XTC - Senses Working Overtime

Today's Hump Day Retro-Closet track is from XTC, a smart witty British band. They came onto the scene in the 70's during the punk era and their sound was a mix of funk, punk, ska, reggae, and art rock. They were never a huge success, save a few hits, but were always favorites of the critics.

The band had many personnel changes over the years and singer Andy Partridge early on took over the songwriting and singing. In the early 80's they became a studio only band (with occasional radio performances) after a Andy Partridge's breakdown in 1982 at a concert in Paris. Partridge's wife threw out his supply of Valium, which Partridge had been using since his was a teenager to help cope with his parent's divorce.

The band settled into a trio of Partridge, Dave Gregory and Colin Moulding for the rest of 80's and 90's, with first Gregory leaving in the late 90's then the duo breaking up in 2005 after Moulding lost interest in music.

Sense's Working Overtime off the excellent release, 1982's English Settlement, was on of XTC's early hits.