Disco de XTC: “Upsy Daisy Assortment”

XTC's music is full of great writing, arranging, playing, witty lyrics, and pristine production. Pop music with an attitude. This "sweetest hits" collection, drawing from eight studio releases between 1979 and 1992, would be a good introduction if you don't want to buy (my opinion) their essential studio albums ("White Music", "English Settlement", "Skylarking", "Oranges and Lemons"). The issues I have with this release is there is not one song represented from their first two releases, and like any fan, the songs selected are not exactly what I would pick.

Previous reviewers have pointed out, the lyrics to "Respectable Street" on this disc are altered. The words changed were... abortion to absorption, contraception to child perfection?, and sex position to proposition. If these words are so offensive, another tune should have been selected so the artist's lyrics stay intact. Why butcher the artist's vision? It's puzzling that the bold lyrics of "Dear God" were not changed, but the lyrics above were. Nevertheless, this is a fair compilation from an awesome band.

Boy oh boy, can't you feel the anticipation for the next XTC tour...since we've all been waiting -years- for the label dispute to be over. Until then, pick up Upsy-Daisy, because it's an honestly Best Of album.

Plus, the recordings are really good-clean and scratch free. The levels are all even too, making the bass and treble balance perfect (essential in songs like Seagulls Screaming...).

It's a shame that XTC got a bit of blacklisting from people misunderstanding their USA wide-release of Dear God-some people don't really think about lyrics anymore. They are a fantastic pop/rock band, bubblegum that actually sticks, guilt-free listening on every track. Again, another album that rewards you for actually thinking about life. And then it rewards you for just having fun.

As with all collections, there will be "what's here and what's not" arguments, but overall this is a great bunch of "XTC" songs for any fan. It includes the early tracks "Generals and Majors", "Senses Working Overtime", and "Making Plans For Nigel", which "Primus" covered on "Miscellaneous Debris". Plus the later tracks "Mayor Of Simpleton", "King For A Day", and "Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead", which "Crash Test Dummies" covered on the "Dumb And Dumber" soundtrack. Also here is "Dear God", which turns up alot on 80's radio. If you enjoy smart alt-pop, or someone like "Elvis Costello", you'll enjoy "Upsy Daisy Assortment".

This is the album that introduced me to the wonder that is XTC, and it could easily do the same for someone else. All of the greatest hits from the Dave Gregory years (i.e., Drums and Wires through Nonsuch) are here, from "Making Plans For Nigel" (not the first track on here, but the band's first real hit) through "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead." Someone not very familiar with the band can get a good overview of their style, which ranges from the rocking ("Funk Pop A Roll" and "Respectable Street") to the chaotic ("Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her") to the just plain beautiful ("Senses Working Overtime"). The problem with this album is that, if you decide to get XTC's regular albums, this collection won't be all that useful to you anymore, as there isn't anything here that isn't on the studio albums, and the songs are almost always better in context. Also, it is a shame that the makers of this compilation decided to use the single versions of "Respectable Street" and "Senses Working Overtime," rather than the superior album versions. Still, these are minor complaints. If you don't know much about XTC, use this album to find out what all the fuss is about.

This is an excellent compilation. But the running order of the tracks is different from that listed on the cd cover. The correct running order is:

MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL, LIFE BEGINS AT THE HOP, THIS WORLD OVER, SEAGULLS SCREAMING KISS HER KISS HER, GENERALS & MAJORS, RESPECTABLE STREET, SENSES WORKING OVERTIME, NO THUGS IN OUR HOUSE, BALL AND CHAIN, LOVE ON A FARMBOYS WAGES, FUNK POP A ROLL, DEAR GOD, GRASS, EARN ENOUGH FOR US, THE MAYOR OF SIMPLETON, CHALKHILLS AND CHILDREN, KING FOR A DAY, THE BALLAD OF PETER PUMPKINHEAD, THE DISAPPOINTED.

When I first played this cd, I thought I'd pressed the "Random" button by mistake. Perhaps this is only a problem with later pressings?