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XTC
Skylarking
Geffen, 1986
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To kick off my new "Album of the ~Week" section, i'm highlighting one of my recent acquisitions, one that has assumed a solid place in the "Why the hell didn't i get this earlier?" category. After listening to the singles collection Fossil Fuel for the umpteenth time, i realized just how special XTC was. Which prompted me to go an a tear, snagging the handsome sum of 14 of their albums, including their psychedelic foray as The Dukes of Stratosphear and a bootleg of acoustic performances. The cream of this excellent crop is the 1986 album Skylarking, which became a modest hit due to its inclusion of the college radio favorite "Dear God". However, it's the interplay between mellow, sometimes somber songs like "The Meeting Place", "Big Day", and "Dying" and upbeat pop tunes like "That's Really Super, Supergirl" and "Earn Enough For Us" that make the whole so fascinating. The craft and intelligence of Partridge and Moulding make more frequently mentioned British pop icons Blur look like a bunch of whining dips#&ts. I'm wondering why XTC never got their proper due, despite the fact that until two weeks ago i wasn't giving them their proper due. Better late than never.
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amazon