XYZ (Andy Summers album)

XYZ is the first solo album by Andy Summers. Released in 1987, it is to date his only album to feature him singing his own lyrics, though a wordless vocal appears on his 1991 album World Gone Strange.

XYZ
Studio album by
Andy Summers
Released1987 (1987)
RecordedSummer 1986
StudioDevo Studios, Los Angeles
GenrePop, new wave
Length42:22
LabelMCA
ProducerDavid Hentschel, Andy Summers
Andy Summers chronology
Bewitched
with Robert Fripp
(1984)		 XYZ
(1987)		 Mysterious Barricades
(1988)

Background

During his tenure with The Police, Summers had worked on a number of solo projects, including two albums of instrumental music with Robert Fripp and the soundtrack for films such Down and Out in Beverly Hills and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. Following the official break-up of band in 1986, Summers, like his bandmates Sting and Stewart Copeland, embarked on a more ambitious solo project. Summers partnered with musician, recording engineer and producer David Hentschel, and was the first Police member to leave A&M Records, choosing to work with MCA instead. The album was recorded in 1986 at Devo's studio in Los Angeles, California. Many of the songs have been demoed in the years before and put forward for consideration for a Police album. Summers took vocal duties on himself, and played guitar and bass. Drum programming was favoured over the use of actual drums, a production choice popular in the mid-1980s. The title "XYZ" comes from the middle names of Summers's three children. His daughter Layla (born 1978) has the middle name 'Z', and his twin sons, Maurice and Anton, (born 1987) have the middle names 'X' and 'Y' respectively. The cover portrait is by Anton Corbijn.

"Love is the Strangest Way" was released as the first single. The promotional video was inspired by the work of Maya Deren and shot as a short black and white film, with Summers and his love interest desperately trying to meet in a room full of people. Summers commented: "I didn't like any of [The Police] videos. We were always made to look bright, inoffensive and appealing. As videos progressed, they started to move away from that: they got hipper, people started using Super 8 and handheld techniques, and everything got darker and more interesting."[1]

Another track, "Carry Me Back Home" (5:04), was recorded during the XYZ sessions for the soundtrack of the film Band of the Hand and released on the B-side of the 12-inch version of the "Love is the Strangest Way" single. Charlotte Caffey, from the new-wave band the Go-Gos, did not play in the album but she co-authored the title track with Summers and Hentschel and is acknowledged for her support in the credits.

Reception

Summers put together a six-piece band and toured extensively to promote the album, augmenting the set list with some Police material, including "Tea in the Sahara" and "Omega Man", which was never played live before. Both the album and the single failed to chart, prompting Summers to return to the instrumental music explored in the albums recorded with Fripp in his future ventures.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Andy Summers except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Love is the Strangest Way"4:20
2."How Many Days" (lyrics: Summers; music: Summers, David Hentschel)5:21
3."Almost There"4:30
4."Eyes of a Stranger"4:47
5."The Change"2:53
6."Scary Voices"4:37
7."Nowhere" (lyrics: Summers; music: Summers, Hentschel)4:35
8."XYZ" (lyrics: Summers; music: Summers, Hentschel, Charlotte Caffey)2:46
9."The Only Road"3:40
10."Hold Me" (lyrics: Summers; music: Summers, Hentschel)4:48

Personnel
  • Andy Summers – guitar, bass guitar, vocals, producer
  • David Hentschel – keyboards, drum programming, percussion, production
  • Nan Vernon – vocals on "Love Is the Strangest Way", "How Many Days" and "Almost There"; backing vocals on "Eyes of a Stranger"
  • Chris Childs – bass guitar on "Eyes of a Stranger"
  • Rick May – bass guitar on "Hold Me"
  • Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar on "Scary Voices"
  • Michael G. Fisher – percussion on "Nowhere", "Love Is the Strangest Way" and "Almost There"
  • Greta Gold – additional backing vocals on "Eyes of a Stranger"
  • Oren, Julia, and Maxine Waters – backing vocals on "Nowhere", "Hold Me" and "How Many Days"

Technical

References
  1. Graig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution, Dutton, New York, 2011
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