Chips from the Chocolate Fireball

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Pitchfork Media	(9.0/10)

Chips from the Chocolate Fireball: An Anthology is a CD-only compilation album from XTC which was released under the pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear. It includes both their 1985 mini-album 25 O'Clock and the Psonic Psunspot album from 1987.

It was re-released as a part of the XTC reissue series in 2001 with songwriters Sir John Johns and The Red Curtain credited under their real names, and superseded in 2009 by special edition versions of both records with numerous bonus tracks.

The album artwork was originally intended to resemble that of Frank Zappa's Hot Rats LP, but a miscommunication between the band and Virgin saw a negative photographic effect used as opposed to the infrared photography of Zappa's album. Andy Partridge has gone on record as actively disliking this artwork.

Track listing

All songs written by Sir John Johns, except where noted.

1. "25 O'Clock" – 5:03
2. "Bike Ride to the Moon" – 2:23
3. "My Love Explodes" – 3:49
4. "What in the World??..." – 5:01 (The Red Curtain)
5. "Your Gold Dress" – 4:42
6. "The Mole from the Ministry" – 5:58
7. "Vanishing Girl" – 2:59 (Curtain)
8. "Have You Seen Jackie?" – 3:21
9. "Little Lighthouse" – 4:31
10. "You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)" – 3:38
11. "Collideascope" – 3:22
12. "You're My Drug" – 3:19
13. "Shiny Cage" – 3:17 (Curtain)
14. "Brainiac's Daughter" – 3:59
15. "The Affiliated" – 2:31 (Curtain)
16. "Pale and Precious" – 4:58

Personnel

• Sir John Johns — vocals, guitar
• The Red Curtain — vocals, bass
• Lord Cornelius Plum — mellotron, piano, organ, fuzz-tone guitar
• E.I.E.I. Owen — drum set

Credits

• Produced by John Leckie and the Dukes