XTC C/D S/D

would totally watch a doc, such a strange story

I kind of think of XTC in terms of albums rather than specific songs. The American, single LP "English Settlement" was the first one I got heavily into by them, which may be why it remains my favorite, and I think this tracklist/sequencing is pretty much perfect

I get why some people don't like Andy's attempts at "worldbeat" like Melt The Guns and Africa, though I do.

― Hey T-Paw, mow my lawn! (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, September 6, 2011 10:14 PM

Yeah, I've never actually tried listening to it in that configuration - but being used to the double set I really can't hear 'Snowman' as being anything other than the album closer! Those wouldn't have necessarily been my choices for side 2 either, it's seriously missing some 'Yacht Dance', 'Fly On The Wall' and 'Down In The Cockpit'! Although they seem to have (in my opinion) had the good sense to leave 'Leisure' off!

This may be the third or so XTC thread where I've 'fessed up to never having heard the "extra" English Settlement tracks. I really need to buy the expanded edition.

Is the whole thing not up on Spotify? I'm sure it is. I'm going to have to check that out.

I've never felt any of the praise that "English Settlement" gets is justified... sure, it features a quota of outstanding tracks (this is before we even get to the evergreen 'Senses Working Overtime'), but I never felt there was enough great stuff there to justify a double album.

I used to think that way but it grew on me slowly over time. It's one of my favourites now, and I don't skip anything. 'Leisure' isn't exactly brilliant but it fills a nice place in the album.

A documentary would be incredible. The Chalkhills and Children book is really quite entertaining (once you get past all the "Andy was born in blah and went to school at blah" guff), and the Song Stories book that does what it says on the tin is more interesting than I thought it would be. There was talk of turning Partridge's recent MySpace song descriptions into another book but I don't know where that ended up.

btw I was all ready to run an XTC megapoll but the hivemind got all butthurt about poll threads.

? there's tons of poll threads going on right now

yeah I noticed

I've never read any of those XTC books - quite possibly because I've found them so difficult to get hold of! I have to take the opportunity to say just how much the Chalkhills website "helped me out" while getting into this band, though... the wealth of material on offer on that website is just staggering and I found it an invaluable resource of information when I started listening to this band for the first time. Those Myspace interviews with Andy about certain songs have been great as well, and I always enjoy reading about what Andy has to say about his songwriting. He seems to have a sense of humour about his lack of commercial success, even though you can tell it does rankle him slightly!

Yeah, I think he sees what it takes to win the game (selling out etc) and counts his lucky stars he was only ever moderately successful. There'll always be residual anger about bad contracts and mismanagement ('I Caught Myself a Liarbird' is a great song) and he'll always come to loggerheads with his peers and overlords Terry Gilliam style, but on the whole it sounds like his personal life is stable and he's just enjoying himself.

APE records, on the other hand...

Yeah, 'I Caught Myself A Liarbird' is great - only Partridge could write about mismanagement in that particular way! I always have a little chuckle whenever I read the quotes on the songs in the booklet that comes with the "Apple Venus"/"Wasp Star" boxset, especially when he's talking about 'Your Dictionary': "I tried and tried not to write a divorce song..." - hehehehe...

That's an amazing song. It captures perfectly the weird ferocious entitlement of being dumped, ending with a determination to get on with it that's really just part of the turbulence.

Yeah, that's exactly it! I think 'I Can't Own Her' captures something similar also. A bit of a breakthrough lyric for Andy, that one. I'm going to have to give "Apple Venus" a listen now!

In the mid '90s I was given that collection of demos that was going around, clearly written during his divorce because there's SO MUCH bitterness and misery in those songs, mixed with some very positive and uplifting fantasy stuff ('Green Man', 'Easter Theatre', 'Harvest Festival' etc). He was all over the place.

Was 'Wounded Horse' one of them by any chance? I know a lot of the "Apple Venus"/"Wasp Star" material came from around the same period of time... apparently Dave Gregory wanted to put what he considered to be the best of the "Apple Venus"/"Wasp Star" stuff together in one album and make a kind of "Nonsuch" part two... and although I'm glad XTC didn't do that (if only because "Apple Venus" is pretty much perfect in my opinion), I would have been very interested to hear what Dave Gregory's own song choices would have been!

