XTC opinions

[glickman@PHOENIX.PRINCETON.EDU (Mark E. Glickman)]

> > I have my first XTC album, 'Skylarking'...
> > wondered if anyone could give me a good tip on the next one to try.

>    Congratulations! Another person discovers the greatest band
> ever to come out of Swindon, Wiltshire! (my home town, o boy)
> For what it's worth, my recommendation is the double-album
> English Settlement (in the British version if you can get it).
> Lots of good tunes, too numerous to be evaluated at length here,
> and the names wouldn't mean anything to you anyway...look, just
> go out and buy it.

What's different about the British version of English Settlement?  
Is it mixed notably different?  Are you just referring to the
double-LP version of English Settlement?

Personally, I am a HUGE fan of the 'Black Sea' album.  Besides being a
*FUN* album (this album is probably XTC humor at its best), it is
very musically wholesome.  'Black Sea' is certainly more raucous than
'English Settlement', but it also doesn't "try" as hard.  I guess I would
have to recommend 'English Settlement' to a new listener of XTC before
pushing 'Black Sea' on them, but I would certainly steer them in the
direction of 'Black Sea'.

People seem to lump 'Mummer' and 'The Big Express' as the 
weakest XTC albums.  I personally think that 'White Music' and
'Go 2' are the weakest.  With Barry Andrews in the line-up,
XTC took on an almost completely different character.  'Go 2' suffers
from being too chromatic.  A good handful of songs on that album make
use of descending chromatic passages, and the use of this motif isn't
particularly striking.  Both albums tend to be dominated by Andrews'
annoying elbow-on-the-keyboad style of play.  The best songs on these
albums are those which he shows a little restraint (e.g., 'This is Pop'
from 'White Music', and 'Crowded Room' from 'Go 2').  I suppose liking
these albums more than the more recent ones is a matter of 
personal preference, though.

I'm somewhat surprised that 'The Big Express' is getting such bad press.
When compared to 'Black Sea' and 'Englishment Settlement', I agree that
it is a less interesting album, but I think that it is certainly on par
with 'Drums & Wires', and better than XTC's first two albums.  Songs
like 'Wake Up', 'Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her', 'You're the
Wish You Are I Had', and 'I Remember the Sun' are *GREAT* songs, and
'This World Over' I think comes close to being one of XTC's best songs EVER
(even after a year of listening to this song with moderate frequency,
I *STILL* get chills at the end of the chorus that occurs before the
instrumental break).  Admittedly, songs like 'Liar Bird' are complete
throwaways, and should not have seen the light of day.

My main problem with 'Drums and Wires' is that it is not produced well.
The songs are very likable (esp. songs like 'Life begins at the Hop',
and 'Outside World'), but listen to the guitar solo in 'Real by Reel'.
Doesn't it seem to be mixed too high?  To me, it seems that I'm listening
to a song being played on a mediocre stereo while someone in the room is
playing the guitar solo through an amp.  Also, the drums are mixed too low, in 
general, on the entire album.  And on 'Roads Girdle the Globe', you can
barely hear the guitars - too bad, since this is a really good song.

Yes, 'Mummer' is an album that takes getting used to.  Ironically,
though, my introduction to XTC was three years ago when a band I was
in added 'Funk-Pop-a-Roll' to its repertoire.  The *PERFECT* dance song!

I think that some of XTC's B-side music is better than
some A-sides.  It is a crime that a song like "Don't lose your
temper" ends up on a B-side, whereas "Wait 'til your boat goes down"
ends up on an A-side.

For those that know:  Besides XTC's 8 US-released albums (ranging from
White Music to Skylarking), Beeswax, 5 senses (EP), and 25 O'clock
(Dukes of Stratosphear), what XTC music is obtainable in the US?
What other XTC music is obtainable at all?

One more question:  Who plays percussion on 25 O'clock?

                     - Mark Glickman

                     ..!princeton!finegate!glickman
                     (don't send mail to phoenix - it won't get there!)