Coat of Many Cupboards

by

XTC

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(3-1/2 stars) Credit must be given to XTC for doing a lot of things very well with their new boxed set. They filled it with mostly unreleased cuts from throughout their career, as opposed to Fleetwood Mac's stacking their box with familiar material from the most popular albums everyone already owns. They provided a comprehensive book packed with useful information and commentary, versus Patty Smith's decision with her recent anthology to give almost zero info in the booklet (photos & poetry scraps instead). However, I must judge Coat of Many Cupboards on the entertainment value I got from it, and there it comes up just a bit short.

I've listened to the whole thing over the past 3 days - all 4 or 5 hours' worth. As much as I've loved such XTC masterpieces as the Mummer, Skylarking, and Nonsuch CDs, I learned here that there IS such a thing as too much XTC. The early songs on Discs 1 & 2 began to sound like so much sludge after awhile, and (as the band readily admits in the commentary) some of the alternate takes are inferior to the album versions. Still, I also enjoyed finding out what an excellent live band they can be - something there's no chance to verify these days, with Mr. Partridge's well publicized aversion to touring. Most of the live tracks are real solid, particularly "Meccanik Dancing." I also appreciated the demos and outtakes that make up the majority of Discs 3 & 4, songs from the period of 1983-1992.

This collection will be essential for those who must own everything XTC puts out, but doesn't work as a source for casual listening pleasure.