Order The Albums- Most Favourite To... Also A Favorite Options

[Spastic Minnow]

I just realized it's been a long time since we did this most basic of fandom activities (old forum days I believe). I remember how annoyed people were when they used the dreadful and inaccurate "worst" designation, hopefully this wording is more accurate. Now all that's left to be upset about is whether or not to jam an unnecessary 'u' into the word 'favorite.'

Just going with the studio albums here.

1. Skylarking
2. Black Sea
2. Chips From the Chocolate Fireball (for me, the two Dukes albums will always be combined- and definitely rate at the top)
3. Wasp Star
3. Oranges and Lemons
3. Drums & Wires
4. Nonsuch
4. Apple Venus v.1
4. English Settlement
4. Big Express
5. White Music
5. Mummer
5. Go2

I did have them numbered 1-13 but it didn't quite reflect the amount of uncertainty I had at each level.

[Chrestus]

Why do you rate Skylarking above the rest? And I do not ask that facetiously, sarcasticly or with any irony. I really am interested in your take on it.

[Spastic Minnow]

Multiple reasons.

It was the first XTC album I bought, so it has sentimental value.
The string arrangements accent the songs and don't overpower them.
The general concept of the album appeals to me even if it was kind of an afterthought.
It is brimming with some of my favorite features of XTC's music that may be at a higher concentration in this album than any other. Clever wordplay, syncopated and complex rhythms, and internal rhymes.
1000 Umbrellas is my favorite song
And well, it just is, almost every song is special to me.

[Jeff Truzzi]

Despite '1000 Umbrellas' being one of my all time favorite XTC songs,
and the UK version of "Skylarking" being one of the first 3 CDs I ever bought
(the other two being "The Compact King Crimson" and "A Decade Of Steely Dan")
I disagree with Spastic about "Skylarking."
(And Steely Dan. But I do like his numbering system.)

Skylarking is one of my favorite albums, but it's not in my top two XTC favorites.

1. Apple Venus v.1
2. Nonsuch
3. Skylarking
4. English Settlement
4. Oranges and Lemons (a sentimental favorite, I admit)
4. Black Sea
5. Mummer
5. Big Express
5. Wasp Star
5. Drums & Wires
5. Chips From the Chocolate Fireball
6. Go2
7. White Music

I will opine that the recent "Skylarking" LP re-release IS the best, highest quality product one can purchase of XTC's...
...until the 5.1 DVD audio version of AV1 comes out.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Andy Partridge]

RIGHT!.............

1-APPLE VENUS
2-NONSUCH
2-ALL DUKES RECORDINGS {but Chips is a half arsed product}
3-SKYLARKING
4-ENGLISH SETTLEMENT
4-BIG EXPRESS
4-ORANGES AND LEMONS
5-WASPSTAR
5-MUMMER
6-BLACK SEA
6-DRUMS AND WIRES
7-WHITE MUSIC
8-GO 2

[Keltik]

Oo-er, missus!
1-APPLE VENUS/-WASPSTAR (treated as a box set)
1-NONSUCH
2 Oranges and Lemons
2-SKYLARKING.
2.Dukes
3;-ENGLISH SETTLEMENT
3-BIG EXPRESS
3. MUMMER
3.Black Sea
3.D&W
3.GO2

Favourable commendation: Fossil Fuel, probably the ideal introduction for that neighbour or relative who casually riffles through your CD's and asks "XTC? Who are they then?"

It's all invidious, of course. If I sit down with any XTC disc, I'll get something very enjoyable out of it every time . It's a bit like visitng your favourite brothel and asking for a different....errrm....hang on, perhaps that's not a good metaphor...

[Chrestus]

1. Apple Venus v.1
2. Nonsuch
3. Skylarking
4. English Settlement
4. Oranges and Lemons (a sentimental favorite, I admit)
4. Black Sea
5. Mummer
5. Big Express
5. Wasp Star
5. Drums & Wires
5. Chips From the Chocolate Fireball
6. Go2
7. White Music

Hey, look! Somebody didn't put GO2 last! I knew it was bound to happen at some point. Good show, Truzzi.

[Keltik]

Hey, look! Somebody didn't put GO2 last! I knew it was bound to happen at some point. Good show, Truzzi.

Hey, I didn't either. My Go2 came joint third.

[Spastic Minnow]

QUOTE (Chrestus @ Aug 10 2011, 10:55 PM) *
Hey, look! Somebody didn't put GO2 last! I knew it was bound to happen at some point. Good show, Truzzi.

