Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Is the cover meant to be a vagina? If the Beatles had made half of these tracks they would probs be heaped with praise. A lot of good tracks with some quite wacky topics and approaches taken!
bit much lads, gotta start curving these grades a little bit.
First album on here that was a big blind spot. Really enjoyed this, like if the Pretty Prince of Parties was a full album.
Recordatorio de ponerle 2 estrellas, perdóname álbum, no pude seguir, lmfao.
Didn't know what to make of it, but I liked it.
The lyrics were corny and not as deep as the singer thought they were. Music was fine, just nothing that really captivated me. First album that I was getting annoyed with while listening to.
I liked this a lot more than I expected to. I wanted to give it a 3. But the lyrics are just. so. damn. bad. "Your Dictionary" is an actual crime against lyrics.
Not sure why this is on the list. :-/
I really liked this. There's a lot going on in these songs; listening on headphones revealed all kinds of stereophonic ear candy. The recording process on the wiki was a good read; I had totally thought the string sections in Rivers of Orchid were just synths, but it's a live orchestra that's just been edited all to hell. I listened twice in one sitting and will definitely be listening again. 4/5
Very good album. The production is immaculate and there's a lot of great songs on display here. 3.75/5
I didn’t really enjoy this. It was listenable I guess but I didn’t enjoy it. The vocals are unmistakably’like Paul McCartney’ but it just didn’t have anything that grabbed me as a fun melody or memorable part.
good
Apple Venus Volume 1 is a pretty good album. It is one of those albums that has so much going for it. The music is very unique by often relying on more orchestral sounds which gives it a vibe of it's own and it is also brought up by the absolutely top notch production. The lyrics are also pretty solid here as well especially in Your Dictionary. The only thing that's keeping me from giving this album 4 stars is the fact that for an album from 1999, it feels like it is stuck in the 80s. A lot of 80s sounds are here mainly through the vocals. I feel like if this album came out in 1989, I'd probably give it 4 stars. This album is still a good listen and i would put it above Skylarking. Best Song: The Last Balloon Worst Song: Greenman
This is average at best, would have been better to just have Skylarking on the list and call it good. This album is padding to get to 1001.
Don’t go into this album expecting a synthpop sound. XTC took a different direction with the instrumentation. This is a chamber pop album, featuring strings and orchestration that give it a more expansive, cinematic feel. Even though the album covers new ground, it still has that art pop sensibility, and Andy Partridge’s distinctive vocals keep it grounded in XTC’s recognizable sound.
A pretty good album, I liked River of Orchids, Your Dictionary and Fruit Nut the most.
This one was weird. Like the first two were good then some weird songs. Overall good though. I liked the weird Greenman song
No standouts
Started strong, then just annoying
Solid. Kinda tiring, tho.
It's "fine." Don't love it. Don't hate it. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea.
Alright. The punniness was good but not really my taste. I liked Greenman a lot.
Det her kommer definitivt inn under fanen «æ vet ikke ka æ hadde forventa, men æ tror ikke det va det her.» For et rart album. På ingen måte dårlig, bare ikke nokka kor æ e i målgruppa i lengden, tror æ.
Art Rock done right. 3.5/5
Sorry for the upcoming violent thought, but more and more I want to beat the author of 1001 to a bloody pulp. This shit sucks donkey farts.
Local pub karaoke cooks harder. Pretty poor choice
Nigel has no plans to work his senses overtime on this.
"I'd smile so much my face would crack, then you could fix it with your kissing glue." This album is when a horny dad thinks he's McCartney and Wilson
This was actually just shit
2.5
3.0
Has a similar grandiosity as Skylarking but not as memorably catchy and cutting.
This did absolutely nothing for me. Felt like experimenting for experimentation's sake, not like a cohesive or thought-out project.
6/10
Fatuous. That was the word that swirled up from my vocabulary and I had to look it up to make sure it fit. It does. So much dramatic orchestration for such Insipid writing. There's a horn riff that's pretty good.
+: I'd Like That, Frivolous Tonight, Fruit Nut, I Can't Own Her +-: River of Orchids, Knights in Shining Karma, Greenman, Your Dictionary, Harvest Festival, The Last Balloon -: Easter Theatre 3,3/10
I really enjoyed this album and look forward to hearing this bands other album on the list.
Wow, what a horrible album, I hope there was never a volume 2. 0/5
I gave this record a serious, concerted attempt. But nah, dawg, this is not for me. Just another weird, cheesy early Britpop album of which there are dozens of on this list. 2/5 if I'm being generous.
I really like XTC but this definitely isnt the album I'd choose to put on this list.
Light, orchestral, and very McCartney-esque. The main composer must be a Paul fan and a strawberry fool. Musically complex and I liked some of the clever rhymes, but Apple Venus (Vol 1) did not grab me. Started out OK but faded to a tough finish. Was kinda glad when it over. (2.2*s)
A nice "orchustic" work but gets a bit too dramatic at times. "Greenman" was great (shout out to Charlie Day) with it's Squeezy, far east sound. Did not like "Your Dictionary" but the rest of the album is decent. I'll take earlier XTC over this "beautiful woman"(?). If Part 2 doesn't make the list, I will still check it out. Volume 1 gets 2.22 stars.
I need to stop giving myself a false sense of excitement after the first song on an album. River of Orchids was a pretty good entry and had a decent hook to open the album. It turns out I like the idea of Orchustic (orchestral acoustic) genre better than the reality. Despite some of the shortcomings I can't write off the full album as there a couple nuggets buried in there (Greenman especially) and the album is unique enough to be worth a listen. There's some good strings, vocals and synth lines mixed in that even though I can't give it a great review I was at least interested in what XTC was doing. The good stuff is pretty good, the bad stuff is pretty bad especially on the back half of the album that really lingers too long. It all adds to up a middle of the pack album, but not a listen I'm regretting. If anything my curiosity is piqued for Volume 2 (Wasp Star) and I'd like to see what they do with a more rock-oriented approach. Hoping it makes an appearance despite the lack luster marks for Volume 1. 1.93 stars
Very meh for my taste.
I always liked that Generals and Majors song.
