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| Artist: Xtc
Label: Caroline
Category: Music
List Price: $15.98
Buy New: $7.46
You Save: $8.52 (53%)
New (39) Used (12) from $7.46
Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 23248
Format: Original Recording Reissued, Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 50636
UPC: 724385063626
EAN: 0724385063626
ASIN: B00005ATHH
Release Date: June 25, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 49
 A herky-jerky masterpiece March 29, 2000
Rich Bunnell (Milpitas, CA United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Part of the holy trinity of absolutely flawless XTC albums (the other two being Skylarking and Chips From The Chocolate Fireball, with the upcoming Wasp Star a possible contender from what I've heard), because the band perfected the twin-guitar attack they introduced earlier. This album ROCKS. True, a lot of it is "noise," as a reviewer below stated, yet that's a given for most early XTC. What matters is that this album contains some of the best frigging songs ever written. "Respectable Street" is in the band's top ten for sure, and "Paper And Iron," "Travels In Nihilon," "Towers Of London,"(which almost blatantly lifts from the Beatles' "Rain" but succeeds on its own) "Generals And Majors," and "Burning With Optimism's Flames" aren't far behind at all. If you want some early XTC but aren't too heavily into jerky rock, this is probably your best bet. The band started onto a more atmosphere/melodic path with "English Settlement" next but this album shows a glimpse of the band at their most rocking, fun, and wonderful. Out of 11 songs (fourteen with bonus tracks), not one is a dud whatsoever. Considering that you're sitting at an Amazon page where you have the ability to buy the album at your fingertips, by all means, BUY IT. NOW.
"I would have made this instrumental but the words got in the way" September 2, 2005
Bill Wikstrom (Long Island, NY)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
XTC's fourth album is easily their finest as
XTC: Influental touring rock quartet. They hinted at the greatness that is this album with 1979's masterful Drums & Wires. Let's examine shall we? The LP opens with their best-ever opener, "Respectable Street"- a dig at suburban prentiousness. The song may in fact be their most rockest (is that even a word?) song ever. Followed by the chiming dual guitar attack of "Generals & Majors" which succeeds in making cold war paranoia ultra hummable (or whistle-able if you will). Possibly Colin Moulding's finest single, it also features the now very popular disco/new wave hi-hat action inluenced by Terry Chambers. "Living Through Another Cuba" is cold war paranoia to dance to. "Love At First Sight", another fine Moulding single, is perfect psychedelic new
wave with it's echoing refrain, quirky chorus, stuttering guitar
solo and the always inventive drumming of Chambers. "Rocket From A Bottle" and "Buring With Optomism's Flames" are both upbeat,
optomistic songs with some great, great playing. The former
sounds like The Kinks backing Paul McCartney - tuneful but rocking. "No Language In Our Lungs" may in fact be one of XTC's all-time greatest songs (a feat in itself). The "I would have made this instrumental" & the repeating "way" parts still give me goosebumps. Ouch! "Towers Of London" provided XTC with yet another English folk (folk as in folklore) classic. "Paper & Iron
(Notes & Coins)" points to where people like Damon Albarn & Blur learned a few tricks. It's subject of working-class struggle is common subject matter but this song is above and beyond others
like it as we listen in on a band truly WORKING. "Sgt. Rock", a hit single in England is fun catchy fluff complete with mock hard-rock riffs. "Travels In Nihilon" is possibly XTC's most haunting song. The repetitive thundering drums and spooky bass line create an atmosphere not accomplised often in popular music.
It sounds like stumbling upon a tribe of early homosapiens on a foggy shore or something. The bonus tracks are nice as well "The Somnabulist" is interesting an exceptional. "Don't Lose Your Temper" is a nifty throwaway (with The Jam's Rick Buler on Handclaps for what it's worth) and "Smokeless Zone" is a sub-par Moulding contribution. The Rhythym section of Moulding and Chambers are at the height of their powers. As were Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge's dual guitar attacks. The Album went U.S. Top 40 and spawned five, yes five singles. Melodic, atonal, inspired, inspiring and great/complex/clever arrangements. Complex and intelligent rock never sounded so easy except for maybe that band from the sixties. What were they called again?
