Fat Chance Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 I just listened to this record thru my new Tannoy 800's.It blew me away,great songs and arrangements.The production on the record is the shit. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 "love at first sight" great song. drop D tuning. -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spigotsaol.com Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 My favorite record of theirs. Hell, it's one of my favorite records period. It's got BALLS, which most of their later stuff lacks (Oranges and Lemons being the exception). Crank up "Travels in Nihilon" and close your eyes. The song just surrounds you as it grows. The chunky guitar is so cool. And the bass line was a foreshadow of things to come ("Garden of Earthly Delights"). Layer upon layer of sound. It gives me chills everytime I listen to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenfreud Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 Agreed about the greatness of Black Sea and XTC in general. They have consistently created smart melodic music over a pretty long span. It also helps to appreciate XTC if you are a Beatles fan. Black Sea has more solid guitar playing and textures on it than most bands put out over an entire career. To nitpick, I find the overall sound of their releases somewhat harsh in the highs and lacking in the bottom end. I have not heard the remastered cds. Hoping the remasters are better in this regard. Anybody care to comment on the diffs between the original and remastered versions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundWrangler Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 (Pardon the cliche, but...) Black Sea was this groups Sgt. Peppers - big bold bright, with brilliant songwriting, arranging & production! (Not that he's to be blamed for this, but...) Producer Steve Lillywhite's outstanding work on this record (not to mention the 1st 2 records by Simple Minds & U2) was one of the progenitors of the atmospheric guitars & big gated drum sounds that later became the 80's cliche (espec. when Phil Collins & Hall & Oates climbed onto that fashion trend). How about that guitar sound that opens "Respectable Street"? Could it be any MORE abrasive - gotta love it. (Sounds like a Boogie combo amp to me.) And what a rhythm section groove! :thu: For my $, XTC never again achieved that hyped-up, muscular sound again - despite writing other great songs & arrangements. Haven't gotten around to buying the re-mastered version yet, but I notice it has a couple bonus tracks from the sessions? Anyone heard these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenfreud Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 Agreed about the greatness of Black Sea and XTC in general. They have consistently created smart melodic music over a pretty long span. It also helps to appreciate XTC if you are a Beatles fan. Black Sea has more solid guitar playing and textures on it than most bands put out over an entire career. To nitpick, I find the overall sound of their releases somewhat harsh in the highs and lacking in the bottom end. I have not heard the remastered cds. Hoping the remasters are better in this regard. Anybody care to comment on the diffs between the original and remastered versions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gato Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 XTC, great band, I love it ... :thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug osborne Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 "Skylarking" is one of my desert island discs, but "Black Sea" was definitely a harder rocking, defining statement from XTC. Todd may be god, but his influence on "Skylarking" probably shouldn't have included final balancing and mastering. Rumor has it he monitored at such a loud level that every one else fled. Doug Osborne Music on Bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundWrangler Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 Agreed. Skylarking was a very good record (although arguably a few tracks are "filler"), but with a mix & mastering like Black Sea, it might have been [i]incredible[/i]. Instead Skylarking was a slight let-down, being "somewhat harsh in the highs and lacking in the bottom end", as zenfreud accurately puts it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gtoledo3 Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 XTC is one of my favorite bands; I don't think they have a best album though. I mean stuff like River Of Orchids off one of the last ones, is still mind boggling. Even Nonsuch, with it's plasticity, is great. Overall, I'm a Oranges & Lemons/ English Settlement guy. But Oranges & Lemons was my first XTC cd, so maybe It's the memories. Want mix/tracking feedback? Checkout "The Fade"- www.grand-designs.cc/mmforum/index.php The soon-to-be home of the "12 Bar-Blues Project" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunny Knutson Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 I have to agree with most of the assessments here. I will add that my favorite XTC album, by far, is English Settlement. O...my...god! That album is absolutely incredible. So is Black Sea. For my money, ES is more complex, introspective and moody than BS, and therefore a little better. But BS is SUCH a rocking, grooving record! How about that hardcore groove in "Living Through Another Cuba"? Man, I get off on that song!!! And "Respectable Street," great punky guitar groove and brilliant lyrics. I love the guitar interplay in some XTC songs, like, for example, the song "Wake Up" from The Big Express album. Great interaction between the two rhythm guitars! Great, great song! Andy Partridge is a deity to me. He is like the Lennon AND McCartney of XTC. And Colin Moulding, man, you just gotta love that guy! He's like the George Harrison of the band. Yes, XTC, to me, is the Beatles of the '80s. Black Sea is like their Revolver, English Settlement is like their Sergeant Pepper's. XTC belongs in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. Man, don't get me STARTED on XTC!!! I could go on forever! :D https://bunny.bandcamp.com/ https://theystolemycrayon.bandcamp.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff D Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 Wow, am I excited to see this thread. This is my all time indisputably favorite band. No one picked up the torch from Pet Sounds and Sgt. Peppers to carry it better or longer. I've yet to meet an XTC albumn that I did not love. Guess I would have to put Oranges and Lemons at the top of my list, though. I would cast my vote for best pop song ever as Mayor of Simpleton. Why aren't these guys huge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rader Ranch Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 XTC Woohoo!!! drag about the acrimonious breakup with Dave Gregory though...what a great guitarist (licks as in 'Merely a Man' come to mind) to say nothing of his other skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP3 Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 "Big Express" had some great stuff on it. XTC, IMHO, had some of the very best rhythm guitar parts I've ever heard. Excellent band! