Nonsuch Options

[tenazxtc]

Seven or eight great songs in nonsuch: Ballad of peter pumpkinhead - My bird performs - The dissapointed - Rook - That wave - Wrapped in grey - Books are burning.

This post has been edited by tenazxtc: Jul 30 2011, 08:28 AM

[Jeff Truzzi]

It may well have the largest percentage of truly outstanding songs on it than any other XTC album.
Then She Appeared was a real earworm for me. Loved Humble Daisy, Holly Up On Poppy & Omnibus as well.
(Though I admit I never 'got' Bungalow.)

It felt really grounded and mature, with the quality bar extremely high.
And the clean digital (Sony PCM?) recording and absence of era stylization in the mix render it the most audiophile disc in the canon, right up there with AV1 & Mummer.
We have Andy Partridge to thank for taking the tapes away from Elton John's old producer and giving them to Nick Drake of AV1 fame.
(Ed Thacker from O&L is a fine engineer - I bet that could almost sound as pristine as this with remixing.)

[Keltik]

Nonsuch was the album I played with almost obsessive regularity until AV/WS displaced it. I say displaced, it's a bit invidious to prefer one XTC album to another in some ways. Each and every one is a jewel in its own right; but I have, at various times, had the revelation that This Album Is Perfect. How do you compare perfection to perfection?

[Nowhereman437]

Seven or eight great songs in nonsuch: Ballad of peter pumpkinhead - My bird performs - The dissapointed - Rook - That wave - Wrapped in grey - Books are burning.

Yeah but songs don't have to be great per se. I like most of this album it's very enjoyable if a little on the lightweight side but actually that's my tastes sometimes. Book are burning is a bit of a bore for me. I listen to this album as a playlist but 'cause it's a bit long and samey I've cut out HUOP & BAB and moved TD as the finale as it rounds the playlist off nicelyer than Bungalow.

[MarmaladeArmy]

Though I admit I never 'got' Bungalow

In my opinion this is one of Colin's greatest. I like its anachronistic feel, its feels like a piece of history and it usually brings me to the verge of tears. Wish I could tell him that myself.

[spidermage]

In my opinion this is one of Colin's greatest. I like its anachronistic feel, its feels like a piece of history and it usually brings me to the verge of tears. Wish I could tell him that myself.

Seconded.

[xTC]

It's a brilliant album - closely matched to English Settlement IMO, and (personally) the added touch given by Dave Mattacks... it's the extension to my "Holy Trinity". (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[downunderdom]

It may well have the largest percentage of truly outstanding songs on it than any other XTC album.
Then She Appeared was a real earworm for me. Loved Humble Daisy, Holly Up On Poppy & Omnibus as well.
(Though I admit I never 'got' Bungalow.)

It felt really grounded and mature, with the quality bar extremely high.
And the clean digital (Sony PCM?) recording and absence of era stylization in the mix render it the most audiophile disc in the canon, right up there with AV1 & Mummer.
We have Andy Partridge to thank for taking the tapes away from Elton John's old producer and giving them to Nick Drake of AV1 fame.
(Ed Thacker from O&L is a fine engineer - I bet that could almost sound as pristine as this with remixing.)

And Nick did a fine, fine job from beyond the grave, even though the material was far denser and orchestrated than his usual folky fare. Personally I think Nick Davis would've done a better job.

Would be very interested to hear Dudgeon's "icy blast" mixes, should The Boss ever get rights back from Virgin...

[Jeff Truzzi]

And Nick did a fine, fine job from beyond the grave, even though the material was far denser and orchestrated than his usual folky fare. Personally I think Nick Davis would've done a better job.

Would be very interested to hear Dudgeon's "icy blast" mixes, should The Boss ever get rights back from Virgin...

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Me too. And thanks for catching that typo there. They seem to be increasing with age....

[weasie]

It's a brilliant album - closely matched to English Settlement IMO, and (personally) the added touch given by Dave Mattacks... it's the extension to my "Holy Trinity". (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Don't you mean my "Holy Trinity"? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[xTC]

Don't you mean my "Holy Trinity"? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Cheeky!!!! Well, my trinity is D&W, BS & ES - if I could squeeze Nonsvch in, it would be my ideal grouping of XTC albums in feel and solidness - and that important (for me) feeling of a whole band with its cohesiveness.

But - great minds think alike, don't they, Weasie? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[favoritething]

In my opinion this is one of Colin's greatest. I like its anachronistic feel, its feels like a piece of history and it usually brings me to the verge of tears. Wish I could tell him that myself.

Along with "Cynical Days", this one has really grown on me over the years. I've always thought this album was just a bit too long to listen to in one sitting, though. I would probably cut "War Dance" and "Miniature Sun"... but I'm sure there are those who would disagree! You certainly couldn't have "Pink Thing" going into "Chalkhills and Children", for instance.

[Nowhereman437]

Along with "Cynical Days", this one has really grown on me over the years. I've always thought this album was just a bit too long to listen to in one sitting, though. I would probably cut "War Dance" and "Miniature Sun"... but I'm sure there are those who would disagree! You certainly couldn't have "Pink Thing" going into "Chalkhills and Children", for instance.

you seem to be mixing the albums up there.

[favoritething]

you seem to be mixing the albums up there.

Egad! Apparently some spirits were invading my consciousness at that point of the evening. Good thing I stopped when I did!

[MarmaladeArmy]

If I were to do Per's ranking by album's that got the most play (which I haven't) this one would be tops for me. It seems that it was f-o-r-e-v-e-r that this was the lastest xtc album whilst we all waited for them to come off strike - not that I knew about it at the time. Then Apple Venus came along and nonesuch was relegated to the shelf for awhile. But it still gets more attention than most. So many great great songs on this record that are filled with good memories for me - I introduced my soon to be wife to xtc through this album, this and a cassette of Mummer that she helped me figure out the lyrics to. I think she thought I was somewhat sophisticated at the time due to my good tastes in music. Oh how I've changed all that!

This post has been edited by MarmaladeArmy: Aug 29 2011, 10:03 PM

[Andy Partridge]

Would have been nice if ALWAYS WINTER,NEVER CHRISTMAS would have been voted on to the running order to record,but sigh,it wasn't.

[Brian]

Would have been nice if ALWAYS WINTER,NEVER CHRISTMAS would have been voted on to the running order to record,but sigh,it wasn't.

Where to put it... Maybe stick it in between Humble Daisy and Smartest Monkey - or right after Then She Appeared?
I'd hate to get rid of something, you need at least 4 Colin songs, even if War Dance and Smartest Monkey are weak (the other 2 are great). Personally, I'm not as fond of Last Wave yet that is other fans' favorite. I always loved my tape version of Skylarking with Mermaid Smiled, so maybe its best not to remove anything from a great great album. Just add - 18 songs - the more the merrier.

[Andy Partridge]

Yeah! triple vinyl.......almost as good as the Clash,snigger!

[simpleton01]

Humble Daisy will always be one of my Top Five Favorite XTC songs of all time.

[Kendley]

ditto what Simp said.