English Settlement

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Chicago Tribune	^[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]
Pitchfork	10/10^[4]
Q	^[5]
Rolling Stone	^[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[7]
Smash Hits	8.5/10^[8]
The Village Voice	B+^[9]

English Settlement is the fifth studio album by the English band XTC, released on 12 February 1982. The album reached No. 5 on the UK Album Chart and No. 48 on the Billboard 200 album chart.^[10] The lyrics are largely political and often feature critiques of the British people and their ways of life.

Album information

The Uffington White Horse.

The cover design is based upon the Uffington White Horse in southwest Oxfordshire, which is about 8 miles east of Swindon, Wiltshire, XTC's home town.

The album spawned three UK singles: "Senses Working Overtime" (released on 8 January 1982 and reaching No. 10 on the UK singles chart); "Ball And Chain" (released 26 February 1982 and reaching No. 58 on the UK singles chart); and "No Thugs in Our House" (released 14 May 1982).

The album was previewed with a live performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test program in January where they performed "Yacht Dance" (their only performance of the song) and "No Thugs In Our House". They also made a live appearance on The Oxford Road Show performing "Snowman", "Ball and Chain" and "Jason and the Argonauts". The song "English Roundabout" was inspired by a Swindon landmark known as The Magic Roundabout. This song is a rare example of popular music written in the unusual 5/4 time signature.

The band made promotional videos for "Senses Working Overtime", "No Thugs in Our House", "All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)" and "Ball and Chain".

The drums on the The New Radicals Debut album's Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too title track were sampled from the XTC song 'All of a Sudden' (from their English Settlement album). According to XTC's songwriter Andy Partridge, "the sample was used without permission" and the band and its record company eventually received £70,000 (K-Smacked) in compensation for its use.

Only nine full shows were performed on the proposed 1982 English Settlement World Tour due to Partridge's collapsing at Le Palace in Paris, France on 18 March (during the first song in their set) and subsequent breakdown after their performance at The California Theatre, San Diego, California, U.S.A. on 3 April. This would prove to be XTC's last show as a touring band.

English Settlement is the last XTC album recorded while Terry Chambers was still a full member, although Chambers did appear on a few tracks of Mummer. The band's retirement from the road, caused by Partridge's nervous breakdown, meant that he could no longer make money as the band's drummer, only as a guest performer.

English Settlement is XTC's longest studio album, as well as the band's first double album. Despite being well short of the industry red book requirement of a maximum 74:33 playing time for CDs, the first pressings of the CD edition removed the tracks "Leisure" and "Down In The Cockpit", with no explanation given. All later CD remasters restore the entire album.

Track listing

UK LP: V 2223

Side 1
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Runaways"	Colin Moulding	4:34
2.	"Ball and Chain"	Colin Moulding	4:32
3.	"Senses Working Overtime"	Andy Partridge	4:50
4.	"Jason and the Argonauts"	Andy Partridge	6:07

Side 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"No Thugs in Our House"	Andy Partridge	5:09
2.	"Yacht Dance"	Andy Partridge	3:56
3.	"All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)"	Andy Partridge	5:21

Side 3
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Melt the Guns"	Andy Partridge	6:34
2.	"Leisure"	Andy Partridge	5:02
3.	"It's Nearly Africa"	Andy Partridge	3:55
4.	"Knuckle Down"	Andy Partridge	4:28

Side 4
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Fly on the Wall"	Colin Moulding	3:19
2.	"Down in the Cockpit"	Andy Partridge	5:27
3.	"English Roundabout"	Colin Moulding	3:59
4.	"Snowman"	Andy Partridge	5:03

Initial U.S. and Canadian track listing

A 1-LP version was initially released in the United States on Epic Records and in Canada on Virgin Records. Five songs were removed for this release ("Yacht Dance" 3:56, "Leisure" 5:32, "Knuckle Down" 4:28, "Fly on the Wall" 3:19, "Down in the Cockpit" 5:27).

Side 1

"Runaways" (Moulding)
"Ball and Chain" (Moulding)
"Senses Working Overtime"
"Jason and the Argonauts"
"Snowman"

Side 2

"Melt the Guns"
"No Thugs in Our House"
"It's Nearly Africa"
"English Roundabout" (Moulding)
"All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)"

1-LP worldwide version

Released in much of the world in 1982.

Side 1

"Runaways" (Moulding)
"Ball and Chain" (Moulding)
"Senses Working Overtime"
"Jason and the Argonauts"
"Snowman"

Side 2

"Melt the Guns"
"No Thugs in Our House"
"Yacht Dance"
"English Roundabout" (Moulding)
"All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)"

Personnel

Colin Moulding - lead vocals, backing vocals, fretless bass, Fender bass, mini-Korg, piano, percussion
Andy Partridge - lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitar, semi-acoustic electric 12-string guitar, semi-acoustic electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mini-Korg, Prophet V, anklung, alto sax, percussion, frog
Dave Gregory - electric 12-string guitar, electric guitars, nylon-string Spanish guitar, semi-acoustic electric 12-string guitar, Prophet V, mini-Korg, backing vocals, percussion, piano
Terry Chambers - drums, drum synthesiser, percussion, backing vocals

with:

Hugh Padgham - backing vocals on "Ball and Chain"
Hans de Vente - backing vocals on "It's Nearly Africa"

References

↑ Woodstra, Chris. "English Settlement – XTC". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
↑ Kot, Greg (3 May 1992). "The XTC Legacy: An Appraisal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
↑ Dahlen, Chris. "XTC: Go 2 / Black Sea / English Settlement". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 4 June 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
↑ Harrison, Andrew. "XTC: English Settlement". Q. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
↑ Puterbaugh, Parke (29 April 1982). "XTC: English Settlement". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 April 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 890–92. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
↑ Hepworth, David (4–17 February 1982). "Albums". Smash Hits: 17.
↑ Christgau, Robert (6 July 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
↑ English Settlement Chart & Awards - Billboard Albums

XTC

Andy Partridge Colin Moulding Barry Andrews Terry Chambers Dave Gregory

Studio albums	White Music Go 2 Drums and Wires Black Sea English Settlement Mummer The Big Express 25 O'Clock Skylarking Psonic Psunspot Oranges & Lemons Nonsuch Apple Venus Volume 1 Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)

EP	3D - EP

Live album	BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert

Compilations	Waxworks: Some Singles 1977–1982 Beeswax: Some B-Sides 1977–1982 The Compact XTC Chips from the Chocolate Fireball Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80 Rag and Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts and Leftovers Drums and Wireless: BBC Radio Sessions 77–89 Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977–92 Upsy Daisy Assortment Transistor Blast: The Best of the BBC Sessions

Box sets	Coat of Many Cupboards Apple Box

Demos Remixes	Homespun Homegrown Instruvenus Waspstrumental

Singles	"Science Friction" "Statue of Liberty" "This Is Pop?" "Are You Receiving Me?" "Life Begins at the Hop" "Making Plans for Nigel" "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" "Generals and Majors" "Towers of London" "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" "Senses Working Overtime" "Wonderland" "Dear God" "Mayor of Simpleton" "King for a Day" "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead"

Related articles	Discography The Dukes of Stratosphear Urgh! A Music War A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC Fuzzy Warbles Take Away / The Lure of Salvage

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.