Homespun

by Evan CaterAfter a seven-year recording hiatus induced by contract strife, XTC returned with a vengeance: Just a few months after the release of Apple Venus, Vol. 1, and a few months before Vol. 2, the band issued Homespun, a collection of demo recordings laid down at bassist Colin Moulding's home. Its track list and sequence are nearly identical to Apple Venus Vol. 1; most of these recordings are so close to the finished products that a casual listener might not even be able to tell the difference. However, closer examination yields revealing glimpses into the band's creative process. For instance, the Moulding tune "Frivolous Tonight," performed on piano in the album version, receives a brisk and choppy acoustic guitar treatment on Homespun. As expected, "Greenman" was improved significantly by the presence of a full orchestra on Apple Venus, but the demo contains its own subtle pleasures, including a vigorous rhythm guitar backing (provided by a Romanian nylon-string guitar belonging to Andy Partridge's daughter) and a sort of Hari Krishna-esque background melody at song's end that didn't make the final cut. The CD also contains extraordinarily detailed liner notes and handwritten drafts of each song's lyrics with some illuminating discarded phrases. But Homespun's most valuable nuggets are brief, embryonic takes of "I'd Like That" and "Harvest Festival" recorded hastily by Partridge in the process of writing the songs. The tunes are there but the lyrics are still fragmentary, and in both cases he sounds like he's doing a Paul McCartney impression. These "mumbled mono cassette sketches" are far more intriguing than the demos and are worthy of a Homespun release unto themselves.