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip_dup1 Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 hard to add much here but XTC are one band that would earn any critic the title of `global village idiot`. Just all around kickass group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JES Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 There is something special about Black Sea in particular -- that album just has the perfect production or something. And for perfect overproduction, there's always the Dukes. . . . --JES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Chance Posted December 20, 2002 Author Share Posted December 20, 2002 I'd love to know how Hugh Padgham got that huge drum sound? Was it the stone room at Townhouse studios? Peace Rob :eek: :eek: :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 as for the drums... i'm not sure...been a long time... but i beliee that lillywhite had the drums overdubbed alone. i.e. cymbals were an overdub to the shells... sounds lame, but i rememer an interview to that effect... in general, i like the very 1st record a whole bunch. "this is pop" should be on the radio today...... -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 It's so great to see that this oft overlooked band is still appreciated. Too bad we're all musicians. Black sea, certainly in my XTC top 5, which would probably look like this: Black Sea Chips from the Chocolate Fireball English Settlement Big Express (tie) Skylarking, O&L, Apple Venus vol. 1 Don't like the last one, Wasp Star, very much. As good a guitarist as Andy is, I think they really miss Dave Gregory'c chops and imagination. Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 years ago, i saw them live on the english settlement tour and actually managed to get backstage and meet them. great show. i didn't really have anything to say that they would care to hear, so i spent most of my time eating their food and drinking their beer. i remember the very drunken drummer (the one they kicked out)kept passing a bowl of fritos to me and saying, "have some more chips!" -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmd Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 I listened last weekend to some of the digitally re-mixed/re-mastered XTC stuff. A friend bought what I agree is their best period---the six albums from "Drums and Wires" through "Skylarking". I personally don't like much of what they did after those albums. XTC RULED the eighties, though. The digital re-mixes are great with a few exceptions. On a couple of cuts the guitars are too low. (I think one was "No Thugs" from "English Settlement") All in all, though the digital remixes and the re-packagings are great, and well worth buying... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 XTC is one of those bands that I like, but never owned more of their records. I have "English Settlement" & "Oranges & Lemons" though I know many of their albums very well. Time to buy more. "Mayor of Simpleton" is a great song on so many levels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 XTC... yum. I'm way into Black Sea, Skylarking, Oranges and Lemons... loves me some Dukes of Stratosphear too! Fans of XTC should immediately buy the CD "Pufferfish" from my pals, local Atlanta band [url=http://www.orangehat.com]Orange Hat[/url] . Just do it. You won't be sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Hey, anyone who can write such a completely cool song about their tallywacker is allright by me! Pink Thing rocks! Yes I always have and still do dig XTC although I haven't heard their most recent stuff. I try to let some Colin M. out of me every time I pick up the bass. Major hero to say the least. You guys like Mummer? Funk Pop a Roll Baby... -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundWrangler Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 OK, I went out & bought the 24-bit remastered CD of "Black Sea". I've now owned this on LP, cassette & CD - hope you're all satisfied! ;) I plan to hold you all personally responsible when the wife sees the credit card receipt. (On the plus side, though, I'm now burning with optimism's flame - & like a rocket from a bottle, shot free!) :cool: It has looped around in the car CD player about 8-9 times now (great; yet ANOTHER round of obsessing on this album!), & if anything, it's even MORE impressive upon hearing it after a few years. Great pop songs, great arrangements & production. (Every instrumentalist in that XTC line-up was really strong.) The bonus tracks are historically interesting, although you could also argue that they are a superfluous appendage to an already perfectly-sequenced song collection. Hey kids! If you think you know all about the music of the 80's, because you've watched VH-1 & seen "The Wedding Singer" couple of times, try locking yourself into a closet with this CD for a couple days... Who knows, you might just toss your Dave Matthews CDs, & learn how to write pop songs that actually have a melody & a hook! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saucyjack Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 I'm gonna bounce this back up top because I love logging on and seeing a Black Sea thread. :thu: Smell the Magic www.Katp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulliver Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 I swimmed in Black Sea several times... but never listened to the record. Hey, I even didn't heard any of XTC records! :eek: Is this an American band? A good one? :D I am back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by Gulliver: [b]I swimmed in Black Sea several times... but never listened to the record. Hey, I even didn't heard any of XTC records! :eek: Is this an American band? A good one? :D [/b][/quote]I realize from the :D that you're kidding, but to recap this topic... They're British, they're outstanding, and they have many fans on this board. XTC is known for smart, guitar-driven, very well crafted and produced songs. "Drums & Wires", "Black Sea", "English Settlement", "Skylarking", and "Oranges and Lemons" are among their many fine albums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulliver Posted January 13, 2003 Share Posted January 13, 2003 No, I'm not kidding. :D was because it seems that a lot of posters here know and really dig them, so my question "a good one?" was like somebody "blind" would ask that... :cool: So I guess it's time to "wide my horizons" once again. :) I am back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.