XTC - Life Begins At The Hop

[MrReded69]

OMG!It's a Prince Valiant mullet!

[Brock2oon]

Not too often do songs make me nostalgic for a time period I wasn't part of in a country I've never been to.

[psychoannalist1]

Well, world, you dropped the ball as usual. You love all your Nirvanas and Britneys and fricks and fracks. XTC did it all. They were and are brilliant. They invented styles that made millions of dollars for lesser bands and singers. Oh well. They will one day get their due, greatness can only slumber so long, and cream rises to the top. Hope the boys can finally get some decent money for their incredible work though.

[Equalizerfan]

Beautiful song

[CONSIDERABLYMORE1]

Achingly beautiful innocence, celebrating the simple life growing up in 1970s provincial England.. Desperately and unashamedly uncool, the quintessence of English eccentricity which seems to have all but died in the Cowell inspired factory farms. Of course "Funk Pop A Roll" would later deal with the dark forces of Cowellism in a brutal attack.

[TheKenfig]

Great single from a band that worked very hard and were very inventive but had relatively little reward for their talent because of a lack of 'image' that bands twice as successful had

[101Volts]

@TheKenfig You know what, Andy did say someone from their record label thought they should have an image like ZZ Top, Only with lightning bolts painted on their faces. I'm not joking. Andy's comment on that? "We'd look like four kings of assholes!"

[TheKenfig]

@101Volts Yes, not their fault but you know, lots of kids will overlook a band that dont have a stupid image like Adam & The Ants or something

[wahmbri]

Who knew an Easter bunny could be so funny! You're gonna fall off your chair laughing at this movie. Watch it now at hop(.)streamdirectmovies(.)org

[curtiscrush]

omg look at andy's hair !!!!! awesome song !

[bodsnvimto]

Holy Moses! Twenty years prior to the mighty Stone Roses, it looks like Ian Brown is already doing vocals!

[neonwind]

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

[TheMistermuppet]

i love singing this tune as i stand up in the sunroof in my limo in the summer when i go get my dose at my methadone clinic

[peacemonger1967]

This is basically a fantastic dance record...timeless.

[marcdebosier]

Really Brilliant band that was SOOOO UNDERRATED!!! It's kind of sad more people don't know about them... They had a good run though, really good at writing catchy even intelligent songs.

[baldbassman]

This must have been before he got his Epiphone Newport...

[Stube437]

Colin. Get a hair cut man! ha ha

[SleepyTymeT]

I hate when the suits saw off the songs. "Don't need those measures...."

[JohnnyLovelyOfficial]

the long hair is not a good look for him

[therealsoulproduct]

Man, I really wish they would get back together.

[OUtsidethenine4eva]

That club looks awesome...the background and cieling are wicked cool

[TheMistermuppet]

boys and girls!!!! good song to wake up to and have a coffee to and dance before i head to work

[andreaprodan]

It's a beautiful black Mustang. I should know... I own a 1977 USA original, also black, currently being played in my band in Argentina,'Romapagana'.

[Salguine]

@andreaprodan Then you should know it isn't a Mustang. It's a Fender Lead I. They only made them from 1979 to 1982, so there aren't many of them around now.

[OrangeFuzz123]

45 on clear vinyl!!

[timbrownson]

Saw them at The Crucible in Sheffield (in I think 1979) and they were awesome. Classic British pop and it's a shame they never got the recognition they fully deserved.

[101Volts]

There's Andy playing his Mustang again. I've only ever seen clips of him playing it here and in the Making Plans For Nigel video.

[101Volts]

On closer inspection that's a Fender Duo Sonic or something, Not a Mustang.

[goshou]

Not a Mustang; Duo Sonics were discontinued in favor of the Mustang - really they're the same instrument, the Duo Sonic just comes in that ugly tan color. He's playing a Bronco - same guitar Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys used for all the Favourite Worst Nightmare stuff.

[101Volts]

@goshou I wasn't familiar with the Bronco, Thanks for clearing that up.

[andreaprodan]

@101Volts

OOOps! There's Mr. Salguine (above), ticking us off for thinking it's a Mustang, mate! Check out the comment.

[marseye05]

laaaa lalalalala

[ricknblack]

a god dam british classic band,who were overlooked,andy partridge/colin moulding fekin brilliant....

[keddw]

When I saw them they definitely interacted with the crowd (LSE '79 and a gig in Reading late '78 with Barry)Andrews. Loads of handshakes, encores strange face -pulling but I think the paranoia or whatever, was yet to come.

[Donutsmasher1]

i just got drums and wires

[keddw]

Saw them at this time and earlier. Great live band.

[pica6888]

Your lucky you saw them. I heard that XTC didn't do too many live shows. I had heard that one of the members had terrible stage fright.

[Localulu27]

love the jingly jangly rythym

[professionallynasty]

One of the best vocalists ever...no joke.

[jangenk]

oh so awesome.... memories tell me what do you say

[charlesremschel7]

@jangenk life begins at the hop boys and girls

[hairycub69]

wonderful pop song from 1979. Blur, Franz ferdinand...and many others were listening too (o; For a beginners guide to XTC I recommend Fossil Fuel the singles 1977 to 1992 - great tunes with intelligent and funny lyrics..btw look at the state of Peter Powell at the beginning....the hair, the frilly shirt 2 years ahead of New romantics (o; he was a cool dude (o;

[Glamking1]

IIRC May 17th 1979. is the certain date of this performance.

