Complicated Game: Inside the Songs of XTC: Englische Originalausgabe/Original English edition.

by Andy Partridge, Todd Bernhardt

Complicated Game offers a unique insight into the work of one of Britain's most original and influential songwriters. It is also an unprecedentedly revealing and instructive guide to how songs and records are made.

Developed from a series of interviews conducted over many months, the book explores in detail some thirty XTC songs--including well-know 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 humor.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History

Paperback

Published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point, anything newly released and related to my favorite band of all time is a wonderful thing- since they haven't been a band in a while now. This book is for the musically obsessed and curious who'd like to open up Andy's head to see what really going on in there. I'd love to have read about different songs instead of some of the ones chosen, but I won't complain because the interaction between Andy and Todd is very good. As someone who briefly fiddled around with training to be an engineer/producer (feels like about 5 seconds worth of my time), some of the musical concepts crept out of the fuzz to help with what was going here. The musical composition- not so much as I couldn't tell you the difference in chord selection, drumming techniques, etc.

All that being said, I really enjoyed reading this. If you are a fan of XTC, Andy Partridge and music bio-related books you should check it out.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book culls some of the best of interviews musician (and Andy Partridge's friend) Todd Bernhardt did for a My Space blog. Some of them have been augmented more recently. Bernhardt is great match for Partridge, as he knows XTC's music backwards and forwards, knows the process, and knows Andy well enough to give this Q-&-A book a decent sense of flow. The book covers the songs chronologically (if it does well, there is plenty for a second volume) and Partridge is witty and informative. One thing I found is that while he is always engaging, he gets further engaged as they get further into his career, as he definitely feels that he kept improving as a songwriter (and I think that's basically true).

This isn't as dry as conversations about songwriting process usually are, and non-fans may also find value in the book. But this is really for fans, and it's a really nice look behind the curtain, so to speak.

[Jason Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an XTC fan and you're interested in songwriting, you can't not like this book. Andy is charming, insightful, funny, prickly, petulant, discursive, brilliant, all the stuff we love him for. Todd asks great questions and has a really good rapport with Andy—a good balance of researcher, fan, friend, and critic.

There's lots of info and insight into Andy's creative process, the history of XTC, and the meaning and inspiration, and impact of the individual songs.

The tour of Swindon intro is nice. Wish it had a map like we get in the GO2 sleeve, though!

Less optimal things about the book:

Too much of repetition and small talk: the interviews seem to just be verbatim transcriptions, so if the same topic comes up in multiple interviews, or if they're just trading one-liners, we have to read it all.

The song selection feels arbitrary; I guess it's fine and I hope they do more?

I read most of these on MySpace 9 years ago. I was expecting more new stuff. Weird that it took so long to make the book, but stuff is hard, and the content is still relevant. But keep in mind that in many ways it's a reflection of where Andy was in 2007-8, rather than 2016.

The images are cool, but seems they could be more obviously linked to the songs and topics discussed.

[Joe Faust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out that Andy P likes the same kind of books I do about music: ones that focus on the creative process and how the work in question came to be. In this volume we get a good helping of how he wrote some of his best known songs and the happy accidents that made them sound the way they do. Good stuff.

[Antoine Charette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not think my love for XTC's oeuvre could be deepened even more but this fascinating piece of anthology did the impossible. Please XTC fans : don't skip this one. The read will make you feel... well, stupidly happy!

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I've always been a fan of XTC since at least 1979, it's also true that I was never that interested in the background of the guys who made up the unit, certainly more so since 1982 when Andy Partridge had to retire from touring. That rather miffed me at the time, seeing as I had a ticket to see the band in concert in Cleveland in 1982! Still, their lyrics always seemed to speak so explicitly of them as people that there was no real imperative to get a journalistic "take" on them as individuals.

That brings us to this book, which is a compilation of interviews Partridge conducted with one Todd Bernhardt back in the 2000s, and where Partridge goes in-depth over a variety of his songs in regards to just what was happening behind the scenes. While this makes it more of a book to dip into than read at length, I thought this was great stuff.