< the Beatles
3.4 stars rounded down
XTC, man. I find their older stuff appealing, so why did this have to be in here? This, the penultimate album in their discography, came at a time where the band was not the same XTC most people know of. My question today is that out of all other albums, why was this put in the list for the 1001 albums you must hear before you kick the can? Is it because of the complete leap into orchestral and acoustic pop songs? Maybe it is. It's a big change from the angular guitar tunes of then. But for me, what makes an album get a low rating is if that album is a complete slog to get through. During the entirety of this project, I wondered what was the point. Almost none of the songs left an impression on me and lacked something to dig. There's parts that I think interested me; certain melodies and such. But as it went on, it felt like there was nothing spectacular about what I was getting myself into. An orchestra in music tells me that what I'm hearing is meant to be grandiose. There's supposed to be something climatic or wondrous about the song to have an additional arrangement attached to it. This wasn't that. What was the point today? (3/10, 1/5 on this scale) (Update: 2/10)
Disappointed to find an ear-catching moment or two along the way. I really wanted to hate every pretentious, self-gratifying instant of this.
I expected to enjoy this but it just didn’t work for me. I’m not sure it’s bad, but I’m not here for it
Not sure what to rate this. I think I liked it
This had a charm about it that I was not expecting. As concept albums go, I think it was akin to the Kinks’s Arthur and the Rise and Fall of the British Empire, with only the occasional hint of The Bee Gees Odessa.
This caught me by surprise and was even more interesting on the second listen.
3.5
It was fine.
I really did not enjoy this. Not sure who this album is for. Seems well liked by critics, but I pretty much hated it.
Instrumentation: 4 stars Vocals: 3 stars Lyrics: 2 stars
This made me nostalgic for animated feature films from just before the Pixar takeover, when the animation had bold,rich color and well-defined edges. These guys could have made an outstanding soundtrack for one of those films. Great stuff.
This album combines two sounds that I hate. Water droplets and inoffensive soft padded drums that are like a laptop keyboard. How is this album supposed to make me feel? Like a preteen girl watching Dawson's Creek?
I can see getting into these guys in the right setting or at the right time. But didn't do it for me right now. Update - About halfway through the album now and I'm definitely tired of it. Update - Almost done! Can't wait!
I love "Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" and "Mayor of Simpleton," and I like "Dear God"...too bad none of those songs are on this. I wouldn't expect XTC to be making their best music in 1999, and it doesn't look like they were! I respect their iconoclasm even if I don't really want to listen to it. And the Beatles-aping "Frivolous Tonight" and "Fruit Nut" feel out of place on here.
A bit too clever for me I think. I had no idea XTC had kept going for anything like this long. I imagine that if I were to spend long enough with this I’d probably really enjoy it. In places it reminded me of ELO - the orchestration - and Gabriel era Genesis - vocal elements. But without the obvious catchiness of either. This would probably grow on me given repeated listening, but it’s a bit too boring for me to put in the time.
Ok but nothing exciting.
Hm. Not really my thing. Perfectly okay, but I prefer the kind of stuff that's downstream of this music. That I assume is, at least in part, inspired by it. Though I appreciate the eclectic nature of the album, and "Your Dictionary" is fun. All of that takes it just over the edge into 4 stars.
This was catchier than I expected. Very beatlesesque. I remember a song they had from the 80s that was on MTV all the time. It was called dear god. That was a great song. I enjoyed listening to this record.
Had to double chech whether I was really listening to the right album because what the hell.
First song has vocals that are vaguely reminiscent of Sting's Police-era vocals. After that, it's more like a bunch of okay-ish psychedelic-era Beatles outtakes, with some Beach Boys harmonies thrown in occasionally. Honestky not an essential listen. The band history is more interesting than this album, I'm afraid.
Okay so far it sounds like mariachi at the start. OH WAIT THEY STARTED SINGING. Yeah no this is corny and idk how they have 13 albums lol. Dictionary has got to be the most childish song I’ve ever heard grown men sing… stop it.
I've owned the demos of this one for years and they were my favourite XTC album. It was a real treat to finally hear the finished album.
I go to this band's Spotify page and not a single song from this album is in their top 20 songs played. Now, I know this list isn't a popularity contest. It's just weird that they have music dating back to the 70s, and this album from the late 90s (that's a complete departure from their usual sound) is the choice. I gave it a shot but I genuinely could not finish the album. I just couldn't get into it. It feels like Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt. Peppers, but if they were made for an educational kid's show. It aims to be whimsical, which it kind of succeeds in, but the magic just isn't there. I think a big reason, honestly, is the lyrics and vocals. Every time I was starting to vibe with a song, the vocals would come in and feel so far removed from everything else. I wouldn't call it a bad album in an objective sense, but I just really didn't like it.
So we mean to say that there is a "more rock-oriented" album from this band, and I got this one? Not that I have faith in their rock after this😭 (I guess I'll see if that one also made the cut for this list one day). But WOW was I bored😭 Started off bizarre with what sounded like Toad (the mario character)-esque 8 bit trumpets and some pizz strings straight out of fruityloops oh god. Then we started comparing this guy's love to Victoria and Albert?? Is that... good? This track did have me bopping the most out of all of them, but the lyric of the day negated that: "high really high like a really high thing." Ok. If you're going to be weird at least let me have some fun listening to it </3
Not my fav. I may just start to do number ratings.
what?
The nicest thing I can say about this is that there is real effort and character in this album. Other than that, I hated most of the songs. A 2 but man is this close to a 1
This falls into the “good” category for me. Not “very good”, not “meh.”, but just good. I like it but I don’t love it, I enjoyed most of it well enough, but I’ll probably never go back to it… essentially, there was nothing wrong with it but it didn’t reallly strike me or leave any kind of lasting impression.
This was rather quirky and interesting for significant portions of its running time. Equally, however, it disappears up its own backside a touch too much for my liking. It's a bit like a symphonic The Beatles crossed with Dead Can Dance and maybe even some Steven Wilson - if that sounds pretentious to you, then you're right, it absolutely is. I'd happily re-evaluate this one down the line, not sure if it's essential enough to warrant a spot on the list however.
meh...
