The Wheel and the MayPOLL: The XTC Poll Results Thread

*good outweighs the bad - haha what a clod

Yeah, 'Human Alchemy' and 'War Dance' are both horrid.

'Blue Overall' is down there with the worst of Andy Partridge, alongside 'Human Alchemy', side three of English Settlement etc.

War Dance always makes me think of Partridge's comment about the sampled clarinet sounding like a 'singing penis'.

Heh! That's a very Andy Partridge thing to say...

Haha as if that song needed to be worse

WTF THE IMAGES ARE GONE

Phucking Photobucket now charges to let you post images on 3rd party websites, to the tune of $400 a year for phuck's sake!

I've got all the images in 2 albums--here's the links:

XTC ILM Top 60

XTC ILM Top 60 Runners Up

Good to see dog latin and flappy bird with "Beating of Hearts" in their top 10--it was my #1.

On many days it's mine, too.

I love the video so much:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT4zz2b50kg

It's all about the gorgeous guitar sound, repeating drum pattern and the way "bombers in flight" is emphasised.

Thanks, Turrican and many others, for insisting I return to the well. Now I love Murmur. I revised my favorites list.

I think I'll dig Mummer out for a listen today too. 'Great Fire' doesn't seem to be a track that gets talked about much, but it was a big favourite of mine when I first heard the album.

Great Fire was the only song from Mummer that caught me when I first heard it as a teen who came on board with O&L, but now it sounds like "O shit, I need another Senses Working Overtime" while most of the rest of the album just slays me.

And yeah, that bomber synth under "fliiiiight", damn

The middle 8 on it is fucking superb - yet another one of Partridge's awesome middle 8's...

Great song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buENneEy4bc

Great Fire is so jarring. I love it. Mummer remains my favourite of their albums

Check out the demo:

http://youtu.be/8DkjwCn5bqs

'Happy Families' was originally demoed for Mummer wasn't it?

That demo with the tuneless saxophone wailing, so mad when you consider that Great Fire was written to order after Virgin were asking for more single material.

XP - Yeppers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p0fA0KBfuU

Americans: how can we watch THIS IS POP when it airs this weekend on Sky?

I was trying to figure that out too but it looks like we can't afaict :(

Sky not available as a streaming channel through Roku

Alfred you have Jason & the Argonauts twice on your list.

Damn I have a Roku too & I get Sky News for free, thought that might be an in. i'll keep looking

Sky News is actually something different, I think?

There are a couple other random channels w Sky in their name but they are unrelated

I don't think we'll be seeing XTC on Sky News any time soon, unless they decide to cover the 1st anniversary of this story:

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/14906850.XTC_frontman_recovering_after_varnish_accident/

yes, it is different

ohh yeah I forgot about the varnish incident, that had me worried for a bit, reminded me of Paul Westerberg fucking up his hand with candle wax

Alfred you have Jason & the Argonauts twice on your list.

― campreverb,

Circular guitar hook, circular list, see.

Wasp and the Maypole eh

Which Sky channel is it on?

Oh, Sky Arts... I shoulda known!

Kinda surprised that BBC 4 aren't showing it, although it seems like the sort of thing they'd show eventually.

I don't think we'll be seeing XTC on Sky News any time soon

I don't think we'll be seeing the Americans watching Sky Arts any time soon, either.

Kinda surprised that BBC 4 aren't showing it, although it seems like the sort of thing they'd show eventually.

I'd put money on it.

the only reason it's on Sky Arts in the first place is because BBC 4 (which commissioned it?) rejected it iirc

I don't understand how British TV works tbf

Why would they reject it, I wonder?

XTC aren't popular enough, lack of interest, idk. I remember Andy being pissy about it on Twitter earlier this year.

^^^

I think I said it on ILM before, but if the story of Graham Parker & the Rumour can end up on BBC4, I don't know why XTC can't, unless they think it isn't interesting enough - which is possible. Not sure Graham Parker's that interesting either.

I'm sure there's a lot of less popular acts than XTC have been covered by BBC4. Though I suppose there's a problem in making the story of Andy Partridge retiring from the stage to spend the next 30 years playing with toy soldiers and train sets interesting for non-fans.

Yeah, BBC 4 has showed documentaries on world music and Dolly Parton/Linda Rondstadt/Emmylou Harris' collaborations etc. recently ... I'm actually confused as to why they wouldn't show it - seems tailor made for that channel.

Any good? I have it saved on my Sky box please tell me it wasn't just a parade of semi famous heads waffling on.

so did anyone see this?

some friends caught a youtube rip before it was taken down. look out for more uploads

I saw it, it was very good.

I can only imagine there's not much available in the BBC vaults to play alongside (sight and sound, ogwt, top, most of those would be stopping by 1980 or thereabouts)

Totp not top