This book also inspired me to hunt down some more biographical background, and a lot of it is very grimace-worthy, in terms of predatory business practice by the band's management and Virgin Records on one hand, and some bad medical treatment that Partridge received for supposed "mental" issues in his youth. It makes one even more impressed at how much was accomplished by the band.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

XTC literally makes my life better. At all the horrid or uncomfortable moments in my 30-something life I can turn to their records and feel energized and happy and inspired rather than cranky, tired, and cynical. To say I’m coming into this review with a bias would be a fucking hilarious understatement so take it not only with a grain of salt but with a drunken diner-spill.

Andy Partridge was hardly the only gifted songwriter/musician in the band but until Colin Moulding writes his book this is the best I have to go on. It’s honestly exhausting trying to encapsulate how truly great this band was in a few paragraphs and I’m not in the mood to do so but he wrote the majority of the tunes on the albums and was in a lot of ways the motivating force here.

I mean, how can I write something in an easily digestible format that comprehensively covers a songwriting career that goes from stuff like “Statue of Liberty” to “River of Orchids?” Honestly, how?* Suffice it to say I came at this with an unhealthily obsessive attention to detail and I was completely satiated. Andy’s witty, funny, and the cat that compiled this is obviously an understandably obsessed fan.

The bottom line is if you feel a creepy draw to this truly wonderful band’s songs as penned by Andy then this is worth the buy. I suspect I’m hardly the only one as I’ve seen ridiculously hyperbolic but disturbingly reasonable theories on the band like “XTC is God’s way of apologizing for the Beatles breaking up.” I’m not one to commit to an Abrahamic Him but if I was I would buy in to that one.

The book remains imperfect because Andy was by no means the only one contributing deathless art to the songbook but until Colin weighs in with his own interview book this is probably the best we’re gonna get on a history of this immaculate songwriting run. Bonus points if you like stories about song-stories about every possible facet of life with abrupt major/minor modulations, obsessive production, and hateful disregard of 80s musical zeitgeists.

*SPOILER: I can’t.

[Matthew Budman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I began reading about pop music, more than three decades ago, I got frustrated: Why do writers invariably focus on externalities—say, how an album made them feel—rather than the nuts & bolts of the album itself? Even artists' memoirs rarely discuss how songs got written, instruments played, tracks made. (And other readers must hunger for this—think of how people rave about the handful of pages Keith Richards' Life devotes to actual song creation and guitar playing.)

So when I first encountered, in 2006 on MySpace, Todd Bernhardt's Q&A interviews with the great Andy Partridge, examining in detail one XTC song at a time, I could hardly believe it: the primary creator and voice of several of the finest post-Beatles albums ever recorded, discussing in meticulous detail, from chord progressions to equipment to lyric inspiration. They were literally the interviews I had waited my whole life to read. (They're still online here.) And now thirty of them—two from each XTC album—are presented beautifully between covers, with notes and sketches from Partridge's files, and they're marvelous reading. I pored over the songs one at a time, listening carefully (I created a Spotify playlist here), and feel as though I have a much better understanding of and appreciation for not only Partridge but songwriting, performance, and recording.

If there's a quibble, it's that I'd love to see something that, honestly, wouldn't fit in the book: external critical perspective. Not every XTC song, even of those that Complicated Game highlights, is a gem, and it'd be illuminating to see Partridge wrestle with a few challenging questions and assessments other than the half-remembered straw-man criticisms of record-company executives. But that'd be a different project. And as it is, I've really enjoyed hanging out with Todd and Andy in these pages.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to dig into the songs, and, to a lesser extent, the mind of Andy Partridge, who comes off as clever and funny. But I missed Colin Moulding's point of view--and songs. No "Making Plans for Nigel" or "Wake Up" or "Grass" or "Life Begins at the Hop." So it's not really all the songs of XTC, or even the best ones. Still, if you like Partridge and his word and music play, you'll like this.

[Michael Lisinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The readership for this book might be somewhat limited, given both its subject matter and format. Not only is the book exclusively about the English pop/rock band XTC, but the contents are mostly a series of interviews that presuppose a familiarity with the songs in question. So I'll begin with the only real drawback here, which is that the book will probably not hold much value for anyone who happens to pick it up and thumb through without already holding some admiration for XTC and frontman Andy Partridge. (Songwriters looking for inspiration might prove a small exception to this rule.)

