Customer Reviews

Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-1992

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sucessful or not, Xtc's output of singles between 1977 and 1992 were most impressive. Unlike lots of bands from the 70's and 80's, Xtc grew with each successive album carving a unique musical niche for themselves. Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding also helped relaunch a return to great songwriting.

The selection is based solely around what was released as a single in the UK and rarely does the album include more than 3 tracks from each album. Partidge's and Moulding's songwriting styles mesh amazing well on this 2 CD set.

So what's different about this import vs. Upsy Daisy Assortment (the US single disc counterpart)and Waxworks? The booklet includes all the song lyrics (and they're almost legible!). This set also includes about 14 more songs than the Geffen version. The sequencing is better here (based on date of release for both album and single) as well.

The sound quality blows away the previously issued best of collections (Waxworks and Compact Xtc)and for many of the tracks (particularly those from Mummer and Skylarking) sound better than those released on the original CDs (they don't match the sound quality on the MFS Gold discs that are currently out of print though).

All in all a great package with only one flaw--at around 106 minutes this could have been rounded up to include a couple of b sides as well (such as Down a Peg or The Good Things) that appeared on the band's CD singles. This would have given a further incentive for the fan to purchase this fine collection. A couple of unreleased tracks (like the live tracks on the Japanese only Ultimate Collection CD) would also have sweetened the deal. Regardless of these shortcomings, this is a terrific disc and a great place to become acquainted with the band.

XTC have always had a solid Canadian fan base and as someone who came to love them during my university years, their classic albums have always, in one way, shape or form been with me. That said, I welcomed the release of FOSSIL FUEL with open arms and knew that (for space limitations) it was time to say goodbye to those old LPs. Hardcore fans of the group may want the thing for its collectible value (initial UK pressings featured an embossed snail's shell as the actual CD cover)or as a great "mixed hits" car CD. But people who came to the group via APPLE VENUS should definitely try and find this set. Canadian XTC albums fall under EMI distribution (and appear on Virgin, the band's UK label for most of its career)and have all been readily available for years. FOSSIL FUEL, however, is a solid anthology and worth its weight in gold.

A nice "sampler" for newer XTC fans who would like to follow the maturation process. Covers the spectrum of "hits" while giving an overview of their catalogue. Still, would recommend the purchase of Black Sea, English Settlement, Skylarking, and Oranges & Lemons prior to this gem.

I was glad to find this album by chance at a local music store in NJ. I was planning a day trip to NYC at the time and needed to hear "Statue of Liberty" before I went. After listening to the whole thing, it struck me as a really good intro to XTC's work--much better than the one-disc "Greatest Hits" package available in the US. Although it lacks many of my favorate songs (like their rendition of "All Along The Watchtower" and "Roads Girdle the Globe"), I don't own a lot of the middle albums so I was glad to get the "best" stuff from them for my collection.

In short, pick this up if you can afford it. It's got a wide enough range of material to please just about everyone.

"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. 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.

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.

Let’s face it â€" guitars are here to stay, and guitar pop is showing no signs of going quietly into that good night. So fans being raised on Strokes, Travis, Coldplay etc. are hereby advised to check out Britain’s best guitarpop ever, with perhaps the exception of the Smiths. This is as good a place to start as any. With the singles. A peach every one.
I really wish more people would give XTC a try. Fans of Britpop Elvis Costello, Squeeze, etc. will find plenty to cheer about. XTC have always been considered just a bit too quirky for mainstream consumption, hence their relative anonymity. But let’s face it, no one does â€~quirky’ quite like the English, and no English band does quirky quite as well as XTC.
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It's a mystery to me why XTC never had any widespread success. This is a band that truly deserved a wider audience. There only U.S. hit, "Mayor of Simpleton," peaked at a modest No. 72. [It was taken from the 1989 LP Oranges & Lemons.] In their native England they fared little better; most of their singles barely crawled out of the bottom half of the Top 40. Their lone Top Ten single in the U.K. was 1982's "Senses Working Overtime." XTC's music is infectious, melodic and quirky. If you're not interested in seeking out their individual albums, this is the one disc to own. [Although I would highly recommend Skylarking and the aforementioned Oranges & Lemons.] The only real downside to this collection is the accompanying 16-page booklet. The centerfold replicates many of the picture sleeves from the singles, but the remainder of the booklet is merely the printed lyrics of all the songs. It's a nice touch, but there is no band history, no pictures of the band (although they are somewhat reclusive and have never appeared on an album cover to my knowledge), and there's no discography or mention of which album each song came from or when it was released. The band has released only two studio albums since this anthology was compiled, so it represents a solid overview of the band's entire career--with the exception of their two releases by their psychedelic alter-egos The Dukes of Stratosphear. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

What have we got here then? let me tell you, 31 tracks of imaginative, energetic, addictive poprock with intelligent lyrics, that's what.
The first CD I've bought for three years. 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!
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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
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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.)

This release contains EVERY single XTC released on their beloved (arf arf) Virgin Records between 1977 - 1992. From Barry's finger on "Science Friction" to the woefully withdrawn "Wrapped In Grey" single. Purposeful, but incomplete, collections prior to this (the very cool Waxworks/Beeswax set, the poorly compiled The Compact XTC, and the almost obligitory in it's existence Upsy-Daisy Assortment) are seemingly rather unnecessary next to this. It contains all of the hits, near hits, and should've-been-hits. It also contains all of the Terry Chambers singles (his last being the gently psychedelic "Wonderland"). Considering the genuine quality, quantity and diveristy of the material this would make a great introduction to XTC. And for old fans : a great collection to reflect upon the awesomeness of XTC. Highly recommended!

All I can say is the purchase of this compilation will save you a hundred dollars and and with few (notable) exceptions give you all of the best from a 15 year run of incredible music. Consider yourself lucky to have this opportunity to score this set. I have all the discs and relish them frequently. The song writing and rhythyms are supreme. Too bad...stage fright (or something) kept them from touring or they could have been REM. Along with the Stranglers...they are the best kept mainstream secret from this era.