Senses Working Poll-vertime: The XTC Poll Nominations and Discussions thread

Without doing an actual statistical analysis, my impression was that O&L had the highest percentage of songs that made my ballot. Listening to it in sequence with the others, it felt to me like the brightest, most fluid realization of all their intentions to that point.

Shit, I just realized I didn't even consider the Dukes tracks for inclusion. "Vanishing Girl" would have been top 20, for sure.

I was surprised to find that Oranges & Lemons had the most on my ballot with 6 out of 50 tracks. My 2 favorites, English Settlement and Skylarking, only had 5 each in the top 50, but 3 from each made the top 20--the highest O&L track placed at #21.

Not a lot from Oranges & Lemons or English Settlement made it onto mine.

Only 1 track from Apple Venus made my list, which is probably tantamount to heresy on ILM.

I don't know to what extent Wasp Star is Pro Tooled -- parts of it sound like it -- but is it heretical to say I prefer this pop album to Nonsuch and the beloved Skylarking? "Wounded Horse" is painful though.

― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, October 12, 2014 2:18 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, I would say that's pretty heretical...

Moulding's Skylarking songs especially are so much better than his contributions to Wasp Star.

The thing I love about the polls is the chance to revisit a catalog. It would have been interesting to rate the albums. I had never warmed to The Big Express or Mummer, and while I came away with a greater appreciation of Mummer, I'm now convinced The Big Express is nothing more than a transitional record and the only all-around dud in the catalog.

I had the most tracks from English Settlement and the Dukes (5 each) with Skylarking, Black Sea and Mummer just behind at 4 each. The others all got 2 or 3 except for drums and wires and nonsuch which only got 1 and white music, go 2 and wasp star which got 0 (I just haven't heard those records in too long and wasn't motivated to revisit.)

Albums that changed in my estimation because of this poll revisit:

I like Mummer a lot more than I thought. I like apple Venus a lot LOT more than last listen-- before, I was hung up on the use of sampled orchestral instruments pretending to be real, now it doesn't bother me anymore and one of the tracks which does this most blatantly made my top 10.

Nonsuch still dud for me, the dead compressed guitars, the second string lyrics, the mid-tempo-itis.

Black Sea and English Settlement have now switched places as my #1 and #2 XTC LPs. I have to just own the fact that I'm one of those corny English settlement people.

Still need to hear transistor blast someday.

I guess I missed the deadline; that's fine, I really just wanted to vote for "Battery Brides" because it's a fun OMD prototype.

If its any consolation Alfred my wife's favorite is also Wasp Star, altho yeah this is a fairly unusual opinion.

I consider Skylarking their perfect record. Apple Venus is close.

I also consider skylarking their perfect record, but it's my 3rd favorite

Euler if you send me yr ballot before tomorrow morning I will count it

I wanted to try and represent every record but in the end I had to cut my favorites from White Music and Go2 because I couldn't justify keeping them over my 4th or 5th faves from some of the later albums.

^and you had to limit the size of your ballot why?

Guess I didn't have to but 40 was hard enough for me...

OK! 33 ballots in, votes have been tabulated, just have to get the images together and then we will roll out the results

232(!) songs received votes

I take that back, 196 songs received votes (stupid text formatting)

what with the absence of a limit on how many songs you could vote for I was trying to work out how many songs were eligible, I gave up, but it's a lot:

http://chalkhills.org/reelbyreal/i_song.html

slightly disappointed there wasn't at least one indomitable voter who ranked every song on that list

there were a couple 100 entry ballots, most hovered around the 20-40 range

Didn't vote because my favorites are all the obvious songs, but looking forward to the rollout

yeah, me too

I was tempted to do a 50 track + monsterballot, but I found it too hard so I decided to just pick 20 songs I liked and not make any attempt to be comprehensive, aside from the top 3 or 4 there's probably another 16 songs I could have substituted and been equally happy/unhappy with

I cut my ballot off at 100 songs because I was under the gun. Had about 115-120 songs on the list. Ranked them from 0-5 stars while listening on iTunes. Then was ranking from within the star ratings on the fly as I typed up the ballot.

Damn forgot to vote in this. Looking forward to the rollout. My ballot would have been boring and had Nigel at number one anyway.

My ballot would have been the Dukes tracks, with some singles and various Go2/plus/"Take-away" tracks.

'Commerci-alli-TAY!"

ok Hideous Lump is gettin the graphics together, should start the roll out either later today or tomorrow, depending

now taking suggestions for results thread titles

'The Wheel and the MayPOLL'
'Meccanik Dancing (Oh We POLL!)'

why bless my POLL I'm already there

even I never know where I POLL when my eyes are closed

(I'll stop now)

Making plans for My Poll

This is Poll?
The Last Polloon
Ten Feet Poll

Poll Me My Daddy
Summer's Polldron

Tissue Voters (The Arguers)

ApPOLL Venus, vol 1: the songs

When You Poll Me I Have Difficulty.

Also Featuring The Songwriting Talents Of POLLin POLLding

Bless you, Bless You, All of the Pretty POLLS

and just to end the list, everything that could exist, needs the POLLing

^also suggestion for new ilm mission statement

Making plans for My Poll

― Mark G, Tuesday, October 14, 2014 4:44 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^i vote this one

haha 'Summer's Polldron' is good too KP

Life Begins at the Poll

I'm a thirty year old puppy doing what I'm Polled

Last one from me that I just thought of when I was out walking.

Mayor of Simpollton.

oh yeah, that too

^^^ I like it, simpoll and direct.

Train Running Low on Poll Coal.

"WAIIIIT TILL YOUR POLL GOES DOWWWWWNNNN!"