“People phoned in, saying, ‘If you play that song again, I’m going to firebomb your station!’” How XTC battled the “rottweiler” Todd Rundgren and their record label to make their breakthrough

Andy Partridge of XTC plays a Gibson Les Paul Custom live in the early '80s.

XTC’S 1986 album, Skylarking, is fairly beloved today, but for Andy Partridge, the British band's co-founder, chief songwriter and guitarist, it was difficult to make. The main issue? Partridge's disagreement with producer Todd Rundgren over the record’s direction.

“Going in, there was weirdness in terms of having to shut up and obey,” Partridge says. “I’m certainly not used to that.”