Was delighted all over again by how equally crude and clever "Pink Thing" is this afternoon.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 30 September 2014 23:41 (nine years ago) link
Hahahahaha yeah, "spit in my eye, I'll love you for it"... and then that guitar solo!
― Welcome To (Turrican), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 01:45 (nine years ago) link
So excited for this
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 02:12 (nine years ago) link
hmmm love XTC but not sure I can vote as I'm only really familiar with their Fossil Fuels collection and quite biased to the later material on there too. I like 'Poor Skeleton Steps Out' as well though.― Non-Stop Hongrotic Cabaret (dog latin)
hmmm love XTC but not sure I can vote as I'm only really familiar with their Fossil Fuels collection and quite biased to the later material on there too. I like 'Poor Skeleton Steps Out' as well though.
― Non-Stop Hongrotic Cabaret (dog latin)
That's what threads like this are for. Get yer listenin' hat on!
― hardcore dilettante, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 02:39 (nine years ago) link
Excited for this. XTC are one of the few bands with a decent-sized discography about whom I can say I've listened to most of it lots and all of it at least a little, with repeated listenings over a period of many years. Although their quirks have become less charming and more irksome to my ears over time, they'll always be one of the greats as far as I'm concerned.
I might just try to rank the whole discography...
― hardcore dilettante, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 02:43 (nine years ago) link
I just made a starter list and I'm already at 45 titles. I'll try to stop at 50.
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 03:59 (nine years ago) link
Οὖτις, is there any chance you would accept an unweighted ballot from me (e.g. in a ballot of 21 tracks each vote would get 40 points and so forth)? I can just about manage to make a list of favourites but trying to rank them is making me sad. If this will screw up the system I'll try and work something out.
― Angel Brain (soref), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 09:49 (nine years ago) link
My first pass was exactly 50 songs. I think its a sign.
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 10:38 (nine years ago) link
I pretty much used my iTunes "most played" list and then shuffled some things around
― Maggie killed Quagmire (collest baby ever) (frogbs), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 12:12 (nine years ago) link
is there any chance you would accept an unweighted ballot from me (e.g. in a ballot of 21 tracks each vote would get 40 points and so forth)?
I think in that case I would add up what the max available amount of points for the ballot would be (for example, a 50 song ballot with the number one song getting 50 points and the number 50 song getting 1 point would have a total point count of 1,275) and then divide that evenly across how ever many tracks were submitted. In the 50 ballot example that would mean each song would get 25.5 points. Where this gets messy is where there's fractions/decimals left over cuz I'm not going to get into that hairsplitting level of detail on the results, so I'd have to do some rounding.
I dunno - it would be sort of annoying but not impossible.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 15:46 (nine years ago) link
oh no, that's why I picked 21- because it would be 840 points altogether, divided by 21 for 40 per song, unless I've screwed up the maths. If it's any trouble just allocate points based on the order they're listed since it will be as good as any other ordering. I'm excited about the poll!
― Angel Brain (soref), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:22 (nine years ago) link
well that will all work out then
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:23 (nine years ago) link
I am really finding it difficult to predict what tracks will show up in the results with the exception of one or two things, I kind of get the impression that there is going to be less overlap on people's choices than most ilm polls? I guess it depends as well on the extent to which people who take part favour the earlier or later incarnation of the band, Fuzzy Warbles are another wildcard.
― Angel Brain (soref), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:38 (nine years ago) link
main reason I wanted to do this poll is that opinions about their catalog are all over the map. Unlike a lot of other artist-polls I expect this to be pretty unpredictable.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:40 (nine years ago) link
like people were saying, they do seem somewhat unusual for a band who released so many albums over so long a period of time that the last third of their catalogue is not post peak mediocre stuff that gets described as 'surprising good' in reviews, REM in the '00s type stuff
― Angel Brain (soref), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:42 (nine years ago) link
I felt I maybe shouldn't vote for any Fuzzy Warbles stuff because I still haven't actually heard all of them (I wanted to! but, god, he just kept releasing those things and I ran out of money), there are a couple of songs from the early volumes that I'm going to have to include though. For those who have heard all of the Fuzzy Warbles albums, did the quality stay consistent or were they front loaded with the good stuff in your opinion?
