XTC - would like to assemble a playlist

[Turdus]

XTC -- all I've ever known about them is their hits.... too quirky for me. Heard this song called "Earn Enough For Us". Lyrical content does not knock me out, but I thought the music was jangly and cool.

I'd like to explore more, but definitely avoid the well known stuff. Suggestions?

[Punkavenger]

I have "English Settlement" on vinyl ... great album.

[atquinn]

I'd recommend buying the entire Skylarking album. It contains Earn Enough For Us as well as a bunch of other awesome songs (including, unfortutely, Dear God, which is one of the hits you're no doubt referring to). In terms of essential XTC Albums I'd say the Big 4 are Black Sea, English Settlement, Skylarking, and Oranges and Lemons. I'm a ridiculously huge fanboy, so I like them all, but those are must haves.

However, if you just want a list of kick-ass songs, here are 3 non-hit songs (not that XTC really had all that many) from some albums I'd recommend

Go-2: Beatown, My Weapon, Are You Receiving Me

Drums and Wires: When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty, Scissor Man, Complicated Game

Black Sea: There is No Language in Our Lungs, Paper and Iron, Travels in Nihilon

English Settlement: Jason and the Argonauts, Yacht Dance, Snowman

Mummer: Great Fire, Deliver Us From the Elements, Me and the Wind

The Big Express: All You Pretty Girls, The Everyday Story of Smalltown, I Remember the Sun

Skylarking: Season Cycle, The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul, Sacrificial Bonfire

Oranges and Lemons: Mayor of Simpleton (o.k., it's a hit, but if you don't like this, you probably won't really like XTC...), Pink Thing, Miniature Sun

Nonsuch: My Bird Performs, That Wave, Books are Burning (for guitar content)

Also, XTC started out fairly abrasive and angular and moved into the Beatles/Beach Boys more and more as they progressed. So if you're looking for that sort of pop, I'd look English Settlement and onward.

-

Austin

[Monacosis]

d'oh! Austin beat me to it!!!!!!!!!

Faves: Skylarking, English Settlement albums in entirety

Oranges and Lemons: Scarecrow People

Mummer: Castaway (kind of a hit)

Also dig:

Dukes of Stratosphear (the entire album - obscure and completely brilliant imo)

Wasp Star, Colin and Andy's latest (last?????) - Church of Women, Maypole

i love the mighty XTC

mike

[BillW]

You MUST get White Music ....it started a movement.

Fave tracks by them:

This is Pop

Travels in Nihilon

Wait til your boat goes down

Making plans for Nigel

Statue Of Liberty

Sgt Rock

Tower of London

Generals & Majors

Ball & Chain

oh ...wait ....you wanted obscure tracks?

- Bill

[atquinn]

...

Dukes of Stratosphear (the entire album - obscure and completely brilliant imo)

Wasp Star, Colin and Andy's latest (last?????) - Church of Women, Maypole

...

Dukes of the Stratosphear is brilliant and I really like the last 2 XTC albums as well (Apple Venus and Wasp Star). I just ran out of steam For some reason I don't own White Music, but I'll pick it up someday...

-Austin

[Turdus]

Thanks for the input gentlemen. I'll look into the suggestions.

[jwhitcomb3]

My two favorites are "The Big Express" and "Skylarking"

White Music and Go2 are a bit herky-jerky, and I never got into Apple Venus and Wasp Star. Anything between Black Sea and Nonesuch works for me.

-Jonathan

[Pumpkinhead]

Love 'em to bits, but....

Some of the "classic" albums can be a bit jarring.

Personally, my favourite is "Nonsuch" followed by "Skylarking" then "Oranges and Lemons".

Having said that, the post-Gregory Wasp Star/Apple Venus combo is great, and I feel a bit guilty saying that, as Dave is one of my favourite players.

For the hardcore obsessives, Andy Partridges massive "Fuzzy Warbles" collection of demos, out-takes and suchlike is a fascinating glimpse into the twisted mind of a pop-genius.

[byk]

My favorite XTC song is "All of a sudden..."

I concur with what has been said above as to which are their best albums ("English settlement", "Skylarking"...).

Awesome band.

[kenjones]

I've been a fan for a very long time and own all of their albums. I saw XTC open for The Police on the Zenyatta Mondatta tour. XTC was promoting "Black Sea".

Favorite albums in this order:

"English Settlement"

"Black Sea" (bought it when it was released)

"Drums & Wires"

"Nonsuch" (produced by Gus Dudgeon!)

Favorite songs (in no particular order):

"Life Begins At The Hop" (the version from "Transistor Blast" is great)

"When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty"

"Making Plans For Nigel"

"Respectable Street"

"Generals and Majors"

"Living Through Another Cuba"

"Love at First Sight"

"Ball And Chain"

"Senses Working Overtime"

"Melt The Guns"

"Jason And The Argonauts"

"Wake Up"

"You're The Wish You Are I Had"

"This World Over"

"Dear God"

"Earn Enough For Us"

"The Mayor Of Simpleton"

"The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead"

"Then She Appeared"

My bands used to cover:

"Making Plans for Nigel"

"Optimism's Flame"

[hectorp]

Wow, you guys really got it covered.

