XTC- English Settlement [1982] Album Review | States & Kingdoms

[@petergomez7490]

I bought this (CD) in 2022 as a must have...takes me back to then and somewhere now.

[@shanewalsh2262]

My favourite album of all time - for what it's worth . Great commentary on it . Well done guys love your work .

[@statesandkingdoms]

Thank you so much! :)

[@toddhill7483]

Maybe my favorite from XTC. Ask me next week and it might be something different. As far as being "too long", I actually wish that it could just continue uninterrupted for eons. Initially I made the mistake of acquiring the US release cassette, which condensed it to single album length. I was quickly corrected by a friend and made the correct purchase shortly thereafter. In addition to Senses, Yacht Dance is definitely a highlight for me. Slightly off topic. Have you guys heard the Andy Partridge 9 cd box set, Fuzzy Warbles? It has so many home recordings and demos from Andy, BUT there are quite a few original and VERY well produced tracks co mingled. What I did was get a couple of blank cds and fill them to the brim with those standout tracks. Enough to fill a very long "double album". It's kinda cool to have assembled my own Andy Partridge song collection that no one else seems to have. Thanks for the review of this epic album.

[@statesandkingdoms]

I still haven’t heard fuzzy warbles and I need to get it!! :) thank you!

[@philtikao2333]

Love your xtc reviews. Great fun

[@statesandkingdoms]

Thank you!

[@georgemathie8123]

This is such a fascinating album and very daring for 1982 for a band as eccentric and eclectic as xtc to put out a double album in the height of the new wave era of bubbly synth pop and aor they created an eclectic masterpiece and also this is the beginning of the amazing production work of Hugh padgham

[@statesandkingdoms]

Yes :)

[@chadhofheins3005]

I think the US release wasn't the double album. As a young teen I taped the 1/2 version off my friend and only learned it was a double album....and bought the full thing... in the 90s. Could be wrong, but think that's it.

[@a.k.1740]

If I had to choose only one XTC album, it would be a hard choice but it would definitely be English Settlement. For me there is no bad track on it and Hugh Padgham's production is at the top (punchy but warm). The album doesn't seem too long to me, unlike Oranges & Lemons and Nonsuch, which have a much shorter duration! Since English Settlement was originally a double vinyl album, I even think the band could have added a track or two such as the excellent "Blame the Weather" and the bouncy "Tissue Tigers (The Arguers)" (both B-sides of the single "Senses Working Overtime"). The album would have topped out at exactly 80 minutes !

[@statesandkingdoms]

I'm all for more music :)

[@perryturnball8310]

The sheer quality and quantity of XTC's output during the English Settlement sessions was staggering. Punch and Judy and Heaven is Paved With Broken Glass are two other quality songs that missed the album. English Settlement was the crowning glory of the classic quartet of Andy, Colin, Dave and Terry. I thought Blame the Weather would've made a great single - one of Colin's loveliest tunes.

[@kevinmccready4114]

I love this album. The only way I can express that is to rank the songs 15. Melt The Guns 14. Down In The Cockpit 13. Leisure 12. Knuckle Down 11. English Roundabout 10. Ball And Chain 9. It's Nearly Africa 8. Yacht Dance 7. Snowman 6. No Thugs In Our House 5. Fly On The Wall 4. Jason And The Argonauts 3. All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late) 2. Senses Working Overtime 1. Runaways

[@ChristopherClause]

I have to say I would disagree that certain song lengths should be shortened. As I believe has been commented before, certain later XTC albums definitely could have used some "editing". When the U.S. decided to make it a one album record, it suffered. And yes I agree that Andy's rhythms are exciting, but Terry Chambers contributions drive the album. My only complaint? They should have added "Blame the Weather" on side 2 and still had enough time on the record to avoid cutting the bass when cutting the album.

[@statesandkingdoms]

Blame the weather is a great song :)

[@ChristopherClause]

@@statesandkingdoms indeed! One of my faves :)

[@InParticularNobody]

Tissue Tigers belongs on there too!

[@markboyd9275]

The first version I found was the American single album which not only junked many tracks, but also changed the order of the songs. It works pretty well, even if I miss the missing music. Though it’s one of their best, think I’d like it more if the actual songs were edited down(a recurring problem andy seems to have). Shaving 2 or 3 minutes off of most of the material might keep things from dragging (aside from Jason, that one could go on forever, if I had my way).

[@statesandkingdoms]

Yes, totally :)

[@WarrenCromartie2]

It's a great album and includes some of their best songs, but personally, I enjoy Black Sea & Drums & Wires a little more.

[@DAYHOMEONE]

Well, another XTC album I didn't know was a double, again because I only had these on CD and not vinyl but I should point out that comparing it to the White Album also spotlights why even spread out over 4 sides it doesn't feel like a double LP. The White Album after all had 30 songs to this 15 track issue and the Beatles prior to the White album had 14 songs to each single disc. This is why Capitol Records refused to issue the early albums as they were packaged in the UK. Because in America Royalties paid out differently so if you issued 14 tracks on album rather than 11 or 12 you were losing money. They couldn't have that so they held back songs and made new albums (Yesterday and Today) out of the holdover tracks. So English Settlement doesn't feel like a double LP to me. It s feels like a single Beatles. LP.

[@statesandkingdoms]

I had it on CD too and had no idea...

[@Z-eb]

A pure Classic ! (But Black Sea is just a notch better)

[@statesandkingdoms]

So hard to choose!

[@toddhill7483]

Definitely a debate for decades to come. One thing is certain. 2 epic releases.

[@greggorup1006]

Great album. However not enough electric guitar. It misses punch in a lot of areas where it would have made the songs 10s instead of 8.5. Also Andy's howling is annoying

[@145inA]

How dare you choppy poo “Thugs”!

[@statesandkingdoms]

Just a tiny choppy :) haha