― Angel Brain (soref), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:53 (nine years ago) link
I got them all (eventually) and then there's gems scattered throughout. The way the volumes are assembled with no rhyme or reason, no chronology, etc. is kind of irritating. These days I just have them all as a single album and sort them by year recorded in iTunes.
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:55 (nine years ago) link
11. REM Producer Enquiry – 2:36
^intrigued by this track title from vol 8
― Angel Brain (soref), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 16:59 (nine years ago) link
Best/recommended listening Fuzzy Warbles tracks that are not demos of officially released songs:
Ship Trapped in the IceYoung MarriedsYoung Cleopatra (maybe Partridge's most er troubling lyric but damn what a tune)Wonder AnnualDame FortuneEverything'll Be Allright (ridiculous but great children's song)It's Snowing AngelsThis is the EndI Don't Want to Be HereSonic BoomI'm UnbecomeAutumn Comes Around
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 17:00 (nine years ago) link
REM Producer Enquiry is a clattery mostly-instrumental track (there's some chattering about REM from Andy that sounds like its from a phone message or something) with a bunch of overdubbed jangly guitar parts
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 17:03 (nine years ago) link
oo forgot When We Get to England from Fuzzy Warbles
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 17:19 (nine years ago) link
Fuzzy Warbles is definitely worth it for fans of Andy's songwriting. I'd say each volume has about 5 or 6 great completely unreleased songs. The demos are fun but admittedly not something I listen to often.
X-postAlso the Bland Leading the Bland, Obscene Procession, Through Electric Gardens, Tiny Circus of Life, lots more...
― ColinO, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 17:23 (nine years ago) link
yeah I'm not particularly fond of any of those (Obscene Procession has its virtues)
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 17:25 (nine years ago) link
Also "The End", "The End Of The Pier" and "My Land Is Burning".
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 2 October 2014 01:19 (nine years ago) link
And the b-sides like "Chain Of Command", holy crap. Or "Extrovert". Or "Red Brick Dreams". Or or or...
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 2 October 2014 01:20 (nine years ago) link
main reason I wanted to do this poll is that opinions about their catalog are all over the map. Unlike a lot of other artist-polls I expect this to be pretty unpredictable.― Οὖτις
― Οὖτις
I was really active on the XTC forum while it lasted and I was always amazed by the diversity of the forumites. People who came from the punk/indie underground world, people who came from the 10CC/Steely Dan muso axis, pop fans, rock fans... even people who weren't much into music but were really into XTC.
― hardcore dilettante, Thursday, 2 October 2014 01:49 (nine years ago) link
Senses might make my ballot, but it won't be near the top.
― it's taco science, but it works like taco magic (WilliamC), Thursday, 2 October 2014 02:12 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I never understood the adoration of "Senses", it's not even in top songs on English Settlement. It's so much more restrained.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 2 October 2014 02:25 (nine years ago) link
twothreefourfive
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, September 29, 2014
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 October 2014 02:26 (nine years ago) link
I don't really like 'Senses' very much at all.
― Shepard Toney Album (dog latin), Thursday, 2 October 2014 11:04 (nine years ago) link
I'd like to stan for 'Wrapped In Grey' though. Beautiful song that just manages to rescue itself from mawkish sentiment via sublime execution.
