XTC-where to start?

I usually find the first album the best introduction to a band I'm interested in but that may not work for others. : )

 

That would be pretty amazing! I really enjoyed seeing him on the XTC documentary

 

Doesn't work too well for XTC, as a majority of their LPs sound vastly different to their first and second records.

 

As Andy said in the documentary (and I paraphrase) "there are not many artists who start here (gesturing highly up with his hands) and continued to get better...there is one famous band, and well us"
Not only do the albums sound very different from album to album I do think they got better- and better... to a point I can't say Wasp Star tops the skylarking nonsuch oranges - though apple venus was great (just that it was a duo by then...) Great stuff

 

O' OK, as I'm not into them so i didn't know. : )

 

A live recording of XTC at Hammersmith Palais in 1984 is being broadcast on BBC6 at 2.00am on Saturday 22nd.

 

'84? They stopped performing live in 1982. Gotta be an error, right?

 

Presumably it's this show:

XTC - BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert

 

OP here.

In the end, after I failed to find Fossil Fuel at my local HMV, I put my plan to explore XTC on the back burner until couple of weeks ago, when I was clearing my Sky+ box in readiness for Christmas and came across the This Is Pop documentary. Having watched it, I felt inspired to order Skylarking which was completely different from what I expected but still great. After that, I ordered Apple Venus vol 1, which I thought was even better and which sounded amazing. I now have the English Settlement box on order and am wondering about getting Wasp Star, which seems to be the only other album readily available on Vinyl.

EDIT: Thanks again for the recommendations.

 

Drums and Wires was my first purchase.

 

Nice to read a follow-up, and it sounds like you are on a good course. English Settlement is one of the greatest albums of the 80s IMO. Please follow-up once you've had time to take it in.

I would recommend a pass on Wasp Star vinyl for now -- it's good, but not to the level of XTC's best. Instead, hunt for a used copies of Black Sea, Mummer, and The Big Express vinyl, preferably in that order.

Enjoy!

 

I agree with starting at the beginning with White Music. It has almost no filler (“I’m Bugged”, All Along the Watchtower”..) And go chronologically to Apple Venus. I think that should have been their last official release.

 

Beatle nuts who still haven't checked out XTC 40 years after their debut has to be one of the biggest head-scratchers I know of.

 

Mine too...its still my favorite one but I like a couple of other albums of theirs quite a lot.

 

I just finished doing a thorough reorganizing if my CD collection
and I am discovering a lot of CDs I forgot I had.
One of them was Oranges and Lemons.
Never paid any attention to XTC but somewhere
along in my musical journey, I bought this CD.
Just listening to it now.
I quite like it.

 

Let this be the beginning of a journey...

 

Welcome!

 

All the essentials on one long disc and a great sampler for nubies.

 

Got a copy of Transistor box recently and glad I did. The live show is worth it on its own.

 

As one of the OPs, it’s great to see this thread resurrected. I’ve now managed to acquire about half of XTC’s albums, and would probably rank the Dukes’ records as the best followed by Apple Venus and Skylarking. However, if anyone were to ask me where to start, I’d unhesitatingly recommend Black Sea as the best distillation of where they’d been and as clear indication as possible of what they’d become-a transitional album, but in a good way.

 

R+ B Buffet is an amazing collection.
Definitely one of my favourite XTC cd’s!

 

Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass has a different mix on R+BB.

I prefer the demo of Punch & Judy on the Coat Of Many Cupboards box set.

 

According to the Chalkhills XTC fan site, the single mix of "Heaven Is Paved with Broken Glass" has never appeared on CD, and the same remix appears on both Beeswax and Rag & Bone Buffet. Of course, Chalkhills could be wrong. I have an LP copy of Beeswax but I haven't listened to it in a while, so I can't say how much it differs from the R&BB version.

 

I was in the same boat a couple years ago, never really explored XTC beyond a couple stray singles. I heard D&W at a friends house, and decided to take the plunge. Thankfully the Ape House reissue series was cheap, and I had just upgraded to a surround system, so I bought all the available CD/Blu-ray sets for a pretty cheap price and have been really happy I did. This is a band who I overlooked for years, but have realized just why they are as revered as they are. Every album is great, if not a masterpiece.

I'm holding off buying the others in case the masters are found and they can do a 5.1 for each album. I've streamed the others and English Settlement is probably my top pick for anyone wanting to get into them. Such a great album.

I also picked up Andy's Fuzzy Warbles comps (also available pretty cheaply as 3 cd sets). Man this guy is an endless fountain of pop genius. Even his throw away songs are miles better than most bands records.

 

Isn't he, though...
Even his LAUGH is genius!