The Big Express
Encyclopedia
The Big Express is the seventh studio album
by the British band XTC
, released in 1984. It was one of XTC's harder-edged albums, in contrast to the pastoral
Mummer
and Skylarking
which were released in sequence with it. The seventh track, "I Bought Myself a Liarbird" is about their former manager, Ian Reid. Initial copies of the LP were released in a round sleeve. Working titles considered for the album were: Coalface, Shaking Skinheads, and Bastard Son of Hard Blue Rayhead.
The singles released from the album were "All You Pretty Girls" (released 3 September 1984 and reached No. 55 on the UK singles chart), "This World Over" (released 29 October 1984) and "Wake Up" (released 28 January 1985). The album reached No. 38 on the UK album chart and No. 181 on the U.S. Billboard album charts.
The band made a big-budget promotional video for "All You Pretty Girls", and appeared on the BBC-TV programme Saturday Superstore with lip-synch performances of "This World Over" and "All You Pretty Girls".
The fourth track, "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her", inspired the name of the Japan
ese indie rock
band, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the British band XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, released in 1984. It was one of XTC's harder-edged albums, in contrast to the pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
Mummer
Mummer (album)
Mummer is the sixth album by the group XTC which was released on 30 August 1983. It reached No. 51 on the UK album chart and No. 145 on the U.S. Billboard album charts....
and Skylarking
Skylarking
Skylarking is XTC's eighth studio album, released on 27 October 1986 and produced by American musician Todd Rundgren. Skylarking is a "life-in-a-day" semi-concept album which displayed songwriting and arranging heavily influenced by The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Kinks...
which were released in sequence with it. The seventh track, "I Bought Myself a Liarbird" is about their former manager, Ian Reid. Initial copies of the LP were released in a round sleeve. Working titles considered for the album were: Coalface, Shaking Skinheads, and Bastard Son of Hard Blue Rayhead.
The singles released from the album were "All You Pretty Girls" (released 3 September 1984 and reached No. 55 on the UK singles chart), "This World Over" (released 29 October 1984) and "Wake Up" (released 28 January 1985). The album reached No. 38 on the UK album chart and No. 181 on the U.S. Billboard album charts.
The band made a big-budget promotional video for "All You Pretty Girls", and appeared on the BBC-TV programme Saturday Superstore with lip-synch performances of "This World Over" and "All You Pretty Girls".
The fourth track, "Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her", inspired the name of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her was a Japanese band formed by Aiha Higurashi in 1992. Their musical style contained elements of indie rock and, to a lesser extent, Shibuya-kei.-History:...
.