Drums & Wires

"Making Plans for Nigel" is XTC's first English Top 20 hit and both it and the underground gem "Helicopter" introduce America's alternative pop fans to the band. Says Melody Maker: "XTC has broken cover and broken ground." New Music Express insists that the band's music "demands new adjectives." Andy: "Twang! Barry goes, Dave comes and the band is reborn. We revel in electric guitars, voodoo tom toms and the discovery of our song-writing muscle (which is becoming delightfully erect)." Andy: "Suddenly we were a three piece. The song-writing was starting to get half decent and we were revelling in two wiry sounding guitars, twanging bass and voodoo tom-toms." Originally released on 17 August 1979 in the U.K. Reached No. 34 on the U.K. album chart. Reached No. 176 on the Billboard album chart in the U.S.A.