The first track, Meccanic Dancing, alludes to "a disco song from Germany." It is followed by the second track, a mechanical sounding Battery Brides wherein Partridge tips his musical hat to German techno-heads Kraftwerk in tribute.

Barry Andrew's two tunes, Super Tuff & My Weapon are good enough to be on the album, but he would later make a much bigger mark for himself as a songwriter with the band SHRIEKBACK.

Admirable effort from XTC
The cover is the cleverest thing about Go-2 sending up album graphics and the visuals that record companies(and bands)used to sell their "product" during the 60's and 70's.

The songs aren't bad either. The songwriting, while not as original as WHITE MUSIC, is more mature and better crafted. Colin Moulding turns in his first set of songs that can be said to really hold their own with Andy Partridge's. Of the two songs by keyboardist Barry Andrews, "My weapon" is probably the most controversial and earned them their first accusation of misogeny.

The arrangements are actually better than some of the material--the songs boast strong, concise hooks with a stronger sense of organization. Go-2 is probably the band's most democratic album and probably suffers for it as well. Andy's domination of the band has led to some howlers, but, on the whole, he is the back bone of XTC--consistently providing a strong assortment of songs.

That isn't to belittle Colin Moulding's contributions. Colin is easily Andy's equal as songwriter, but much less prolific and hadn't developed a strong individual voice this early in the band's history.

This transitional album made a lot of promises that were delivered upon with the sharp follow up DRUMS AND WIRES with new guitarist Dave Gregory stepping in to replace Andrews. A fine album full of memorable tunes and arrangements, GO-2 hinted at better things to come.

The best thing they did
Does "XTC" mean "mannered, pretentious, overworked drivel" to you? Well, then. Twenty years and more since I first heard them, I think that this is their best album, with Drums and Wires a close second. By Black Sea they were sinking into the Sergeant Pepperization process that would reduce those countless later albums to meaninglessness. This is raw, vital rock music, wonderfully edgy and surprising, from a time in the band's history when they were effortlessly creative, instead of belaboring us, as the Rev. Partridge eventually ended up doing, with their attempts to Have Something To Say.

The Underrated One
Go 2, sadly, is more famous amongst XTC fans for the turmoil surrounding its creation than the actual music. True, it is more roughly hewn than its predecessor, as the songs hadn't been kicking around for the past ten years. However, it is its roughness which gives it its charm. The dry, boxy drum sounds, spiky guitars, bat-s**t crazy organ and fluffy-Fender bass showcases a band revelling in its nuttiness.

With hardly any time between tracks to breathe, the album is a barrage of angular, syncopated guitars and gothic fairground keyboards rarely found today (although you might want to check out the new album from Hot Hot Heat). There are rock-out moments, such as the power-chord drenched "Crowded Room", one of Moulding's best early efforts. "Jumping in Gomorrah" is a crazed train ride through Christianity, complete with trademark falsetto backing vocals.

This album is a delight when taken in context of the band's career. The burgeoning talent of these two songwriters is very apparent. Unfortunately, at the time, the general public told them to go and burgeon somewhere else, and Barry Andrews burgeoned off shortly after. Burgeoning aside, Go 2 is a charming stepping stone on a long, tuneful career.

Very jarring
Go 2 is probably one of the most peculiar albums I own. This is XTC at their most hyperactive and (pardon the pun) sophomoric. It does have the bursting energy of White Music, but 1978 did not find XTC to be highly innovative.

For one thing, Barry Andrews is annoyingly out of place. This was his last album with XTC, and I think we are all better for his departure. His keyboard sounds prove to be more laughable then they do enhancing. At times, it sounded like he was very unsure of what to play at times, so he started playing ugly intervals and chromatic lines in primitive Speak-and-Spell-ish sounds. In addition to that, his songwriting skills caused your skin to move for all of the wrong reasons. My Weapon and Super Tuff are the type of songs that do not bloom no matter how hard you try to get into them.

Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding pick up for his songwriting slack and finish the job in the best way they could, I suppose. For instance, Moulding's The Rhythm is incredibly catchy punk. You will find your self singing "he's got the rhythm in his head!/he's got the rhythm in his head!" because it's in your head as well. But Moulding's Buzzcity Talking has probably one of XTC's most annoying choruses.

Partridge himself is responsible for the highly infectious Are You Receiving Me?, Red, and Battery Brides. The first was a single that demonstrates XTC's memorable and energetic punk skills narrowly focused on one song. Red is frantic and almost sounds like the early makings of what we would discover to be ska. Battery Brides is the closest thing to a pensive ballad on Go 2, giving us a brief delight.

But you can also blame Partridge for the horrible Life Is Good In The Greenhouse. "Rather be a plant than be a Mickey Mouse" he sings in a chorus that lacks melody as well as it does sense. Jumping In Gomorrah is equally rediculous as punk energy is unintentionally transmitted to that of a children's workout song.

One reason to own Go 2 is to impress your friends with the cover. It is a clever rant on how you have been suckered into buying a product rather than seeking good music. It's a wonder that they got away with such a cover on only their second album!

Go 2 is bursting with youthful enthusiasm, but it translates more often to silliness than ageless pop music. However Partridge himself is not exactly jumping out of his skin to take credit for Go 2. In an interview he likens seeing a copy of Go 2 in a Virgin Megastore to seeing a blown up photo of your teenage self being projected over Times Square. The whole world can see your messy hair, your acne, your yellow teeth, etc.

My own analogy is this: Go 2 is like eating Taco Bell. At first you are curious to try it because it's some of the cheapest stuff out there. You are repulsed by the smell, but you eat it since it is the only thing in sight to eat. Then later on in the day, you wished you wouldn't have let it pass through your system. But in the end, you and your friends just end up laughing at it because it's kinda funny.
This 1978 release was the last to feature the Swindon combo's original lineup. Within three months of Go 2 hitting the racks, keyboard player Barry Andrews--at loggerheads with Andy Partridge over the exclusion of several of his songs from the album--packed his bags (he soon teamed-up with Robert Fripp in League of Gentlemen). Thus began XTC's evolution from convulsive art-punks into tuneful English pop bards. This isn't one of XTC's greatest albums (Andrews's excruciating "My Weapon" is one low point), but there's much to enjoy nevertheless, including Colin Moulding's sliding, twanged bass, and tracks such as the manic "Red," the hilariously robotic "Meccanic Dancing," and the nursery-rhyme-like "The Rhythm." --Kevin Maidment
24-bit remastered edition with the initial pressing issued in a cardboard style sleeve just like the original vinyl version including a replicate of the original LP insert. Includes the bonus track 'Are You Receiving Me?'.