If you do already happen to be an XTC convert, however, this book can only enrich your knowledge and enjoyment of the band's music. Through his series of interviews with Todd Bernhardt, Partridge lets readers in on the gritty details surrounding the creative process that are so often hidden from audiences. We find "Mayor of Simpleton" conceived by a fumbling attempt to figure out how to play Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper". Chords appear as shapes, textures, feelings, and images, sometimes spelled out note by note and sans technical names like Bbsus13.

That isn't to say there's no obvious artistry at work, though. On the contrary, the reader is given a glimpse at the creative thought process that often leads these happy accidents down the path towards becoming artworks. Along the way, we learn quite a lot about Andy Partridge the man, given that his personal life clearly informs his songwriting on a deep level. Meanwhile, diehard XTC fans will enjoy the fact that the interviews are organized chronologically - song by song - and aren't afraid to stray from the canonical Rolling Stone version of what's important. Scarcely a mention is made of bandmate Colin Moulding's early hit "Making Plans for Nigel", for instance, and even the celebrated album Skylarking is treated as no more significant than the rest of the material. Meanwhile, no less than six chapters are dedicated to XTC's and Andy Partridge's later work (circa 1999-2000), which has gone relatively unnoticed by casual listeners and music critics but is regarded by many as representing some of the band's finest and most daring material.

Beyond the interviews, there are no less than three charming introductory chapters and a bonus discussion about songwriting itself - a nice addition for fellow creatives and superfans who will enjoy yet another crumb of minutiae. For the uninitiated, I would almost suggest that it's worth getting to know XTC just to be able to enjoy this book. The only reason I don't is because it will always be worth getting to know XTC for its own sake anyway.

[Teo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently gotten intensely into XTC (I listened to their music a few times over the years but didn't fully grasp them until now), of course I had to read this. Even though the more technical bits of the songwriting flew over my head, I still found most of Andy's comments insightful. There were many things I wouldn't have caught onto otherwise, and it's always nice to know more about the backstory of how the music came to be. I am grateful that a lot of my favourite songs were featured here. 

As ironic as this may be, especially considering Andy's witty lyrics are one of the things that I love the most and a vital part of the band, my main criticism of this book is actually his humor. It falls flat for me a lot of the time (hearing interviews, it translates better audibly, though still not really my cup of tea), and I do think some things could've been omitted in retrospect. There were also repetitions in the interview content (as this is a compilation of transcripts) that could’ve been edited down.

Regardless, I think any fan of the band would gather something valuable from here, so I recommend checking this out.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which I thought was a great insight into the songwriting process of Andy Partridge from XTC. Compiled from interviews over a period of several years I was impressed by the breadth of the work, and found it even more interesting because some of the more 'obvious' songs weren't chosen for conclusion. Taking two or sometimes three songs from each album, the book showcases their body of work and compelled me to re-listen - and re-evaluate- a couple of albums ("Drums and Wires" and "Oranges and Lemons") which I always considered to be their weakest records.

For a non-musician such as myself, some of the technical details of song construction went right over my head, but this is my failing. There is also some repetition in the book, considering the interviews were never originally intended to be read in one volume, where stories resurface. Overall, however, it's essential for anyone interested in XTC. And for those who aren't, you should be.

[Patrick Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the mechanics of songwriting and how creative people operate. It's hard not to be a little envious of Andy Partridge's talent and ability to make new art seemingly on a whim, but reading the interviews you may find that you yourself have a reservoir of interests which you may not have tapped into creatively. Andy's quick witted responses and puns are great fun to read. You will have to know a bit about the music of XTC or at least look up and play a few of the songs to get the full picture of the book, but that certainly isn't painful. In an indirect and unique way, this book is life-affirming (just like Andy's music).

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my mind I grew up with Andy Partridge, but in reading this I discovered that he is 13 years older than myself. I enjoyed learning his experiences and views in being the artist that he wished to be. I'm gobsmacked that he is now 70, I'm not certain of too many of a same age that I could relate to so well.

Long live his music and here's hoping to more books.

