52. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (615 points, 8 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/52-BalladOfPeterPumpkinhead.jpg
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:48 (nine years ago) link
TIE 51. Runaways (640 points, 9 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/51-Runaways.jpgTIE 51. Greenman (640 points, 8 votes)http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/51-Greenman.jpg
50. Beating Of Hearts (644 points, 9 votes, 1 No. 1 vote))http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/50-BeatingOfHearts.jpg
ok that's it for a little bit
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:49 (nine years ago) link
"Runaways" one of the first of mine to make it.
hooray for Peter Pumpkin so low
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:50 (nine years ago) link
hooray for Roads Girdle the Globe placing, I wasn't sure if that would make it
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:52 (nine years ago) link
I know RGTG is a dry-run for No Language On Our Lungs but it's still p spectacular :)
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:54 (nine years ago) link
Pale And Precious is if anything too perfect, enters the uncanny valley imo
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:55 (nine years ago) link
I haven't heard the Dukes albums.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:56 (nine years ago) link
how do you feel about ridiculously on point pastiche efforts
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:57 (nine years ago) link
I did vote for Pale and Precious, but imo, they hadn't quite figured out how to mimic Beach Boys backing vocals yet (though AP's Carl impression is pretty great)
― Dominique, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:58 (nine years ago) link
imo if you like British 60s psych at all they are a treasure trove of clever lolz
xp
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:58 (nine years ago) link
ok I guess "Pale and Precious" ranking that low is a shock, that's one I thought would get a lot of top 10 votes
― Maggie killed Quagmire (collest baby ever) (frogbs), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:58 (nine years ago) link
that's why: I'm not a fan of either the BB or psychedelia generally, which is why I included few latter-day cuts.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 20:59 (nine years ago) link
Dukes EP is magnificent on its own terms & you might like it
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:03 (nine years ago) link
from Psionic Sunspot onwards the last song of each album (with the exception of 'Books Are Burning imo) feels like it should be a strong contender for top 10, I was also surprised by how low Pale & Precious is
― soref, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:03 (nine years ago) link
sold
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 October 2014 21:06 (nine years ago) link
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
― 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
'Empires crumble in / Wedding cake starts to turn and spoil...' yeah it's undeniable. If it hadn't been for this poll I'd never have heard it.
― brand new universal harvester (dog latin), Thursday, 26 April 2018 15:58 (six years ago) link
Let's rank my favorites, mm?
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 8 September 2018 01:33 (six years ago) link
I think I agree. As much as I love half of or most of or some of all the other albums, Black Sea is the only one that's really even in terms of songwriting - quality, sound, and style.
― flappy bird, Saturday, 8 September 2018 06:10 (six years ago) link
Wouldn't put many of the tracks on a personal best of, but it's the album I'd choose to listen to in full over all the others.
I'm one of those must-have-every-note-Andy & Co-produced:
1. Big Express2. Black Sea3. Drums And Wires4. English Settlement5. Skylarking6. Apple Venus7. Oranges And Lemons7. Mummer8. Nonsuch9. Go 210. White Music11. Wasp Star
And if I could include these two they'd place:4.5 Psionic Sunspot6.5 Rag & Bone Buffet
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 8 September 2018 06:26 (six years ago) link
I apparently voted in this but never participated -- my ballot (which upon reflection seems a little too simplistic):
1. Jason and the Argonauts 2. Senses Working Overtime3. Complicated Game4. Generals and Majors5. Travels in Nihilon6. No Thugs In Our House7. Respectable Street8. Making Plans for Nigel9. When You're Near Me10. Summer's Cauldron 11. Grass12. Rocket from a Bottle13. Sgt. Rock14. Your Gold Dress15. The Meeting Place16. Chalkhills and Children17. Harvest Festival18. Down in the Cockpit19. Helicopter20. Vanishing Girl
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 14:00 (five years ago) link