Description
1977 was a classic year for singles, the year when Punk mutated into New Wave producing a seemingly endless run of great 45s from The Ramones to The Jam, Elvis Costello to Jonathan Richman, Sex Pistols to Richard Hell. With David Bowie Heroes, Kraftwerk Showroom Dummies and Bob Marley Jamming also, releasing key singles it was as if Marleys Punky Reggae Party had plenty of wonderful music from the mainstream to broaden the 7 mix still further but thats only one side of the story Mainstream music buyers seemed oblivious to much of the above as Elvis Presley death, David Soul TV, twice, Rod Stewart preventing Sex Pistols from reaching No.1 and Mull of Kintyre ending the year and the start of 1978, dominated the pole position in the singles charts. The major labels priorities remained little changed. CBS may have had The Clash but the attention was on Abba, Polydor had The Jam but JeanMichel Jarre had the marketing spend, United Artists had Buzzcocks and The Stranglers, but the priority amp No. 1 single came from Kenny Rogers, in a country that, reputedly, dismissed Country music even MOR Country. But the speed of musical change underneath the mainstream was as fast as a shouted 1, 2, 3, 4 on any number of monochrome identipunk singles in equally drab sleeves and it was into this febrile mix that XTC released its first 12 EP 3D, at the end of September 77 a 7 version was withdrawn and for all that it shared the freneticism of its punkier brethren, it also boasted even across just three tracks a variety, a colour and a pop sensibility that acted as a marker for the bands future rapid development. Whisper it, but these guys could actually play and write tunes, accessible ones that burrowed their way into your ears and brain An album wouldnt appear until early 1978 by which time Post Punk was emerging as marketing name of the month but XTC had made their recorded entry in that magical year and not for the first or last time, shown they could compete with the best and worst that 1977 placed on vinyl. Reissued for the first time in decades as a standalone title the 47 th and a bit anniversary 3D EP CD is issued on November 24 th 2023.