release date: Oct. 6, 1978
format: vinyl (1984 reissue) / cd (2001 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]
producer: John Leckie
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!)" - 2. "Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)" - 4. "Crowded Room" - 6. "Red" - 7. "Beatown" - 9. "Jumping in Gomorrah" - *13. "Are You Reciving Me?"
* Bonus track on 2001 remaster
2nd studio album by XTC released on Virgin and produced by John Leckie, who also produced the debut. Stylistically, this is already a big leap into something else despite being released only nine months after the debut album. This is a much more art rock and art punk release where the band really experiments in the writing process. The keyboards are given much stronger focus, and two songs are credited keyboardist Barry Andrews, who would leave the band at the end of the year. Although, sharing the same producer as on the debut, the album is clearly better balanced with a more dynamic result. In fact, Leckie harvested great appraisal for his dynamic production and became a bit of a shining producer-star after this.
I recall judging this as a rather poor follow-up to the splendid debut, as you may argue that in only contains about 3-4 fine tracks - with the majority of the remainders being somewhat below average. But this is on a mere superficial level. If you're looking for the strong and similar shaped album as the debut with its sharp and quirky new wave blasts, you will likely end up being disappointed. Like I was.
Go 2 really reflects the overall transition the band always found themselves in - never resting in a style, never on repeat, and always inspired by new ways of expression, trying something... else. The strong energetic and melodic new wave tracks are here replaced by experimental art rock, but if you're able to put ordinary song patterns aside and look at it as an innovative and original album with stylistic elements of zolo, which had its highs in the late 70s and early 1980s, you may consider this as a very strong and fascinating release.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 2 / 5 stars ]