Don't forget "Crocodile" from Nonesuch

Oranges and Lemons is my desert island album

Allow me to add my votes for:

Respectable Street

Earn Enough for us (in my opinion, the lyrics of this working man's anthem are superb)

Chalkhills and Children

Satellite

Seasons Cycle

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Merely a Man

At the Hop

Dukes of Stratosfear: Little Lighthouse

In Chicago, the local band Tributosaurus 'became' XTC last April at the Park West. It was brilliant and I believed they planned on doing it again this year. If you're local, you should definitely see it. It's like seeing an off off broadway production plus infectious cameraderie of great local musicians (selected for the event from other local bands, like Poi Dog Pondering) plus love of the material plus note-perfect renditions...When I saw them they even brought in the "Tributosaurus Strings" for 1000 umbrellas.

[LostArt]

I saw the black sea tour.

no one mentioned one of my favs

making plans for nigel

[Scottcrud]

So what's the deal with Andy Partridge? I've read he has severe stage fright. He used to take valium to cope but his wife threw hes pills away... Uh, gee there's other non addictive meds out there for that sort of thing right?

[Pumpkinhead]

SUh, gee there's other non addictive meds out there for that sort of thing right?

Quite possibly, but I get the strong impression that he's not interested in the whole rock 'n' roll touring circus lifestyle.

He's created a heck of a lot of great music since and he's done lots of other stuff (radio, TV, production etc.) at different times.

Andy currently seems to be heavily involved in his "Ape" label at the moment - I'm really enjoying the compilation CD, "Giddy", by the Irish band "Pugwash" that they recently released (let's hope they can do the full back catalogue).

Like many othes, I'd love XTC (preferably with Dave Gregory) to record some new stuff but, sadly, it would appear unlikely in the near future.

[hectorp]

So what's the deal with Andy Partridge? I've read he has severe stage fright. He used to take valium to cope but his wife threw hes pills away... Uh, gee there's other non addictive meds out there for that sort of thing right?

Stage fright:

Whatever he was taking sure worked. If you go out to YouTube, there's a vid of them doing Respectable Street in which I would have to rate Andy Partridge as one of the most energetic, high vitality, unafraid performers I have ever seen in any genre.

[atquinn]

So what's the deal with Andy Partridge? I've read he has severe stage fright. He used to take valium to cope but his wife threw hes pills away... Uh, gee there's other non addictive meds out there for that sort of thing right?

Kind of. Andy had been dependent on Valium for years before XTC even started. The precise timing might have been due to what you described, but if someone needs to be on Valium to tour, then they probably shouldn't be touring. Plus, in Beatle-esque fashion, the music got better, so who's to complain. There are a couple XTC bios that go into this stuff a little bit. Nice to have for fanboys.

Also, the early live stuff I've heard from them (all post-Barry) is incredible!

-

Austin

[Turdus]

Dredging this one up again.

Interesting how I overlooked these guys in the 80's... too much the Metal head I was.

So it started with downloading "Black Sea". Initially I was like...hmm... ok. The more I listened, the more I started to relate to the quirkiness.

Then I spent a month previewing cuts on Emusic. Since then, I've downloaded:

Oranges & Lemons

English Settlement

The Big Express

This could be my new favorite band. I'm really starting to get it, I think. Perhaps next month I'll download "Skylarking", but it sounds a little mellow to me.

[atquinn]

Glad you're digging them; they're my favorite band' I've listened to their stuff so much it's in my DNA

Skylarking is mellow in comparison to most of their stuff; but it's possibly their most brilliant album as a whole (as long as you can ignore Dear God ) and it's a perfect summer album, so the time is right to check it out.

-

Austin

[cmatthes]

"Life Begins At The Hop" is one of my favorite XTC songs to PLAY.

Great finger exercise in that one!

[polara]

Not much stage fright here

Fantastic band and songwriters, though their final CD was awful. Nonesuch, Black Sea, Oranges and Leons, English Settlement are my favorites, and BOTH the Dukes of Stratosphear... well, okay the only stinker was that last one. I think Colin Moulding said they had one good CD between Apple Venus I and II, and didn't know why Partridge wanted to do both.

And...

[jwhitcomb3]

Glad you're digging them; they're my favorite band' I've listened to their stuff so much it's in my DNA

Skylarking is mellow in comparison to most of their stuff; but it's possibly their most brilliant album as a whole (as long as you can ignore Dear God ) and it's a perfect summer album, so the time is right to check it out.

-

Austin

Skylarking is great. I like the original sequencing with Mermaid Smiled better, but the record company reissued the album and substituted Dear God when it took off as a single.

Andy Partridge seems cut from the mold of brilliant musicians who sooner or later alienates everybody he comes in contact with. Maybe he and Richie Blackmore should start a band!

I usually don't like tribute albums, but the XTC tribute "A Testimonial Dinner" is great. Only XTC would be cheeky enough to contribute a track to their own tribute album (as "Terry and the Lovemen"), but it is a great song, and Ruben Blades' full salsa band rendition of "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" is killer.