XTC

Track Listing:

Side: A		1		25 O'Clock		05:03
				Andy Partridge

		2		Bike Ride to the Moon		02:24
				Andy Partridge

		3		My Love Explodes		03:50
				Andy Partridge

Side: B		1		What in the World??...		05:01
				Colin Moulding

		2		Your Gold Dress		04:38
				Andy Partridge

		3		The Mole from the Ministry		05:12
				Andy Partridge

Releases

UK	LP	Virgin - WOW 1	01/04/85

UK	MC	Virgin - WOWC 1	01/04/85

CA	LP	Virgin - VLEP 402	00/00/85

CA	MC	Virgin - VLEP4 402	00/00/85

DE	LP	Virgin - 206 976-250	00/00/85

FR	LP	Virgin - 70365	00/00/85

GR	LP	Virgin/EMI - 062-VG WOW 1	00/00/85
		UK cover

IT	LP	Virgin - WOW 1	00/00/85

KR	LP	Virgin/Yeh Eum - YVPL 089/WOW 1 (8511	00/00/86
		liner notes b/w lyric sheet

NZ	LP	Virgin - WOW 1	00/00/85

NZ	MC	Virgin - WOWC 1	00/00/85

Notes

Recorded by XTC and released under The Dukes of Stratosphear.

The Dukes of Stratosphear consist of Sir John Johns (Andy), The Red Curtain (Colin), Lord Cornelius Plum (Dave), and E.I.E.I. Owen (drummer Ian Gregory, Dave's younger brother). John Leckie used his Indian spiritual name, crowning it with a title of respect used for a Hindu saint or religious teacher, to become Swami Anand Nagara.

Each Dukes song is credited to Andy or Colin's pseudonym.

Virgin Records' first label logo for LPs from the early '70s, designed by Roger Dean, was specially revived for at least the British, German, and South Korean issues.

Produced by John Leckie and XTC [credited as John Leckie, Swami Anand Nagara, and 'The DUKES'] and recorded at Chapel Lane Studio, Hampton Bishop, Hereford and Worcester, December 1984.

Musicians: Sir John Johns - singing, guitar, brain buds. The Red Curtain - electric bass, song stuff. Lord Cornelius Plum - mellotron, piano, organ, fuzz-tone guitar. E.I.E.I. Owen - drum set.

A promotional film (not a video!) was made for "The Mole from the Ministry."

"The Dukes of Stratosphear" is the name that Andy originally was tempted to use for the band back in 1975. He eventually settled on XTC because he thought The Dukes sounded too "sixties-ish."

The whole Dukes project was an homage to the bands that Andy, Colin, and Dave wanted to be in when they were in their teens. Read the Song Stories book to learn about the things that inspired XTC to write and arrange the songs on this album.

At one time, The Dukes were almost called Electric Bone Temple.

This mini album outsold the previous XTC LP, The Big Express . . .

Kevin Godley and Lol Creme's Medialab planned to produce a full story video based on the songs on 25 O'Clock. The project never materialised. Read more about this in the news section on this website.

The voice at the end of side A -- "that's the most obscene abomination of a song!" etc. -- is a listener's comment on a song called "Go Fuck Yourself with Your Atom Bomb" on the radio. Producer John Leckie heard it by chance in a car and taped it while he was in New York. The song was played by Tuli Kupferberg, who was in the a poet for the sixties' rock group The Fugs.

The first line of the song "Go Fuck Yourself" is played backwards endlessly at twice its normal speed on the run-out groove of side B. This "endless" feature may be unique to the original British vinyl pressing.

The chattering heard throughout the album is mostly from BBC sound effects records, including a collection of famous quotes about the American Revolution of 1776.

Songs written, demoed, rehearsed, and/or recorded around the 25 O'Clock days include:
"Have You Seen Sydney?" (unreleased; later recorded as "Have You Seen Jackie?" for Psonic Psunspot);
"Nicely Nicely Jane" (rehearsed but never completed);
"Susan Revolving" (rehearsed but never completed); and
"Big Day"* (later recorded for Skylarking).

Album details