awe. Fuck Clapton, Gregory is God !
I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Gregory many years ago and he is an absolute gentleman. He’s also an incredible musician, obviously.
His work speaks for itself. One of the greats.
Prairie Prince is one of my favorite drummers. He's the unsung hero of Skylarking. Whatever problems they had, I'm sure it wasn't the drumming.
Prairie Prince: For me, the best New Wave Drummer! When i was fourteen (1982), he influenced me a lot for my drumming.
He smoked on the man who sailed around his soul.
@@PeterMayer those drums still blow me away!
All problems they had were due to Andy's megalomaniac attitude. The guy is a brilliant musician and songwriter, but his ego got the in the way sometimes.
@@PeterMayer That whole song is a mind bender. It is the Steely Dan of the new wave, and probably better recorded.
Lots of love for Dave Gregory.
What Andy wanted XTC were stuck with & as much as i love the guy & the band the day Dave left XTC were finished as he was just so important to the band & sticking with it all through the strike years & to be treated so badly was just unforgivable & i for one am so happy for Dave now as he's still doing it with a couple of fantastic bands ? Sad sad end to friendship......
Yeah & as was put to him on Twitter recently, XTC are definitely NOT just Andy Partridge (as he's said so himself) yet he tweets as 'XTC' which I don't really agree with and seemed to make him incandescent with rage (and the usual Twitter sheeple mob) when it was put to him. Most people I know discovered XTC through Colin's early chart hits like 'Life Begins at the Hop', 'Making Plans for Nigel' & 'Generals & Majors' and without them, may well have been dropped from the label years before the 'strike'. Andy claims he 'wrote 75% of it' which may well be true but without the chart success of Colin's songs, a lot of his stuff may very well never have seen the light of day.
It's also notable that Dave says when Andy was away they recorded, mixed & finished all of Colin's songs with no apparent fuss. Todd Rundgren reckons because they don't tour, the band only exist when they're recording so Andy likes to try and prolong this process as long as possible. However, when you're skint - you obviously can't do this!
Yeah..I never heard of a band with a happy ending.I should know !
I agree. It's hard 2 imagine that without touring they could even exist in todays music industry. Bands don't make money off records anymore, mostly on touring.
Well said. Dave is such a modest and unassuming guy, but he contributed a huge amount to the XTC sound. I suppose what made Andy great also made him a pain in the arse at times, and sad (but right) for Dave to leave. Andy is of course the biggest reason for XTC being a great band, but they wouldn't have been great without Colin and Dave. Hope that time can calm the waters a bit between Andy and Dave, because they have each other to thank for making XTC great.
My brothers & I grew up listening to XTC & Id give anything to be a friend of Dave Gregory…. What an awesome man! ❤️
I saw XTC twice in the eighties. I loved them live, loved them on record, still love them. I could tell by Dave Gregory's body language on stage that he was a gentle soul. Sorry to hear about these problems. I have been vaguely aware of Andy Partridge 's mental hang ups and I tend to go easy on the whole lot of them. Their songs were so important. Let's not forget either about the creativity of Shriekback...
You can tell even in these early clips, Colin and Andy almost NEVER look at each other. The seeds of demise were already there.
For anyone who's ever been in a band, even shitty ones (as I have), egos, conflicts, resentments, petty competitions, and more are an inevitable part of the very emotional process. Things can happen in a moment that change everything and nothing is the same again. Bands can be emotional entanglements very much like romantic relationships. I don't think breakups are ever NOT ugly.
Deiter X it was great they lasted as long as they did. 🙏
Deiter X
I can tell you have lived it. Your explanation is dead on.
Very clever analogy. You're spot on sir
@@robertoc2485 Playing the actual music is always the easiest, and briefest, part...
And now, older and a bit wiser, I realise all bands end in failure of one kind or another.
Colin's song "Frivolous Tonight" is my favorite on the album tbh. And I love Dave's harmony vocals on it
It makes me sad and mad that XTC eventually dwindled down to Andy after he drove out everyone else. It's unforgiveable. I appreciate Dave Gregory walking us through the entire set of issues that led to him leaving.