Oh yeah The Beatles.
 Love at first listen February 25, 2000
Marc Kloszewski (Indiana, PA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I love XTC--one of the best bands ever, bar none; this, I think is the one where they really get it right for the first time. Drums and Wires, their previous effort has lots of good tunes on it, but is rather underfed sonically. Big change here in the production style, and those of you who like their pop with some oomph to it will be pleased. Big drums and loud guitars harnessed to Andy's and Colin's relentlessly tuneful songs. The lead off song "Respectable Street" is a good example how well these songs circumvent the bile that Andy puts in his "angry" songs by making them so infectious, likewise "Towers of London" and the ballad-in-tempo-only "No Language in Our Lungs", for my money one of the band's most beautiful songs. Elsewhere there's the propulsive, near-to-bursting-in-happiness "Rocket From a Bottle"--this one makes me feel really good. "Sergeant Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" is very clever, with its bouncy and knowing tune illustrating one man's battle with the opposite sex (I like the mock marching chant, too). Weird that it supposedly attracted so much negative attention overseas. The hit "Generals and Majors" just sounds born to be a hit (how big of one it was...well...)...I have the CD with the extra tracks, and they're nice, if not earth-shattering ("Mummer" has some really nice ones). I usually skip "Travels in Nihilon", to be honest, though. If you want my opinion, this would probably be the best one to start with if you're interested in exploring XTC. While I wouldn't call it my favorite (probably Oranges and Lemons), it's one I continually go back to for its inspiration. A previous reviewer was right in forewarning people, though. I am notoriously fickle with groups--I like to sample a lot on a limited budget, but with XTC you really have to hear/buy everything. Really really good stuff this time out from a most intelligent band. Andy, Colin...keep it up!
Human Alchemy September 2, 1998
Wayne Klein (My Little Blue Window, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Andy & Colin learn to write pop songs with an edge in this latest edition of the XTC press.With Dave Gregory on board, the band now had a melodic edge that they lacked with Barry Andrews. Andrews added a more chaotic touch to the band's songs with his off the wall keyboard parts. While that wild energy was missed(part of the fun of early XTC albums was listening to Partridge & Moulding discover the melody and then promptly--with Andrews extensive help--bury it). Gregory provided some order amongst the choas and, by doing so, allowed Andy & Colin to mature as songwriters. This transitional album(that is not intended as an attack)showed the band straddling the fence between the "punk" sound that they never fully embraced and the mid-60's Kinks-Beatles sound that found full flower on SKYLARKING. "Sgt. Rock" is the classic comicbook hero song(sorry Paul, "Magneto & Titanium Man" just doesn't compare and Kate, while "Ken" has its moments it lacks the identifaction factor of "Sgt. Rock" for the boys in the crowd). The b sides fit in well with the rest of the album and its obvious that these were leftovers(what leftovers!)that didn't make the final line up. My only complaint, minor at that, is that Virgin/Geffen should have put the bonus tracks at the end of the album with a little gap. It disturbs the continuity of the original album. Still, a minor complaint(it's more of an issue with some of the bonus tracks from the pastoral MUMMER). A fine XTC album to start off your collection. These guys are among the smartest pop songwriters today.
A Thrill A Minute November 25, 1999
LI Music Fan (Long Island)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This probably is the high point of XTC's early period; a loud, raucous, clangy sound shot full of energy by a great drum sound, ringing guitars and Andy Partridge's hyperkinetic vocals. As usual, there are challenging tracks in here as well as immediately accessible ones; you catch something new and fresh the first time and the 20th time you listen to Black Sea. A great starting point for the uninitiated listener, and probably the best example of what this band was about before it began to turn more to the 60s for inspiration.
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