XTC

One track, "The Good Things," attributed to Terry and the Lovemen, was actually XTC themselves, using yet another pseudonym. Only Nashville Star still remains as a returning series and is the most popular. The XTC tribute album A Testimonial Dinner was released in 1995. This series has been imitated by many other shows, among them Cupid, Superstar USA and Nashville Star (hosted by LeAnn Rimes). Adam Ant," an ironic tribute by They Might Be Giants, but did not appear on the track. One or two more cities may also be added later as there are usually late additions to the list. They were mentioned in "XTC vs. As of now, the current list of cities (tentative) are Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Memphis and San Diego.

A boxed CD compilation, Coat of Many Cupboards, was released in 2002. The fifth season of American Idol will be held starting in January 2006 with auditions expected to be in the summer and early autumn of 2005. Colin Moulding declined to contribute his demos to the series. The winner of the competition was Carrie Underwood. Having left Virgin, relations have improved and Andy Partridge is releasing a series of albums of "demos" of his songs (mainly from the Virgin years) under the title of Fuzzy Warbles, on a new label imprint APE (Andy Partridge Experiments). It featured appearances by former auditioners of questionable talent, and celebrity cameos by Kenny G, Rascal Flatts, David Hasselhoff, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, George Benson, Billy Preston, Babyface and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now in control of their own work and with their own small studio, they have released instrumental and demo versions of their first two albums on Idea, Apple Venus and Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2). The fourth season finale featuring Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood aired May 24-May 25.

Finally released from Virgin, they formed their own label, Idea Records. Dave Gregory left the band during the recording of the 1999 album Apple Venus Volume 1 after contributing to a few tracks, leaving just Partridge and Moulding in the group. Vonzell Solomon was the 10th contestant voted off the Top 12 on Wednesday May 18th. The settlement of the accounts provided the group with much-needed cash flow, allowing Partridge and Moulding to install fully-equipped studios and work comfortably at home; they are now able to record the majority of their work themselves, although they have used major commercial studios (including Abbey Road Studios in London) for some sessions. For the third and final song of the night, one of the standard judges (Jackson, Abdul or Cowell) chose each contestant's selection. After leaving Virgin, Partridge had their accounts audited and it was discovered that the company had withheld substantial royalty payments from them. In an unprecented move, Bo Bice performed his choice completely a cappella. The band asked that Virgin either allow them to re-negotiate their contract or release them, but the label stalled for years until finally agreeing to released them after a change of management at the company. The second song the performers chose any song from any era.

The final straw for the band was Virgin's scuttling of their 1992 single "Wrapped in Grey", which was pressed up in the tens of thousands, and then recalled and destroyed by the label. He chose the first song each performer would sing, many of which he produced in his career. Management and contractual problems had dogged the band throughout their career, and around the time of the recording of Nonsuch they had to make a legal settlement with their former manager; although most fans assume that there was some financial impropriety involved, the terms of the settlement imposed a "gag" on the band and have prevented them from speaking publicly about the matter.
For the May 18 final three show, a guest judge, legendary record producer Clive Davis was added. They issued no new material during this time, although two compilations were released: Upsy Daisy Assortment and the 2-CD set Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles Collection, which featured remastered versions of their singles, including many tracks not issued on CD before. The winner was Carrie Underwood, the first winner since Kelly Clarkson to not only win but avoid being in the bottom two or three for the entire competition. Their 1992 album, Nonsuch, (named after Henry VIII's fabled palace) united them with famed UK producer Gus Dudgeon and drummer Dave Mattacks, but soon after its release a contractual dispute with their label, Virgin Records, saw XTC go "on strike" from 1992 through 1998, finally resulting in the termination of their contract. Mario Vazquez, who was originally one of the top 12, dropped out of the competition on March 11, just days before the top 12's first performance, citing "personal issues," opening a spot in the final 12 for Nikko Smith, who had been voted off in the semi-finals the previous week.