'Wounded Horse' wasn't on my tape but I think it might have been out there at the time.

Shame about what was vetoed btw, because 'Wonder Annual' is one of the best songs Partridge ever wrote (despite its lol premise).

Hehehehehehe! Yes, some of Partridge's most carnal lyrics in that song. "If lust equals knowledge, then I side with the snake"! Hehehehehehe! The one that tickles me every time from the ones that he actually properly released has to be the one from Omnibus: "Ain't nothing in the world like a black skinned girl, make your Shakespeare hard and make your oyster pearl". Oh dear!

Oh god yes, I don't know where his head was that day. I still cringe when I hear that.

White Music: 'I'll Set Myself On Fire', 'I'm Bugged' (the bonus tracks improve this album)

Agree with the bonus tracks comment, but "I'll Set Myself On Fire" is great, though admittedly the live version released as a b-side DESTROYS the studio take and is what I think of.

Go 2: 'My Weapon', 'Super-Tuff' (the Barry Andrews tracks aside, this is a very underrated album)

I can understand your view, though I adore Barry's work.

Drums & Wires: I wouldn't destroy anything.

Agreed.

Black Sea: 'Living Through Another Cuba' (the rest of the album is sublime)

Again, there's a live medley with "Generals And Majors" which pummels you into submission.

English Settlement: 'Melt The Guns', 'Leisure', 'It's Nearly Africa' (the most overrated album)

These are the more vocally challenging tracks - I love them but can understand your view.

Mummer: 'Wonderland', 'Human Alchemy'. (as with White Music, the bonus tracks improve this album

Yup, the bonus tracks are great. I find this album the least of their canon but "Human Alchemy" is just so wonderfully strange.

The Big Express: all of side two (except 'The Everyday Story Of Smalltown' and 'Train Running Low On Soul Coal'.

This is my all-time favorite album so this is where we disagree. Side two is every bit as awesome as side one, there's not a weak track on this, but my opinion is completely compromised as this was my first XTC album.

Skylarking: 'Another Satellite', easily. (both Dear God *and* Mermaid Smiled should have been included).

Yeah, that's a weak track. And I managed to get a Canadian CD which DOES have both "Dear God" and "Mermaid Smiled"!

Oranges & Lemons: 'Here Comes President Kill Again', 'Scarecrow People', 'Merely A Man', 'Cynical Days', 'Hold Me My Daddy' (this, to my mind, is XTC's worst album - and the production is terrible).

This is a mixed bag with awful production, true. "President Kill" is a sentimental fave and I like the heavy-handed "Scarecrow People".

Nonsuch: I'd only destroy 'War Dance' (the rest of the material is brilliant).

You didn't go far enough - kill all the Colin songs. "Bungalow" - good lord, AWFUL!

Apple Venus: I wouldn't destroy anything - I even like 'Fruit Nut'.

Agreed.

Wasp Star: On the other hand, I'd destroy everything on this one except 'Playground', 'Church Of Women' and 'The Wheel And The Maypole'

I always forget this album - "I'm The Man Who Murdered Love" is Andy's worst composition, by far. Colin redeems himself with "Boarded Up", which I like, and the tracks you mentioned are alright. But honestly I could just destroy the whole thing - it took me years to even deign to buy a physical copy!

"Sacrificial Bonfire" snuck up on my during a recent listening. I really had no idea it was such a great song despit hundreds of listens to Skylarking over the years.

I think "Sacrificial Bonfire" is probably my favourite XTC song that Colin Moulding wrote - I just love the whole vibe of the song, it's so evocative. And of course, the magnificent string arrangement gets me every time - when it kicks in on the second verse, it's a great moment in itself, but when the whole arrangment bursts open on the second chorus... oh man!

