Mummer (album)

Mummer is the sixth studio album by the English band XTC, released on 30 August 1983. It reached No. 51 on the UK album chart and No. 145 on the U.S. Billboard album charts. The album title refers to a Mummers play. A working title considered for the album was Fruit Fallen From God's Garden.[11]

Mummer
Studio album by XTC
Released	30 August 1983
Recorded	September – December 1982
Studio	The Manor, Oxfordshire, and Genetic Studios, Berkshire, England
Genre	Progressive pop[1]
Length	41:43
Label	Virgin
Producer	Steve Nye, XTC, Bob Sargeant
XTC chronology
English Settlement (1982) Mummer (1983) The Big Express (1984)
Singles from Mummer
"Great Fire" Released: 22 April 1983 "Wonderland" Released: 24 June 1983 "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" Released: 19 September 1983

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Q	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]
Smash Hits	9/10[8]
The Village Voice	B−[9]
Record Mirror	[10]

It spawned three UK singles; "Great Fire", "Wonderland" and "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" (reached No. 50 on the UK singles chart). This was the final album that drummer Terry Chambers appeared on with XTC, as he quit the group during the recording sessions, frustrated with the band's decision to becoming a solely studio-based act. He was replaced by Peter Phipps. Andy Partridge later said "Until early 1982, our work was like black-and-white TV. Mummer was the first in full colour -- bright sky blue."

Background

The album was delayed many months by Virgin Records. It was originally supposed to be released by Epic Records on 26 May 1983 in the U.S.A. (it was assigned a catalog number: BFE 38516), but the label thought it was too acoustic and pastoral for American audiences. It was finally issued in the U.S. by Geffen Records (who subsequently issued all of XTC's Virgin releases) in February 1984. "Wonderland" was the only single issued by Geffen from the album.

The only promotional public appearance made by the band for this album was in late 1983 when they appeared on the BBC-TV show Pebble Mill at One where they lip-synced to "Love on a Farmboy's Wages". A promotional video was made for the "Wonderland" single. Five more videos were also made in July 1983 for the television documentary program Play at Home.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Andy Partridge, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Beating of Hearts"		3:56
2.	"Wonderland"	Colin Moulding	4:50
3.	"Love on a Farmboy's Wages"		3:58
4.	"Great Fire"		3:47
5.	"Deliver Us from the Elements"	Moulding	4:36

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Human Alchemy"		5:11
2.	"Ladybird"		4:32
3.	"In Loving Memory of a Name"	Moulding	3:16
4.	"Me and the Wind"		4:17
5.	"Funk Pop a Roll"		3:14

2001 CD bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Frost Circus" (B-side to "Great Fire" 12")	3:53
12.	"Jump" (B-side to "Wonderland")	4:39
13.	"Toys" (B-side to "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" double 7")	4:20
14.	"Gold" (B-side to "Great Fire")	3:33
15.	"Procession Towards Learning Land" (B-side to "Great Fire" 12")	3:46
16.	"Desert Island" (B-side to "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" double 7")	4:52

Personnel

XTC

• Andy Partridge – vocals, guitar, saxophone on "Great Fire"[12]
• Colin Moulding – vocals, bass
• Dave Gregory – vocals, guitar, keyboard, piano

Additional personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

• Terry Chambers – drums on "Beating of Hearts", "Wonderland" and "Toys"[14]
• Peter Phipps – drums on remaining tracks
• Steve Nye – mini-korg on "Wonderland", mellotron on "Deliver Us from the Elements"
• Nigel Warren-Green – strings on "Great Fire"
• Gavyn Wright – strings on "Great Fire"

Technical

• XTC – producer
• Steve Nye – producer, engineer (except "Great Fire", "Gold", "Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land")[15]
• Bob Sargeant – producer ("Great Fire", "Gold")
• Mark Dearnley – engineer ("Great Fire", "Gold")
• Jim Russell, Howard Gray, Gavin Greenaway, Marcellus Frank, Mike Nocito – assistant engineers, tape-jockeys, tea makers, gophers etc.
• Alex Sadkin, Phil Thornalley, XTC – remixing ("Wonderland", "Human Alchemy", "Funk Pop a Roll")
• Howard Gray – engineer ("Frost Circus", "Procession Towards Learning Land")[15]
• David Lord, XTC – mixing ("Desert Island")[16]
• Glenn Tommey, XTC – mixing ("Toys")[16]
• Gavin Cochrane – album sleeve photography
• Ian Hoolen – inner sleeve photography
• Ken Ansell – artwork

References

1. Bernhardt, Todd; Partridge, Andy (8 July 2007). "Andy discusses 'Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her'". Chalkhills.
2. Woodstra, Chris. "Mummer – XTC". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
3. Kot, Greg (3 May 1992). "The XTC Legacy: An Appraisal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
4. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
5. Sinclair, David. "XTC: Mummer". Q. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
6. Considine, J.D. (29 March 1984). "XTC: Mummer". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
7. Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "XTC". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 890–92. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
8. Black, Johnny (15–28 September 1983). "Albums". Smash Hits: 21.
9. Christgau, Robert (29 May 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
10. Page, Betty (3 September 1983). "XTC 'Mummer'". Record Mirror. Vol. 30 no. 36. p. 20.
11. "XTC Reel by Real: XTC: Mummer". Chalkhills. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
12. Bernhardt, Todd (14 October 2007). "Andy discusses "Great Fire"". Chalkhills. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
13. Mummer (liner notes). XTC. Virgin Records. 1983.CS1 maint: others (link)
14. "Toys". Chalkhills. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
15. "Great Fire 12". Discogs. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
16. "Love on a Farmboy's Wages double 7". Discogs. Retrieved 25 November 2019.