Don’t forget to read part 1 of this review where the “25 O’Clock” songs are analyzed.

"Psonic Psunspot" (The Dukes Of Stratosphear's Second Disc) Was Issued In 1987, Right Between "Skylarking" And "Oranges & Lemons".

Things were different the second time the Dukes grabbed their instruments and donned their Paisley shirts. The record company was really interested in what could come out of it, and the budget had been doubled. And the sound was not to be the pastiche that characterized “25 O’Clock” – this time around it was an homage to most 60s bands, regardless of the fact that they had anything to do with pyschedelia or not. The leadoff single exemplified that perfectly, as “You’re A Good Man Albert Brown” was a buoyant sing-along in the vein of the Small Faces. While it didn’t hit as hard as “The Mole From The Ministry”, it was successful enough to warrant this new excursion in the eyes of the record company.

If anything, the second time around the line that separated XTC from the Dukes became indivisible, with songs like the impeccable “Vanishing Girl” and “Pale And Precious” being (needlessly?) sacrificed on the Dukes’ altar. “Vanishing Girl” (a song that trails the sound of The Hollies) was also used to promote the album, and I must admit it is my favorite song penned by Colin ever.

And “Pale And Precious” is one of the most honorable homages to the Beach Boys I have ever listened to along with R.E.M.’s “At My Most Beautiful”. The vocal harmonies are absolutely exhilarating all along, and the coda could go on for 10 minutes and not make you lose your interest for a single second.

Andy also contributed the orotund “Collideascope” (which had been around as a lyrical idea since the “Go 2” days), and the flipside to “That’s Really Super, Supergirl” – a song named “Brainiac’s Daughter” penned ostensibly because Brainiac (one of Superman’s arch enemies) was too bizarre a character not to touch on a psychdelized record. For its part, “You’re My Drug” recalled the West Coast sound of bands like The Byrds.

The disc also pays a clear debt to the Small Faces’ opus “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake”, as snippets of a narrative play between some songs. The protagonist is no other than Colin’s son Lee, and a sort of Alice In Wonderland story is narrated. Thankfully, these fragments are kept concise and fresh, and they never get in your nerves.

After the release of Psonic Psunspot, Andy announced that the Dukes’ career was over. They were resurrected occasionally – a sort of follow-up that focused on ‘70s bands was discussed but it never came to fruition. Neither was the projected film based on “25 O´Clock” and “The Great Royal Jelly Scandal” (a rock opera), or the glam-induced “The Stratosphear Band”.

Both “25 O’Clock” and “Psonic Psunspot” have recently been re-released on their own. (They are the first records within XTC’s oeuvre to which Virgin relinquished the rights.) These reissues are for completists only – “Chips From The Chocolate Fireball” has all the Dukes’ music you need to hear. And I frankly know few examples in which using the expression “music you need to hear” is so justified.

Rating: 10/10

The Dukes Of Stratosphear: Chips From The Chocolate Fireball

This CD-only anthology captures the original bouts of musical forgery that XTC undertook as The Dukes of Stratosphear. Both the EP “25 O’Clock” and the album “Psonic Psunspot” are included here in their entirety. And the anthology warrants all the laurels it is usually the recipient of.

The band (with Dave Gregory’s younger brother Ian on drums) showcases its coruscating pedigree, and the merits of its music become easier to apprehend in such a context. These recordings as their psychedelic alter egos were to lead to a phenomenal creative run and even a hit single at a time in which XTC had the rockiest relationship with the buying public. The song “The Mole From The Ministry” (a transparent nod to “I Am The Walrus”) outsold the singles from “The Big Express” so effortlessly that it was embarrassing.

It was also the most palpitating reminder for the Swindon rockers that having good fun on the studio fully translates into a finished piece of vinyl. Both “Mummer” and “The Big Express” suffered from a stiffness that was to vanish for “Skylarking” and “Oranges & Lemons”. “The Big Express” in particular had been labored at for a long time, leaving everybody but Andy jaded.

“25 O’Clock”, conversely, was assembled in little more than two weeks with Andy and John Leckie at the helm. Out of the six songs, only “The Mole From The Ministry” was new (Andy wrote it at the piano one morning). The remaining songs had been around for a long time, and the strongest the plagiarism the most effective the EP turned out to be. “Bike Ride To Te Moon” recalled the days of Pink Floyd under Barrett’ aegis so close to the mark that it was staggering. The title track was also intoxicatingly fun, a true testament to an age in which daftness was a virtue and a torch to bear. The same can be said about “Your Gold Dress”, with an unmatchable druggy guitar. And Colin’ songs on both Dukes’ albums were the truest revelation of all. He had never kept such an even keel of excellence to my ears. For the first and only time he and Andy were absolutely equalized.

