Go 2 is 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:...

's second album. It was released on 6 October 1978. The UK version contained no singles, however the US and Canada versions included the single "Are You Receiving Me?" (released 27 October 1978, the same month as the album's release). A promotional video was also made for the song. An earlier version of "Are You Receiving Me?" was recorded during the Go 2 sessions and was later released on the Coat Of Many Cupboards box-set. 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 full title is XTC's Go 2. The title was inspired by the Japanese strategy game Go and the fact that it was their second album.

Go + (see Trivia) was eventually re-released on the Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80 CD.

Album cover

The album's cover was designed and executed by Hipgnosis

Hipgnosis

Hipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...

. It consists of an essay about how album covers are used to attract buyers of the album. The essay reads:

"This is a [ALBUM FORMAT] COVER. This writing is the DESIGN upon the [album format] cover. The DESIGN is to help SELL the [album format]. We hope to draw your attention to it and encourage you to pick it up. When you have done that maybe you'll be persuaded to listen to the music - in this case XTC's Go 2 album. Then we want you to BUY it. The idea being that the more of you that buy this [album format] the more money [record company], the manager Ian Reid and XTC themselves will make. To the aforementioned this is known as PLEASURE. A good cover DESIGN is one that attracts more buyers and gives more pleasure. This writing is trying to pull you in much like an eye-catching picture. It is designed to get you to READ IT. This is called luring the VICTIM, and you are the VICTIM. But if you have a free mind you should STOP READING NOW! because all we are attempting to do is to get you to read on. Yet this is a DOUBLE BIND because if you indeed stop you'll be doing what we tell you, and if you read on you'll be doing what we've wanted all along. And the more you read on the more you're falling for this simple device of telling you exactly how a good commercial design works. They're TRICKS and this is the worst TRICK of all since it's describing the TRICK whilst trying to TRICK you, and if you've read this far then you're TRICKED but you wouldn't have known this unless you'd read this far. At least we're telling you directly instead of seducing you with a beautiful or haunting visual that may never tell you. We're letting you know that you ought to buy this [place album format here] because in essence it's a PRODUCT and PRODUCTS are to be consumed and you are a consumer and this is a good PRODUCT. We could have written the band's name in special lettering so that it stood out and you'd see it before you'd read any of this writing and possibly have bought it anyway. What we are really suggesting is that you are FOOLISH to buy or not buy an album merely as a consequence of the design on its cover. This is a con because if you agree then you'll probably like this writing - which is the cover design - and hence the album inside. But we've just warned you against that. The con is a con. A good cover design could be considered as one that gets you to buy the [album format], but that never actually happens to YOU because YOU know it's just a design for the cover. And this is the [ALBUM FORMAT] COVER."

On the actual cover artwork the labeling of the album's formats, and the record company, are used in place of the words "[album format]" and "[record company]" in the display of the essay. The essay on the LP

Gramophone record

A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 started and ended with the words "This is a RECORD COVER", the essay on the cassette started and ended with the words "This is a CASSETTE COVER" and the essay on the CD started and ended with the words "This is a COMPACT DISC COVER".


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 beginning with "This is a RECORD LABEL".

Initial pressings of the album came with a bonus disc of dub

Dub music

Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...

 remixes

RemixeS

RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...

 entitled Go+.

The subtitle "Andy Paints Brian" for the song "Battery Brides" is a reference to Brian Eno

Brian Eno

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...

, the bands original choice as producer for the album. Eno politely turned the band down, saying they didn't need him as they had enough good ideas of their own.

UK LP: V 2108

2001 Remastered CD: CDVX2108

Go+ (Bonus disc included on initial pressing)

1. "Dance With Me, Germany" [dub
   Dub music
   Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
   
    version of "Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go!)"] – 3:17
2. "Beat the Bible" [dub
   Dub music
   Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
   
    version of "Jumping in Gomorrah"] – 2:06
3. "A Dictionary of Modern Marriage" [dub
   Dub music
   Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
   
    version of "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)"] – 2:27
4. "Clap Clap Clap" [dub
   Dub music
   Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
   
    version of "I am the Audience"] (Moulding) – 2:17
5. "We Kill The Beast" [dub
   Dub music
   Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
   
    version of "The Rhythm"] (Moulding) – 2:05

Personnel

• Andy Partridge
  Andy Partridge
  Andrew John "Andy" Partridge is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been known as Sir John Johns and Melchior and rose to fame as a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the pop/new wave band, XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.Partridge also...
  
   - guitars and vocals
• Colin Moulding
  Colin Moulding
  Colin Ivor Moulding is a bassist, songwriter and vocalist. He is a founding member of the band XTC. Though less prolific than bandmate Andy Partridge, Moulding wrote many of the group's most popular songs, including their first three UK hit singles: "Life Begins At The Hop", "Making Plans For...
  
   - bass and vocals
• Barry Andrews
  Barry Andrews (musician)
  Barry Andrews is a vocalist and keyboardist. He is a former member of the bands XTC and League of Gentlemen with Robert Fripp, and was co-founder of Shriekback. He has collaborated with Brian Eno on several projects, most recently guesting on keyboards for the 2005 album Another Day On Earth...
  
   - crumar
  Crumar
  Crumar is an Italian company which manufactured synthesizers and keyboards in the 60's, 70s and 80s. Its name is taken from that of its founder, Mario Crucianelli...
  
   group 49 cheesy organ, farfisa
  Farfisa
  Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
  
   organ, lawrence electric piano, wurlitzer
  Wurlitzer
  The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
  
   e-piano, minimoog
  Minimoog
  The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
  
  , clavinet
  Clavinet
  A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
  
  , steinway
  Steinway
  Steinway may refer to:* Steinway & Sons, an American and German piano manufacturer* Steinway Hall, a building housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos* Steinway D-274, the concert grand piano by Steinway & Sons...
  
   grand piano, vocals and saxophone
• Terry Chambers
  Terry Chambers
  Terry Chambers is an English drummer and was a founding member of XTC, appearing on all studio and live albums until his departure during the 1982 sessions for Mummer, on which he played on "Beating of Hearts", "Wonderland" and a B-side, "Toys".He moved to his wife's native Australia, drumming...
  
   - drums and vocals

Credits

John Leckie - producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

/engineer

Martin Rushent

Martin Rushent

Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...

 - associate producer - (uncredited)

Haydn Bendall

Haydn Bendall

Haydn Bendall is a British music record producer, engineer and mixer. He was Chief Engineer at Abbey Road Studios for ten years and was awarded the Audio Pro Industry Excellence Award for Best Studio Engineer in 2009.-Career:...

 - assistant engineer (Abbey Road

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

 unit)

Pete James - assistant engineer (Abbey Road

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

 unit)

Andy Llewelyn - assistant engineer (Matrix unit)

Jess Sutcliffe - assistant engineer (Matrix unit)

Dave Eagle - photos

Hipgnosis

Hipgnosis

Hipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...

- cover artwork