Caropop Ep224-Dave Gregory, pt1, on XTC's incendiary live concerts

This conversation was tied to the ‪@recordstoreday‬ release of Live Boots, a recording of XTC's fast and furious April 17, 1981 concert at Emerald City in the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. This performance came toward the tail end of the Black Sea tour, when the band was hitting on all cylinders. Revisiting this performance decades later, Gregory addresses… What does he think of the “bootleg” quality of the sound? Why did XTC play everything at such a frenetic pace, and does he admire or regret that approach now? Were they driven by natural adrenaline or something else? The Emerald City show came almost four months after a late December London show recorded by the ‪@BBC‬ and previously released on CD. How did those shows and the audiences compare? How did XTC approach concerts differently in the U.S. and U.K.? Might XTC have had more longevity as a live band if frontman Andy Partridge didn’t throw himself into each performance so intensely? How did the band create the setlists, and did they stick the same one night after night? Was this the peak for Partridge, bassist Colin Moulding, drummer Terry Chambers and Gregory as a band? How many guitars did Gregory take on tour? What are Gregory’s go-to guitars now? How did his ears survive that tour—or did they? How did XTC’s live attack differ when it hit the road in 1982 for the abortive English Settlement tour? Gregory not only is one of the great guitar players of our time but also guitar appreciators. So, no surprise, we go down a rabbit hole talking about Rickenbacker's Previous Caropop guest and Rickenbacker CEO John Hall’s ears should be burning. There may be nothing more inspiring and entertaining than relaxed, candid conversations among creative people. Mark Caro, a relentlessly curious journalist and on-stage interviewer, loves digging into the creative process with artists and drawing out surprising stories that illuminate the work that has become part of our lives. Caropop is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the music, movies, food and culture that they love. #DaveGregory #XTC #ColinMoulding #AndyPartridge #TerryChambers #recordstoreday #bbc #rickenbacker #Caropopcast #MarkCaro Subscribe & donate at https://www.caropop.com/caropopcast