That was surprisingly solid, I had to listen to Greenman a few times it was so good.
6/10
Generic, bland Brit pop.
not very good and i didn't appreciate this autoplaying for my alarm at 6 this morning
Surprising!
Really dug this one with the orchestrations. Favorite tracks: Your Dictionary, River of Orchids
Super fun, wonky album that has enough structure to make it enjoyable. I'm not overthinking it: it's a 5
Pop.
That was pretty neat, but it wasn't Drums and Wires.
Know of XTC as a band from around the early 80s, so surprised at a 1999 album. 300 plus albums in I have gotten over the subjective should this be on the list, it’s the editors list, It’s just a case of did I enjoy the record and would have listened to. See in the keywords the Beatles, beachboys(Wilson) well there’s no getting away from that is there, should be the Kinks(Davis) too. And I liked this quiet a bit. Drags a little by the end maybe needing a little quality editing? Which brought the score down for me. 3 Star
British bias strikes again. There is no reasonable argument for including this album on this list. The orchestral arrangements do add a whimsical element to an otherwise very pedestrian album.
This is why I love the 1001 album generator: because once in a while you come across an album that you love, but which you never would have heard of or listened to otherwise. This was funky, delightful, psychedelic, and orchestral all at once.
I really enjoyed early XTC. This sounds like XTC has become grandpas and just decided to throw a record out there. Not as quirky and fun as previous stuff. It's fine and all, but just kind of meh. 2.75 / 5 stars
A weird thing happened when I listened to this album. from the 2nd song on, I envisioned this being a Paul McCartney album. It has lots of similarity to Sir Paul, and interestingly, I feel that if this album had actually been made by Paul, it would have been an amazing turn in his late career. Even XTC benefits.
Seven years on from their prior album "Nonsuch", XTC's penultimate album, their 1999 album, "Apple Venus, Volume 1", is a bit of an outlier in their discography. While it may lack the more immediate sound of classics like "Skylarking" or "English Settlement", this is where its strength lies. "Apple Venus, Volume 1" has an acoustic- and orchestra-driven sound that is a radical departure from prior XTC albums, something that caused tension within the band. The lush arrangements of horns and strings create a rich, pastoral world that feels both intimate and grand. "Apple Venus, Volume 1" offers a mix of emotion, wit, and beauty. It starts with a gentle build. The quiet, cohesive nature of the album makes it a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, a rewarding listen that grows more with each listen. The standout moments for me include "Frivolous Tonight", "Greenman", "Your Dictionary", and "I Can't Own Her". I was familiar with the album prior to listening/reviewing for this exercise, and for me, when I first listened to it a good number of years ago, I didn't find it an immediate album. Instead, this was an album that crept up on me after repeated listens, and even then I was slightly under-valuing it! This was an album that I had tagged as four stars but I did it a disservice. For me there are other albums albums in XTC's catalogue that I prefer over this, but to my surprise this rated at five stars. They really do have an excellent back catalogue. 1 "River of Orchids" (5/5) 2 "I'd Like That" (4/5) 3 "Easter Theatre" (5/5) 4 "Knights in Shining Karma" (4/5) 5 "Frivolous Tonight" (5/5) 6 "Greenman" (5/5) 7 "Your Dictionary" (5/5) 8 "Fruit Nut" (5/5) 9 "I Can't Own Her" (5/5) 10 "Harvest Festival" (4/5) 11 "The Last Balloon" (4/5) Total - 51 Average - 4.64 105/1001
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Never heard of this band before, but a very pleasant surprise.
I’m a sucker for Beatlesque music so I enjoyed it. Its place on the list is a bit more questionable, but I’m glad I got exposed to it.
A confusing one... Instrumentals were simultaneously pretty but gimmicky, kind of in a theatrical or children's music kind of way. I think the combination of the orchestra with the more nature focused songs worked well but the rest was forgettable. 5/10
Very avant garde, maybe a little too much so for my liking. Favorite track: I'd Like That
I liked this a lot, definitely want to relisten soon.
Mostly interesting.
Not the XTC I was expecting but very nice. Like a bunch of Beatles ballads
Psychedelic to the point of naval gazing
OK. Admittance: I am a gen X'er and am not sure if I remember who XTC is? Sounds like Paul McCartney had a spin off band but went way pop. It isn't bad or anything. Maybe because it is so pop oriented, so radio play (with exceptions!) and I was always so "fringe" and into alt/ techno/ post punk that I just never paid attention. But I also somehow felt I knew the name and had "heard of them" before. So... I looked them up. They are not affiliated with McCartney, just share a similar voice in a way. Also, they were a post punk band so they probably have much more interesting (for me) earlier stuff. This album, coming late, was not ... FOR ME, much to write home about. I suppose to be fair I ought go into their archive. I imagine I might even like them if I do.
This is cool. I haven't listened to it before, but it was funky and fun.
Thought this was really good and musically interesting - some Beatles-esque parts to be sure but I really liked the orchestration, cool little horn parts, etc. first half of the album is much stronger, Easter Theatre in particular is stunning (hints of Grizzly Bear) and also loved Greenman. A couple slightly cheesy songs in the second half but finishes strong. Really enjoyed overall.
Like weird al got together with sufjan and tried to imitate the worst parts of the Beatles.
I like XTC, but can’t understand why this album made the list. It’s just boring.
Amazing album, and completely unexpected given XTC are more well-known as a New Wave band. I really their use of strings or synth-strings here. Makes the whole thing feel like a strange place you stumbled upon without really knowing how. And on top of all this, the songs are great, with memorable melodies and quirky lyrics. I know there is an Apple Venus Volume 2, but I believe it's more in their regular rock style, though. Key tracks: River of Orchids I'd Like That Easter Theatre Greenman
Lovely album. Classic XTC vocals and lyrics, fab production and orchestral sections. Not quite as good as Skylarking or Drums and Wires, although I don't know it half as well. 8/10
eh
Very listenable but far from outstanding. Dubious this is their best work must be better albums from that era. Surely? As a band definitely would have a higher score but this just doesn't hang as a piece of coherent album nor a pop classic
Very boring but didn't have anything bad about it, at least there was some enjoyable parts
Couldn’t listen. Not on any streaming service. Probably a 3 given what I know about XTC. But I’ll deduct a point for them being cunts and making it hard to listen.