Hopefully things can be patched and they can at least all be friends again. There is a marked difference in Apple Venus to Wasp Star. Dave's loss is huge.
Think there's more chance of Hell freezing over tbh.
Andy was head case
@@chuckabbate5924 without him the music wouldn't be the way it was
@@drdee3645 Andy and Dave did make things up on a social level. Andy then fell out with Colin instead...
There would be a marked difference in Apple Venus to Wasp star even if Dave stayed though.
I'd heard that Dave and Andy had patched things up. On Fuzzy Warbles 3 there's a recording of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' on which Dave plays everything and Andy provides the vocals. I remember reading in an interview with Andy that recreating Beatles tracks was Dave's hobby, and they'd got together to do this one.
Dave and XTC just made beautiful music
Dave and I have been friends for 25 years, and I was extremely upset when he left.
Wow! Do you think I could potentially hire him to play on a record I'm producing for a singer/songwriter in New York City? How would I get in touch with him? Thanks in advance for replying.
Hands down, the best power pop band to ever come out of the UK.
Between Squeeze and XTC it's a hard one to call. Both wrote and performed intelligent pop! 😎
No, the best power pop band to ever come out of Britain was The Who.
Pete even coined the term, for crying out loud.
Andy’s da man! But it ain’t possible to be ‘da man’ in utter isolation, with no one to at least say ‘You’re da man!’ And there’s plenty of us XTC fans queuing up to say that! Things change, people evolve, one minute magic, next minute war. If we XTC fans are only sad/greedy/impatient for more more more of the same, then the whole point and simple joy and love and positive passions of Andy Partridge’s Musical Genie are wasted on us. Now how about we all find our best headphones and a few of our favourite XTC songs and love ‘em all over again, not least the jangly guitars, bass, drums and backing vocals. Fresh as Daisies, I say. And if Dave, Prairie, Colin, Andy or Terry are reading this, then we love you and your good work, on repeat, for all time. And no, you can’t have your records, tapes and CDs back. Keep in touch, ya silly West Country wastrels, you. x!
Or Barry even! 😎
I feel like Andy Partridge wrote this comment
For no reason, I felt like mentioning that I used to be shocked bands would break up, because look at the wonderful work they created. But then I found myself in a (non-musical) creative team where the work we did together was better than the both of us combined, but personality, approach and style towards those goals meant that we just found great excuses to work on other things away from each other. We came together for a project years later and yes, it was great! But again, we knew it was just for a couple weeks and we weren't in the same town. It took going through that for me to understand it, and I'm glad Dave Gregory saw how much it wasn't about the quality of the music, just the facts of the band.
Yes, a band is basically a multi-party marriage. And, especially when you’re young, the mix of ego alongside confidence and insecurity can make things messy. Then add in the fact that some or all of the band members will feel that the music contains bits of their souls and therefore need to be beyond perfect and it can really get complicated.
The guy was part of two criminally underappreciated bands. If quality of music was the deciding factor the guy would be world famous.
amazingly patient man
I’ve been avoiding this because I thought it might be too sad. Well, I’m glad I watched!
This is one of the few things that are good about the modern process of making music - not sweating bullets over lost studio time. It's simply nothing like it used to be. I don't care how good particular rooms sound or how good real analog tape or decks sound, fact is, you can get a shit ton out of digital recording these days just about anywhere. Yes, you need the experience, and good musicians and some good analog gear (amps, keys) as well as decent software and a budget for plug ins, but it's nothing like the restrictions of the old days.
Those studio clocks ticking would send amateurs into orbit, and the pressure was so antithetical to the creative process, especially if you were trying something new and weren't totally on top of it yet. I suppose the pressure did force people to get better and play better, despite the serious downsides, since it was assumed you had to get your take right, so players focussed.
