The Wheel and the MayPOLL: The XTC Poll Results Thread

the bassline on Mayor of Simpleton seems too intricate for anybody besides the bass player to have written it imo but what do I know

Think I found it. This is an interview Todd Bernhardt did with Andy for a now-defunct myspace blog (quoted here:

AP: [chuckles] People do these survey things, and say, "Let's vote for Colin's best bass line" or something, and they don't realize that the two bass lines they vote for -- "Vanishing Girl" and "Mayor of Simpleton" -- it's me playing bass on "Vanishing Girl"...

TB: Oh, I didn't know that.

AP: Yeah. Or "What in the World?" -- that's me playing bass as well.

TB: Get out of here!

AP: That's me on bass -- Colin's on rhythm guitar.

TB: And you came up with that bass line?

AP: Yeah.

TB: That's funny -- I've always thought that was him channeling McCartney.

AP: No, we had to cut it live. He obviously couldn't play the bass and the rhythm guitar, and I didn't know how the chords went, so instead of him teaching me the chords, I said, "Look, you play the chords, I'll play the bass, and we'll get this thing done before lunchtime!"

But the one they mention is "Mayor," and Colin had to work very hard to get that bass line. It's very precise. It took me a long time to work it out, because I wanted to get into the J.S. Bach mode of each note being the perfect counterpoint to where the chords are and where the melody is. The bass is the third part in the puzzle.

omg! :D

What In The World??... is my favourite Dukes song, mostly for that bassline

I always thought it was the most obscene abomination of a song that is trash, that is dirt, that is filth. I don't know what possessed them to write such a disgusting, degeneratized song as that. And I'm complimenting them by considering it a song.

wha

t in the world

ok I had no idea that's Andy on "Vanishing Girl" that's nuts

Well, lines Andy wrote notwithstanding, Colin Moulding is a pretty faultless bass player. Such great feel, very melodic player, and just generally doing the right thing at the right time. I think I read he turned down a touring gig with Pink Floyd?

Don't lose yr temper
Chain of command
Take This Town
Smokeless zone

There's a pretty interesting video online where Partridge talks about his guitar playing, and he spent a good bit of time talking about how he seeks out chords that reinforce the bassline.
It's kind of a guitar geek type video, but he talks about the bass more than any other similar-type video I have seen.

still it's the songwriting that carries the day, not who wrote what bit.

11. Grass (1347 points, 16 votes)
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/11-Grass.jpg

If I had voted, No Thugs would have been my #2

this song's really ruuuude *giggles*

always liked the video for this one

altho I don't think I ever saw it at the time of release, only years later on the youtubez

the one Skylarking video I *did* see at the time was Dear God, which is pretty stupid

So is that it for Skylarking? Would love to see Mermaid Smiled make it but can't really see it placing now. Maybe Earn Enough For Us might sneak it.

quite glad it didn't make the top 10 tho as imo it's one of the least interesting songs on skylarking. that is the only negativity you'll see from me for the rest of the poll tho

earn enough will be in the top 10, absolute lock. didn't vote for it but 100% sure

There's a video for "Grass" ?! (rushes to youtube)

the one Skylarking video I *did* see at the time was Dear God, which is pretty stupid

Ha, yeah, I saw it around the time of release too, and it's pretty terrible. 120 Minutes also showed "Senses Working Overtime" once as a "cult classic" clip.

Still not sure what's going to make the top 10. A lot of songs I thought were certain to make it have already placed (Grass, Chalkhills, Wrapped In Grey and Summer's Cauldron) I think Black Sea is going to do very well, can see maybe five songs from it placing.

I'm concerned that my number one isn't going to sneak in there. There are lots of notable Black Sea songs to go.

10 of my predicted 'certs' left:

senses
nigel
lungs
street
majors
towers
earn
mole
hop
real

real by reel may be fanciful tho

My number one's from Apple Venus.....

easter theatre i guess

that was in my 'maybes' list

Battery Brides
Tissue Tigers
Take This Town

Easter Theatre will defiantly make it.

life begins at the hop isn't that good so maybe ilx has mercifully refrained (i was lying about no more negativity ;))

battery brides being top 10 would make my day

Would love 'Easter Theatre' to make the top 10. Given up hope of my #1 placing though.

Life Begins at the Hop is great. Is there any chance Senses is not that popular on here?

whoooooa

10. Towers of London (1426 points, 17 votes, 1 No. 1 vote))
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/10-TowersOfLondon.jpg

good song, love the double-take middle-eight with those diddly keyboards contrasting the industrial thump of the rest of the song

I saw them on the Black Sea. Real highlight of my high school show going days. Towers was great, esp. Dave G's beautiful guitar fill just before the "Londinium" part. Still gives me chills.

strikes me as odd that Andy didn't insist on doing a more literal "construction"-sort of arrangement of this song, with parts being gradually added/accumulating, rather than the full barrel bang-n-clang from the first beat approach that they went with. It just seems like the kind of thing he would do.

too low. holy crap, I've never know anyone that saw them.

**Black Sea Tour***

ok wanna get this done before leaving for home so the top 10 are gonna come a little quicker

**Black Sea Tour***

!!!

I had a tape of their Cleveland show from that tour, and it was a blinder.

I also read that they were among the loudest bands of their era -- nearly Who-like in volume. Was that your experience?

Don't remember that Montgomery. It was at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago so the acoustics were shit anyway.

Oh haha, yeah, I've seen a few shows there, and I've never seen one that didn't sound completely awful.

The BBC Radio 1 live disc sounds great, lots of Black Sea and before songs

I was away and missed the bulk of the top 20. Vanishing Girl was my #1 simply due to the fact that it's spent a solid couple months lodged in my head. It is the mother of all earworms

it's been retrospectively ruined a bit by sounding like 'the lion sleeps tonight', but fuck disney so yeah #1 accepted

9. Easter Theatre (1444 points, 16 votes, 1 No. 1 vote))
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/09-EasterTheatre.jpg

Towers my #1. Such a breathtaking middle-eight.

Vanishing Girl...It's one of the catchiest choruses of all time.

when i first heard av vol 1 aged, what, 12 or 13, this was the mindblower. i played it to all my classmates. they were all 'ew wtf chocolate nipple brown'. but it was such a song! having the guitar solo after the first chorus and getting all *intense* after the second was kinda genius

Easter Theatre is such an incredible and beautiful song. Very happy to see it so high.

tbf of Apple Venus' big orchestral blowouts I slightly favour Greenman but fully understand why Easter Theatre is 'the one'

Vanishing Girl...It's one of the catchiest choruses of all time.

Yeah, I'd say so. I haven't heard it since 1988, and I can still remember how it goes.