The Wheel and the MayPOLL: The XTC Poll Results Thread

there have been fewer number ones than I expected so far

"Snowman" high on my ballot.

60-21 in the same afternoon is a bit of a whirlwind.

11 of my 31 have placed so far
You guys like drums n wires and nonsuch lots more than me

I totally forgot Jason and the Argonauts for my ballot.

It's a very interesting poll - such a rich catalogue, with not a lot of consensus.

Half my top 10 already spoken for.

I can't see my number one turning up at this rate.

I didn't vote, but goddamn there's a lot of Skylarking. I should've voted just for the satisfaction of not voting for a single thing from it (unless you count Dear God).

I totally forgot another satellite somehow. That's what I get for picking my skylarking choices from memory without looking at the track list.

my #1 already placed, but a lot haven't. I did choose a few Fuzzy Warbles, and getting the feeling they were basically voting for Nader

got Dominique down as the 1000 Umbrellas #1, willing to be stood corrected

it's true! Though even for me, hard to separate from Ballet

srsly

those two taken together may have threatened my top 3

anyway it's all incredible music

So many amazing songs.

You’re The Wish You Are I Had has to be one of my favourite XTC choruses. It gets stuck in my head for days every single time it.

When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty is another one that went a lot higher on my list when going through their albums just before voting. It's all about those noises that are supposed to symbolise the jellyfish.

Helicopter was just outside my top 10. One of the best bass lines ever and I love how manic Andy sounds on that one.

All the Skylarking songs that have placed are fantastic. That's an album that really works as a whole which is probably why I voted for almost all of it. Will be interested to see which songs miss out. I'd be ok with Big Day not making it but have a feeling Mermaid Smiled might miss out too which would be a real shame.

Surprised to see King For a Day and The Disappointed so high. Never been a big fan of either of those.

Interesting poll, in that so many people have specific records they connect with deeply, I know I do. Skylarking appears to be the consensus pick, although JF registers his dissent above, and it would appear even The Big Express has its defenders.
My own personal top 5 would be something like
Black Sea
Oranges & Lemons
English Settlement
Nonsuch
Skylarking

I have no idea what's coming in the top 20.

None of my top ten have placed so far (though I suspect a majority of them will). Any guesses on which Dukes tracks might make the top twenty?

Maybe Vanishing Girl? Mole From the Ministry is my favourite but not sure how popular it is.

mole will surely

girl too

I bet My Love Explodes is yet to come.

The Graphics Bear knows, but he's not telling.

Little Lighthouse is my favorite.

Those of you who were around: what was XTC's college presence 1979-1986, i.e. between D&W and Skylarking? "Senses Working Overtime" was big, according to CMJ. I guess I'm most curious about reception and airplay.

I did a lot of my ballot from memory and already found the first casualty: "My Bird Performs". Not a big fan of Nonsuch, but you can mentally jump that song a few places up since it should have been on my ballot

Nice to see the appreciation for "My Bird Performs," since it's always seemed that all of Colin's songs on Nonsuch were commonly loathed on ILM.

"Bungalow," however, does suck.

I was familiar with "Senses" in '83-84 due to MTV airplay and "Respectable Street" thanks to the Urgh! soundtrack. Unfortunately, my university didn't really have a functioning radio station while I was there. Those two songs and some good press (in Spin? RS?) led me to buy Waxworks/Beeswax.

Nice to see the appreciation for "My Bird Performs," since it's always seemed that all of Colin's songs on Nonsuch were commonly loathed on ILM.

"Bungalow," however, does suck.

― Hideous Lump

I love Bungalow but Smartest Monkeys and War Dance are so bad. Up there with very worst XTC songs for me.

Random comments (since I couldn't comment during the actual rollout because I was wearing my "Travels in Nihilon"-brand Isolator Helmet):

- "Beating of Hearts" was my #1. I went into this with no idea what was going to be #1, but that floated to the top over the other contenders "Generals & Major," the equally-unlikely "It's Nearly Africa," "Earn Enough for Us" and "Wrapped in Grey."

