Go 2

By August 1978, XTC were prepared to record their follow-up to White Music.{{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|p=341}} The band had contacted Brian Eno to produce after they learned that he was a fan, but he declined, telling them that they were good enough to produce themselves.{{cite magazine |url=http://chalkhills.org/articles/MOJO199903.html |title=XTC – 'Til Death Do Us Part |magazine=Mojo |issue=64 |date=March 1999 |access-date=5 May 2020 |last=Ingham |first=Chris}} Virgin rejected Eno's advice, and the group instead returned to Abbey Road with producer John Leckie. One of the album's tracks, "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)", was written in tribute to Eno.{{sfn|DeRogatis|2003|p=341}}

Keyboardist Barry Andrews appeared at the sessions with several original songs, but frontman Andy Partridge did not feel they were right for the band. Andrews began taking bassist Colin Moulding and drummer Terry Chambers out for drinks without inviting Partridge, allegedly in an attempt to take over the group. After most of Andrews' songs were dropped from the final track list, the keyboardist told journalists that he foresaw the band "explod[ing] pretty soon".

An earlier version of "Are You Receiving Me?" was recorded during the Go 2 sessions and was later released on the 2005 boxed set Coat of Many Cupboards. Other outtakes from Go 2 include "Sargasso Bar", "Us Being Us", "Instant Tunes", "Looking for Footprints", "Things Fall to Bits" and "Strange Tales, Strange Tails".

The album's title was chosen in reference to the board game Go in order to continue the black-and-white colour scheme from White Music.{{Cite web|title = XTC on Twitter|url = https://twitter.com/xtcfans/status/611156707021094912|website = Twitter|access-date = 2015-12-18}} The "2" was added by Andrews.{{Cite web|title = XTC on Twitter|url = https://twitter.com/xtcfans/status/611157057211887616|website = Twitter|access-date = 2015-12-18}} Its cover was designed and executed by Hipgnosis. It consists of an essay about how album covers are used to attract buyers of the album. On the first British pressings of the LP version of the Go 2 album the track listing on the vinyl disc label mimicked the type style of the cover art. The label is crammed full of text. In some non-English speaking countries, the group shot that was featured on the album's inner sleeve in the UK was used instead as the album cover. The French 13-track album, including the bonus track "Are You Receiving Me?", was one of the releases that featured this sleeve. Yugoslavia was another country that issued this version of the sleeve.

The essay would change depending on the medium (vinyl or CD) and label (Virgin, Epic or Geffen) the album was released on. A separate essay was prepared for cassette editions in the UK.

Go 2 was released in October 1978 to positive reviews and a number 21 chart peak. The initial 15,000 pressings of the album came with a bonus disc of five dub remixes entitled Go+. In 1990, these tracks were included on the compilation Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/go-2-mw0000660376 |title=Go 2 – XTC |publisher=AllMusic|access-date=26 October 2020 |last=Woodstra |first=Chris}}

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

| rev2score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-05-03-9202090389-story.html |title=The XTC Legacy: An Appraisal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=3 May 1992 |access-date=26 October 2020 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}

| rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev3score = B−{{cite book |chapter=X |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=X&bk=70 |access-date=23 March 2019 |via=robertchristgau.com |title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=Ticknor and Fields |year=1981 |isbn=0-89919-026-X}}

| rev4 = Pitchfork

| rev4score = 6.9/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8833-go-2-black-sea-english-settlement/ |title=XTC: Go 2 / Black Sea / English Settlement |website=Pitchfork |date=9 July 2002 |access-date=26 October 2020 |last=Dahlen |first=Chris}}

| rev5 = Q

| rev5score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite magazine |title=XTC: Britpop's Spiritual Granddads |magazine=Q |issue=178 |date=July 2001 |last=Harrison |first=Andrew |page=139}}

| rev6 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |chapter=XTC |last=Frere-Jones |first=Sasha |author-link=Sasha Frere-Jones |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/890 890–92]}}

| rev7 = Sounds

| rev7Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Minimalism by design |last=Mitchell |first=Tony |date=7 October 1978 |magazine=Sounds}}

| rev8 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev8score = 7/10{{cite book |chapter=XTC |last=Bernstein |first=Jonathan |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=441–43}}

