BUY NOW ON AMAZON.COM

XTC’s next Steven Wilson remix project is coming soon…only it’s not really XTC at all.

The beloved surround engineer and Porcupine Tree frontman has worked his magic on several albums by the British rockers (Drums and Wires, Black Sea, Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons and Nonsuch) – and this year, he now turns his attention to The Dukes Of Stratosphear, the group’s beloved psychedelic project. The band’s core group (Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory), along with Dave’s brother Ian, suited up as Sir John Johns, Lord Cornelius Plum, The Red Curtain and E.I.E.I. Owen, paisley-clad members of a seemingly forgotten group from 1967.

Working with producer John Leckie (who’d helmed the earliest XTC albums), they stuck to three strict rules: follow the musical conventions of the era, record no more than two takes of each song, and use period equipment whenever possible. On April Fool’s Day 1985, The Dukes issued the EP 25 O’Clock; Virgin encouraged a follow-up, and the full-length Psonic Psunspot followed in 1987. To XTC’s utter bemusement, both outsold the group’s actual albums that preceded them.

Not unlike the definitive Dukes compilation Chips From The Chocolate Fireball, the new CD/Blu-ray Psurroundabout Ride collects new stereo mixes of the tracks on both releases, as well as three bonus tracks released in 2009. (One, “Open a Can Of Human Beans,” is not newly mixed, likely due to master tape availability, and will be presented in “upmixed” surround using the Penteo process.) The Blu-ray offers an additional trove of bonuses, including 5.1 surround and instrumental mixes by Wilson, the original stereo album mixes, and 12 demos from the project – complete and utter Dukes, if ever there was such a thing!

Partridge’s label Ape House will also release 200-gram vinyl pressings of 25 O’Clock and Psonic Psunspot in their original sleeves. (“Johns” and “Owen” will randomly offer signed cards with orders on Burning Shed.) It’s all available October 11, and pre-order links are below.

Psurroundabout Ride (Ape House APEBD120, 2019)

CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
25 O’Clock 200-gram LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Psonic Psunspot 200-gram LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada

CD: New Stereo Mixes (except *)

1. 25 O’Clock
2. Bike Ride To The Moon
3. My Love Explodes
4. What In The World??…
5. Your Gold Dress
6. The Mole From The Ministry
7. Vanishing Girl
8. Have You Seen Jackie?
9. Little Lighthouse
10. You’re a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)
11. Collideascope
12. You’re My Drug
13. Shiny Cage
14. Braniac’s Daughter
15. The Affiliated
16. Pale and Precious
17. Open a Can Of Human Beans *
18. Black Jewelled Serpent Of Sound (Radio Caroline Edit)
19. Tin Toy Clockwork Train

Tracks 1-6 released as 25 O’Clock – Virgin WOW 1, 1985
Tracks 7-16 released as Psonic Psunspot – Virgin V-2440, 1987
Tracks 17-19 released on 25 O’Clock: Expanded Edition – Ape House APECD023, 2009

Blu-ray

• 2019 5.1 mixes, hi-res stereo & instrumentals of Tracks 1-19 (except 17, upmixed from original stereo master via Penteo)
  
• Original stereo mixes, hi-res stereo of Tracks 1-16
• 2019 stereo mixes (DTS-HD Master Audio & Stereo 24/96) of Tracks 1-19 (except 17, original stereo)
• Demos (1-6 released on 25 O’Clock: Expanded Edition; 7-12 released on Psonic Psunspot: Expanded Edition – Ape House APECD024, 2009)
  • 25 O’Clock
  • Bike Ride To The Moon
  • My Love Explodes
  • What In The World??…
  • Nicely Nicely Jane
  • Susan Revolving
  • No One At Home (Vanishing Girl)
  • Little Lighthouse
  • Collideascope
  • Shiny Cage
  • Brainiac’s Daughter
  • The Affiliated