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Swindon Wide

Review: Complicated Game By Andy Partridge Swindon author publishes
By Graham Carter scattered around the world, who Heathrow book
As clichéd as it may be to claim must be puzzled by unfathomable
a book is ‘essential reading’, a local jargon, but it is also an
newly published one about XTC is eye-opener for fans much closer to
certainly essential reading for fans home.
of the Swindon band. That’s because although XTC are
And if those fans happen to famously from Swindon and there
be from Swindon too, then are plenty of obvious references
Compicated Game comes with a to the town in their albums,
big bonus. Complicated Game demonstrates
A collection of transcripts from just how great an impact on the
interviews of Andy Partridge by creative process the town had. To mark Heathrow Airport’s 70th
American Todd Bernhardt, the So while it will come as no year, Swindon author Adrian Balch
book focuses on more than 30 XTC surprise that The Everyday Story has published his tenth aviation
songs, doing as much as anything of Smalltown is, indeed, Swindon book ‘Heathrow in Photographs
previously published to unlock the in disguise, we learn the album –celebrating 70 years of London’s
enigmatic band and distill their it appears on, The Big Express, is Airport’.
brilliance. Swindon all over. The book describes the changes
Partridge candidly reveals much “Part of me wanted to do an with the ingredients of defiance, at the airport using over 250
about each song in turn, including out-and-out concept album about loyalty, pride, despair and more high quality colour photographs
what inspired him in the first place, Swindon,” explains Partridge, besides all adding up to what depicting the aircraft, airlines and
where the lyrics come from, the and while Train Running Low on Partridge admits is a “love/hate buildings over the years.
musical technicalities, what went Soul Coal is another obvious local relationship”. Rushey Platt resident Adrian, 66,
on in the studio, and the Swindon reference on the same album, he “Our managers begged us not spent 22 years in the Royal Air
connections in minute detail. also points out that another, I to tell anyone that we came from Force, during which he travelled
It is revealed, for instance, that Remember the Sun, is about him Swindon... But everyone’s proud of worldwide, photographing aircraft.
the inspiration for Respectable and bass player Colin Moulding their little town. Other Swindonians Adrian has flown with the
Street, a satire of middle class growing up in Penhill. get worked up when I sometimes Red Arrows and has undertaken
suburbia and one of several singles These are only a few of many talk the town down, but... I grew up many other photographic sorties
that were censored, controversial or examples of the Swindon influence, here, and still live here, and know it for leading aviation periodicals
banned by the BBC, is one street in and Compicated Game will also as well as they do.” worldwide.
particular: Bowood Road. help readers understand more Complicated Game, by Andy The book is available from
The book no doubt unlocks some about the band’s complicated Partridge and Todd Bernhardt, is www.thehistorypress.co.uk or
mysteries for XTC’s fans who are relationship with their home town, published by Jawbone (£14.95). 01235 465500.

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