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5 Things to Know About XTC’s Dukes of Stratosphear Hoax

  1. Virgin marketed the Dukes of Stratosphear as a lost 1960s band whose recordings had just been discovered.
  2. The band was actually XTC, but the label kept that fact quiet to sell the illusion.
  3. The project was a deliberate homage to psychedelic pop, not a serious attempt to fool listeners.
  4. XTC recorded the Dukes’ albums in a style mimicking 1960s production techniques, including vintage gear and tape effects.
  5. The hoax worked because XTC’s own music already drew heavily from 1960s influences, making the disguise believable.

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