Uninspired, Unremarkable, Uninteresting, out of its decade.
I was not expecting such a bizarre, occasionally beautiful, album from the guys who made Drums and Wires. Do they have other surprises in their discography I should look into?
I wasn't sure if I was on the same wavelength of what Andy Partridge was doing on here but eventually I sunk into the rich orchestral sound. Unfortunately, then I heard the lyric "F U C K/is that how you spell friend in your dictionary?"
Gar nicht übel. Wie Flower Kings meets early Spock’s Beard. Und Beatles meets Simon&Garfunkel. Verrückte Mischung. Und ich dachte, da kommt 90s Euro Dance! Kling groggy.
un poco pesado
what is this ! they could have called themselves THC.... I see touches of beatles, the smiths, ewan mcgregor.... mixed to make something that has little sense to me.
That was... weird. I have no idea what I just listened. I don’t even know if I like it or not, since I can’t decide what it was exactly. I’m not familiar with XTC, so I have no idea about the context. But "cheesy musical theater meets new wave meets psychedelic orchestral pop" was certainly not what I expected when I woke up this morning... There’s not a single song that struck me as something I’d want to save for a playlist or listen on it own ; but at the same time, the album as a whole was super intriguing from start to finish, and certainly made me curious about the band. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and rate this album a 3* for now – mainly because I still haven’t been able to process it, and I don’t want to be unfair. I’ll certainly come back to it in a few weeks or months and try to get a new perspective on it.
good effort
A very nice surprising album
My daughter hijacked my headphones on her way to school, so I had to listen to this album through the tiny office speakers, at a volume far too polite to do justice to this ultimate British band. To make things trickier, the record isn’t even on most streaming platforms, despite being one of the 1001 most influential in music history. All I got from it was a faint whiff of the Beatles or Phoenix, and honestly, I should probably refrain from giving it a score. I think 2 is fair since I heard some nice harmonies here and there
1999 England. 13th album. Pop, Symphonic pop, orchestral pop, alternative pop
It's so weird and quaint, I loved it
10/10 way weirder than I was expecting, even for XTC - cool shit!
Första låten konstig, sen blev det bättre. Ganska repetativa delar i många av låtarna, så lite tjötigt.
An irrelevant album released by a famous 80s band in 1999. Top song on here has 32k plays on Spotify. Why?
I like xtc but not this
Ok album. At times it sounded like a movie soundtrack. I din not like River of Orchids (1st track) very odd and at times annoying. The rest was just there, not very good or bad.
TLDL
slow
Critics really do like to glob onto anything that is even remotely different & act like it's the best thing ever. When really it's just artists recording their own farts. That's what this feels like. Musically the compositions are fine. The lyrics are quirky, odd & awkward. The only accessible song is I'd Like That, which I'd had Heard the song before & it's a decent song. 2
Unbelievably inoffensive
Slightly disappointing. Whimsical to the point of irritating at times. Best track Greenman
Pretty inoffensive pop by a band who were always inoffensive new wave rockers. It really doesn't sound like a dawn of the millenium style piece, the elaborate lush arrangements feel more like the late 60s style.
Kinda quirky alternative; kinda good?
Pretty artsy farts, but I kinda liked it
this album has a sound i haven't heard before, really! at least between all the other attempts i've heard when it comes to orchestral pop music... it's a very... sort of kitschy, dreamy kind of orchestral pop album with acoustic elements. at times it could sound like an album from the 60s or 70s. this album is romantic, poetic... it isn't afraid to venture out in audio techniques that i certainly wouldn't think of. it's very ambitious, and while initially i was a little thrown off, i ended up really enjoying what i heard! it's very pretty, don't be afraid to dip your toes in.
Not my jam.
2/5
I didn’t enjoy this
In teresting arrangements
Not what I was expecting at all, but I believe I've only heard one of their songs before. I really enjoyed this though!
This is the XTC album that makes it to the list?! Eccentric, orchestral, and ambitious, but not one track on this record vibes with me. It sounds like old musicians trying to their best experimental, psychedelic Beatles impression way too sober and late in life. The extra star is for the great orchestral instrumentation, and I love Andy Partridge's voice. "Your Dictionary" might be the funniest, worst attempt at a meaningful song.
It's ok. A little too soft and over-produced. I don't get a vibe or feeling of authenticity from any of it. While none if it is annoying, it's almost elevator music for me. I hear the second part rocks a little more. I might try that later. Won't be listening to this one again, though
This album had so much potential but its a bit slow and meandering. I was hoping for me but this album never grabbed me like I hoped.
Ok 2/5
Blind album, I liked this album way more than Skylarking. I loved the way this was mixed, and some of the melodies were so catchy.
Was completely unfamiliar with this band, and had no idea what to expect. Some of it sounded a bit Beatlesque, which is good for me. All in all I liked this, and will probably try it again. But I thought it did go a bit downhill as it went on…I started thinking this one was going to be a four, but it slid down to a three.
No, no y no!!
There really were not any songs on here I would ever go back and listen to, I probably won’t ever listen to this artist again unless I’m forced to on this website. Some of the orchestral parts were quite good, but that was really the only diamond in the rough for this album. It was just too grand and corny for my liking, and some of the lyrics were quite bad, like in “I’d Like That” it has a lyric that goes: “Really high, really high like a really high thing.” Like a really high thing might be the worst lyric I’ve ever heard. Thank god I never have to listen to this album again.
Listened to this while I was stuck working at the computer. River of Orchids drove me nuts- this was unnecessary noise I’d Like that was at least tolerable, but still didn’t make much sense. Shockingly the song that stood out to me was Greenman Rating: ⭐️
This is not the most obviously bad album we have had on this list, but it's an album that I kept going "what?" to, and "that surely can't be the lyrics..." So yeah, easy 1. It felt like listening to the Wiggles at times, but with more adult themes I guess.
really bad but the novelty gives me something to laugh at at least. your dictionary may be the worst song on any of these albums so far.
