(post-punk, alt. rock) Andy Partridge (of XTC) - Fuzzy Warbles - Vol. 3 & Vol. 4 - 2003, APE (image+.cue), lossless

Long ago, being a fan of XTC and specifically its leader Andy Partridge became work, something that required patience and concentration, effort that didn't necessarily pay back in the desired dividends. XTC always was a band that inspired fanatical devotion -- catchy and clever and unabashedly pop their music may be, but it was also cheerfully idiosyncratic, the kind of pop that doesn't reach the pop charts -- but their cult dwindled down to the hardcore during the '90s when the band was officially on strike against their record label Virgin; seven-year disappearances have the tendency to do that. When the long draught finally ended with the lovely Apple Venus, Pt. 1 and the relatively harder Apple Venus, Pt. 2, it seemed like the wait was not in vain, since XTC rewarded their fans with a pair of rich, complementary albums. Discontent amongst the hardcore didn't surface during the comeback, it bubbled up in the aftermath of the comeback, as Apple Venus was spun off into various supplemental editions -- first came the demos, then instrumental incarnations, then repackagings, culminating in an Apple Venus box in 2006 which did have a pair of new songs from Andy and partner Colin Moulding, who by this point had turned estranged -- and when Partridge finally began fulfilling his fans long-harbored fantasy of officially opening his vaults for official release of demos and outtakes. Coat of Many Cupboards, a four-disc box of XTC rarities, turned out to be mere prelude to Fuzzy Warbles, a multi-disc series consisting of nothing but demos, outtakes, unheard songs, working versions, instrumentals, experiments, and jokes that never saw the light of day. Originally, Fuzzy Warbles was designed as an XTC project but Moulding bowed out during the planning stages, leaving it as a Partridge-only production. Although Moulding surely had interesting music in the vaults, his absence hardly hurt the series because Andy always was the general in charge of XTC and it was his tunes that made for the bulk of the bootlegs and rumors that circulated prior to the release of the first two installments of Fuzzy Warbles in 2002. Those first volumes suggested that the whole series would be an embarrassment of riches, filled with unheard gems and worthy variations of familiar items, but as the series dragged on, Fuzzy Warbles became a decidedly mixed blessing, something that this series-capping deluxe box set definitively proves. All eight volumes -- which were originally released individually over the years on Partridge's Ape website -- are culled together here at a decided discount, with an extra disc, called Hinges added to bait the hardcore who already own it all. While it's certainly considerate to give those hardcore fans a reason to purchase this set, the real question is why anybody who wasn't a hardcore fan would want to listen to all nine discs of this box -- and that includes longtime XTC fans who already know the albums inside out, already know the various aliases, both real and alleged, they've recorded under over the years. This, to put it mildly, is a chore to get through, particularly in a single sitting but also over the matter of a week, since this is repetitive and maddening, to the extent that it can obscure Partridge's prodigious gifts. Perhaps that's because these are demos and work tapes -- although it's hard not to shake the suspicion that some of the true throwaways here, whether it's a Howlin' Wolf parody or the irritating, Asian-schlock joke "You Like Me," were recorded specifically for this series -- and demos are where musicians can let their imaginations run wild, secure that these will never show up on finished albums. But a multi-disc series of demos is by its very nature indulgent, so it fits that something this extensive would show up the full range of Partridge's personality, but it's just a little shocking that the great unheard songs -- and there are many, including rejected songs for Disney's James and the Giant Peach and a wealth of pop songs both lovely and lively -- soon become overwhelmed by the loads of weird crap here. More than that, the weird crap -- ejaculation jokes, parodies, ethnic jokes, unfinished instrumentals -- soon starts to color the real finished songs, highlighting the undercurrent of perversity that runs through his work. In that sense, it's a lot like looking through Robert Crumb's sketchbooks, where the genius buts up against the grotesque and sometimes fuses together, but who knew that Andy Partridge was so similar to that legendary misanthrope? But, like those Crumb sketchbooks, it is worthwhile to dig through the whole thing, both for enjoyment and insight into the artist, but that hardly makes Fuzzy Warbles fun, let alone the cornucopia of delights XTC fans at one time imagined it to be.

#777Tracklist:
1. My Train Is Coming
2. Lightheaded
3. Goodbye Humanosaurus
4. Humble Daisy
5. You Like Me?
6. Great Fire
7. Work
8. Mopti Fake 1
9. Collideascope
10. Mopti Fake 2
11. When We Get To England
12. Train Running Low On Soul Coal
13. Holly Up On Poppy
14. Strawberry Fields Forever
15. Autumn Comes Around
16. Child's Crusade
17. Little Lighthouse
18. This Is The End
19. Put It On Again

#777Tracklist:
1. Tunes
2. Bumpercars
3. The Art Song (Something Good With Your Life)
4. I'm Playing My Fano
5. Zonked Right Out On Life
6. All I Dream Of Is A Friend
7. Peck The Ground Like A Chicken
8. That's Really Super Supergirl
9. Brainiac's Daughter
10. Blue Beret
11. Gangway, Electric Guitar Is Coming Through
12. Mechanical Planet
13. Helicopter
14. The Ugly Underneath
15. Omgo
16. Where Is Your Heart?
17. Hey, It's Alan Burston!
18. Season Cycle
19. Countdown To Christmas Partytime