Wasp Star: On the other hand, I'd destroy everything on this one except 'Playground', 'Church Of Women' and 'The Wheel And The Maypole'

I always forget this album - "I'm The Man Who Murdered Love" is Andy's worst composition, by far. Colin redeems himself with "Boarded Up", which I like, and the tracks you mentioned are alright. But honestly I could just destroy the whole thing - it took me years to even deign to buy a physical copy!

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, September 7, 2011 2:38 AM (37 minutes ago)

Oh, I forgot about "Boarded Up"! Yeah, I'm fond of that one... the arrangement of that track is perfect and conveys its subject matter perfectly. There's a village near where I live that could have had that song written about it! Partridge's worst composition? Hmm. "Blue Overall" would probably get my vote as his ultimate low point.

Re: The Big Express

This is my all-time favorite album so this is where we disagree. Side two is every bit as awesome as side one, there's not a weak track on this, but my opinion is completely compromised as this was my first XTC album.

I forgot to mention that I wouldn't destroy 'I Bought Myself A Liarbird', which I also think is great (as I mentioned somewhere upthread), but I've never been too fond of 'I Remember The Sun' (I've always found it a bit on the dull side) or 'You're The Wish You Are I Had' (it's one of the few moments in the XTC catalogue that I can say is just TOO damn cheesy for me). 'Reign Of Blows' is decent, I guess, but I don't think they got the best out of it.

I used to love the hell out of The Big Express but recently it's been sounding way too dated for me. 'You're the Wish' is the highlight for me.

'Man Who Murdered Love', yeah, bloody awful. It had me deeply worried until I heard some of his brilliant 21st century work in the Fuzzy Warbles set.

some of

Yeah, Wasp Star could have been one of XTC's all time best had Partridge not shitcanned some of his best songs. Young Marrieds, I Don't Want To Be Here, Wonder Annual, Ship Trapped in the Ice, My Land is Burning, Sonic Boom, Through Electric Gardens, The Bland Leading the Bland...mix in some of these songs with the best songs that did make the cut and it'd be an instant classic!

I do enjoy the released album but feel like it has some of XTC's weakest tracks. And the gap between the quality of the two songwriters' output never sounded so huge.

agree that the track selection for that album is quite odd/inscrutable. it does have some high points though. I like the Man Who Murdered Love allright.

I mean, i really can't blame Moulding for wanting to retire from music. It's been all downhill for him since My Bird Performs (his last great song IMO) while Partridge, in many ways, got even better...

I've always been quite fond of "Bungalow", myself, although I can understand why people wouldn't like it. I think "War Dance" is his big dud from "Nonsuch". You're right in a way about "My Bird Performs", though - it's a fantastic track. Love the vocal harmonies and the ringing guitar lick. Another one of my absolute favourite Colin songs (although I don't think he ever wrote ANYTHING that moves me as much as "Sacrificial Bonfire" does).

I think "War Dance" is his big dud from "Nonsuch".

Monkeys. Monkeys Monkeys Monkeys. Worst song he ever wrote. War Dance is not far behind but just eugh.

Yeah, Wasp Star could have been one of XTC's all time best had Partridge not shitcanned some of his best songs.

The band would select the material as a group iirc, which is why a lot of the really great stuff never ended up on albums. Also, the flow of the album might actually have been better serviced (at least in their minds – remember the whole 'electric' theme they were pushing) by the songs that did end up on the album.

'Through Electric Gardens' opens with some stuff inspired by my local heritage-listed theme park, which is just awesome.

'The Bland Leading the Bland' is probably my favourite Partridge song ever, purely for the sentiment expressed and the drudgery it injects into the music.

remember the whole 'electric' theme they were pushing

the funny thing is the album does not sustain this theme at all.

It really doesn't. I think by "electric" they just meant amplified guitars.

but like half the songs don't even have that! Boarded Up?

Yeah. Who knows what was going on back then.

Shame, because AV1 was sooo focused.

You can peel a few songs off Wasp Star (as per Turrican's post e.g. 'The Wheel and the Maypole' alone is worth having the album for) and enjoy them in isolation, but god is it hard to play from start to finish.

Also, 'I'm the Man Who Murdered Love' was the first single! What. were. they. thinking.