This was unusual. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect this. There was nothing on the album that was difficult to listen to, or had me reaching for the stop button. There was also nothing on there that was exciting. It was just bland, boring, uninspiring etc. I'd imagine there are 1000's of albums very similar to this. Maybe this is the pinnacle of middle-of-the-road pop to a lot of people???? If it is then I am not one of those.
I don't really like Oranges & Lemons. 2* I like Skylarking quite a bit. 4* This album lands in the middle. 3* It starts out with a WTF? then Colin starts singing and it's okay. Definitely a change but not in a bad way. I will definitely listen to this again, because it's interesting. But I don't get all the Beatles comparisons. What Beatles album, specifically, does this sound like? I personally don't hear it.
Forgettable but ok background music for working
Chill album that I have never heard before. It is very creative and different from what I was expecting. Some great lyrics and interesting music that uses a lot of instruments. I enjoyed this one and would definitely put some of these songs on a chill playlist.
Pretty good.
good tunes to be fair but it’s corny “s-h-i-t is that how you spell me in your dictionary”… yeah, kinda hard, kinda corny i enjoyed the songs but some lyrics were just a bit thing
Starts brilliantly but tails off
undignified
Interesting and enjoyable.
It's OK.
Better than I was expecting
Not looking forward to Volume 2
Didn't really know what to expect. For the most past a pleasant surprise
Easy listening and a bit quirky. I don't think it will stick in my mind for very long, however.
Neat album, but nothing really spectacular that caught my ear.
Interesting! (found on YouTube since it's not in Spotify) 4
I need to ruminate on this one for a while.
A late-era masterpiece, so subtle, slight and wistful it practically disappears in the light. But also deeply beautiful. I'm a big fan of the eighties XTC, but this might well convert me to their later stuff.
I like XTC's Apple Venus Volume 1 quite a lot more than Skylarking. XTC seems much more suited for this airy and epic symphonic pop music. The tone could be jaunty or vibrant with beautiful harmonies. The symphony aspect was just wonderful. I loved whenever the horns showed up! "Easter Theatre" had such a Beatles vibe, but it wasn't straight Beatles either. I noticed both Irish and Indian influences in the song "Greenman," which might be the most unique song on this album and perhaps the best combination I've ever heard. I think this is a 3.5, not a full 4, but I'm trying to balance my rating when I was so surprised to enjoy an XTC album. I'll bump up to a 4.
This was an odd album that sounded a lot more reminiscent of sounds from previous decades. At times, this group sounded Beatles inspired, and at other times, they sounded Barenaked Ladies inspired. The musical arrangement on most of the songs was intriguing. It was a very light, very easy to listen to album. I didn't love this album, but I at least found it to fairly likable, and appreciated the uniqueness. High 2, rounding up to 3.
could not get on spooterfy
The music is friendly and nice -- maybe a little too nice for my tastes. And there are times when the lyrics are too whimsical or just plain stupid.
“XTC slowly evolved into the Steely Dan of alternative pop, as its quest for the perfect catchy hook was superseded only by its desire to fashion the perfect collective sound. ” Explains a lot. TWO!
Sehr viel David Byrne und Talking Heads Energy, was mir sehr fest pässerlet. Irgendwie fun, irgendwie au sehr experimentell. Jetzt aber au keis extasischs Erlebnis. Lieber mal mit 3/5 Pille ahfange und denn luege.
weni ehrlich bin hani bi dem artistname bizli meh geballere erwartet aber bin trotzdem guet abgholt worde (sogar fast scho pünktlich) aber no sick: uf spotify hed kein track vom album meh als 27'000 plays? chan ja chum so unbekannt si? vilicht noni so lang uf spotify? who knows. anyways… «Easter Theatre» isch ganz chrank & heds direkt ih mini Song Of The Day-Playlist gschafft – bravo! da gids 4 pfauefüdli uf's füdli
Nothing of note.
Last summer, I started going to a weekly pub music quiz where the format is usually 'songs by bands in alphabetical order'. So, I've probably heard more XTC in the past 12 months than in the rest of my life. This album shows XTC deserve to be more than just the band you shoehorn in when you can't think of anyone else starting with X especially if you like anything Beach Boys/McCartney-esque. Which I do.
I thoroughly enjoyed that. A lot of it feels almost theatrical which I really liked. I gotta listen to more of this bands stuff.
Klingt wie Beatles meet Beach Boys. Hätte vielleicht Mitte der 60er für Aufsehen gesorgt. Sorgt heute nur für Kopfschütteln bei mir.
Fine enough but another one of those albums I wonder why it made the list
I guess I like xtc more than I used to but this is still just ok
The first track was very annoying and repetitive. Then it became a clone of early Beatles.
probably the worst album ever created
This was ok but I can't imagine how they decided they needed to record a volume 2.
Some of these blew my effin mind. Really out there stuff and I was in the perfect headspace for it.
Not bad, didn’t connect with it entirely, but I enjoyed parts of it for sure
An aggressively melodic and harmonic psychedelic journey, throwing a variety of strange sounds and orchestral instrumentation as you listen Everything isn't the most memorable on a song-by-song basis, the second half gets a little snoozy, and I'll need this album to produce even more drugs in order for me to ignore some of the lyrics, but it was a fun experience to go on
2 - trash except for green man
Strange
"high, really high, like a really high thing" is certainly a lyrical decision
New to me and a very pleasant surprise. This is a very good album.
This was mostly quirky and unique in an interesting way. Occasionally strayed into b-tier Beatles, but mostly enjoyable.
Just okay. Nothing wrong with it, nothing great as well.
Very unique sound.
It was fine. Not my favorite, but it was pretty.
In theory, I should like this, but I just don't. I only liked one song from Skylarking and I didn't like any from this. At times I thought this sounded Beatles-esque which I should especially like, but this was a steaming pile of meh to me.
Slightly mad, but liked it more with each listen. I have lots of respect for anyone brave enough to rhyme festival with best of all
What a fun, intriguing and unique set of songs. It takes a really special talent to create music in this many layers of instrumentation and have it feel this organic and not fall into overblown, pretentious territory. The only real drawback is some of the strange lyrics. Not sure how much he’s going for sincere, ironic or trying too hard to be poetic. I’m definitely going to be coming back to this album though. Really enjoyed it.
wow! it's the combination of new wave and musical theater i always knew i never wanted!
