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XTC - Fossil Fuel (Singles 1977-1992) Audio CD

A fair review of the XTC "Fossil Fuel (Singles 1977-1992)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all XTC reviews here, or go back to the XTC tabs.

XTC Band: XTC
Title: Fossil Fuel (Singles 1977-1992)
Rating:
Release Date: 1996-09-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Science Friction 2: Statue of Liberty 3: This Is Pop? 4: Are You Receiving Me? 5: Life Begins At The Hop 6: Making Plans for Nigel 7: Ten Feet Tall 8: Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down 9: Generals and Majors 10: Towers of London 11: Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me) 12: Love at First Sight 13: Respectable Street 14: Senses Working Overtime 15: Ball and Chain 16: No Thugs in Our House 17: Great Fire 18: Wonderland 19: Love on a Farmboy's Wages 20: All You Pretty Girls 21: This World Over 22: Wake Up 23: Grass 24: Meeting Place 25: Dear God 26: Mayor of Simpleton 27: King for a Day 28: Loving 29: Disappointed 30: Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead 31: Wrapped in Grey

Insipred, intelligent and flawed
Flawed? Yes, flawed. . but greatness can not be achieved without making mistakes. XTC IMHO is one of the most thought provoking, intelligent and important bands ever. Many ask why they never made it "BIG". I think it is because their music is too complex for most. XTC's music actually makes you think and interpret. XTC never sold out and "dumbed" down their music to appeal to the masses.

If you want your music to inspire you and make you think, explore XTC. .


Great music from great writers.
I love every track. Well what did I expect! It's a greatest hits from a great pair of writers. My only wish is that they would have included Dear Madam Barnum! Oh Well. Still one of my favorite discs from one of my favorite bands!!!!!.


"Making Plans" to improve your CD collection, then add this one!

The first CD I've bought for three years. What have we got here then? let me tell you, 31 tracks of imaginative, energetic, addictive poprock with intelligent lyrics, that's what. And the wait was worth it, by a group that wasn't well known here, nor in the US. Shame, but life's like that sometime.
The first song that made me sit up and notice them was "Making Plans for Nigel"(1979), that one got quite a bit of airplay over here.
Their highest chart success was "Senses Working Overtime", which reached number 10 in the UK charts.
A group that has had more then it's fair share of bad luck.
(Andy Partridge's stage fright at one point, didn't help matters. )
But a group that's always worth a listen!
~~~~
Every fan of XTC will have their own favourites, but for me standout tracks are:~
Life begins at the Hop
Making Plans for Nigel
Generals and Majors(originally a double A side with "Don't lose your Temper", that track is absent from this release)
Towers of London
Sgt. Rock(Is going to help me)
Senses working Overtime
Ball and Chain
Great Fire
Love on a Farmboys Wages
Dear God
The Disappointed
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
~~~~
If your fed-up listening to the same old stuff in your collection, try this one.
Life begins at the hop. . Boys and Girls.
(Noteworthy XTC albums, English Settlement, Skylarking. ).


Danger massive tweeter burn
However the sound quality is uneven. I like the music on this collection. The treble on "The Mayor Of Simpleton" for example is blistering. Not all cuts suffer from this problem so if you intend to listen to the songs back to back you will need to repeatedly adjust your eq to make things bearable.


A great overview of a band that should have been huge.
As an introduction to the band, it provides a fine overview of their career and history and you can hear how many pieces should have been huge singles, but never were. "Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-92" is a a compilation of every British a-side the band released during their tenure with Virgin Records.

XTC started as a ska/punk new wave band, driving rhythms, buzzing organs (courtesy of keyboardist Barry Andrews) and skanking guitars from Andy Partridge dominated the early work. While it was a bit inconsistent (mostly due to odd vocal styles), Partridge's compositions already showed an undercurrent of wit ("Statue of Liberty") and pop hooks ("This is Pop?"). When Andrews departed to be replaced by guitarist and sometime keyboardist Dave Gregory, the band's compositions became more and more enamoured with harmony, arrangement and melody, first the compositions of bassist Colin Moulding (throbbing mechanical rocker "Making Plans for Nigel", early acoustic rumination "Ten Feet Tall") then eventually Partridge (the churning "Towers of London").

The band eventually took an unusual shift, embracing these textures even further, to the benefit of their performances and receeding the punk elements in favor of Beatles and Beach Boys inspired pop elements-- the brilliant pop hook on "Senses Working Overtime" provides a fine example of this. When they quit touring, using the studio as an instrument and compositional tool became central to their work (Moulding's delicate and lovely fantasy "Wonderland", Partridge's "Love on a Farmboy's Wages"). A pair of late '80s pop albums ("Skylarking" and "Oranges and Lemons") produced a seemingly endless series of stunning pop songs, many of which are represented here ("Grass", "Dear God", "The Mayor of Simpleton", "The Loving" are all absolutely stunning). While their last record with Virgin felt a bit overarranged to me, they still managed some great pieces ("The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead") and have remained relevent as long as they've recorded.

Literally the only complaint I can make with this is the decision to leave off the Dukes of Stratosphear (XTC's alter ego when they recorded psychedelic music) singles-- while they didn't seem to pick the best of that project for singles, it seems it should be here. Nonetheless, with the material presented in remastered sound, this is a fine collection and a worthy starting point for anyone curious about the band. Just make sure you listen all the way through as the band's evolution is dramatic.


You can see a complete list of all XTC discography, or go back to the XTC tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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