- "Roads Girdle the Globe" (which I type as "Roads Girdle the Glove" every damn time) was a song that took me years to like, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's that weird deep voice Andy uses.

- I'm glad "River of Orchids" made the list, but there are two things that kept it out of my top 50:
1. There's such strange beauty and flow in this song, but that yelpy "I heard the dandelions roar in Piccadilly Circus" melody just does not fit.
2. Synth horns! Grrrrr!!

The yelpy part is my favorite part of "River of Orchids"! On average, I'd say my favorite part of any given XTC song is the part that was most annoying the first time I heard it

Cool results far, my #1 hasn't placed yet but I've honestly no idea if it stands a chance. Brilliant work with the images too, they're all very XTC. No real consensus on eras or albums at all (although I don't think that surprised anyone!). Wonder if there'll even be a single song with more than one #1 vote?

I'm shocked Seagulls is so low, would have been in my top 5

A word in defence of "Dear God". It didn't place high on my ballot, but if I'd been voting as a teenager it would have. In terms of the lyrics, I think it works in the same way that Kurt Vonnegut's writing does: as an antidote to received notions. Vonnegut's a great author, but he's not really readable as adult literature. DG is a great YA song, and if the lyrics induce some eye-rolling later in life, it does their particular power a disservice to dismiss them completely. Disregarding the lyrics, it's got an amazing melody (and the melody is rhythmically wonderful bedsides) and a top-notch middle eight. Just as tune qua tune it's great pop and deserves better than it gets.

^

(altho even as a teenager I was like, "why does he want beer to remain expensive?")

would prefer reduction in the price of tea, I expect

ok top 20 coming up

gonna roll these out a little more slowly than yesterday

20. Love On A Farmboy's Wages (1116 points, 14 votes, 1 No. 1 vote))
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/HideousLump/XTC%20ILM%20Top%2060/20-LoveOnAFarmboysWages.jpg

A last minute addition for me. I didn't mark it down after my relisten through Mummer but then I kept singing it to myself/in my head over the next few days...

^YAY "Earn Enough For Us" prequel. Such an awkward song, but it works despite some wrongfooted moves (the bridge is not one of Andy's best). It was my #69 (!) but I would have been disappointed if it hadn't placed.

***

The only choice on the list so far that mystifies me is "You're The Wish". I never woulda pegged it to place at all, much less scraping the top 20. It's one of the few XTC songs I actively loathe. Such an unctuous chorus.

let's play god

certs

senses
nigel
game
lungs
thugs
children
street
majors
towers
earn
cauldron
grass
mole
hop
real

which leaves 4. theatre? girls? sudden? scissor?

oh, girl, obv (of the vanishing kind)

Totally agree about Dear God's melody, was listening to it the other day and wishing that the lyrics weren't so r/atheism, cause it's one of the best conventional melodies they wrote.

oh, MAYPOLE, lol

Red Brick Dream, duh

agree w hardcore dilletante that the middle 8 in LOAFW is a bit awkward, while not bad in isolation it sounds like it's flown in from another track/song entirely, like it was punched in. the rest of this song though... damn, so perfect. an obvious precursor to the Apple Venus stuff, the first real flowering of Andy's Brit pastoral psych side.

Is it too much to hope that Rook gets a place?

friction
affiliated
liberty
hop sha la la la la
R-O-T-A-R-Y..
"gather round..."
decency's jigsaw
"this must be make-believe.." oh that's the same song never mind
And win a night out.. with a FAMOUS paranoiac..

That's why I couldn't do a ballot: So many songs would end up with one vote..

I used to live on Rossmore Rd

Always loved this song, agree it was one of the first great examples of him writing in the psych-ish, pastoral mode. Just a pretty song, with a pretty sentiment.