Hey, I didn't either. My Go2 came joint third.

and at least he remembered to list it, poor White Music got left off. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[weasie]

1AAA Drums & Wires
1AAA Black Sea
1AAA English Settlement
1AA Mummer
1AA Big Express
1AA Skylarking
1AA Dukes
1A White Music
1A GO2
1A Wasp Star
1 Oranges and Lemons
1 Apple Venus
1 Nonsuch





This post has been edited by weasie: Aug 10 2011, 04:44 PM

[xTC]

English Settlement
Black Sea
Drums & Wires
Nonsuch
Mummer
Dukes
Skylarking
Oranges and Lemons
Big Express
White Music
Apple Venus
Wasp Star
GO2

[Retrocanary]

I must be one of the few people that would put Oranges and Lemons lower than White Music and Go 2. I love the first two albums. They were a bit like punk rock, but you can tell it's a lot more special. I remember Battery Brides being a bit of a Kraftwerk Autobahn moment for me.

[donavan]

I must be one of the few people that would put Oranges and Lemons lower than White Music and Go 2. I love the first two albums. They were a bit like punk rock, but you can tell it's a lot more special. I remember Battery Brides being a bit of a Kraftwerk Autobahn moment for me.

The first two albums were brilliant. White music never replicated the live sound. But Go 2 got pretty close. It was all a lot more fun then and nobody talked about 5.1 surround sound and this internet bollocks. And we all went to gigs on horseback. And if you was in on the really early punk, we all wore flares. And you could read about the gigs in the NME, Sounds, Melody Maker etc. And everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Now, where did it all go wrong? Oh yeah, we all grew up. Shit.

[Spastic Minnow]

I must be one of the few people that would put Oranges and Lemons lower than White Music and Go 2. I love the first two albums. They were a bit like punk rock, but you can tell it's a lot more special. I remember Battery Brides being a bit of a Kraftwerk Autobahn moment for me.

Weasie did it too, just a couple posts up.

What makes White Music, Mummer, and especially Go2 the "bottom" albums for me is their slight lack of cohesiveness compared to the others, things just seem a bit off as an album as a whole. White Music was the collection of just everything they had at the time, Mummer was a retooling album and Go2 is a frantic follow-up with three singers that feels just a bit uncomfortable. The songs tend to be better on their own than in the album, if you get my meaning. In fact, looking at the XTC songs I've played the most on my computer's media player (on my work computer- where I focus on high energy, motivating songs) "Are You Receiving Me" is actually my most listened to track, and other White Music and Go2 tracks follow close behind, they play very well in multiple mixes.

This post has been edited by Spastic Minnow: Aug 10 2011, 10:55 PM

[weasie]

I've been pondering why I've listed the albums in the order that I have and I've narrowed it down to one main thing: timing.

Drums & Wires was my first XTC album and it remains my favourite (notice the 'u', (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Spastic). The rest of the albums for the most part I bought as soon as they came out ~ I was hooked.

By the time Oranges and Lemons came out, I was no longer a student but working for a living away from home. I didn't have the time (or the money) to invest in music that I once did. By the time Apple Venus came out, I had totally lost track of XTC. Andy apparently came to Toronto to sign CDs at a downtown record store, and I had no idea he was in town (N.B. Doc posted the photographic evidence on the old forum).

Perhaps if Nonsuch, AV & WS (apologies to Bimble...) had come out when I was 15, they would be my 'holy trinity.' I don't know.

At the end of the day, all XTC albums are head and shoulders above the average, so it's hard to choose.

P.S. I'd like to add Rag and Bone Buffet to my 1AA list. This CD contains some of my favourite XTC songs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by weasie: Aug 11 2011, 12:03 AM

[xTC]

"At the end of the day, all XTC albums are head and shoulders above the average, so it's hard to choose."... you got that right Weasie! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Per Aronsson]

Okay, here is my list. But in a slightly different way. It´s a list from top to bottom over how many times I have listened to the albums. Strong climber lately is "Wasp Star" that I listen more to now than when it came out. "Black Sea" was my first XTC-album and it totally knocked me and knocked out all other records for a long long time. I must have spinned it 1000 times...

1. Black Sea.
2. Oranges & Lemons.
3. Mummer.
4. The Big Express.
5. Skylarking.
6. English Settlement.
7. Apple Venus I.
8. Nonsuch.
9. 25 O´Clock.
10. Drums & Wires.
11. Psonic Psunspot.
12. Rag and Bone Buffet.
13. Wasp Star.
14. White Music.
15. GO 2.

[Jeff Truzzi]

Scary how close my list is to Andy's.
Thankfully I posted before, or I'd be accused of bootlicking.





Still will be, anyway.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[rockpants]

I can't do this yet. Still missing some records and will want to sit and stew in them for awhile first. I'll have to revisit this thread in a year or so. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[tenazxtc]

1-APPLE VENUS
1-BLACK SEA
1-ENGLISH SETTLEMENT
1-MUMMER
1-BIG EXPRESS
1-SKYLARKING
1-DRUMS AND WIRES
1-NONSUCH
1-25 O'CLOCK
2-PSONIC PSUNSPOT
2-ORANGES AND LEMONS
2-WASP STAR
2-WHITE MUSIC
2-GO 2