During their long career, XTC have also released material under a variety of pseudonyms, including two albums of psychedelic parodies as "The Dukes of Stratosphear" (released on a single CD, Chips from the Chocolate Fireball, simultaneous with the second album's vinyl release), a Viz comics promotional single as "Johnny Japes and his Jesticles," a Christmas-themed single as "The Three Wise Men" and a guest appearance on their own tribute album Testimonial Dinner as "Terry and the Lovemen." In 1979 Partridge also released a solo album of radical dub-oriented remixes of material from the Drums + Wires LP, credited to "Mr Partridge" and titled Takeaway: The Lure Of Salvage. Instead of competing in semifinal heats in which the top vote-getters are promoted to the final round, 24 semifinalists were named -- 12 men and 12 women, who competed separately, with 2 of each gender being voted off each week until 12 finalists were left. The band's followup, Oranges & Lemons, was their biggest seller yet, with "Mayor of Simpleton" and "King for a Day" getting heavy airplay on MTV. This season also implemented new rules for the final portion of the contest. ("Dear God" replaced "Mermaid Smiled", which was absent from the album until it was finally reinstated for the remastered "Skylarking" CD in 2000.). He acquired mild fame by repeatedly yelling, "Can you dig it?" to the judges and for the inability of the judges to fully understand him. Skylarking revived the band's commercial fortunes, earning critical accolades and spawning the controversial hit "Dear God", which was originally issued as the B-side of the album's first single, "Grass." Interest in the song saw the album re-pressed with "Dear God" included and the new version of the LP sold 250,000 copies in the USA. Also noted was Leroy Wells from Grand Bay, Alabama who auditioned in New Orleans singing Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money".

Partridge has since softened his view, describing the album as "a summer's day baked into one cake.". The most notable contestant in the early episodes was Mary Roach, who auditioned in Washington D.C. Her rendition of Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move", as well as her comments to the judges that followed her audition, brought considerable negative attention (including false rumors of mental illness) and comparisons to William Hung. The two egos of Rundgren and Partridge clashed frequently during the recording of Skylarking and when it was finished Partridge said that he was not at all happy with the resulting product. Among the music featured in the program: on January 19, 2005, "Look At Me" written by Sara Hickman and performed by her 8-year-old daughter Lily (from the album Big Kid). This did not sit well with the band, Partridge in particular. The music celebrities featured were:. True to his "hands-on" studio production style, Rundgren insisted that everyone adhere to his scheme. While in the past seasons celebrity guest judges have been invited to participate during the competition, this was the first season where guest judges were invited to participate in the auditions.

When the band got to Woodstock, Rundgren had already worked out a running order for both the recording and sequence of the album itself. Auditions were held from August to October 2004. Rundgren had insisted that the band send him, in advance, demos of all the songs that they thought they might tackle for the record. Louis, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana, Las Vegas, Nevada, Cleveland, Ohio, Orlando, Florida and San Francisco, California. Although the pairing of XTC and Rundgren was highly anticipated by fans, the sessions were less than enjoyable for the band. Auditions were held in Washington, DC, St. In 1986, the band travelled to Todd Rundgren's studio-in-the-woods in Woodstock, New York to record what many consider to be the best album of their career, Skylarking. The fourth season of American Idol premiered on January 18, 2005.

Owen"). Paul Anka made an appearance in the Season Finale. Rather than finding a replacement, XTC has used a series of session drummers over the years, including Peter Phipps, Prairie Prince, Dave Mattacks, Pat Mastelotto, Chuck Sabo, and Dave Gregory's brother, Ian Gregory (as "E.I.E.I. The third season was also shown in Australia on Network Ten about half a week after episodes were shown in the US. Another major factor was his burgeoning relationship with his Australian girlfriend--they subsequently married and Chambers migrated to Australia and settled in Newcastle, New South Wales. During the season, controversy over the legitimacy of the contest increased as geeky rocker Jon Peter Lewis and young crooner John Stevens stayed afloat while others were unexpectedly eliminated. Chambers left the band shortly thereafter, unhappy with the confines of the studio, and also feeling the loss of income that resulted from their withdrawal from touring--he did not write, and so received no publishing royalties. After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total, Fantasia Barrino won the "American Idol" title and Diana DeGarmo was runner up.

Since then, XTC has been almost exclusively a studio band, although they have given occasional live-to-air performances from radio stations. The third season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2004. The European and British dates were cancelled and after one show in San Diego the whole US leg was also abandoned. Paul Anka made an appearance during the Season finale. Concerned about her husband's dependence on the drug, his wife ill-advisedly threw his tablets away just before the concert without seeking medical advice -- the result was, not surprisingly, anxiety attacks of such severity that it soon forced Partridge to withdraw from touring permanently. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show because of their alleged romance. The breakdown, accompanied by uncontrollable stage fright, was reportedly precipitated by Partridge's wife throwing away his supply of Valium. According to the band's biography, Andy had become dependent upon the drug after it was prescribed to him as a teenager during his parents' divorce, but it had never been withdrawn. The rumor mills were buzzing once again in 2005 when Season Two contestant Corey Clark, who was himself kicked off the show because of a police record he had not disclosed to the show, alleged that he had had an affair with judge Paul Abdul.

