XTC Song of the Day thread

Today's song is "Spinning Top"



White Music is more miss than hit for me, and this one is a major miss for me. Anyone a fan?

 

I actually like Spinning Top more than most of White Music. Which is not to say I like it very much compared to their later work, but most of that album is derivative and forgettable.

 

My Land Is Burning: One of the better Fuzzy Warbles and I agree with you regarding the tasty guitar solo. The song is an extremely well produced demo.

You're My Drug is the Dukes Byrds-style tune and it's pretty nifty, if not a great one. I always enjoy hearing it.

War Dance is a song where I enjoy the music far more than the lyrics and message. I think the arrangement is excellent and Colin is in fine voice.

 

Spinning Top isn't a "major miss" for me; I've quite enjoyed it in the past when I'm in the mood, but I will say that I vastly prefer the live version on A Coat Of Many Cupboards to the album version. The sound is fuller, the rhythm seems more assured, and the call-and-response vocals add a nice jolt of energy.

 

Today's song is "Here Comes President Kill Again"



The lyrics to this one leave little to the imagination, but I still like it a lot. The marching drum beat and horns give it that political feel, so they did a good job of making the music match up well to the lyrical content. Fun song to sing along to.

 

Ack! My all time least favorite XTC song! Let’s hit everyone over the head with my clever word twist and simplistic anti-war message. Coupled with some forgettable melodies and you have a real stinker.

 

I agree that Here Comes President Kill Again is one of Andy's worst lyrics ("Queen Caring is dead"? Really?). At the risk of beating a wounded horse, why did XTC have to insist on making Serious Political Statements? They were never any good at it (which is surprising, given how insightful they could be when discussing literally any other topic they chose to cover). Still, the music is quite appealing, so on the whole, I'd rate it as a "pretty good" XTC song. And as far as the spotty O&L/Nonsuch era goes, it's almost a masterpiece.

 

I've always found President Kill to be a real earworm song. When I listen to O&L that and/or Pink Thing are the tunes that I can't get rid of.

I really like Andy's political statements; although this is not as good as something like Reign of Blows or Melt the Guns, I think the lyrics are OK. Sorry to be contrary, just wanted to stand up for him/them.

 

I think I will listen to the instrumental version and see if I can find the music appealing on it's own.. The poor lyrics made it hard for me to enjoy any part of the song.

 

Truly a Lemon. Why, George, whyyyyyy?

 

Today's song is "Wonderland"



Nice little song, but it has become one that I rarely listen to anymore. I don't reach for Mummer very much these days, outside of a few songs. Listening to it again now, I was reminded that I do like this song quite a bit, but I always seem to have songs by bands that I rarely listen to and then when I do I think, "Why don't I listen to this song more often?" And Wonderland has become one of those songs for me.

 

As a committed album listener, there are very few songs I seek out on their own. I enjoy this song well enough in its context, as a sedate and soothing respite after the rather relentless album opener. But yeah I'd never single this one out and say "oh that's my favorite".

 

The first few times I heard Mummer, I thought that Wonderland was a rather attractive song, and that the opening trilogy of songs on the album was one of the great 1-2-3 volleys in pop music history. Since then, though, the song has struck me as mediocre at best. Which is an oddity as far as XTC songs go for me, as they tend to grow on me with time, rather than the other way around.

On another note, XTC's singles tended to be pretty solid -if perhaps unrepresentative of their parent albums - but they had a small handful of clunkers, and Wonderland is one of them (I'd call it their worst, were it not for the existence of Peter Pumpkinhead).

 

Oh I love Wonderland, it's not a classic by any means, but it's fantastically atmospheric, it almost predicts the chillwave genre. Gives you the opportunity to just sit back, and drift away. I especially love that minimalistic synth beat. Recommended to those with high blood pressure.

Just as nice as the song itself is the "7" single cover.

 

The dissing of Peter Pumpkinhead makes me sad.

 

Today's song is "Down in the Cockpit"



A really nice, toe-tapping deep album cut. Not one of my favorites, but when a song this is enjoyable is one of the least best songs from a record, that speaks volumes as to how good that record is, that record of course being the masterpiece that is English Settlement.

 

Wonderland is still one of my favorites from Mummer. Great vibe that anticipates Skylarking.

 

A pretty catchy song. Great for hopping up and down and calling it “dancing “. The lyrics are pretty goofy, some folks hate ‘me, but I think they are fun. This song was a welcome surprise when I got the English Settlement cd.

 

Cockpit is a listenable, enjoyable tune. Not a front-burner cut but fun.

 

Today's song is "Don't Lose Your Temper"



This snappy little bonus track is a fun listen, but it didn't have a lot shelf life for me. The hook is nice, but the rest of the song around doesn't really stand out to me. Wise move to not include it on Black Sea.

 

Agreed. Black Sea is near-perfect as is. This throwaway tune would've been a detriment.

 

I strongly disagree about Don't Lose Your Temper. I think it's a great song that would have made the album even better. But then, I've never been a big fan of the "epics" that close sides 1 and 2, so I'd ditch them for Temper, Wait 'Til Your Boat Goes Down, and maybe even Take This Town.

 

Today's song is "Burning with Optimism's Flames"



Fun little song, and I love how every instrument is front and center at some point in this song, which is impressive to have such dynamic shifts in that regard considering the big sound of the album. That overall sound and production of Black Sea delivers again! And I love the way it segues into the previously-discussed Sgt. Rock.

 

Burning With Optimism's Flames isn't the greatest song on Black Sea, but it's almost certainly my favourite. That opening riff is heavenly. Who decided not to release this as a single?!

 

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whooooa
Yes yes yes yes yes yes