XTC Song of the Day thread

I like just about every song on O&L more. Not a bad song, but far from a highlight.

 

As much as I hate to admit, the older I get the more this song hits home.

"I try and make my world a better place,
(my efforts seem in vain),
But I'm competing in a human race,
(falling deeper down the drain),
That value things that just don't count,
Makes me wonder what it's all about."


I think this is Colin's best song on the album.​

 

Count me as one who likes the single a bit more than the LP version just because it has better tension and release. That third verse with the vocal and backing vocals is transcendent.

 

I know some of the XTC LPs have been remixed. English Settlement has long been considered one of the best mixes/recordings of the 80s. My 1st press UK edition is still one of my most amazing sounding records.

Curious as to why folks would want a remix for this? Isn’t it already A+?

 

I like this one -lyrically one I can relate to. The brass bridge is a nice touch too.

 

I could not agree more.

 

AFAIK English Settlement is not one that has been remixed.

But all the remixes do come with the original version as well. Oranges and Lemons for instance REALLY benefits from the remix.

 

Don't remind me. It was one of a job lot of over a hundred LPs I sold about 12 years ago for probably a tenth of what they were worth. What an idiot.

 

Cynical Days, like many of Colin's songs, is fine. But that's about the best I can say for it.

He's a good songwriter and has a handful of very solid songs. But if he was XTC's primary songwriter, songs like this would have made me pass by the band. Thankfully Andy was much more prolific. With that said, it's good to have a different voice bringing something else to the band, and this song succeeds at that.

 

Agreed, on all accounts.

 

Checking in a little late on this one. Last winter, I would listen to English Settlement every time I had to shovel my sidewalk and driveway.
I really love the phasing on Jason and the Argonauts. Don't forget to check out the Drums and Wireless version!

I connect this one with Seagulls Scream Kiss Her Kiss Her, for some reason in my mind.

 

Today's song is "Reign of Blows"



I am still trying to wrap my head around much of The Big Express, but this one seems like one of the better tunes. The loud and almost-harsh production seems to match the intensity of the songs, giving the whole album a different feel than other XTC albums. You just can't help but want to loudly clap along to this song, although the harmonica is a bit too shrill at times. I like it, but am not sure how much yet.

 

Reign of Blows....not a favorite, it's actually my least favorite track from The Big Express. It's got plenty of anger, but not much more to recommend it. I'm curious George was this a random selection?

 

It it random in the sense that I am trying to bounce from album to album. I find threads like this more fun when the songs are featured out of order, and going with all of the best songs first doesn't make sense either. The randomness makes it fun, IMO.

 

"Reign of Blows"....what a brilliant song.
The music is so violent with Andy's voice going through the small amp that's being used for the harmonica in full distortion. Favorite lines:

So torture raises its head
Decked out in blue, white and red
And iron maidens will slam
And by the half light of burning republics
Joe Stalin looks just like Uncle Sam

 

Reign of Blows... deep cut from The Big Express. There's a wonderful AP melody hidden underneath that loud and angry distortion, but it's a bit of an earache to listen to. Doesn't go on the mix tape or greatest compilation, but has a place in the XTC catalog, for sure.

 

Yeah, "Respectable Street" is the only song George has chosen that's anywhere close to being the best on its respective album IMO.

 

I don't agree, but it's all about personal preference.

Not much chatter on this one, so I will do another song for today:

Today's 2nd song is "Science Friction"



I am admittedly not much of a fan of the first two albums, but this song is kinda catchy. The hook grabs you for sure, and the main riff has a nice driving feel to it, but Andy had yet to really find his sweet spot as a singer, which he would admit; those kind of punk "yelp-y" vocals just aren't my thing. I get the appeal for fans of punk, but it just isn't my thing.

 

Hmmm, let's get this going again with one of the big dogs...

Today's song is "Wrapped in Grey"



I've read that Andy Partridge is very proud of having written this song, and he damn well should be; it is a beautiful song with one of the best melodies he's ever written. And not only is the music wonderful, but it is lyrically one of his best as well. Hard to believe this was so low in the tracking list of Nonsuch, but, then again, that album has so many great tunes, it's hard to not space them out instead of front-loading the record. And now I am going to have the chorus to this song stuck in my head all morning.

 

Science Friction is a fun punk / new wave raver that I got hooked on through their first singles album "Waxworks". I still love Barry's retro organ sound on this song and several others he did during his tenure with the band. The energy on their first album is still a marvel to hear.


And the coveted Wrapped In Grey single! How I wish I owned one of those rarities. This is probably in my top 5 list of favorite XTC songs. It conjures up an amazing mental image as well as equating nodding off at work as a protest to the mundane corporate life. Brilliant!

 

Science Friction - a great early ditty -- energetic, youthful, silly nonsense. A gem.

Wrapped in Grey - a stunning melody, with beautiful heartfelt lyrics. I wonder if Andy knew he had written such a positive, lovely song and wasn't completely comfortable with it (embarrassed?), so he had to make the ending silly and atonal, almost as an apology for getting too sentimental.

"Balloons and streamers decorate the inside of your heads. Please let some out, do it today."

 

OK, something's definitely wrong with me. Wrapped in Grey is yet another least-favorite tune from an album I like a lot. Is there a support group I can join?

 

My favorite bit of lyric from Wrapped in Grey:

Awaken you dreamers
Asleep at your desks
Parrots and lemurs
Populate your unconscious grotesques
Please let some out
Do it today
But don't let the loveless ones sell you
A world wrapped in grey

 

"Wrapped in Grey" is beautiful! One of the three best songs on one of my favorite XTC albums. The others, of course, being "Rook" and "Books Are Burning".

The 'Wrapped In Grey' 7" single and CD single are the only two missing items from my otherwise complete UK and North American singles collection.

 

Science Friction is brilliant. I am a proud owner of the original 3D EP and I have always loved it. One of the best songs of the early XTC era, one I would point as a great example of how good that early line-up was capable of being. As we know they evolved through several different styles, but this is a signpost for that initial pop-punk blast.