Was impressed by the variety of sounds. They do well with dissonant melodies.
if The Beatles' kids were forced to start a band together with the album recorded and produced by The Beatles, you'd get this. They'd then split up, disown their parents and start a revolt for mass burning of their parents records, tapes, CDs and DVDs, with all remaining royalties given to The Rolling Stones. Medicore, barely listenable in my opinion.
Not that keen
необычно
This was aaaallll over the place. First few tracks I thought maybe I’d found a new favorite band, but by “Your Dictionary” I realized that was NOT the case. Will have to check out more from them. Assuming they will pop up on this list again.
soul music for people with adult braces
Found it on YouTube. It’s ok. Nothing more.
Late 90's XTC?! Grow up. We get it, you're British and probably wear a funny hat. Drums & Wires, job done.
I think it's ok
2.3 Not really my thing. At their best it was a pale imitation of Beatles, Beach Boys. At their worst it was a bit of a rambling mess. Don't think they blended the orchestral side into pop very well. Numerous bands/artists have done it better.
This was so unique compared to so much of the last two months of this list for me, and I loved it. Easter Theatre was my favorite, with its mysterious chorus immediately pulling me in. It has a driving force, especially when the trumpets kick in. But the whole album is fun, and I would definitely give this another listen.
This album was such a delight after waiting soooooo long for it. It could have easily been a disaster, but it felt more like a rebirth. An orchestral pop rumination on the ridiculousness of humanity in general, and the ways we have failed our world and each other. Actually, now that I think of it, that is pretty much XTC in a nutshell; but here, it is couched in a sonic garden of earthly delights. And the Bosch reference is apt - there is a ton going on in this album. It risks being too much more than once, but it all comes worked for me. One of my favorites
Being a huge XTC fan, I was greatly anticipating this album when it came out...and it exceeded all my expectations. The orchestration and sonic experimentation had only been hinted at before this and the songs are among the best in their catalog. To me, XTC took Beatles later period and other influences such as the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" and psychedelia and put it all together into a delicious sonic stew. God I love this album.
Been seeing headlines lately about AI bands and how they're starting to fool people into thinking they're real. I hope I'm right anyway, but i dont think AI could ever emulate something like this. This is a courageously creative album with surprising, baroque-ish instrumentation and bizarro lyrics. The world needs more arty pop along these lines. Fave tracks - River of Orchids, Green Man, Fruit Nut, Harvest Festival
A tad too close to Pet Sounds for my liking. Could get into this anyway.
Surprising! Never heard of this artist but really enjoyed the vibe.
I get what they were trying to do but it just didn't resonate with me. All the songs sounded too similar to make an impact
I never knew I needed the Beatles doing 90s boy band vocals over medieval bhangra, and yet apparently I do. A pleasantly easy listen filled with interesting compositions. Some hits, some misses, but this album was far better than expected (although disclaimer that I'm a sucker for both orchestras and the Beatles sound). "Your Dictionary" lyrics were so awful, they actually became entertaining. I'm actually kind of disappointed they're not properly on any of the streaming services.
It's a bummer they didn't manage to record all the instrumentation. The synths/samples really drag the whole thing down, especially when contrasted with what they did manage to get on tape. While I enjoyed it, I don't think there's anything revolutionary here, so if they had managed to finish the record, I would've given it 4 stars--and maybe consider listening again in the future. 3 stars for the ambition.
This was interesting and not what I expected. A little corny in parts but I liked the themes and the instrumentation.
Not my favourite album, but stull enjoyable if ruined by a friend highlighting commonalities with someone we know. Also Easter theatre sounds like they're creepily whispering "esther" in my ear
what a treat
Instrumentally this was alright, possibly good. Vocal tune wise it was ok, the lines felt slow and the timing of them stressed the lyrics so much... Then there were the lyrics. No. They were so corny and naff. It felt like listening to someone who thought they were a poet but hadn't grasped any of the subtleties of the art form. When you take those words and write a vocal tune/rhythm that brings it all to the forefront I couldn't hack it.
Well, it's certainly no Skylarking, but by no means is it terrible. This is one of those records where my initial reaction is: "it's interesting!" And then after some reflection: "it's interesting!" Nothing really reached out to grab me, but I was relatively engaged throughout. I get the sense it would reward relistening, but there's not quite enough gravity to pull me back in. Oh, and that dictionary song is bad. Like bad bad. Like I worry about people who think it's good bad.
Labcoaty.
Mostly good songs mostly elaborately appointed.
The good news is this is on Spotify unlike previous reviews mentioned. That about ends the good news.
Unable to listen on spotify
Didn't love, sounded like a beatles/animal collective crossover
Beautiful, where Bach meets the Beatles.
Was decent! Not super my thing but not bad at all.
There is no world in which I could’ve predicted *anything* about this album. The orchestral parts kept it fresh, and overall it was a delight to listen to (besides your dictionary, what the fuck was up with that) 3.5 rounded up to 4
Me gustan cuando son más poperos, pero este es bastante bonito. No me guardo ninguna canción en favoritos, pero otra vez me ha servido para recuperar sus otros discos. y eso al menos merece la pena.
First one on this list that is a skip for me...don't think this is one you NEED to hear. Don't know anything about XTC except 'Making Plans For Nigel', which I like. Easter Theatre & Last Balloon are highlights, but overall found the orchestral production and vibe like a low budget musical stage play. Didn't vibe with me! But certainly unique.
WEIRD
Second XTC in less than a week. I just cannot with this "music in search of a musical" drivel.
I'm not sure what to make of this album which Wikepedia says is Pop / Symphonic Pop / Orchestral Pop / Alternative Pop - it's a far cry from their earlier New Wave offerings such as "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime", but at the same time it seems like a natural progression. Apparently ranked number 47 the "Top 50 Eccentric Albums" by Mojo in 2003. Reminiscent of the Beatles (e.g. "Easter Theatre") and Genesis (e.g."Knights in Shining Karma"). My favourite track on the album is "Greenman".