Today, the flipside is the problem, no pressure, too many choices, too little dependence on solid performances, too easy to do it another time, and paste a million edits together.
Obviously, the music today is suffering, in the past, musicians and bands were suffering to the point of melting down under pressure and often, breaking up entirely.
everything sounds bad now and people like taylor swift with 72,000 people at her concerts proves people are both stupid and starved for any kind of musical experience and that the media can mass market the lowest trash out there.
Thanks, that’s a good take on it. Particularly about the rooms! It barely matters any more.
Dave seems like a nice guy and a disrespectful egomaniac has basically dismissed him like an old rag.
I would love to have nice people like Dave to work with. What a privilege that would be.
Dave didn't write songs. XTC has brilliant songs, NONE of which were written by him.
@@nicholaswerner8170 you don’t have to be the songwriter to make the record work.
WHAT a nightmare.....and a crystal clear cut depiction of the REALITY of working in music. Poor Dave. Much as we (the listeners) marvel at the genius of Andy, he must've been a monumental pain in the f**kin arse to deal with and what's more he had no right to be that shitty. I would've walked out on him too, even if it was the great AppleVenus project. When it's impossible to resolve, people don't listen and compromise is too great a price, you have to go.
Terribly sad to hear that Andy really was the problem. Not a surprise, but...still sad. So few people have the gifts that the members of this band had. It can't be XTC without Andy but, geez, it happens every time in every band.
It's most likely to occur with creative people in any case. Usually highly strung and very often single minded. Dave Gregory, a thoughtful soul, is quite unusual (Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers being another example) in that he was quite obviously the most accomplished musician in the band but had little or no input into the actual songwriting, although perhaps some on the arranging, but all in all a peripheral figure when it came to the royalties. I can almost see this quiet dignified man stood there sighing with polite disbelief as XTC's future was thrown away in front of him.
Hey, Todd Rundgren has been saying this for ages.
Liked "it happens every time in every band."
Yes, that's why "solo" artists do it their way.
@@nazfrde ??
XTC were a great band, emphasis on “band”.
So sad to hear the details of how an amazing band falls apart, it must be tough to have something wonderful at your fingertips and yet find yourselves unable to pull it all together. Enormous respect for the work you managed to achieve, thank you.
Please welcome, Fern, on tonight's episode of 'Between Two Dudes'.
Todd Rundgren has nothing but nice things to say about Dave Gregory as a musician, singer and person. Both Gregory and Rundgren have shown much more grace towards Andy then he did with respect to them, albeit he obviously has faced many challenges that contributed to his hostility towards them ( not slagging him but one hopes that he has a better apprectiation for them)
Great musician!
It's always fascinating to get this insight into band dynamics. From everything I know, watching the music scene for more than 50 years, if it's a band then all members have to be writers, or at least credited as such. Anyone who is "in the band" and not getting a writing credit will inevitably be sidelined creatively, and even worse financially. So many bands end because of these tensions.
Always struck me as a the music professor at Hogwarts.
His playing is magical.
This is such a delicious interview. I wish we could hear the hour version
Fantastic guitar player
i love dave so so much, i really think xtc wouldnt be xtc without him. i love apple venus volumes 1 and 2 a lot, i always will, but it often drives me crazy imagining how Better they wouldve been with his touch.
Such a lovely bloke and what a fantastic guitarist.
I often wish I could go back in time just so I would know to appreciate XTC more while I was going through my formative years!
Gentleman and fine musician
It was no longer enjoyable coming to work. It turned into a grind. Sounds like a good time to walk away.
this is why I always hung out with and travelled with the road crew
“Yes, everything decays
Forest tumbles down to make the soil
Planets fall apart
Just to feed the stars and stuff their larders
And what made me think “we're any better
And what made me think we'd last forever
Was I so naive?
Of course it all unweaves”
Mr P has legit problems. This may not/may have something to do with the eclipse. It’s difficult to deal with anyone with problems, i’ve got them myself, you lose friends relatives. They were all casualties of that and other catalysts. Such a shame to break up such a lovely talented band. I wish them all well in future endeavours
Dave is a legend
I wonder if Andy regrets the things he said? Certainly his fans do, such a sad end to a genuinely great band.