The Cover Of “25 O’Clock” Pays An Obvious Homage To Cream’s “Disraeli Gears” Album. It Was The Work Of Andy With A Couple Of Scissors And A Few Photocopied Illustrations.

Instrumentally, the band used only vintage gear and production techniques that remained true to ‘60s psychedelia. Tape loops and effects were frequent all through the EP, and having had to operate within a shoestring budget also meant that the only way to smooth any mistake was by blurring it. Mostly everything was recorded in one take.

Ultimately, “25 O’Clock” was to be such an effective work because the whole thing was born out of a willingness to have some fun. Andy didn’t even expect it to be released – John Leckie remarked that Partridge was reluctant (even worried) to have it played to Simon Draper, the one founder of Virgin the band answered to. But having him listen to the disc at his office was a jubilant experience for everybody. It was at the (permanent) insistence of Draper and every other managerial figure from that point onwards that a second set of recordings were to materialize. That was to be the “Psonic Psunspot” album, and I invite you to read more about it in the second part of this review.

Continue to the second part of this review: the song on “Psonic Psunspot” scrutinized along with the aftermath of the Dukes.

The Dukes Of Stratosphear: The Red Curtain (Colin Moulding), Lord Cornelius Plum (Dave Gregory), EIEI Owen (Ian Gregory) and Sir John Johns (Andy Partridge)

The Dukes Of Stratosphear were a side project of XTC that was started as a joke, and which ended up bringing a fair share of recognition to them. Basically, Andy and producer John Leckie had been hired to helm a record by Christian artist Mary Margaret O’ Hara. For circumstances too hilarious and too long to reproduce here, the pair were sacked hours before their work was to begin. Having had their agendas disrupted, they decided to employ the time on their hands to do some psychedelic recordings under a different moniker. The name “The Dukes Of Stratosphear” had been around for a long time, actually, as it was one of the names which were weighed up before the “I’m in ecs-ta-sy ba-bee!” incident that settled everything down for good.

The drummer for the project was Ian Gregory, Dave’s younger sibling. They all had alternative egos for the sessions – Andy was “Sir John Johns”, Colin was “The Red Curtain”, Dave was “Lord Cornelius Plum” and Ian picked the moniker “E.I.E.I Owen”. For years, the band denied that they were the Dukes, and if you have a look at the credits of “Skylarking” you will see an acknowledgement to “The Dukes of Stratosphear for letting us use their guitars”.

The Dukes first released an EP on April’s fool day, 1985, complete with the old Virgin logo and a bubble that explained these old recordings were found at the back of a dilapidated warehouse (!). The EP (named “25 O’ Clock”) was to have a surprise hit in the song “The Mole From The Ministry”, and its actual sales were to be better than that of XTC’s concurrent LP, “The Big Express”. It had a total of 5 songs, and everything was mostly recorded in one take.

Two years later, and at the insistence of their record company, XTC agreed to do a second Dukes record. Andy had resisted because he felt that a joke was just that, but it must have been clear even to him that sometimes you have to give the people what they want.

The second set of recordings (“Psonic Psunspot”, 1987) benefited from a bigger budget, and this time around 10 songs were put to tape. However, everybody noted that the line between the Dukes and XTC had become almost invisible in places, and the one XTC album that followed it (“Oranges & Lemons“) did carry a definitive torch for the Dukes.

In my mind, a parallel can be drawn with another group: The Traveling Wilburys. In both cases, we are talking about alternate recordings that rejuvenated artists. The Wilburys records gave Dylan (if not a new life) at least a new sense of direction, and they brought Orbison to a younger public. Within a couple of years he was to have a resurgence thanks to the movie “Pretty Woman”. He was no longer around to enjoy it, sadly, but I think that the seeds of that new round of success were sown by the Wilburys.

In the case of XTC, the band was debilitated by a lenghty litigation and a steep descent into obscurity. After the Dukes hit the scene, Andy readily admitted that they had learned how to have fun again.

And in both cases, we are dealing with bands that were to release two records, of which the second was to stick closer to the original sound of the members, as if after the first invigorating round they were starting to use their new-found energies into crafting something true to their original MO.

The Dukes are a fantastic band. They pay a homage to key 60s artists like The Beatles, The Kinks and Pink Floyd in ways that can’t even be pinned down. “We take our musical forgery serious!” said Andy. They fooled and surprised absolutely everybody the first time around. As an XTC fan, I can’t help but think over and over how much of their lack of commercial success could be attributed to the fact that they are XTC, the-band-that-doesn’t-tour, etc, etc. I think these alter ego recordings show us the harsh truth. Ultimately, it is not our loss. People who truly adore music come across XTC sooner or later, and never leave. If the mainstream can not embrace a band like them, there is nothing that could be done. We will keep listening to their records as XTC and The Dukes, and enjoying the bonds that are created when real talent and skill meet the utmost devotion and lovingkindness.