Psonic Psunspot
| Psonic Psunspot | ||||
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| Studio album by The Dukes of Stratosphear | ||||
| Released | August 1987 | |||
| Recorded | Sawmills Studios, Fowey, Cornwall, in June 1987 | |||
| Genre | Avant-pop | |||
| Length | 35:44 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | John Leckie, The Dukes | |||
| XTC chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Psonic Psunspot | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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| Pitchfork | (8.4/10) |
| Q |
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| Robert Christgau | (B+) |
Psonic Psunspot is the second album by English rock band the Dukes of Stratosphear, a sideproject of XTC, released in 1987. Also counted as XTC's tenth studio album, it is a follow-up to 25 O'Clock (1985).
In 2002, the website Pitchfork listed the album at 66 on their "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s," calling the songs "a surreal rock-opera of opaque, hallucinogenic wonder."
Like the previous album 25 O'Clock, this album is inspired by 1960s psychedelia. It showcases a variety of songs meant to evoke specific groups of that period (for instance, the Hollies on "Vanishing Girl", the Byrds on "You're My Drug", The Kinks on "You're a Good Man, Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)", Paul McCartney on "Brainiac's Daughter", and the Beach Boys on "Pale and Precious"). During this time, another song entitled "Martian Enslavement 1970" was written for the album but never recorded. Some critics, such as Pitchfork Media in their review of Chips from the Chocolate Fireball, argue that the members of XTC, free from the pressures of writing "serious" songs, turn in tunes superior to those on official XTC albums of the period.
The album was released in its original form on vinyl and cassette, accompanied with the "You're A Good Man Albert Brown" single and the promotional-only "Vanishing Girl" single. A simultaneous CD release entitled Chips from the Chocolate Fireball incorporated all of the tracks from 25 O'Clock and Psonic Psunspot with different packaging. Later, a remastered and expanded version of Psonic Psunspot was released on 20 April 2009 by Andy Partridge's Ape House record label. This edition is credited to "XTC as The Dukes of Stratosphear".
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