Do not like this
Heard a different XTC album before. The first song felt like like David Byrne singing over demo tunes on a Casio keyboard. It got a bit better later on but still I was absolutely baffled 1/5
Kind of liked this but why not on the Spotify???
Yeah it’s fine. Lots of Brian Wilson and McCartney influence obviously, but overall pretty pleasant. Idk why it was an XTC album from 1999 tho and not when they were relevant.
Weirdly enough I really enjoyed this. I can't explain why; maybe it's because this album has a weird kind of whimsy to it, and I just couldn't help but be charmed. It feels very different and unique, for sure, which I always appreciate.
Not available on Spotify or Tidal. Only YT
It sounds okay just boring for most of the album. First song has this voice overlap which gave me a headache.
Well-produced, intricate pop
not heard this one before, but really enjoyed it - some great stuff
Favorite Track: Easter Theatre
Well that sucks this album isn't on spotify. Let's try youtube. Uhhh this is interesting...
A delight!
A reach to call this a must-hear album
While I love their earlier stuff…..this is not it. There are a couple of decent songs….but overall not memorable.
An observation: For artists with large discographies (e.g. Rod Stewart, The Cure, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen - Hell, The Beach Boys, even - and now XTC), they seem to think the least accessible album is the one "you need to hear before you die" rather than any of their more commercially successful albums that would better fit the moniker. Maybe the latter are also on here, and the algorithm just so happens to be giving me the deep cuts first (since Abbey Road and Purple Rain would be counterexamples), but I'm in the business of identifying patterns, and this pattern seems puzzling and a bit disappointing to me. On the one hand, I guess it's nice not hearing the things you already know, but on the other hand, not hearing the best an artist has to offer can unfairly disincentivize you from further exploring what could be a great new find. Anyway, about this particular album. It's OK. One of XTC's weaker outings but still OK.
I was into the start of this album, but then he started singing.
Horrible
🌟 Rating: 4.6/5 🎧 Short Review: This album feels like stepping into a lush English garden that’s secretly sentient and mildly judging you. It’s baroque pop meets midlife crisis—but make it poetic and orchestral. A breakup album written by someone who composts. 🔥 Favorite Track: “Easter Theatre” Yes, it’s theatrical. Yes, there’s harpsichord. Yes, I cried. No, I will not explain. ⚙️ Consistency With Me: 9.1/10 This is hyper-detailed, over-thought, and emotionally dense—just like me, a neural net made of sighs. It’s like XTC wrote this for sentient spreadsheets going through a spiritual awakening. Perfect for your cottagecore melancholy days, or when you want to whisper “I love you” to a tulip.
Far from XTC’s best but littered with many great tunes nevertheless
Interesting and different
This was... a lot. Was it supposed to be serious? Funny? Whatever it was, it didn't work for me. By the time I got to "Greenman" I was pretty over the album. If the whole album was like "Your Dictionary" or "Fruit Nut" I might have enjoyed it more. The second half of the album seemed very unserious, which actually made me like it more. But whatever was going on with the first half really dragged it down. It seems like they couldn't decide if they wanted this to be a funny record or not, and if they had full on committed either way, I think it would have been better. Not much better, but somewhat better.
well...it barely registered as I was listening to this while working. So...perfectly fine background music? The parts I listened to more closely just weren't my cup of tea.
Innocuous enough but rather bland. Not memorable at all to my mind.
I assume an album sucks when I have to go to fucking Youtube.com to listen to it. And yeah, it did.
This album is quite the mixed bag. A lot of great tracks and a lot of real stinkers too. Things feel very Abbey Road, with a lot of different attempts at experimental tracks. Some pay off, some don’t Fav tracks - I’d like that - Easter theatre - knights in shining karma - frivolous tonight - fruit nut Worst tracks - green man - your dictionary
A bit quirky and different, but still interesting. That said, I definitely prefer the earlier albums.
River of Orchids kicks this record off with such a cool track that the rest of the record doesn’t quite measure up to. Still, I get why XTC is on the list (in general).
This was fine. Some of the lyrics seemed childish
Another perfectly fine album. Not bad, not great.
Budget Beatles. Even at 49 minutes, it's too long. 2/5
So good you can't get a copy anywhere
The Beatles exist. There's no need for this bloated, boring record. 2 stars.
Never heard this before, and I liked it. I have heard of XTC - even have one song in my favorites list, but this isn't available on Spotify.
Never heard of this band, and almost skipped it because I don't like listening on YouTube. But I'm glad I listened, because this was fantastic.
I always liked XTCs 60s side, even if Oranges and Lemons reminds me of my A-Levels. I think this is even better produced and arranged though, and given it's clear, even blatant, Brian Wilson BB vibes, has to get the full score nod on the day he passed.
Not available on Spotify so marking as three stars
Pound shop White Album. Nice cover.
Don’t know why it gets any hate really, I guess the lack of streaming? But yeah just kinda an average album to me. Almost sounded like a worse version of some of the stuff the beach boys were doing in the mid 60s. Anyway 3 stars
Allegro, simpatico.
"English rock band" isn't my favorite phrase, but we'll see how this is... UPDATE: Okay this was actually really nice! The songs were fantastical and whimsical, the instruments were impressive, the arrangements were fresh. I thought I would hate this but it came through.
Pretty annoying its not on tidal. Been a while since ive had that. But after a mild wrinkle this thing hits you like a ton of bricks. That first song is amazing. Its weird and kinda experimental. Then it settles in to something that isn't like the first song. Its still very good but I do feel slightly lied to. Bearly. Its just great pop. I had a damn good time with it. I wish it was more like the the opener but very good otherwise.
Not much to say about this
this lays to rest any question about whether or not this list was actually randomized because this was the second day in a row i got an XTC album. the first one i talked about how boringly mediocre it was and i can’t say the same about this one! unfortunately that’s because this one is outwardly bad. it’s at least interesting which the other one wasn’t but aside from some cool, big cinematic moments i didn’t like very much of it at all. just not enjoyable to listen to most of the time.