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say I have a complicated relationship with Andy Partridge is an understatement. For several years XTC were my favourite band in the world, the one I met my wife through. But Wasp Star, in all it’s clumsiness, started a slow disenchantment that accelerated once Andy kept showing up on the radio or online and one thing became very apparent to me: and that’s that I really don’t like Andy Partridge. He’s clearly on the spectrum, but he hides it under this wacky, punning and frankly exhausting persona that just annoys the living hell out of me. I remember a Mark Radcliffe show where he guessed and decided to stay for the whole two hours, whereby he just exhausted the listener with unending wackiness and puns and comedy voices. And if he’s not being an annoying drunk uncle at a wedding he’s being enormously bitter and cranky. I just found myself liking his music less and less the more I discovered of the man himself

This book is fascinating because sometimes the Andy I used to love comes out with something profound or interesting to say. He’s thoughtful and generous and enthusiastic with great insight. But then he ruins it by relentlessly punning or doing silly voices or - worst of all - sounding more like Alan than Andy Patridge (“I really like women. I feel bad that they've had a bad deal... I admire women. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them… I love the smell of women. Actually, the best woman I ever smelled..." etc etc). It doesn’t help that Bernhardt allows Andy to self mythologise and rant about perceived slights, or that he never challenges him. It’s all ego massaging stuff and wildly frustrating to read. I have no idea why anyone would want to read Andy talking about his tastes in pornography or his comedy song “Church of Bitches”. If I admired the man and he’d been like that on the phone to me I would have lost those extracts immediately. But no, here they are. And even though the book does make me care about almost all of XTC for the first time in *ages* (though clearly not Wasp Star, I’m not mad), it’s a Herculean effort to ignore the wacky wackingnator nonsense on every bloody page

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been listening to XTC for a good year and a half or so now and their music continues to surprise me and provide new insights.

Although already familiar with a good portion of the material discussed in this book, this collection of "restored" interviews with the great AP was absolutely a pure delight. With his infallible and characteristic humor, Andy Partridge walkes the reader through the story behind about 30 songs belonging to his rich catalogue. As an intense fan of the band, many of these stories were still somehow unknown to me, but at the same time able to give birth to inspiration, surprise, curiosity and emotion.
Thanks to Todd Bernhardt's great musical education (and talent, other than sharing Andy's brilliant sense of humor) all the questions never sound redundant or out of the place; instead they represent the perfect bait for Andy to catch on and deliver an answer full of details, able to move even the strongest XTC fan.

Listening to Andy is always a sweet experience just as it is reading his words, for they somehow all get played in my head with his distinctive voice.
This book is a precious treasure for all fans of Andy and the band itself, whether they have been listening to their music since they were young or they found out about them two days ago.
If Andy Partridge's music hasn't convinced you yet, this book most definitely will.

Thank you Todd for allowing these beautiful interviews to happen and thank you for collecting the best of them inside this book. You really gifted us something of immense value.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

You would have to be a pretty big fan of XTC to like this book. (I am.)

The 1998 book XTC: Song Stories was a very enjoyable broad-strokes biography of the band along with a brief paragraph about each of their songs. This book, on the other hand, is compiled from a series of interviews musician Todd Bernhardt conducted with XTC's Andy Partridge about the writing and recording of 30 songs spanning the band's 20+ years. The choice of songs is sometimes odd, and the questions obsessive. If you want to know the meaning of every lyric, how the guitars and drums were recorded, and who was playing keyboards, this is the book for you.

It's also a good look into the mind of one of rock/pop's most idiosyncratic and underappreciated songwriters, and his hyperactive sense of humor.

Now who has my copy of Song Stories? I should really keep track of these things.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for fans of Andy Partridge and XTC. Also good for learning about the songwriting process, and unique recording techniques used in the studio

[Todd Cumpston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent!

[Jeff Hoppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly timed to coincide with my renewed obsession with XTC.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most enjoyable run through many of XTCs popular songs told via an interview with Andy Partridge. Must read for XTC fans.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