}}

Like White Music, Go 2 was given praise in Sounds, Melody Maker, and the NME.{{sfn|Twomey|1992|p=79}} The Nottingham Evening Post wrote that "there's a wider range of experimentation, less instrumental clutter and a hatful of unpredictable twists," and noted that the hooklines are "just as tricksily devastating."{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Robin |title=New XTC triumph |work=Nottingham Evening Post |date=20 Oct 1978 |page=10}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!)

| writer1 = Andy Partridge

| length1 = 2:36

| title2 = Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)

| writer2 = Partridge

| length2 = 4:37

| title3 = Buzzcity Talking

| writer3 = Colin Moulding

| length3 = 2:41

| title4 = Crowded Room

| writer4 = Moulding

| length4 = 2:53

| title5 = The Rhythm

| writer5 = Moulding

| length5 = 3:00

| title6 = Red

| length6 = 3:02

| writer6 = Partridge

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Beatown

| writer1 = Partridge

| length1 = 4:37

| title2 = Life Is Good in the Greenhouse

| writer2 = Partridge

| length2 = 4:41

| title3 = Jumping in Gomorrah

| writer3 = Partridge

| length3 = 2:04

| title4 = My Weapon

| writer4 = Barry Andrews

| length4 = 2:20

| title5 = Super-Tuff

| writer5 = Andrews

| length5 = 4:27

| title6 = I Am the Audience

| writer6 = Moulding

| length6 = 3:48

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2001 remastered CD bonus track

| title13 = Are You Receiving Me?

| writer13 = Partridge

| length13 = 3:06

}}

• CD issues prior to 2001 placed the bonus track between tracks 5 and 6 on side one of the album.

Bonus EP included with initial LP pressings – later included on Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80. Track notes adapted from XTC: Song Stories (1998), by XTC and Neville Farmer.{{cite book |last1=XTC |first1= |author-link1=XTC |last2=Farmer |first2=Neville |author-link2=Neville Farmer |date=1998 |title=XTC: Song Stories |location=London |publisher=Helter Skelter Publishing |pages=57–58 |isbn=1-900924-03-X}}

{{Track listing

|headline=Side one

|extra_column=Notes

|title1=Dance With Me, Germany

|length1=3:17

|note1=

|extra1=Dub version of "Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!)"

|writer1=Partridge

|title2=Beat the Bible

|writer2=Partridge

|length2=2:06

|note2=

|extra2=Dub version of "Jumping in Gomorrah"

}}

{{Track listing

|headline=Side two

|extra_column=Notes

|title1=A Dictionary of Modern Marriage

|note1=

|extra1=Dub version of "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)"

|writer1=Partridge

|length1=2:27

|title2=Clap Clap Clap

|note2=

|extra2=Dub version of "I Am the Audience"

|writer2=Moulding

|length2=2:17

|title3=We Kill the Beast

|note3=

|extra3=Dub version of "The Rhythm"

|length3=2:05

|writer3=Moulding

}}

XTC

• Andy Partridge – guitars and vocals
• Colin Moulding – bass and vocals
• Barry Andrews – Crumar organ, Farfisa organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, Minimoog, Clavinet, grand piano, vocals and saxophone
• Terry Chambers – drums and vocals

Additional personnel

• John Leckie – production/engineering
• Martin Rushent – associate production (uncredited)
• Haydn Bendall – engineering assistance (Abbey Road unit)
• Pete James – assistant engineer (Abbey Road unit)
• Andy Llewelyn – engineering assistance (Matrix unit)
• Jess Sutcliffe – engineering assistance (Matrix unit)
• Dave Eagle – photography
• Hipgnosis – cover artwork

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |first=Jim |last=DeRogatis |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |title=Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7cQmRsLgN8C |year=2003 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=978-0-634-05548-5}}
• {{cite book |last1=Twomey |first1=Chris |title=XTC: Chalkhills and Children |date=1992 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |isbn=9780711927582 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/xtcchalkhillschi00twom}}

{{XTC}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:XTC albums

Category:1978 albums

Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis

Category:Virgin Records albums

Category:Albums produced by John Leckie