Here’s a couple of brand new cover songs by ANDY PARTRIDGE, he the main man of XTC and the Dukes of Stratosphear. Undertaken to ring in the completion of his new home studio, the two homages – to Pink Floyd and The Bonzo Dog Band – are played entirely by one human(oid).
“Apples & Oranges” is the A-side, a sweet ’n’ crisp version of the Floyd’s 1967 single (penned by Syd Barrett). The stereo and mono mixes are quite good and fairly close to the original, though Partridge sings it in a lower key. “Humanoid Boogie” comes in stereo and mono mixes, too, and is less faithful to The Bonzos’ original (from their 1968 album The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse [or Urban Spaceman in the US]). I like how Partridge slows it down a bit and gives Neil Innes’ tune a more funky beat, and how he practically raps the lyrics.
Many fans of Mr. Partridge are probably expecting something that sounds like the Dukes of Stratosphear, XTC’s doppelganger in the psych rock world. But neither cover really enters that land, even though they’re both from the era the Dukes mined for their two celebrated records. And though I would be prone to favor either song, being a big fan of both early Pink Floyd and The Bonzos, I’m going with “Humanoid Boogie” – by a sliver – as my pick from this limited edition 10″ record. Rumor has it that it’s already sold out (they only pressed 1396 copies, for an arcane reason that Andy Partridge explains here), though a CD single and downloads are likely to follow. The two sides of this single definitely make a nice pair.
4/5 (Ape House APEEP 901, 2018)
NuDisc 