25 O'Clock
| 25 O'Clock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album (mini-LP) by The Dukes of Stratosphear | ||||
| Released | 1 April 1985 | |||
| Recorded | December 1984 | |||
| Studio | Chapel Lane Studios, Hereford, England | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, avant-pop[1] | |||
| Length | 26:43 | |||
| Label | Virgin Records | |||
| Producer | John Leckie, Swami Anand Nagara and The Dukes | |||
| XTC chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from 25 O'Clock | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Pitchfork | (7.7/10) [3] |
25 O'Clock is the debut album by English rock band the Dukes of Stratosphear, side project of XTC, released in 1985. Also counted as XTC's eighth studio album, the Dukes indulged in the stylistic tropes of 1960s psychedelia, particularly the British variety. It was followed up in 1987 with the LP Psonic Psunspot.
Overview
Released on April Fool's Day 1985, the mini-album was a tongue-in-cheek homage to the heyday of psychedelic rock. Several of the tracks were made to sound like individual bands (such as the Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd sound of "Bike Ride to the Moon"). Others were simply a pastiche of the styles of the period as a whole. Though recorded on 1980s equipment, the recording and mixing style closely replicate production techniques used in the mid-to-late 1960s. The album is also notable for its cover art (designed by Partridge) which resembled the cover on the 1967 LP Disraeli Gears by Cream.
The band issued a single and made a promotional film for "The Mole from the Ministry". The film contains visual references to Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles and the promotional films for "Arnold Layne" and "The Scarecrow" by Pink Floyd.
The material on the 25 O'Clock mini-album (including the "hidden message" at the end of side two) was merged with the 1987 album Psonic Psunspot for release as Chips from the Chocolate Fireball: An Anthology on CD, simultaneous with Psonic Psunspot's vinyl release.
A remastered and expanded version of 25 O'Clock was released on 20 April 2009 by Andy Partridge's Ape House record label. This edition of 25 O'Clock is credited to "XTC as The Dukes of Stratosphear"
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Andy Partridge except "What in the World??...", by Colin Moulding.
| Side A | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "25 O'Clock" | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Bike Ride to the Moon" | 2:24 |
| 3. | "My Love Explodes" | 3:54 |
| Side B | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "What in the World??..." | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Your Gold Dress" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "The Mole from the Ministry" | 5:50 |
| 2009 CD bonus tracks (APECD023) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 7. | "25 O'Clock (Demo)" | 2:25 |
| 8. | "Bike Ride to the Moon (Demo)" | 1:30 |
| 9. | "My Love Explodes (Demo)" | 1:54 |
| 10. | "What in the World??... (Demo)" | 3:40 |
| 11. | "Nicely Nicely Jane (Demo)" | 1:17 |
| 12. | "Susan Revolving (Demo)" | 1:24 |
| 13. | "Black Jewelled Serpent of Sound (Radio Caroline Edit)" | 2:17 |
| 14. | "Open a Can of Human Beans" | 4:44 |
| 15. | "Tin Toy Clockwork Train" | 3:17 |
Also includes the promotional video for "The Mole from the Ministry" as a QuickTime file.
Personnel
- Sir John Johns (Andy Partridge) - vocals, guitar
- The Red Curtain (Colin Moulding) - electric bass, other (song stuff)
- Lord Cornelius Plum (Dave Gregory) - mellotron, piano, organ, guitar, fuzz-tone guitar
- E.I.E.I. Owen (Ian Gregory) - drums
- Produced by Swami Anand Nagara (John Leckie) and The Dukes
References
- ↑ Grimstad, Paul. "What is Avant-Pop?". Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ↑ Cater, Evan. "Review: The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O'Clock". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ↑ Dahlen, Chris. "Review: The Dukes of Stratosphear - 25 O'Clock". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 June 2011.