XTC famously went out with the one-two punch of its Apple Venus Volume 1 and Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2), the first of which came out in 1999, seven years after their previous album due to a self-imposed strike protesting the band’s treatment at the hands of its label. In short, us XTC fans were rabid and deprived, and this was a wealth of new material. And all in all, this was a good thing.
Of note, however, is that the Apple Venus project was initially conceived as a double album. At some point during the process, the band decided to split it into two separate, discrete albums. One would be the “acoustic with strings” album (what eventually was called Apple Venus Volume 1) and one would be the “electric guitar” album (Wasp Star). Dave Gregory disagreed with this approach, and conflict over the decision eventually led to his departure from the band before the release of either volume.
When Apple Venus Volume 1 was released, it was a revelation. I love it, and I think most reviews were overwhelmingly positive, calling it ambitious and delightfully poppy in that great Beatles and Beach Boys way of experimentation, unusual instrumentation and composition, and great use of the recording studio as an instrument. Also, how could you not love the soul-searching songs of a post-divorce Partridge such as “Your Dictionary?”
But when the second volume, Wasp Star, was released, it was met with much more neutral to negative reviews, and indeed my initial reaction was muted in comparison to the first volume. In the intervening years, I’ve come to realize that Wasp Star is actually filled with great songs, and perhaps XTC did the material a disservice by splitting it into its own album.
So what if the band had followed its original plan and released a double album with these 23 songs, rather than the two discrete albums? What would such an album sound like? Well, in typical muso fashion, I set out to devise the fictional tracklist of the XTC album that never was, which I call “Apple Venus.” In this alternate universe, XTC’s last album is not the slightly underwhelming but underrated Wasp Star, but a big, ambitious, eclectic double album in the vein of the White Album.
Here’s my fictional tracklist. If you own both albums, you can create this playlist or burn these versions of the album. If you’re a super geeky audio editing freak like me, trim some of the silence at the end of “The Last Balloon” for a wonderful segue into “The Wheel and the Maypole.” I think it works quite well, and I hope you do too! Enjoy!
APPLE VENUS
DISC 1
01. River of Orchids
02. I’d Like That
03. I’m the Man Who Murdered Love
04. Easter Theatre
05. Wounded Horse
06. My Brown Guitar
07. Harvest Festival
08. We’re All Light
09. Knights in Shining Karma
10. You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful
11. In Another Life
12. Your Dictionary
DISC 2
01. Playground
02. I Can’t Own Her
03. Standing in for Joe
04. Fruit Nut
05. Stupidly Happy
06. Church of Women
07. Frivolous Tonight
08. Green Man
09. Boarded Up
10. The Last Balloon
11. The Wheel and the Maypole