Synopsis

XTC perform as waiters serving a gathering of stern military officers, turning the song's satire of career soldiers and their appetite for conflict into broad visual comedy. The officers lounge around in uniform while the band delivers the song amid the grounds of a country estate. The tone becomes increasingly absurd as Richard Branson joins the action, racing a go-kart and bouncing on an inflatable castle. The contrast between martial imagery and childish behavior gives the hastily assembled video its distinctive charm.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was made in 1980 to promote "Generals and Majors," the first single from XTC's album "Black Sea."

• Virgin Records initially planned to release "Towers of London" as the lead single and had already filmed material connected with that song. "Generals and Majors" was subsequently moved ahead, leaving XTC without a finished promotional video.

• The filming took place at Richard Branson's country estate, where the band had also been involved in the BBC documentary "XTC at the Manor."

• Branson, then the head of Virgin Records, appears in military costume and takes part in the go-kart and bouncy-castle sequences.

• Andy Partridge later dismissed the production as "the worst video ever made by man," a judgment that has become part of the clip's enduring reputation.

• The video features XTC members in waiter outfits, an incongruous choice that plays against the song's references to generals, majors, and warfare.

• "Generals and Majors" was written and sung by Colin Moulding. It became one of his key early XTC songs, following "Life Begins at the Hop" and "Making Plans for Nigel."