Just after its release and at the peak of their popularity, the band embarked on a major tour, but Partridge suffered a breakdown on stage during one of the first concerts of the tour in Paris on March 18, 1982. Controversy arose when semi-finalist Frenchie Davis was booted from the show, after topless pictures she had taken four years before the show aired surfaced. XTC's last major hit in the touring phase of their career was "Senses Working Overtime," the first single from their brilliant double album English Settlement and a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1982. Despite Studdard's win, Aiken has enjoyed more widespread popularity. Other hits from this era include the non-LP single "Life Begins at the Hop" and singles lifted from Black Sea--"Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" and "Generals & Majors." The promotional clip for the latter single (written by Colin Moulding) features an cameo appearance by the then owner of Virgin Records, Richard Branson. Out of 24 million votes cast, Studdard finished just 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken, although there remains controversy over the validity of the reported results. The album showcased a flawless set of classic power-pop that included enduring XTC favourites including "Rocket From A Bottle," "No Language In Our Lungs," and "Towers Of London"; the strong material was greatly enhanced by more superb production and engineering by Lillywhite and Padgham. In season two with Seacrest as the lone host, Ruben Studdard was the winner with Clay Aiken as runner up.

Their 1980 LP, Black Sea, saw the band's new sound and style come together with superb results. Guarini's self titled album was a flop, selling just 130,000 copies to date. The studio was at the time much sought after for its highly reverberant "live" drum room, and it was greatly favoured by their producer of the time, Steve Lillywhite and his engineer Hugh Padgham, who also recorded successful albums there with Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. Since then it has sold nearly 2 million copies, and includes such hits as "Since U Been Gone" (#2 on Billboard) and "Breakaway" (#6 on Billboard). It also saw them finding the basis of a new sound for the group and marked their first sessions at London's celebrated Townhouse Studios. Her first album Thankful debuted at #1, went double-platinum, and spawned the grammy-nominated hit "Miss Independent." Her sophomore album Breakaway debuted in November 2004 at #3 on the Billboard Charts. The resulting album, Drums and Wires, produced the band's first big hit, "Making Plans for Nigel", which caused a minor controversy because of its lyrical reference to British Steel. Since winning, Clarkson has gone on to a successful musical career.

The loss of Andrews' keyboard madness started the band on a path towards more traditional guitar power-pop, although Gregory also contributed occasional keyboards (and later, string arrangements). Numerous television specials starring the ten finalists followed, as well as the box office bomb entitled From Justin to Kelly. Andrews went on to form Shriekback and he also worked with Robert Fripp's League of Gentlemen. Kelly Clarkson won, with Justin Guarini coming in second. After their second effort, Go2, Andrews left and was replaced by guitarist Dave Gregory. In the first season the show was co-hosted by Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. By the time of the punk explosion in 1977, the group's lineup had been filled out by Barry Andrews (keyboards) and Terry Chambers (drums), and the band got picked up by Virgin Records. They recorded the 3D EP later that year, and followed it up with White Music in January 1978. The number next to a contestant's name denotes the number of times he or she was in the "Bottom Three".

First coming together in 1972, the core duo of Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals) went through various band names and personnel changes over the next five years as they built up their unique brand of hyperactive pop spiked with funk, punk, ska, reggae, and art rock. Kelly Clarkson came in second after Norway's Kurt Nilsen. (The name of the band predates the use of "XTC" as a drug term.). In December 2003, winners of eleven different national Idol competitions were collected for a World Idol competition in London. They are considered the forefathers of the Britpop movement of the 1980s and are one of the most influential bands still working today. A spin-off series called American Juniors premiered on June 3, 2003. XTC is an innovative new wave band from Swindon, UK. This process is repeated each week until the one remaining contestant is declared the winner.

For the energy drink, see XTC (drink).. Over the course of the episode, two are revealed as being "safe" for the week, and the loser is sent home after performing one final song to end the episode. For the drug, see Ecstasy. The bottom three vote-getters are separated from the remaining contestants. Voice of the Beehive. In any case, each week on the following night's live "results" episode, the contestant with the fewest votes is sent home. The Woodentops. However in Season Two, in the final three, one song was chosen randomly from a bowl, with one chosen by the performer and one by the judges.