XTC-where to start?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Etienne Hanratty, Jan 5, 2018.

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  1. CBS 65780

    CBS 65780 "Could I do one more immediately?"

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Skylarking.
    Oranges And Lemons.
     
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  2. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    After recommending Oranges And Lemons yesterday, I listened to it last night. I'm sticking with my recommendation,

    As much as I enjoy XTC, I don't recommendation The Dukes Of Stratosphere. I bought one of their albums figuring I'd love it. Nope, it kind of hurt my ears.
     
  3. Aqualung2410

    Aqualung2410 Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    English Settlement definitely.
    Then Black Sea, Skylarking, Mummer
    stay away from the first 2 albums
     
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  4. Frosst

    Frosst Vinyl-obsessive kiddo

    Location:
    Sweden
  5. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    XTC's five-album run of Drums & Wires, Black Sea, English Settlement, Mummer, and Big Express is about as good as it gets.
     
  6. MoonPool

    MoonPool Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    Based on the OP's list, I'd suggest English Settlement, Black Sea, Skylarking, Nonesuch and Oranges and Lemons as equally good starting points. The diversity of the band and the OP's list says to me that overtime, the OP should get all of XTC's work, including the Dukes releases.
     
  7. Skylarking, Black Sea, English Settlement, Drums and Wires, Apple Venus are all fine places to start. I would start with the album that has the songs most appealed to you as I find that a great entry point with every band for me and then I work my way forward or backward (or both at the same time) depending on what appeals to me most.
     
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  8. chickendinna

    chickendinna Homegrown’s All Right With Me

    I never play their first two albums. They are both very angular and edgy if you will. However I do love This Is Pop. Depending what you've heard or where your starting point was, I think you should get them all. Every release of theirs has something to recommend about it. There's an XTC album for every mood.
     
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  9. Start with either Skylarking or Oranges & Lemons and then work BOTH forwards and backwards from there. I think their later era has the better music and songwriting, but naturally some who followed them up through the spiky, new wave phase prefer that music and its energy.

    I think Apple Venus Vol. 1 is the best thing they ever did.
     
  10. OldShiftyEyes

    OldShiftyEyes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vermont
    English Settlement, Skylarking, Black Sea. That's where I started, anyway, and then I wanted everything.
     
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  11. sound chaser

    sound chaser Senior Member

    Location:
    North East UK.
    “Black Sea” is more immediate evidence of their talent to me.
     
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  12. It's a great live and BBC Live set but, if one wants their studio craft, it's the wrong place to start. They were an awesome live band though
     
  13. Depends on what you want. Black Sea focuses more on their rock roots while later albums focus on musical sophistication.
     
  14. How about we all agree that their 10 album runs beginning with Drums and Wires and ending with Apple Venus is as good as it gets.
     
  15. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
  16. privit1

    privit1 Senior Member

    Yet oranges and lemons has lots in common with the dukes albums. I always felt oranges cod have been a dukes album and no one would have batted an eyelid
     
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  17. StephMess78

    StephMess78 Forum Resident

    I discover XTC with "Apple venus volume 1"... love it...but this one is an exception to the catalogue...
     
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  18. Etienne Hanratty

    Etienne Hanratty Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    uk
    Thanks to everyone who's contributed so far. I can see a slight preponderance of recommendations for English Settlement, but everything bar the first two seems to have its advocates. I think I’m probably going to have to go with the Greatest Hits package-which isn’t necessarily that much of a problem other than the fact it’ll eventually become redundant if I enjoy it enough to want to investigate further.
     
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  19. jhw59

    jhw59 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rehoboth Beach DE.
    Agree, Fossil Fuel is an excellent way to start the journey. No one has mentioned the outstanding Steve Wilson multi channel remixes if you have that capability.
     
  20. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    XTC's five album run of Drums And Wires, Black Sea, English Settlement, Mummer and The Big Express is about as good as it gets. Both of these statements are true.
     
  21. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    I think Drums and Wires is their greatest achievement.
     
  22. Indeed, the Dukes EP and LP were made before Skylarking and Oranges and Lemons (with the LP coming before O and L). It clearly falls in line with both although the Dukes albums are also made to be more deliberately 60's in terms of sound and feel by producer John Leckie but the DNA for both is the same in terms of inspiration and feel. They fit in as part of a quartet.
     
  23. I personally love their first two albums but, in terms of quality songwriting, there's a huge leap between the second and third.
     
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  24. I really think that the replacement cover is superior to this and, if XTC had been given the Ok for this, it would have sold considerably less but generated more controversy.
     
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  25. BurtThomasWard

    BurtThomasWard Guided by Loke In Memoriam

    Location:
    Norge
    I started with that one. Loved every track but for some reason I didn't really get more into the band until they released Apple Venus.
     
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