Editing XTC (section)

===''English Settlement'' and Partridge's breakdown===
[[File:Uffington-White-Horse-sat.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Uffington White Horse]] served as the inspiration for ''[[English Settlement]]''{{'}}s cover artwork. Partridge "wanted to move in a more pastoral, more acoustic direction."<ref name="QuietusSettlement"/>]]

From 1980 to 1981, XTC toured Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US in support of ''Black Sea'' as the opening act for [[the Police]]. At this point, they were playing in arena stadiums while Partridge's mental state was beginning to deteriorate, and he requested to cease touring, but was opposed by Virgin, his bandmates, and the band's management.<ref name="Mojo1999"/> He would occasionally experience moments of memory lapse to the extent that he would forget who he was.{{sfn|Twomey|1992|p=3}} His then-wife Marianne blamed his illness on his longtime dependency on [[Valium]],<ref name="Sailed2006" /> which he had been prescribed since the age of 12.{{sfn|Partridge|Bernhardt|2016}} She threw away the tablets,<ref name="Sailed2006" /> and over the next year, he experienced intense withdrawal effects that he later described as "brain melt".<ref name="teamrock16"/>

XTC became their own producers for their next album project.<ref name="RB2002">{{cite journal|title=XTatiCally Yours |journal=Record Buyer |date=April 2002}}</ref> Until this point, Partridge had insisted that every part of the band's arrangements on record could be replicated live.{{sfn|Twomey|1992|pp=110, 124}} He believed that "if I wrote an album with a sound less geared towards touring then maybe there would be less pressure to tour."<ref name="QuietusSettlement">{{cite news|last1=Keoghan|first1=Jim|title=A Watershed Moment: XTC's Andy Partridge on English Settlement|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/07896-xtc-andy-partridge-english-settlement|work=[[The Quietus]]|date=6 February 2012}}</ref> As such, the new music showcased more complex and intricate arrangements,<ref name="XTCAMbio"/><ref name="AMES">{{cite web |last1=Woodstra |first1=Chris |title=English Settlement |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/english-settlement-mw0000652650 |publisher=AllMusic|access-date=20 September 2017}}</ref> song lengths were longer, and subject matter covered broader social issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/05/03/the-xtc-legacy-an-appraisal/ |title=The XTC Legacy: An Appraisal |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=3 May 1992 |access-date=22 June 2016 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref> Much of the new material also featured acoustic instruments.<ref name="AMES"/> Gregory bought a [[Rickenbacker]] 12-string and began contributing to the records as a keyboardist.<ref name="Mojo1999"/> In February 1982, ''[[English Settlement]]'' was released as the group's first double album.<ref name="Mojo1999"/> The hook of its lead single, "[[Senses Working Overtime]]", was based on [[Manfred Mann]]'s "[[5-4-3-2-1]]" (1964),{{sfn|Partridge|Bernhardt|2016}} Both the album and single became the highest-charting records they would ever have in the UK, peaking at number five and number 10, respectively.<ref name="XTCAMbio"/><ref name="Mojo1999"/> In several territories outside the UK, the album was released as only a single LP.<ref name="Ramon"/>

The group scheduled television appearances and an international tour in support of ''English Settlement''. During a live-broadcast gig in Paris on 18 March, Partridge stopped playing and ran off the stage during the opening song 'Respectable Street', and afterward, took a flight back to Swindon for treatment, which amounted to [[hypnotherapy]]. He described feeling nausea and stomach pains while on stage: "My body and brain said, You're hating this experience I'm going to make it bad for you. When you go on stage I'm going to give you panic attacks and stomach cramps. You're not enjoying this and you haven't got the heart to tell anyone you can't carry on so I'm gonna mess you up."<ref name="Mojo1999"/> The band's remaining tour dates in England were cancelled.<ref name="Sailed2006" /> After recovering from the episode, Partridge rejoined the group for their first tour of the US as a headlining act.<ref name="Sailed2006" /> The band played the first date in San Diego. Gregory said that they were "totally unrehearsed" during the performance because "we'd not played together for two weeks. ... It was obvious that he was ill, but exactly what it was, no-one knew."<ref name="Ramon"/>

On 4 April 1982, XTC were scheduled to headline a sold-out show at the [[Hollywood Palladium]] in Los Angeles.<ref>Kristine McKenna, "XTC and the ABC's of Topical Pop", ''Los Angeles Times'', 4 April 1982. Retrieved via Newspapers.com.</ref> Partridge woke up that morning, he said, and "couldn't get off the bed. My legs wouldn't function. Walked to [[Ben Frank's]] coffee shop, where we'd all agreed to meet, in slow motion like I had both legs in plaster, trying not to throw up. I got in there, they knew what I was going to say."<ref name="Mojo1999"/> The tour ceased. He continued his hypnotherapy treatment, fearing that he was turning into the archetypal rock burn-out (such as [[Syd Barrett]]). "It got to the point where if I touched the front door knob, I wanted to throw up."<ref name="Mojo1999"/> For a period afterward, it was rumoured among fans and industry insiders that the group stopped performing because Partridge had died, and some American bands put on XTC tribute shows in his remembrance.<ref name="Milano84" />