@@neil2385 Andy is an unregenerate shithead: he made even Todd Rundren hate him.
While its received wisdom that AP is/was a talent in his field. The issue has always been that he was never as good as he thought he was. Truth is a lot of XTC's success, such as it was, was as much to do with Colin, Dave and Terry (very underrated drummer btw) as it was himself.
Towers of London an excellent nod to The Beatles Rain.
Indeed - as are lots of XTC songs!
It's a shame that Andy didn't listen to what Dave Gregory was saying about that US studio with a bad rep. After all that they'd been through with Virgin Records (Nonsuch being the last XTC album under that label until Apple Venus under the Cooking Vinyl) you'd think he'd have at least considered Dave's compromise on the subject about approaching a different studio in the US. However, it's clear Andy was getting agitated regards limited moneys and tight schedule. He's a talented singer/songwriter, but sadly didn't have the business acumen to time/load manage, and often lacked patience with his fellow bandmates. As with all geniuses, there was often a downside to his personality. Nik Kershaw once stated: "I'd sooner enjoy working alongside a musician and happily receive half the share profits owed, rather than go through a nightmare collaboration to get full profits." Even though he was a brilliant interviewee despite the stage fright, and could be a fun person to be around. Seven years is too long a period when it comes to producing another album.
"You will not be paid" is five words! ;)
Bruce foxton once said he thought xtc was there biggest rivals and were a great band very true always loved the jam and then xtc we're my next favourite band excellent
Best band of the past 45 years- The Jam-Foxton deserves far more appreciation then he has received over the years.
It's appalling how individuals belonging to this group became an exploited cash-cow for selfish, callous and ruthless actions of others. A record deal/contract evidentially does not always end with happy a happy ending for some musicians. Sometimes there is no mansion and Rolls Royce etc to show for all that talent and song writing ability. Badfinger was another group that had little to show for all that was absolutely fantastic.
God, what it must be like to make music that thousands of adoring fans would give anything pay to enjoy, ANDY!!!
XTC for me we're on a par with the Beatles for great songwriting and Dave Gregory is one of the great guitarists that embellishes every track he plays on.
If you haven't heard them, listen to Big Big Train. Dave guitar work for them was superb between 2009 - 2019.
mmmmmmmm.........no, they really WEREN'T
@@delphinazizumbo8674
It's always a matter of opinion where any form of art is concerned. I am 66 and grew up with the Beatles. My dad had all their singles as they were released and I have every album on CD and Vinyl, so I am well versed on the band. I also have every XTC album and until you have heard all their output it's difficult to draw any accurate conclusion or draw any worthwhile and objective comparisons.
JUST based on the idea they wouldn't play live.........they are lesser@@bobparr4723
Slightly like New Order when Hook left for the last time .Sumner rerecorded the music the band had recorded earlier in the morning, while waiting for the master to come to work .Hooks bass parts had been down played by Sumner telling him to turn the bass down, Dave should have gapped it earlier but you hope for the best often it never comes
Dave always looked slightly uncool on stage, but it actually added to the appeal.
In the end, most of my favorite bands have a "main" singer that I end up disliking. That's a nice way to put it. Wahi' Valleys
Talented miss Gregs
He has written some great songs (but so has Colin!) But Andy Partridge is an overly-egotistical pain the arse in lots of things I have read and heard in inteviews from Dave, Colin, Rubdgren, Pagham.
So sad.
Is there a charismatic front man who's also a nice guy and easy to get along with? not intended as a loaded question, just curious.
Literally the only one I can think of is Lee Brilleaux of Dr Feelgood, who was apparently a real sweetheart and the opposite of his stage persona
Never heard a bad word said about Jarvis Cocker or Debbie Harry.
