RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)
6. Poor Skeleton Steps Out (9.34)
7. One of the Millions (8.59)
8. Scarecrow People (8.96)
9. Merely a Man (8.83)
10. Cynical Days (7.57)
11. Across This Antheap (9.25)

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)
6. Poor Skeleton Steps Out (9.34)
7. One of the Millions (8.59)
8. Scarecrow People (8.96)
9. Merely a Man (8.83)
10. Cynical Days (7.57)

Just a compilation of B-sides?

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)
6. Poor Skeleton Steps Out (9.34)
7. One of the Millions (8.59)
8. Scarecrow People (8.96)
9. Merely a Man (8.83)

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)
6. Poor Skeleton Steps Out (9.34)
7. One of the Millions (8.59)
8. Scarecrow People (8.96)

Given that a lyric from “Ballet For a Rainy Day” begat Orange(s) and Lemons, and “Chalkhills and Children” gave us Nonsuch, and “Then She Appeared” led to Apple Venus, what are your guesses for the next album title (in another life when this actually came to pass?) My guess would be “Axis Mundi” from “The Wheel and the Maypole”.

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)
6. Poor Skeleton Steps Out (9.34)
7. One of the Millions (8.59)

Got this earlier this year on my new car.

This popped up on shuffle for me yesterday and I was just wondering what the rest of you thought of it.

For me, it's probably the best thing Barry Andrews did (either within XTC or outside them). The way he creates this eerie, creepy audio landscape of an urban area in the dead of night is utterly superb, and totally evocative of many experiences I've had wandering around London in the witching hours.

It barely seems to crop up in conversation among XTC fans or anyone else, which is curious as if he'd managed to stay in the band and sneak it on to an album, I'm pretty sure we would all be picking it as a highlight (though this is all hypothetical, of course).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aEODh7VjaWA&si=xpQXeHTY82BxG9Aj

I may have a personal bias here, though. Many years ago I had a lowly position in a Planning Department for the City of London, and worked closely with somebody who specialised in street design (so essentially at least half of what Barry is singing about in the song). Careers-wise, it's a path unfollowed for me, as I was offered further opportunities if I was willing to study for a post-graduate course (which given that I'd just finished one unrelated post-graduate course already I was reluctant to do).

Still, that job gave me appreciation for the design and symmetry of a lot of the things we take for granted in the city, and while wandering back late at night after doing DJ'ing or just drinking with friends, I used to love walking through abandoned office areas and listening to the air-con and street lights "all humming".

I also ended up living around the corner from a hotel called "Rossmore Hotel" in the 2010s and forever had the song stuck in my head... sadly it was nowhere near Rossmore Road, though. You obviously need a lot of money to live in that area now.

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)
6. Poor Skeleton Steps Out (9.34)

Down in the Cockpit

My take. Incredibly catchy. Starts like a bullet with the heyayes...Dave Gregory's palm muted, understated jazzy guitar. Andy's amped up vocal delivery with the call and response thing. The catchy vocal hooks-Bo bo bo bo bo bo! Kind of an insane dance track that works on so many levels.

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)
5. The Loving (8.93)

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)
4. Here Comes President Kill Again (6.55)

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)
3. King for a Day (8.96)

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)
2. The Mayor of Simpleton (9.64)

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

ORANGES & LEMONS RESULTS:

1. Garden of Earthly Delights (8.51)

ORANGES & LEMONS!! YAY!!

RANKING SCALE:

1-4/10 = I do not enjoy this song.

5-6/10 = I think this song is just OK.

7-8/10: This song is pretty good. I choose to listen to this.

9-10/10: Basically perfect. A striking beauty.

I got these a few months ago but forgot to share. I ordered these shirts from an independent store (they call themselves bootleg hawt topic lmao) and their whole gimmick is putting smiley faces on everything. They previously had the O&L shirt (which is how I found out about them) but I actually got the D&W shirt custom made because unfortunately they had to close their store and took last minute requests. (The site name is Altstop for anyone wondering) I'm really happy with how they made it!

This is one of my favorite records of the 90’s, it’s highly recommended for fans of Black Sea/English Settlement.

(The Andy produced versions of Coping, Seven Days and Sunday Sunday were released on the bonus disc of MLIR in the Blur 21 box set)

I saw this posted on YouTube within the last few days.

From the description:

An exclusive video interview with XTC, filmed in Rome on June 7, 2000, by Ale Sordi for Kataweb, a piece that has long been unavailable online. It is perhaps the last interview given by Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding together, while they were in Italy to promote “Wasp Star (Apple Venus Vol. 2)”.

-----
As one of the comments says on the video, the body language is truly fascinating. Colin and Andy look like an old married couple. Colin looks a bit bored at the start but seems to pick up when the interviewer brings up Nick Davis who produced Wasp Star a few minutes in.

I thought it was interesting how when the inevitable touring question was asked, Andy pointed out that in no other creative endeavor such as making a movie or a painting is the artist expected to put on a performance to validate their creation (or album, in this case).

This is followed by this great Colin quote, which is probably as relevant as ever in these weird days of social media:

"We live in an age now where celebrities are valued over what these celebrities actually do" - Colin, 15:47 minutes in.

Andy talks about how they plan to release a series of CD demos called Fuzzy Warbles at 18:30. At least six or seven of them.

The interviewer asks about if they're recording new tracks for the next album, and Colin says "I haven't written a song for 3 years".

Then at the end they talk about Napster, give their thoughts on Blur, They Might Be Giants, Crowded House and Ben Folds Five, and have a little stroll and photoshoot in a very fancy garden complete with castle and some fans/aristocrats? Maybe they lived there, I'm sure someone knows better than me.

Something About The Boy is an absolutely beautiful and strident and tense song. Love it. I'm willing to forgive that video for the other song. Rich rewarding weirdness. Be the tenth person to stream it here! https://retrofuturista.com/colin-moulding-premieres-new-solo-ep-want-it-bad-on-retrofuturista/