Played AV1 this morning, forgot just how incredible it is and how well it works as a single piece. Kicking off AV2 now, mainly to challenge my opinion.

Monkeys. Monkeys Monkeys Monkeys. Worst song he ever wrote. War Dance is not far behind but just eugh.

I'll admit, I've never liked the lyrics to 'The Smartest Monkeys', but I love the echoing guitar chords, the drumming and the synth solo in the middle redeems the entire track for me!

I was lucky enough to get the huge "Fuzzy Warbles" box set for stupidly cheap, a few years ago.

He's a bit good, inne, really?

I've never felt any of the praise that "English Settlement" gets is justified... sure, it features a quota of outstanding tracks (this is before we even get to the evergreen 'Senses Working Overtime'), but I never felt there was enough great stuff there to justify a double album

I listened to this album for the first time in YEARS (as in a seriously long time) recently. My big problem with this album is the way it's sequenced, opening with two Colin Moulding tracks and then sticking the other two Mouldings near the end, meaning there's an unbroken sequence of NINE Andy Partridge tracks and, I know you guys worship him + I like him too, but that is just too much to bear. And did he start getting all self-righteous and priggish on this album or was he always like that?

(xp) I cannot imagine sitting down and listening to an entire album of Andy Partridge!

Ha, try nine! Plus 'extras' and 'best-tracks-from'!

(It's not as bad as it sounds: I was working away on a 'drive-commute' so I played them all)

It's funny, the band seemed to like his "You are all xxxxx" type aggro songs, whereas his "OK, maybe it's me" seemingly got the knock-back and stayed unrealised apart from these demo versions.

As a set, only Pete Townshend's demos are comparable.

Can you imagine anyone else in XTC saying to Andy Partridge, "I don't like that song, I don't want to play it"? 'cos I can't.

Bear in mind, APartridge is somewhat prolific, so yes I can.

Past tales: The drummer in our band used to be an engineer at a studio where XTC would demo/practice songs, one time Colin went in to do a bunch of his songs for consideration. None were chosen, so our drummer had carte blanche to use them if we liked.

Problem was, we didn't.

the Big Express is really an odd album. I don't like a lot of it. Was this a deliberate attempt to return to their earlier/noisier/louder/faster post-punk roots...? It's so harsh and shouty, and it seems like quite an anamolous bump in the road of their trajectory, it bears little to no resemblance to the several albums before and after it.

Don't know how deliberate it was, but I agree with every word of this.

From the Chalkhills site:

Andy: “If Mummer was a gentle chug through the countryside, then The Big Express is a loco derailing itself in the rusty goods yard. An altogether more industrial affair. Slashing electric guitars, sheets of steel bass and diesel oil drums. An iron opera, steam powered and brick encased.”

Andy: “Call me stupid, but these were good records. If you bastards don't want to buy 'em, what can I do? I had faith in my art.”

I listened to this album for the first time in YEARS (as in a seriously long time) recently. My big problem with this album is the way it's sequenced, opening with two Colin Moulding tracks and then sticking the other two Mouldings near the end, meaning there's an unbroken sequence of NINE Andy Partridge tracks

I understand what you mean, and especially on a long album - I personally like ALL of the Colin songs on the record, so would keep them all if I had to condense this down to a single record. I would spread them out a bit too, but I'd definitely leave the opening three songs well alone. That opening salvo of 'Runaways', 'Ball And Chain' and 'Senses Working Overtime' is one of the best openings of any XTC album, in my opinion!

the Big Express is really an odd album. I don't like a lot of it. Was this a deliberate attempt to return to their earlier/noisier/louder/faster post-punk roots...? It's so harsh and shouty, and it seems like quite an anamolous bump in the road of their trajectory, it bears little to no resemblance to the several albums before and after it.

I didn't like "The Big Express" at first when I heard it. My immediate reaction was that there was way too much going on that I found it overwhelming at first. It grew on me, though - 'Train Running Low On Soul Coal', 'Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her' and 'The Everyday Story Of Smalltown' are three of my favourite ever XTC tracks.