内容（「CDジャーナル」データベースより）
良しにつけ悪しきにつけ英国らしさをプンプン放つ数少ないバンド,でもってカルト的な存在。7年ぶりの新作。この間デイヴ・グレゴリーが脱退,とうとうアンディとコリンのふたりになったが,頑固さと冒険心が共存した変わらぬ世界が展開される。
From Amazon.co.uk
Because of record contract litigation,
Apple Venus Volume One is XTC's first album of new material in nearly seven years. The now-duo of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding sure seem to have been using their time off to smell the flowers, as their lyrics are ripe with fruit, nuts, dandelions, orchids, sunflowers, and harvest festivals. Billed as the "orchestral" album that precedes its "rock" bookend,
Apple Venus is XTC's most obvious nod to the lush, intricate sounds of the Beach Boys'
Pet Sounds and the Beatles'
Sgt. Pepper's (those familiar with 1986's
Skylarking know that's a bold statement). Cellos, flutes, and other highbrow instruments provide the backdrop for the flowery lyrics. The whimsical "I'd Like That" is the perfectly understated pop song that has always eluded Partridge. The album's lone touch of angst comes courtesy of "Your Dictionary", which is spiked with four-letter words, but Partridge, ever the genteel Englishman, merely spells them out. Essential? No. Innovative? Hardly. But
Apple Venus is a solid, cohesive work by one of rock's most artistic artists.
--Bill Crandall
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