what a lovely album!

"Greenman" is the best song on the album.

Songs that are also delicious:

"River of Orchids"
"I'd Like That"
"Knights in Shining Karma"
"Harvest Festival"

Did you get it? A little green man said that "Greenman" was the best song!



I wish to announce that I will no longer use any emoticons on this forum, ever again. Thank you.

You're welcome.

"Easter Theater" is possibly the best XTC song ever.

Oh wait, I forgot "Easter Theatre." That one, too, is muy delicioso.

'The Last Balloon' makes my heart hurt. Andy's singing kills me, and so does the horn solo at the end. ... Yes, 'Easter Theatre' really is lovely, too. Such vivid, romantic imagery.

It's got to be "Easter Theatre" for the best track on the album!

...I'll just say...

It took me a few spins (maybe more) to warm up to the Colin songs.


Best - Greenman

The demos for all of these songs beat the album versions (especially vocally) IMHO. The demos all have a warmth that don't exist on their cold studio counterparts. It must have been pretty frustrating working with Andy on this album (as reported many times over by Colin and Dave). The real strings are really not significantly (or substantially) different (or better) from the more practical ($-wise) programmable ones.

Wow, I guess I'm alone in saying that "Greenman" is one of my least favorite XTC songs ever. A good example of ambition's reach being further than it's grasp (IMHO). The synth sounds are a bit cold (or is it the production, perhaps) for my liking. The drums sounds are puzzlingly bad. His vocals are better on the demo for this track as well.

"I'd Like That" and "Knights In Shining Karma" are sweet and all (esp. the latter), but as Andy has said these are pretty much self-help songs and I just associate this with him. And not 'XTC'. XTC has long-been associated with Art Rock and never been so self-involved lyrically (in the Joni Mitchel, Paul Westerberg or even Morrissey sense) as this. Which I personally like, but not from all artists. More 'Roxy Music' and less 'Bryan Ferry' (solo). I'm phrasing this all wrong but perhaps my drift is being caught?

"Easter Theatre"
"Harvest Festival"
"River Of Orchids"
"Fruit Nut"
"The Last Balloon"

Are classic XTC songs...

...followed moderately close by

"Frivolously Tonight" and
"I Can't Own Her"

While I think AV is great, its flaw to me is the last 3 songs. The first 8 songs are sequenced perfectly between slower and livelier numbers. While I can take or leave KISK and Greenman, they are surrounded by songs I enjoy more, so the overall pace is great.
However, after the bouncy "Fruit Nut," I listen to "I Can't Own Her" and "Harvest Festival," and I can't help feeling that the pace has slowed enough to end the disc. Then the "Last Balloon" comes and slows it even more. Often, I turn off the disc before it plays.
I really like Harvest Festival, but I feel that either I Can't Own Her or Last Balloon would have been enough. While I would have ended the disc after Harvest Festival, I realize that many many forummers love the Last Balloon for the ending song, similar to how they love how C&C ends O&L.

I understand what you mean, Brian. That was pretty much what I thought for the first couple of listens ('listens' is that a noun?).

Then it all suddenly fell into place for me. I can actually remember the moment when I realised/came to believe that this album is one of the greatest pieces of music ever contrived.

(Hmmm...actually that first bit sounds horribly patronising - "I've achieved a revelation that you haven't". It is certainly not intended that way: I have enormous respect for your opinions, and I do not claim any special insight for myself. I'm just offering my view of the album.)

This album, for me, more than any other in the XTC canon, is a single work, rather than a collection of songs.* River Of Orchids is not just the opening song, it is the key to, the explanation of how to read, the entire album. It builds. As River Of Orchids builds, so the whole album builds. I Can't Own Her is, for me, the emotional climax of the album (and what a climax). Then we have two beautiful, and increasingly gentle, songs to lead us out.

That's how I read it.


*For all I know XTC historians will reveal that this does not at all fit with the reality of the band's inter-personal and inter-musical relationships. They may be right. I am just talking about this as it strikes me when listening to it.

Several nearly-perfect albums are simply not optimality sequenced. XTC included. The shuffle button has always been employed by me when listening to CDs. You get tired of hearing the same songs in the same sequence and it could reveal poor initial sequencing by the artist. This is just one of the reasons I despise XTC's (or...Andy's) excessively gluttonous use of cross-fading. The intros and outros of songs tend to be sloppy, chopped off and just unattractive-sounding. Which is ironic given the care the band takes when recording - the use of crossfading undermines the entire process.

Agreed.

The only probable reason "The Last Balloon" ends the album is because of it being called the "Last" Balloon. Otherwise, it probably could have come earlier. It is a gorgeous song though. Perhaps "Your Dictionary", "Knights In Shining Karma" and "I Can't Own Her" should have ended the album? I always felt that it was a track or two short as well.

"The Ship Trapped in the Ice", "Wonder Annual" and "Dame Fortune" were three unfortunate outtakes that probably would've been two very welcome editions to the album.

Several nearly-perfect albums are simply not optimality sequenced. XTC included. The shuffle button has always been employed by me when listening to CDs. You get tired of hearing the same songs in the same sequence and it could reveal poor initial sequencing by the artist. This is just one of the reasons I despise XTC's (or...Andy's) excessively gluttonous use of cross-fading. The intros and outros of songs tend to be sloppy, chopped off and just unattractive-sounding. Which is ironic given the care the band takes when recording - the use of crossfading undermines the entire process.

Agreed.

The only probable reason "The Last Balloon" ends the album is because of it being called the "Last" Balloon. Otherwise, it probably could have come earlier. It is a gorgeous song though. Perhaps "Your Dictionary", "Knights In Shining Karma" and "I Can't Own Her" should have ended the album? I always felt that it was a track or two short as well.

"The Ship Trapped in the Ice", "Wonder Annual" and "Dame Fortune" were three unfortunate outtakes that probably would've been two very welcome editions to the album.