This afternoon, the Andy Partridge-run Ape House Records offered an update on the forthcoming double-vinyl reissue of XTC’s 1986 album ‘Skylarking,’ declaring the new corrected edition of the album ‘is about 30 percent better sounding than any previously heard.’

The first two solo albums by former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure — 1985’s ‘The Gift’ and 1988’s ‘Answers to Nothing’ — are set to be reissued next month in expanded 2CD editions, each featuring digitally remastered versions of the original albums and a full contingent of B-sides, mixes and live tracks, some of which are previously unreleased.

On Aug. 24, 1980, the members of XTC set up at Richard Branson’s Manor Studio to record another version of ‘Towers of London,’ a track destined to be the second single off the band’s just-completed, but not-yet-released album ‘Black Sea’— a weekend session captured for posterity in the hour-long documentary ‘XTC at the Manor.’

Former XTC figurehead Andy Partridge this week releases ‘Powers,’ a 12-track, limited-edition album featuring ‘aural sculptures’ inspired by the late sci-fi book-jacket artist Richard M. Powers. Hear audio samples from the album.

XTC’s Andy Partridge today announced the band will reissue 1986’s ‘Skylarking’ on double vinyl ‘as it was intended to sound, but never has due to human error.’ No release date has been announced, nor plans for another CD reissue.

With XTC now firmly behind him, Andy Partridge continues to dabble in varied projects, the latest of which is a super-limited album of ‘aural sculptures’ inspired by the late sci-fi book-jacket artist Richard M. Powers.