XTC was perhaps the finest band to come out of the alternative pop scene of the late 70s-80s. While its early albums had the herky-jerky quality that many expected from the punk genre, their lyrics were far more sophisticated than most, and they were better musicians than many of their contemporaries.
They stopped playing live early on, concentrating on creating studio albums that were perhaps too intelligent for mass consumption, but earned a loyal following of fellow musicians and music aficionados.
In Complicated Game, Andy Partridge, the band's leader, and primary songwriter breaks down the inspiration and structure of several songs on each of XTC's albums.
I did enjoy seeing how these various songs came about, and Andy's humor and joy in language, but I was less interested in the nuts and bolts of song construction and production. Even though I am a musician myself, knowing what chord goes where, and what device or mixing process was used took too much of the magic away.
While this book will appeal to fans of XTC and Andy's solo projects, I'd much rather just listen to the albums.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Partridge of the band XTC is the Robin Williams of songwriters (except hopefully without the tragic ending.) His lightning-fast mind makes impossible connections and staggering leaps of logic in both his music and his conversation. And that's what this book is all about. It's a series of transcribed conversations with Andy, held over several years, about 30 of his iconic songs. And it's a (transistor) blast to read!
Interviewer Todd Bernhardt is the superfan turned friend that all XTC fans - hell, all fans of any kind! - wish they could be. He asks free-ranging detailed questions with a mix of fanboy passion and genuine charm that gets Andy talking about everything under the sun. The interviews start with the songs, but lead to all kinds of topics, and by the end of the book you may find yourself thinking as I did, why aren't more rock bios done this way?
Pardon the following wordplay, but I think Andy would approve: It may be a Complicated Game, but this book is a Garden of Earthly Delights.

[Kieran Telo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, especially the biographical details about Andy and the other band members over the years. There are a couple of dozen great, great songs, at least, produced by XTC (and the Dukes of Stratosfear) and a goodly proportion of them are discussed in this book. (Goodly is a very Andy Partridge word.)

Less to my liking were the musicianly parts of the discussions, but only because I didn't really understand them, and for that reason the last chapter - on songwriting generally - sat unread for many weeks. It wasn't bad, once I got stuck in, and nor is any part of the book. I wish there was a proper biography of the band, or of Andy alone, but I haven't been able to find one. This is a good compromise for the meanwhile.

Senses Working Overtime is the greatest song ever btw, and from one of the very finest albums ever (English Settlement) by one of England's greatest bands, full stop.

[Mark Cuevas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who is familiar with the music of XTC will benefit from this insightful, funny, expertly researched, and beautifully written book. The format is a series of interviews with Andy Partridge, chronicling songs from XTC's earliest recordings through their last. Andy's influences, motivation and philosophy unfold as Todd and Andy take the reader through some of XTC's most famous songs: Senses Working Overtime, Love On A Farmboy's Wages, That's Really Super, Supergirl, Dear God, Mayor Of Simpleton, and many, many, others.

And if you're not familiar with the music of XTC, firstly "shame on you", and secondly, remedy that deficiency. Immediately. Do your soul a favor and listen. And then listen again.

Andy's wordplay is legendary. His wit and insight into universal human emotions shines like, well . . . like a Little Lighthouse.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author loves XTC and he does a great job making them sound like the best band ever. Every song is a master work. I don’t say this to mock, because if you’re going to write about a band your should love them.
As a causal fan, I learned a lot about songs I liked, a bit about being in a studio, and working with Todd Rundgrun. I looked up some songs on iTunes. I went back to old CDs I had. The author was so enthused that I had to find these songs. Perhaps this is too detailed for a casual fan, but I enjoyed it.

[Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection of interviews with some neat stories behind some of my favorite songs ever. Yet, while it is a fun read it's nothing life-affirming or mind-blowing. Also the vast majority of these interviews (if not all of them) were posted on Chalkhills.com over 5 years before the book's publication and I had read pretty much all of them already (plus quite a few that didn't make the cut for some reason).

If you're a big XTC fan I'd def recommend this though, it's just non-fiction doesn't really move me.

[Ron Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you an XTC fan?

If yes, buy this book.
If no, go listen to Mummer. Nonsuch. Black Sea. Drums & Wires. English Settlement.

Soon you will be one of us, spending thousands to fly to Swindon for a fan convention. You will drink pints, sing along with new friends, and eat terrible pub food. And you will love every minute of it.

[Craig Winneker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for music nerds and must-read for XTC fans, of which there should be more in the world. Partridge is an interesting character: a brilliant songwriter and gifted musician with a twisted sense of humor.

[Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read this book you must have an appreciation for XTC. You will probably really enjoy this breakdown of some of their best songs. Be aware however that it is solely centered on Andy Partridge's compositions and doesn't cover Colin Moulding's songs.