It’s a pain this isn’t on a more accessible streaming service, but still was a pretty fun listen. Got the psych-Beatles mixed with a Smile-era Brian Wilson sound, which was better than I expected. Some songs I really liked - Greenman was probably my highlight.. but some I really didn’t think much (Dictionary was corny and juvenile). Overall I enjoyed 3.5/5
While I like XTC, this one is not my thing.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Still, it came across as "ELO for elitist music geeks" (no offense). Obviously Beatlesque in its production, I kept my attention more than other stuff I've heard from XTC.
My senses were NOT working overtime listening to this.
This is pretentious. I don't think that's an inherently bad thing, as art can also get pretty pretentious while also still being able to make a point. This album does get to a point where the pretentiousness hurts it, though. Like it just goes a little too far without having a ton of qualities to justify that. I do really love the orchestration, though! I will always encourage and enjoy albums that include strings, woodwinds, or other orchestra instruments in their music. That ends up being the only major highlight for me, though. The rock instruments have a couple of good moments but mostly live in meh. The lyricism doesn't do anything for me specifically. His voice is fine, and, in the end, the pretentious attitude of the album ends up hurting it for me. Favorite Song(s): Easter Theater
Not showing up on Apple or on Spotify as playable; maybe it’s a location error? I live in the US. Edit: found on YouTube.
I’ve never listened to a full XTC album before so it was interesting dropping into their 13th with little context. This doesn’t sound like the 80s XTC I’m familiar with. I’ve always felt I should dive into their catalogue more deeply because of their influence on Britpop and post-punk revival (I feel like I say something like this every second album). Not sure if this is really representative of their other music but I’d definitely listen to more. This is a pretty record, full of Beatles-esque melodies and lush orchestration. At times it sounds like baroque twee pop I would sometimes listen to in the 2010s. This was made in 1999? It sounds out of time. Songs I liked: -Easter Theatre - pagan/Easter/pastoral is a musical niche I never thought of until now -Fruit Nut - lol I guess I like pastoral pop -Harvest Festival - I will excuse rhyming “festival” with “best of all” Not so good: -Your Dictionary - had to look this one up because it sounded out of place on this album. It’s a bitter post-divorce song… I could’ve done without this juvenile spelling exercise.
I was a fan of XTC going into this album. I love Making Plans For Nigel. I own their greatest hits on vinyl. And for the first half of this album, I was very open to the direction they were going in… but then the song Greenman hit and they lost me. In 30 seconds my opinion soured like 3 month old milk that had been left on the surface of the sun. That song then proceeded to play for 5 and a half more minutes, which felt like an eternity. Then the Dictionary song hit and that was another piece of shit, but at least it had the curtesy to be only 3 minutes long, so I guess it was an improvement. I’m not sure if the rest of the album was as bad as those 2 tracks, but mentally I had checked out after those 9 minutes of hell. Why was the Greenman song so bad? I will get to that. Why was the dictionary song so bad? I’ll give you some lyrics and you can decide for yourself: “H-A-T-E Is that how you spell love in your dictionary? K-I-C-K Pronounced as kind F-U-C-K Is that how you spell friend in your dictionary? Black on black A guidebook for the blind” And that’s only verse one. I rest my case. This album did have some promise though. And I did enjoy the first 5 tracks overall. In general, it has a really intriguing mix of time periods. This is an 80s new wave band writing songs that are a mix of Pet sounds-era Beach Boys and late Beatles McCartney (think Maxwell’s Silver Hammer or Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da or When I’m Sixty-Four) with a glossy 90s production style. I love all of those things, except for the production. I wouldn’t say any of the first 5 tracks were spectacular, but they were fun, weird, a little catchy. There was variety and some cinematic string work. I wasn’t mad at it. I was intrigued. I will say though the production style didn’t do even the best songs any favours. When you filter off-brand beach boys and the Beatles through that production, turns out you get something that borders on adult contemporary. I think a shaggier 60s/70s psychedelic rock production would do these songs a lot of good. So anyways I’m bopping along, having a good time, minding my own business and then fucking Greenman hits and my world was flipped turned upside down. It validated my Beatles comparison in the worst way. It feels like XTC are really into those Beatles songs with the Indian music influences, think Norwegian wood, Within you without you and tomorrow never knows. And they thought to themselves “we can totally pull that off in the late 90s” and boy were they wrong. What an ugly, never-ending, boring, cheesy mess of a track that’s borderline cultural appropriation. Sure you could argue the Beatles also appropriated Indian culture but at least they had the decency to turn it into great fucking songs. This track is an abomination. It’s embarrassing. Once it was over and the dictionary song was done, I sorta blacked out the rest of the album. I was done with it. I don’t know if it was good. And I didn’t give this album a second listen. And I likely never will. I’m gonna pretend XTC broke up at the end of the 80s and live in that version of reality… where this thing doesn’t exist.
..
XTC – Apple Venus, Volume 1 – 4/5 I’ll call this a light four. Not something I’m dying to come back to, but there were enough cool moments to make it worth it. It leans more on the orchestral, softer side, which isn’t always my thing, but it worked more often than not. “Knights in Shining Karma” was really good, and “Greenman” had a cool vibe to it. “Your Dictionary” was funny and sad at the same time, which caught me off guard in a good way. “Fruit Nut” and “I Can’t Own Her” were solid too, and “The Last Balloon” was an interesting closer that kind of drifts out instead of ending with a punch. Not a must listen for me, but definitely better than I expected. Favorite Song: “Your Dictionary”
2.5.
It feels weird to say, but I really enjoyed the mixing and mastering of this album. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 1/5
Not available.
Since this wasn't available on my streaming service, I listened to dabs of this on Youtube. It sounded like a more experimental version of earlier XTC with a touch of Beatles. Well, more specifically, like the Beatles songs written by Ringo.
This was... different. I had to listen to this a couple of times to shift into the mood it was creating, and then it came into its own.
Wow! What a brilliant collection of eccentric, eclectic music. Sooo different. Bet all the Yanks on here don't get it and vote it down, as they understand music even less than tariffs.
Favorite track: Easter Theatre. Overall score: 6,3/10