In 1985, the British pop band
XTC recorded an EP of affectionate parodies of '60s psychedelia and guitar pop called
25 O'Clock. Instead of releasing the EP under their own name, they released the record under a new moniker:
the Dukes of Stratosphear. Working with producer
John Leckie, all three members of the group adopted pseudonyms --
Andy Partridge was
Sir John Johns,
Colin Moulding was
the Red Curtain, and
David Gregory was
Lord Cornelius Plum. For this one project,
Gregory's brother
Ian joined the band under the name
E.I.E.I. Owen. The EP was released without mention of
XTC's name anywhere on the record, and the group members claimed they had nothing to do with the project.
Two years after the appearance of
25 O'Clock,
the Dukes of Stratosphear released a full album,
Psonic Psunspot. By the time
Psonic Psunspot appeared in 1987,
XTC had begun to admit in interviews that they were indeed
the Dukes of Stratosphear. Later in 1987, both the EP and album were released on a single compact disc,
Chips from the Chocolate Fireball.
XTC then resumed working under their regular name, issuing new material throughout the 1990s and early 2000s before splitting up in 2005. Four years later, expanded versions of
Psonic Psunspot and
25 O'Clock appeared via
Partridge's own label, Ape House Records.
–
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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