― Shepard Toney Album (dog latin), Thursday, 2 October 2014 11:05 (nine years ago) link
Think I'll end up with a 20 or 25 song ballot - no 'Senses' for meProbably end up repping for the goofy numbers
― nxd, Thursday, 2 October 2014 13:11 (nine years ago) link
per Senses non-voters, I rest my case re: total lack of consensus
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 2 October 2014 15:15 (nine years ago) link
Jason is the Big Pop moment for me on English Settlement
― a drug by the name of WORLD WITHOUT END (Jon Lewis), Thursday, 2 October 2014 15:18 (nine years ago) link
I like Senses, but I can't imagine Nigel not being at least top 2.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 2 October 2014 15:28 (nine years ago) link
I've always been meh on nigel
― a drug by the name of WORLD WITHOUT END (Jon Lewis), Thursday, 2 October 2014 15:35 (nine years ago) link
Hey I voted!
― Shepard Toney Album (dog latin), Thursday, 2 October 2014 15:40 (nine years ago) link
5 ballots in already, would seem to indicate this is gonna be a p high turnout
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 2 October 2014 15:48 (nine years ago) link
Just sent you number 6; this was the hardest artist poll to sort by far. 3 of my top 5 songs sound like completely different bands and it's so hard to compare - I've never before thought about which one I liked best. I could have spent all day shifting rankings around but I'm pretty happy with what I landed on.
― Vinnie, Thursday, 2 October 2014 18:31 (nine years ago) link
if anyone votes for "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" you'll make an enemy of me.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:12 (nine years ago) link
aaaaany kind of love is alllriiiight
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:19 (nine years ago) link
dw soto its like the worst track on nonsuch
there's competition
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:23 (nine years ago) link
u dissing nonsuch!! o lord
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:25 (nine years ago) link
I literally don't think I've heard PP in about a decade, I always just skip straight to My Bird Performs. I remember it felt like it had about 12 verses
― Angel Brain (soref), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:25 (nine years ago) link
'omnibus' has more ham on its fist than mike tyson but i can't think of any other disasters
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:26 (nine years ago) link
there are things I like about it but it's def not their best. terrible video too
worst on Nonsuch is an unpleasant battle. The hamfisted bookends are both contenders.
― Οὖτις, Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:26 (nine years ago) link
booksareburningepicguitarsolo.wav, also gasface
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:27 (nine years ago) link
it's the 90's' answer to hotel california
― Ƹ༑Ʒ (imago), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:28 (nine years ago) link
but there was no question asked
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 October 2014 19:29 (nine years ago) link
^^^ I like it, simpoll and direct.
Train Running Low on Poll Coal.
― Dick Clownload (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 14 October 2014 19:12 (nine years ago) link
"WAIIIIT TILL YOUR POLL GOES DOWWWWWNNNN!"
― Mark G, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 19:49 (nine years ago) link
That is an obsceeeeene abomination of a poll.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 14 October 2014 20:10 (nine years ago) link
AND ALL THE KIDS ARE COMPLAINING THAT THE SONGS ARE TO POLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
― soref, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 20:30 (nine years ago) link
The Man who sailed around his POLL?
― glumdalclitch, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 20:50 (nine years ago) link
Fuzzy warPOLLs
^should actually do a Warbles poll.
― hardcore dilettante, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 20:52 (nine years ago) link
hopefully this is not too much of a spoiler but it is pretty clear most voters didn't bother much w Fuzzy Warbles
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 20:59 (nine years ago) link
:(
― Dominique, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 21:01 (nine years ago) link
my thoughts exactly
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 21:04 (nine years ago) link
AND ALL THE POLLS ARE FOOTBALL SHAPED
― The Velvet Fog called me a motherfucker (Sandy), Tuesday, 14 October 2014 21:39 (nine years ago) link
I think the best one was the first one, myself... 'The Wheel and The MayPOLL'
― Welcome To (Turrican), Tuesday, 14 October 2014 23:06 (nine years ago) link
Sorry I couldn't get it together for an entry. I would've rep'd for a mess of Fuzzy Warbles.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 01:10 (nine years ago) link
ok Hideous Lump is gettin the graphics together, should start the roll out either later today or tomorrow, depending
Graphics are ready, let the Funk Pop a Rollout begin! (Well, in about 12 hours or so, seeing as you sensible people are all asleep right now.)
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 15 October 2014 05:01 (nine years ago) link