@@harrypmay Or Joey Ramone, now I think of it
Michael Stanley
Sting is not known as being particularly difficult, all in all. Sting does have a large ego but he is not known to rage at bandmates over BS
Andy P clearly had LSD: Lead Singer's Disease
heartbreaking
Very candid and sincere interview. Dave really is a great musician - shame about his counting though. "You will not be paid" is 5 words. 🤣
12345 senses working overtime.
I've never heard of XTC, UA-cam sent me here... I'm guessing British pop band from the 80's?
Very sad indeed.
dang, man! yeah, well, i ain't even gonna tell ya about my band, haha! they were gonnabe great! but they're takin' forever, to learn how to listen! haha!
I'm sure Andy was very difficult to work with - but what music they made!
What's the date of this interview? Thanks for posting
Sometime in 2012. The full interview is available on Cherry Red's channel
Yep - 2012!
I would even go so far to say that XTC were the unrecognized "new Beatles." Not just SKYLARKING, but songs like "Shiny Cage" sound like Lennon and McCartney could have written them, and I would LOVE to know what Paul thinks of their music. The fact that the SHOWTIME network produced a documentary about XTC is more evidence of how great they were (thousands upon thousands of bands, few honored in this way.)
Yeah well Shiny Cage is the Dukes and they're deliberately ripping off 60s psychedelia - Shiny Cage is clearly a rip off of 'I'm Only Sleeping' by the Beatles 😄
Prairie is human drum machine...if Rundgren used him says alot lol
Man, I'd love to hear those Moulding tracks he referred to.
I think Dave's referring to Colin's tracks on Apple Venus & Wasp Star - the last XTC albums Dave was involved with.
It's Frivolous Tonight and Fruit Nut, you can hear Dave's background vocals all over those tracks.
Todd Rundgren has said that because of Andy’s stage fright issues, that XTC became exclusively a studio band. With no touring, Andy was never in a rush to finish anything. Always finding a flaw in something. Always tweaking, always changing.
Todd had a great deal of praise for Dave
shame bands don`t just record an album in a day or two at most , it`s so so easy if it`s your game truly but Xtc are a great group for sure
Which album was this that DG is referring to....? It's not Skylarking...that was produced by Todd R.
Love Andy, but he seems to be a difficult, fussy guy - stage fright, addiction, and bitterness about success and label issues - disregarding how much the fans love him and their music.
Still resulted in a fantastic record though.
Why can't I save this? I want to save this to my XTC collection!
The best last album XTC made in the 80s was English Settlement... tbh
When you think of all the crap boybands who had everything handed to them, while real musicians like XTC got shafted left, right and centre and discarded like bad rubbish, it really is a sad indictment of the music industry.
the music world is full of people are geniuses of their craft while not being the nicest people. Andy could possibly be one of them.
Partridge seems like he's got a personality disorder they way he seems to disenfranchise people, musicians, producers, partners, friends whatever. Great musician, maybe not so great human.
Probably all that valium they prescribed him as a kid had a lot to do with that. Highly creative person, obviously sensitive, given a highly addictive substance with little care or concern about the effects it has on a pubescent / still developing human being. I don't necessarily blame Andy for Andy. I don't blame anyone for being who they are, or who they end up being. There's always a great degree of something or somebody else, helped get them there.
Yes it makes me so sad to hear how this all played out. Such a shame. Such a waste of a brilliant, brilliant band.
Well , Andy was melting down mentally.
If they could get the Dukes first record done for £3,000 in no time at all why not do that for all of them & make some money.
Indeed! 🙄
Did Tin Spirits come after this?
4:13 I had no idea TVT were that shady.
XTC's last album, Wasp Star sounds different without Dave.
What album is Dave referring to ?
Apple Venus
Another classic interview
Host sits and just grunts
About. Never asked what can he do after leaving the Band what did he do
😢
Never liked Andys demeanour. Much preferred Colin's tune. Andy wrote a few good tunes but way more that were very ordinary. Dave comes across as a gentleman. Andy seems like a bully and a smartarse