Such a typical student... but I imagine it'd be very much the same for me. One of my exams went terribly this year but because it's first year, couldn't care less provided I pass (and they give you so many resits to force you to pass I wouldn't be too bothered anyway) I'll give it a listen. Only heard one XTC song since it's not really my kind of music (Making Plans for Nigel, obviously) which I liked, so let's find out...
Gosh Dan, they went through several changes of pace before and after Making Plans... I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but if they get a grip on you, you'll end thinking they are just about the best there is/was*. *In 2001, songwriter and bassist Colin Moulding decided he didn't want to make music anymore within XTC, leaving main songwriter and band leader Andy Partridge nobody to disagree with.
XTC is advanced stuff. It requires more than one listen. Years ago, back in the late 1970's, when I was heartily sick of Pink Floyd, etc.., I saw one edition of TOTP where XTC were playing Making Plans..., and I bought the Drums and Wires album, on which it features, straight away in a wave of enthusiasm and expectation. Initially, I thought they were a complete waste of space. Then I began to dimly realise how f****** clever XTC's songs were. That got to me, because they were actually quite complex, yet catchy. Also, they weren't the first band on everybody's lips, which hugely appealed to me, as I hate bandwagons [he said having thoroughly enjoyed these Olympics along with everyone else]. But above all, they were original, playing out of the fashion of the time, fast becoming excellent musicians, and Andy and Colin were starting to write some superb songs. There is barely a bum track in their entire catalogue. Their music covers so many styles it's almost impossible not to like them. For example, Knuckle Down is just a throwaway album track, and in isolation could categorise them, but is just one of their many facets of style. Give them an extended go. There are literally hundreds of songs to choose from. Honestly, they are the heirs to the Beatles, Beach Boys, etc...
I shall do, I'll download a couple of albums and give them a more extended listen. I can relate that type of fanship to a few of my favourite bands, too
Yep, I realise it is a common feeling. There are other bands I love, but XTC are kind of my own. Plenty of other people really like/love other bands I love, but only a few like minded and practically all professional critics love XTC. That was another thing that got me to buy an album of there's. All the music critics of the time were saying they were brilliant, and I wanted to know why. Right upto 2000 and the release of their last album [Wasp Star], the like minded and critics were saying the same. It really doesn't take an enormous IQ to work out why. They wrote fantastic original pop songs. Many of today's British bands have been hugely influenced by them. Not bettered by though. BTW, not that I would want to intrude, but if you get stuck with choice, I could guide you to one or two albums to try first.
Go for it, I'm happy to accept guidance if you want to help me out with a few and I'll tell you what I think when I get round to listening to them
Hmm, my three favourite bands, Radiohead (ooh cliche), The National and The Decemberists I liked from the start but grew to like them more and more, now I adore them. Suppose that counts as an acquired taste.
That thread we had a while back where we all posted our favourite music was a good idea. I made a couple of nice discoveries thanks to that. Hadn't heard anything of Porcupine Tree until a bunch of people recommended them on there, and it turns out they've got some pretty good stuff. But yeah, it's that kind of music where you have to give it a few listens before you really get it, but it gets better with each listen. Time-consuming, but rewarding.
My recent "can't turn off" track is Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. Seriously. I don't know why but I love it, it's objectively a very bad song but I love it.
Relevant: [video=youtube;YCiY1y3uJ3o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCiY1y3uJ3o&feature=share[/video] I don't like the song, but we all have our guilty pleasures I suppose.
It's not a guilty pleasure, that requires guilt. Why should anyone feel guilty about what sounds they like? It's just terrible music. Also another song I'm recently addicted to is Mr. Jones by Counting Crows... used to love it 6 or 7 years ago, heard it again recently and so much nostalgia came back.
I'd feel guilty liking anything that the internet tells me I shouldn't, or anything that my friends would take the piss out of me for liking. Also I tend to enjoy rock music, as well as some classical, jazz, blues and that sort of stuff which clearly displays talent and is well written, so when I find myself enjoying some cheap, manufactured pop song that anyone could write, I do feel kind of bad about it. It doesn't last long anyway, because the simple, repetitive songs get boring very quickly. Currently, I am enjoying No Doubt.
I wrote quite a long reply giving links to Youtube, but lost the lot somehow. So I'll condense what I wrote in this. All XTC albums are great. Some are greater than others. I won't give you links, just copy and paste the titles below into Youtube and add XTC to them. They will be there. Are you Receiving Me..? [early stuff] Scissor Man [from Drums and Wires] Complicated Game [might be too much for you] Paper and Iron [same again but fantastic] Jason and the Argonauts [just brilliant] Desert Island [sublime] Train Running Low On Soul Coal [very advanced XTC stuff - pretty much fans only] 1000 Umbrellas [gorgeous and poetic] Pink Thing [yes, exactly] Chalkhills and Children [just... wow] Crocodile [not what you think] Then She Appeared [just bloody lovely] Your Dictionary [cutting and true] The Last Balloon [sad and poetic] Church Of Women. [a nice song celebrating females] You could try all, one or none of the above, but there will eventually be the one song that you'll get into and the rest of the catalogue will follow in their own time. You might even eventually wonder why they didn't become the biggest band in the world. Perhaps they were too good. Only fans and pop music critics love them. Note the comments under Youtube clips. If you find a derogatory one, it'll be bloody rare. Note: at one point in the mid-late 1980's, XTC became The Dukes of Stratosphear for a laugh and produced two EPs that they combined into the album, Chips from the Chocolate Fireball. It's a tribute to 1960's music and sounds just like it. Try Little Lighthouse, for starters. Original XTC albums: White Music GO2 Drums & Wires Black Sea English Settlement Mummer The Big Express Skylarking Oranges & Lemons Nonsuch Apple Venus Vol1 Wasp Star [Apple Venus Vol2] That's enough get you going.
Nice last comments about the Olympics: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9744000/9744377.stm
Fully deserved though I think we can all agree. The production for Imagine was simply magnificent and could easily sell if that thought crossed somebodies mind. I enjoyed the vast majority of the programme but not George Michael. Christ I even appreciated the Spice girls gig. If I had one complaint it is that the microphones for the singers were a bit to soft and sometimes we struggled to hear the words.
I wish our club and National footballers would follow our Olympians lead on fair play , respect and quality . Back to the norm of overpaid domestic and international crap and hype over nothing .
