XTC - Senses Working Overtime

XTC might just be the poster child for the under-appreciated band.  In fact, one music critic went so far as to call them "the great lost pop band."  The reason in simple: they wrote a bunch of great pop songs, flirted with success several times, but never quite made it.

"Senses Working Overtime" comes from their fifth studio album, 1982's English Settlement.  Both the song and album broke into the top 10 in the UK, and it looked like a breakout album, until ... singer and guitarist Andy Partridge developed severe stage fright.  This prevented the band from performing live (to this day, in fact), and undoubtedly hurt their ability to reach an audience.  (The moral of the story is this:  do not let your wife throw out all of the prescription valium that you are dependent on right before you are supposed to go on stage.)

In spite of this, the band continued to record great music.  In addition to "Dear God" and "The Mayor of Simpleton" (posted on ERV) we would recommend "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" and "King for a Day."  All are available on YouTube, for folks who are so inclined.  In fact, they just might make another appearance on this blog at some future time (as Chuck Berry says ... you never can tell).