[TradaBoy]

always been my favorite ... besides generals and majors ... when they released that dribble Dear God ... i stopped following

[JDirvin5592]

why'd you stop following?

[artrock101]

I believe the word you're looking for is "drivel".

[jkiss12]

is the track actually live? the reason i ask is because the drummer hits the crash and there is no crash sound then a couple beats later he doesnt hit the crash but there is a crash sound

[ElOelCooter]

Nope, definitely the studio version.

[Grightsta1]

Chicago DJ Steve Dahl used also to give rotation of "Generals and Majors" on WLUP. Not really the format for this station at the time. (He was the famed disco demolition dj that blew up disco records durring a white sox game) In high school, I moved to Clevleand where they had good college radio stations but you wouldn't hear alot of XTC...only recently have I become aquainted with their other albums besides English Settlement and Black Sea...Hats off to whoever posted this!!!

[ElOelCooter]

You should have listened to WXRT in the Chi...

[disc64]

Really, LUP? I don't remeber that. But after the disco demolition, I sort of went off LUP. It seemed like we all saturated on LUP by 78.

I remember WNUR (Northwestern University) having XTC on heavy rotation. Could just barely get reception of them up in Waukegan. After going away to college in 82, I had to do without, but up until then WNUR was like heaven for me. Besides XTC, WNUR introduced me to Kraftwerk, Devo, Buzzcocks, Wall of Voodoo, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, ...

[jehouse]

I saw XTC in 1981-ish, opening for a very young REM in Athens. And I'm American. So there.

[32INCHSTRIPER]

Even though its lip-syched, Terry does a great job faking it.....

[musicworldasa]

i love the guitar solo

[lalalovering]

andy looks awesome in this

[TheRealCritique]

I'm American so I can speak to the intelligence of my countrymen, thanks, ahole.

At the time this came out, most people were listening to Bon Jovi and Poison. I didnt say anyone had to like it, I just said that XTC were underrated in the USA. You are either a typically stupid American yokel who likes Whitesnake and Toby Keith, or you're the worst kind of leftie, the marshmallow whiner who attacks his own. I guess you really loved those pastel-colored IZOD shirts, didnt you?

[scurvy0123]

XTC and this song came out years before Bon Jovi and Poison came out. What was playing in America in 1979? The great CBGB bands, Talking Heads, Blondie, Ramones, as well as early new wave from the UK. America was tired of 70s cock rock and disco and getting into alternative, which is why new wave and Brit indie rock took off in the US in the 80s.

[beautydaddy]

God I always loved this song, patridge is the Man!

[Yorkmackem]

Colin Moulding wrote this one !

[nickschick4eva]

Its so hot

[stacyblue1980]

Love this! Been a long time since Ive heard it. =D thanx!

[Pretenders911]

Colin is one of the best.

Some of us were paying attention...

[TheRealCritique]

I'm a huge xtc fan and I didnt know this was Colin's song, along with Generals and Majors.

He looks freaky as a front man, prob part of their 'marketing problem', though they were huge in the UK. Too smart for the US, except some of us. This was the era or right-wing idiot izod and shoulder-sweater-wearing morons, dont forget.

[monkeytrousers]

Actually they were always on the fringes in the UK and not rightfully popular as deserved. The UK was very into casing down fads at the time.

[TheRealCritique]

I remember travelling to London in the mid and late 80s looking for something like punk and new wave, and all I could find was morons who loved Rick Astley and the new orleans club sound whatever the hell that was supposed to be. England was a tough nut to crack. Then I went back to Seattle and a scene actually took off. Seattle had a real connection to these guys and others. I dont know if it was our angsty weather or our alternative radio stations. but we were kindred spirits.

[Pretenders911]

I was a kid in Chicago when XTC first appeared on the local FM station.

No one else I knew of listened to them, the people around me into Journey, and Van Halen, so I was on my own.

But I loved these guys, I felt I was living in their world through their music, their music, poetry.

[pamphish]

WXRT? Yeah!

[angenian]

XRT? Me, too! :)

[jenninwp]

WXRT! Good memories there. I remember that when I got my first job out of a high school as a store clerk, I happily put WXRT's monthly radio flyers at the counter.

[Kwarner722]

"Too smart for the US, except for some of us."

Don't presume to speak for the entire country and don't presume that anyone who didn't listen to XTC or did not like XTC are not as smart as you. Height of arrogance. It's as bad as someone who was a "right wing idiot izod and shoulder-sweater-wearing moron" criticizing you for your musical tastes.

[ClueSign]

Miming to their record -- but there are great posts of actual live shows here -- check them out live -- they OWNED.

[ricknblack]

what a band never really got the credit they deserved andy partridge genius,maybe that was there problem...

[Retrogradevids]

Colin doesn't get the credit for his contribution often enough.

[moestaiano1]

Can anyone post the original video that was removed? Poo.

[riffraffselbow]

It's brilliant. the blending of the soft vocals , with the completely "unrelated" intrumentation, creates a tension I love.

[matelot95]

Colin's doing a great Chrissie Hynde impersonation!

[Nigelxman]

Gee Matelot.....Care to explain?????

[JaneFury]

Probably referring to his bangs...just a guess.

[peepingpom]

Thanks for posting - this almost makes up for the video being removed from this site.

[Cigarmark]

I am royally PISSED about that !

[monkeytrousers]

God bless XTC - This is them in their prime!!! Look at Terry up front!