the last song of most of their albums from any period u mean (with a very few exceptions)
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:07 (nine years ago) link
Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead and Runaways are my first 2 top 10 songs taken out (5 & 7). I find the Dukes stuff just way too precious, though I'm aware that when many of the same idiosyncrasies show up on Oranges & Lemons, I'm delighted.
I tend to think English Settlement is the sleeper in the catalog.
― campreverb, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:10 (nine years ago) link
would've thought Mummer and Nonsuch were
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:11 (nine years ago) link
I love English Settlement for being this baggy, rambling double album that is also consistently brilliant all the way through
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:13 (nine years ago) link
the world music moments on ES drag it down imo. Never really XTC's strong suit, bar a few moments here and there, but they sure went back to that well a lot. It was the 80s I guess.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:14 (nine years ago) link
ok next 10 comin up
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:15 (nine years ago) link
49. Statue of Liberty (648 points, 9 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/49-StatueOfLiberty.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:16 (nine years ago) link
I always got the impression that Mummer and The Big Express where their most overlooked, this transition period between mk 1 XTC and their canonical best album (and also between their early modest UK success and later modest US success), but there are a lot of XTC narratives, I guess xp
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:16 (nine years ago) link
ES is my favourite despite the missteps coz the good songs are earthshattering
o a white music song made it, how cute
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:16 (nine years ago) link
I found the relatively high placement of this next one sort of befuddling
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:17 (nine years ago) link
48. Sgt Rock (Is Going To Help Me) (654 points, 8 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/48-SgtRock.jpg
47. Sacrificial Bonfire (656 points, 8 votes, 1 No. 1 vote))http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/47-SacrificialBonfire.jpg
xp 1984?!
― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:17 (nine years ago) link
Very happy to see Roads Girdle the Globe make it. I never thought of it as one my favourites but when I was going through some of their albums before voting I really fell in love with it. The guitars on it sound really amazing.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:18 (nine years ago) link
I think Sgt Rock was one of their bigger UK hits? not as big as Nigel or Senses Working Overtime, but still xp
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:19 (nine years ago) link
love the crackling fire sound effects in Sacrificial Bonfire. on relistening I noticed that Skylarking really lays these little details on thick. I assume this may have more to do with Rundgren than the band, those little meticulously crafted weird sounds that run through tracks like Summer's Cauldron/Grass with the buzzing cicados or The Meeting Place with its wheezing steam sounds and ratchets turning. I dunno how they resisted rain/thunder sound effects on Ballet for a Rainy Day lol
xp
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:19 (nine years ago) link
Sgt Rock maybe works as satire in retrospect but Andy didn't half like pushing his luck
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:20 (nine years ago) link
46. My Bird Performs (718 points, 10 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/46-MyBirdPerforms.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:20 (nine years ago) link
think it was a bigger hit than Nigel
I love Big Express, Mummer never quite clicked with me though I love the first three tracks and the bonus tunes. I always found it weird that Mummer felt like a weaker one to me as judging by the bonus tracks and all the stuff on Rag & Bone Buffet from that era they had a wealth of really really good tunes then.
― Maggie killed Quagmire (collest baby ever) (frogbs), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:20 (nine years ago) link
45. Travels in Nihilon (720 points, 8 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/45-TravelsInNihilon.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:21 (nine years ago) link
― soref,
Those are their only three hits in the UK really. Charted higher than Nigel (By one place) but it's no way as well known.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:21 (nine years ago) link
44. (The Everyday Story of) Smalltown (736 points, 9 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/44-EverydayStoryOfSmalltown.jpg
43. Are You Receiving Me? (743 points, 11 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/43-AreYouReceivingMe.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:22 (nine years ago) link
42. Wake Up (750 points, 10 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/42-WakeUp.jpg
41. The Disappointed (758 points, 9 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/41-Disappointed.jpg
40. Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her (763 points, 10 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/40-SeagullScreamingKissHerKissHer.jpg
My Bird Performs is such a beautiful song. As others mentioned in the nominations thread, Peter Pumpkinhead seems so long and when My Bird Performs it seems like a relief and the album can really start from there.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:24 (nine years ago) link
should have used the real graphics from the CD booklet for the Nonsuch tracks imo ;)
Travels In Nihilon was my #3 and of COURSE I voted it really high. It's almost as if they knew I existed and decided to make a careening 7-minute avant-garde blowout to keep me happy. One of my favourite air-drum songs, too
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:26 (nine years ago) link
"My Beautiful Performs" is beautiful (love how abrupt the chorus is) if I don't have to listen to the lyrics.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:27 (nine years ago) link
*er "My Bird"
Two of my favourite XTC songs there both from Big Express. Seagulls Screaming was in my top 10. Such a strange and catchy song. The Everyday Story of Smalltown is the song of theirs I'll never understand why it wasn't released as a single. If that had been put out as the first single instead of All You Pretty Girls I'm convinced that would have been their 4th top 20 hit. Great song.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:27 (nine years ago) link
I think I read something where Moulding partly attributed Nigel's status as their best remembered song TO Nigel Lawson being chancellor between 1983-89 and 'Making Plans For Nigel' being used as a headline in newspapers
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:28 (nine years ago) link
"All You Pretty Girls" sounds desperate ("We need a hit! Partridge, go write a hit!").
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:29 (nine years ago) link
I don't know why I put 'to' in capitals xp
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:30 (nine years ago) link
(oh and if I can say one more thing about TIN - that bassline, oh my god, the way it plays off the rest of the song)
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:33 (nine years ago) link
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)
Always hated it. It's one of three songs that stop Big Express from being a classic for me (Shake You Donkey Up and Reign of Blows being the other two)
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:36 (nine years ago) link
I would be so happy if Shake You Donkey Up was in the top 40, but I'm not conident
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:37 (nine years ago) link
39. Great Fire (794 points, 10 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/39-GreatFire.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:39 (nine years ago) link
38. 1000 Umbrellas (797 points, 10 votes, 1 No. 1 vote))http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/38-1000Umbrellas.jpg
37. River of Orchids (801 points, 10 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/37-RiverOfOrchids.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:40 (nine years ago) link
36. Burning With Optimism's Flames (812 points, 10 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/36-BurningWithOptimismsFlames.jpg
35. Yacht Dance (817 points, 9 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/35-YachtDance.jpg
idk why songs 35-40 all have to do with fire/water
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:41 (nine years ago) link
1000 Umbrellas my #11 (I had to reluctantly split it from its slightly-superior predecessor) but still an astonishing exercise in synthesis of major & minor
lol the last few songs are tweeeeee
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:42 (nine years ago) link
I freakin adore My Bird Performs.
― campreverb, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:42 (nine years ago) link
live version of Yacht Dance on Coat of Many Cupboards is one of my favourite things
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:44 (nine years ago) link
Good lord, The Disappointed at 41?!
― campreverb, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:47 (nine years ago) link
good song, possibly their second-worst video (absolute worst being Peter Pumpkinhead)
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:49 (nine years ago) link
peter pumpkinhead has a video? oh god
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:49 (nine years ago) link