Complicated Game

Born in Malta but raised in Swindon, England, where he still lives, Andy Partridge is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the founder of the internationally renowned new-wave group XTC, with whom he recorded fourteen widely acclaimed albums--among them English Settlement, Drums and Wires, and Skylarking--during a career spanning four decades.

I like accidents. I like to put myself in the way of musical harm. I like being at the wheel of that musical car, and aiming it at the wall, just to see what shape the car s going to come out. It might come out an interesting shape that would have taken me forever to decide on otherwise. Complicated Game offers a unique insight into the work of one of Britain's most original and influential songwriters-and an unprecedentedly revealing and instructive guide to how songs and records are made. Developed from a series of interviews conducted over many months, this fascinating book explores in detail some thirty XTC songs-including well-known singles such as 'Senses Working Overtime' and the controversial 'Dear God'-from throughout the group's thirty-year career. It casts new light on the writing of lyrics, the construction of melodies and arrangements, the process of recording, and the workings of the?music industry. But it is also filled with anecdotes about Partridge, his XTC bandmates, and their adventures around the world, all told with the songwriter's legendary humour. The book also includes pages from Partridge's songwriting notebooks and reproductions of his original artwork designs, as well as a guide to Andy Partridge's Swindon and a foreword by Steven Wilson, the guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founder and leader of Porcupine Tree.