XTC

[theraven1979]

Discussed recently but buried in another thread. Any love for XTC in the house? Fave songs/albums?


Jim

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[StanInBlack]

Oh god, absolutely! You already know how much of a fan I am of this lot. Usually the cliche goes that "the early stuff is better than the later stuff", but for XTC I definitely think the reverse is true. Their first two albums - while having some decent stuff on them - were just the band getting warmed up, but then they hit this absolutely incredible run of form from Drums & Wires up to Apple Venus (including The Dukes stuff) which is pretty much from when Dave Gregory joined to when he left. Of course, I have a preference for some albums more than others, but at least every single one of the albums from 1979-1999 has had at least one song where I was just like "okay, this is the best fucking song I've ever heard" the very first time I heard it.

[theraven1979]

Yeah it's weird innit? I don't rate their first 2 albums at all. So many great albums in the 80s though. Great fucking band

Jim

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[StanInBlack]

It's almost staggering how great XTC were, thinking about it. You had these two incredible songwriters in Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding who could write these immensely catchy and hooky melodies, and Partridge particularly has written some lyrics that I think are just jaw-dropping like "No Language in Our Lungs" (I mean, of course he's also been responsible for things like "Pink Thing", but...) and then there's Partridge's use of chords in the songs that he writes - just this really exotic use of jazzy/extended chords in a pop context. AND the way that Partridge and Dave Gregory play guitar on the Black Sea album, where the two guitar parts are grinding against each other discordantly, but it all somehow works!

[theraven1979]

Watched this the other day. Quite enjoyed it https://youtu.be/n76Rl7Z9LIc

Jim

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[jason]

I think Oranges and Lemons and Nonsuch are my favourites.

[theraven1979]

Nonsuch is crazy good

Jim

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[StanInBlack]

Nonsuch is easily in my Top 5 XTC albums. I don't want to be down on Oranges & Lemons because there's some great stuff on there, but it's probably my least favourite of the run of albums from Skylarking to Apple Venus.

[theraven1979]

Skylarking is fine as is the Dukes stuff.


Jim

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[StanInBlack]

Some really great b-sides, too... "Extrovert"... what a song.

[theraven1979]

Some of their b sides are insane. The guitar ine "take this town"! Just casually thrown in

Jim

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[theraven1979]

Their second guitarist attempts a solo https://youtu.be/yo-JLRwPooI



Jim

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