PopTodd Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Seeing as how they are THE most-underrated band in the history of rock, I thought that this might be fun. Or it might fall to the bottom of the page, never to be heard from again.Anyway:1. Skylarking2. The Dukes of Stratosphear - Chips From the Chocolate Fireball3. Drums & Wires4. English Settlement5. Black Sea6. Nonsuch7. Oranges & Lemons8. The Big Express9. White Music10. Mummer To be fair, I have not really heard Apple Venus enough to include it in any such list. Although, from what I hear, it is one of their better albums. I gotta go listen to it a bit more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 English SettlementBlack SeaSkylarkingDrums and Wires Oranges and LemonsMummer the rest Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 English SettlementBlack SeaSkylarkingDrums and Wires Oranges and LemonsMummer the restNo Dukes? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moxiebean Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 SkylarkingNonsuch25 O'ClockEnglish SettlementMummerOranges & LemonsPsonic PsunspotApple Venus Vol.1Big Express Skylarking is at the top of my list of darn near perfect albums, along with Stone Roses S/T, Let it Bleed, More Fun in the New World, YHF, and a couple others I can't think of right off the top of my head. I've not listened to the pre-English Settlement albums that much (just the singles) so they're not on my list. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Apple Venus Vol. 1Dukes 25 O'Clock EP/Chips From A Chocolate Fireball (I have only really known the CD reissue with them both on it).SkylarkingEnglish SettlementDrums & WiresBlack SeaOranges & LemonsNonsuchWhite MusicMummer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 English Settlement was always my favorite XTC. And I agree, at least one of the most underrated bands. Maybe because they stopped performing live so early on (or did they just never perform live, I can't recall at this point). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 Andy started having debilitating panic attacks before live performances, so they stopped performing after the English Settlement tour.I've seen some live footage of the band and they were a monster live band. Too damn bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 No Dukes? sorry, didn't think to consider them. i'd put that between Skylarking and Drums/Wires Quote Link to post Share on other sites
castaway Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 1. Drums and Wires - What other band sounded like this in 1979? Not to mention the coolest album cover of all time.2. Mummer - My first XTC purchase in 1984. Maybe not their greatest but very dear to my heart.3. Go 2 - Barry Andrews on the keyboard. Very cool.4. 25 o'clock - Still blows my mind 27? years later.5. Skylarking - Gave me a reason to gloat to all my friends that they were late to the party.6. Oranges and Lemons - Lots of airplay @ WRFL. Pop perfection.7. Nonsuch - Virgin killed them off at the height of their song writing skills.8. Apple Venus vol 2 - One last hurrah. No Dave G but the songs are great. Could have been spectacular.9. English Settlement - Their country album?10. White Music - This is Pop and Radios in Motion. Come on can't beat those. Wilco and XTC not all that different maybe? XTC was always my favorite band. But they are to never be again, Colin has said so.Wilco you are the one now. Lets keep it that way for a while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 1. Drums and Wires - What other band sounded like this in 1979? Not to mention the coolest album cover of all time.2. Mummer - My first XTC purchase in 1984. Maybe not their greatest but very dear to my heart.3. Go 2 - Barry Andrews on the keyboard. Very cool.4. 25 o'clock - Still blows my mind 27? years later.5. Skylarking - Gave me a reason to gloat to all my friends that they were late to the party.6. Oranges and Lemons - Lots of airplay @ WRFL. Pop perfection.7. Nonsuch - Virgin killed them off at the height of their song writing skills.8. Apple Venus vol 2 - One last hurrah. No Dave G but the songs are great. Could have been spectacular.9. English Settlement - Their country album?10. White Music - This is Pop and Radios in Motion. Come on can't beat those. Wilco and XTC not all that different maybe? XTC was always my favorite band. But they are to never be again, Colin has said so.Wilco you are the one now. Lets keep it that way for a while. Have you heard Black Sea? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
i'm only sleeping Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Andy Partridge has just released a very XTCish collaboration: Wing Beat Fantastic, Songs written by Mike Keneally & Andy Partridge Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 still waiting for the Partridge/Robyn Hitchcock collaboration to see the light of day...if it'll ever happen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 English Settlement was always my favorite XTC. And I agree, at least one of the most underrated bands. Maybe because they stopped performing live so early on (or did they just never perform live, I can't recall at this point). They were a very busy and relatively successful (and from all acounts I've heard, amazingly good) touring band during the first several years of their career. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 They were a very busy and relatively successful (and from all acounts I've heard, amazingly good) touring band during the first several years of their career. They could bring it: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I want to hear the tracks that Andy Partridge produced for Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish. I think they're available on the new Blur boxset? Also want to mention the the XTC Live at the BBC album is great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
people are leaving Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 On any given day, the first three entries could be #1. Skylarking Black Sea Dukes of Stratosphear / Chips English SettlementDrums & WiresThe Big ExpressNonsuchOranges & LemonsApple VenusWasp StarMummerWhite Music Go 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
castaway Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Black Sea just never hit me as much as their other records. I don't think of it in terms of being a bad record. It has some classic songs on there but I always felt that it felt forced. Kinda like it was their attempt at making the "record company album".I was at a friends party one night when I had a liking for this girl there that I had just meet and we were talking and getting along when I just had to play that song that was ruling the day for me at the time. " No language in Our Lungs" Great song however I soon was to discover that she was a journalism major. End of conversation... I can only laugh now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Black Sea just never hit me as much as their other records. I don't think of it in terms of being a bad record. It has some classic songs on there but I always felt that it felt forced. Kinda like it was their attempt at making the "record company album".I was at a friends party one night when I had a liking for this girl there that I had just meet and we were talking and getting along when I just had to play that song that was ruling the day for me at the time. " No language in Our Lungs" Great song however I soon was to discover that she was a journalism major. End of conversation... I can only laugh now.I was a journalism major. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Sunday evening at home, decide I'm going to cure/avoid the Sunday night blues and dig into the music collection while waiting for The Newsroom. Glad to have come across this topic again. I've got pretty much the entire XTC catalogue in either vinyl or disc. We listened to a lot of XTC, they were a favorite, but it's been years since I've put them on at home. Pulled out the collection, couldn't decide so I put on Upsy Daisy Assortment. I'm not usually a fan of greatest hits collections and didn't even remember having this. What a freakin great collection of music. Fell in love with this band all over again. What a Sunday night. So thank you to Via Chicago for pointing me in this direction. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Just have to input here that "the one that broke my heart" -- pretty much everyone has one, I think -- was waaaayyyy into XTC, which almost ruined them for me.Thankfully, the girl that I married, the right one, is also way into XTC, which saved them for me again.She's the right one in so very many ways! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Just have to input here that "the one that broke my heart" -- pretty much everyone has one, I think -- was waaaayyyy into XTC, which almost ruined them for me.Thankfully, the girl that I married, the right one, is also way into XTC, which saved them for me again.She's the right one in so very many ways! Great picking by you! Having a spouse/significant other who shares your musical likes/obsessions is so awesome. My wife doesn't appreciate all my musical interests (GD, Allmans, i.e.) but she shares many, including Wilco (and XTC back in the day). Makes being Wilco obsessed so much more enjoyable for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Great picking by you! Having a spouse/significant other who shares your musical likes/obsessions is so awesome. My wife doesn't appreciate all my musical interests (GD, Allmans, i.e.) but she shares many, including Wilco (and XTC back in the day). Makes being Wilco obsessed so much more enjoyable for me.Wrote our own vows and in hers, she promised "to go to Big Star and Pavement shows with (me) for as long as (her) hearing allows."Yeah.Good one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.