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THE BIG EXPRESS train has reached its final destination... Thank you for joining in with the chat! Next month we have TWO listening parties. SKYLARKING on 26 August and, before that, join me on Wed 12 August as we take a listen to the 25 O'Clock EP by The Dukes of Stratosphear! #XTCmusic

What's everyone's thoughts? What would you take off to include Washaway? #XTCmusic #TheBigExpress

And finally 14. BLUE OVERALL - The B-side to the UK release of This World Over. The demo of this track appears on Fuzzy Warbles Volume 5. Illustration is from the Popartery art book which you can buy from Burning Shed (as well as loads of other XTC merch!). #XTCmusic

This is one of my favourite Colin Moulding songs. It's such a chaotic, fun little thing! 😍. #XTCmusic #Washaway

13. WASHAWAY - This Colin Moulding track featured as a B-side on the French release of This World Over (Personally, I think Washaway could have been on the original album). - #XTCmusic

12. RED BRICK DREAM - the first of three bonus tracks. This Great Western Railway-inspired song was written after Andy Partridge was commissioned to write one for a documentary about Swindon. He performs the song in the documentary. #XTCmusic

XTC - Red brick dream (live)Andy Partridge playing and singing.youtu.be

Dave and Terry playing at that very venue just a couple of weeks ago! #XTCmusic

11. TRAIN RUNNING LOW ON SOUL COAL - Final song on the original album. Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory performed an acoustic version of this at Swindon's Town Gardens Bowl filmed in July 1983. 53 years later, Dave and Terry Chambers' EXTC performed together at the same venue. #XTCmusic

Ha, fabulous!

10. I REMEMBER THE SUN - Partly inspired by the Swindon fields Colin used to play in. "That piece of wasteland was immensely evocative in my imagination. My mum hated me getting wet, so I remember the sun because I was only allowed out when it was sunny." - Colin Moulding. #XTCmusic

09. YOU'RE THE WISH YOU ARE I HAD - A version of this track (as well as Seagulls) was recorded on 11 Oct 1984 for the BBC's Bruno Brookes Show, and features on both Drums and Wireless (1994) and Transistor Blast (1998). #XTCmusic

@burningshed.com ?

08. REIGN OF BLOWS - A song that Virgin didn't want included on the album. Distortions were made to Andy's vocals which Colin and Dave didn't like. A demo of the track appeared on Hinges, the bonus disc in the Fuzzy Warbles series. #XTCmusic

07. I BOUGHT MYSELF A LIARBIRD - Written about the band's former manager, Ian Reid, who they parted with in 1982. XTC sued Reid, he counter-sued, and in 1989 a court settlement was reached. #XTCmusic

06. THE EVERYDAY STORY OF SMALLTOWN - This Swindon-inspired song opened Side 2 of the album. According to Dave Gregory, who championed for this to be a single, the song was "twatted by a lousy mix". #XTCmusic

05. THIS WORLD OVER - A protest song against nuclear weapons, This World Over was released as a single on 29 October 1984 and just sneaked into the UK Top 100 (no. 99). #XTCmusic

It's maybe due to my interest in horror, but there's definitely a horror-esque sound to this track, which I like. #SeagullsScreaming #XTCmusic

04. SEAGULLS SCREAMING KISS HER KISS HER - The penultimate track on Side 1 also featured on the The Tiny Circus of Life compilation album, released in France in 1992. There's also a Japanese rock band named after the song. #XTCmusic

03. SHAKE YOU DONKEY UP "Virgin wanted this as a single, even to the point where I went to Bristol to script out a storyboard with Peter Lord of Aardman Animation." - Andy Partridge. The track featured as a B-side on the US release of All You Pretty Girls on the Geffen label. #XTCmusic