Mummer (album)

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Mummer
Studio album by XTC
Released	30 August 1983
Recorded	September – December 1982
Studio	The Manor, Oxfordshire, and Genetic Studios, Berkshire, England
Genre	Progressive pop[1]
Length	41:19
Label	Virgin
Producer	Steve Nye, XTC, Bob Sargeant
XTC chronology
English Settlement (1982) Mummer (1983) The Big Express (1984)
Singles from Mummer
"Great Fire" Released: 22 April 1983 "Wonderland" Released: 24 June 1983 "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" Released: 19 September 1983

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Q	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]
Smash Hits	9/10[8]
The Village Voice	B−[9]
Record Mirror	[10]

Mummer is the sixth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released on 30 August 1983. It reached No. 51 on the UK album chart and No. 145 on the U.S. Billboard album charts. The album title refers to a Mummers play. A working title considered for the album was Fruit Fallen From God's Garden.^[11]

It spawned three UK singles: "Great Fire", "Wonderland" and "Love on a Farmboy's Wages", the latter of which reached No. 50 on the UK singles chart. This was the final album that drummer Terry Chambers appeared on with XTC, as he quit the group during the recording sessions, frustrated with the band's decision to becoming a solely studio-based act; he was replaced by Peter Phipps. Andy Partridge later said, "Until early 1982, our work was like black-and-white TV. Mummer was the first in full colour—bright sky blue."^{[citation needed]}

Background[]

The album's release was delayed for many months by Virgin Records. Its U.S. release was initially scheduled for 26 May 1983 by Epic Records (it was even assigned a catalog number: BFE 38516), but the label thought it was too acoustic and pastoral for American audiences. It was finally issued in the U.S. by Geffen Records (who subsequently issued all of XTC's Virgin releases) in February 1984. "Wonderland" was the only single issued by Geffen from the album.

The only promotional public appearance made by the band for this album was in late 1983, when they appeared on the BBC-TV show Pebble Mill at One, where they lip-synced to "Love on a Farmboy's Wages". A promotional video was made for the "Wonderland" single, and five more videos were made in July 1983 for the television documentary program Play at Home.

Track listing[]

All songs written and composed by Andy Partridge, except where noted.

Personnel[]

XTC

• Andy Partridge – vocals, guitar, saxophone on "Great Fire"^[12]
• Colin Moulding – vocals, bass
• Dave Gregory – vocals, guitar, keyboard, piano

Additional personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[13]

• Terry Chambers – drums on "Beating of Hearts", "Wonderland" and "Toys"^[14]
• Peter Phipps – drums on remaining tracks
• Steve Nye – mini-korg on "Wonderland", mellotron on "Deliver Us from the Elements"
• Nigel Warren-Green – strings on "Great Fire"
• Gavyn Wright – strings on "Great Fire"

Technical

• XTC – producer
• Steve Nye – producer, engineer (except "Great Fire", "Gold", "Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land")^[15]
• Bob Sargeant – producer ("Great Fire", "Gold")
• Mark Dearnley – engineer ("Great Fire", "Gold")
• Jim Russell, Howard Gray, Gavin Greenaway, Marcellus Frank, Mike Nocito – assistant engineers, tape-jockeys, tea makers, gophers etc.
• Alex Sadkin, Phil Thornalley, XTC – remixing ("Wonderland", "Human Alchemy", "Funk Pop a Roll")
• Howard Gray – engineer ("Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land")^[15]
• David Lord, XTC – mixing ("Desert Island")^[16]
• Glenn Tommey, XTC – mixing ("Toys")^[16]
• Gavin Cochrane – album sleeve photography
• Ian Hoolen – inner sleeve photography
• Ken Ansell – artwork

References[]