2 stars
XTC
Apple Venus Volume 1
TVT, $16.97
There are those who think that idiosyncrasy is its own reward, and that paying homage to the Beatles is a God-given right for British pop bands. Then there are the rest of us, who find little merit in self-important lyrical missives and masturbatory journeys into the decades-old psychedelic forays of the Fab Four.
One might think that seven years of record company-induced hiatus would have goosed XTC into exploring new musical directions. One would be wrong. Leader Andy Partridge continues to sing more than a bit like Sting, and he retains a highly structured style that he pompously refers to as "orchoustic.'' The result is a pleasant-enough group of ditties that will delight existing fans by breaking little new ground. Those of us who never saw what the fuss was about still won't have a clue.
The band's vaunted orchestral arrangements pop up all over this album to syrupy, sometimes baffling effect. Beatles-inspired tracks like "Knights in Shining Karma'' sound less like tributes than rip-offs. "Your Dictionary,'' a bitter diatribe by Partridge reflecting on his recent messy divorce, provides the only bite on the disc. A bit more of that vitriol would have helped cut through the treacle.
-- Julene Snyder
This review first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, 2/28/99.