Disco de XTC: “Nonsuch”

after reading all the reviews on nonsuch , i cant believe anyone would have a negative thing to say about this beautifull collection of soul relaxing songs . i must admitt this was my first xtc disc ,i bought it when it came out gave it a listen or two and it collected dust for years , thats because like others who had negative comments , i didnt give this eclectic, interesting work of art enough time or plays to realize what a jewel of a band i had stumbled upon . since disovering xtc i have become a huge fan,cant say a bad thing about the english thugs , for the exception that some of the earlier stuff might be a little too punkish for me , but then again maybe all i need to do is listen a little harder before judging so quickly , I feel the same way about apple venus volume 1 and i am presently awaiting the release of 2 , i am sorry to hear that the guitarest wont be joining him , i think its a great loss to the band and i heard andy partridge was going to take on most or all of the guitar work on that disk , well for the price nonsuch is one of the best musical bargins you will ever find , buy buy buy

It's an absolute shame that XTC has not enjoyed more success throughout their career because there are very few "pop" bands that put together a run of smart, well crafted pop albums as XTC has done beginning with Skylarking and extending through this album, Nonsuch. While the albums during this run are strong, mature efforts Nonsuch ends up being the best of the lot in my book, just beating out the lush, introspective Skylarking effort and the quirky, upbeat Oranges and Lemons. The album opens with the very strong Peter Pumpkin Head and moves into the requisite Moulding track 2, My Bird Performs and it isn't until we get to "The Smartest Monkey" that we have a bit of a letdown. And even on that track there are some redeeming facets like Dave's guitar work.

After you get through that track you get to arguably 4 of the best pop songs back to back than I can recall on any album. The Disappointed is one of Andy's best efforts on any album since or after and it only takes a listen or two to understand why. This song segues into Holly Up which is a very nice piece and this leads into Crocodile, another very strong piece. This quartet ends in the very haunting, introspective Rook which is soulful, sad and beautiful, all at once. The final set of songs have a few clunkers (Omnibus, Bungalow) a few brilliant pieces (Wrapped in Grey/Ugly Underneath) and ends a strong song with a great message, Books are burning.

I've called this a "pop" album which at least in mind, usually indicates a cookie cutter verse-chorus-verse-chorus type of structure, but in this case I use the term to indicate how accessible the music is for anyone to enjoy. Pretty much anyone can and will enjoy this album and I'd highly recommend that if you haven't given XTC a chance before, this is a great place to begin.

Nonsuch is XTC's most ambitious and orchestrated album. I would hazard to guess that both Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory were listening quite a bit to such sixties pop uber menchen as the Zombies, The Beatles and most probably Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame during the writing and recording. The tunes on Nonsuch call to mind the complex arrangements, jazzy melodies and gorgeous vocal harmonies of those three bands except run through an unmistakable XTC filter. Not before or since have the boys put an album together that was as lyrically and musically sophisticated. Nonsuch's collection of moving, and clever tunes are for the most part gorgeous pop tempered with a brooding, almost jazzy quality. Unlike their previous and excellent album Oranges And Lemons it steers away from guitar oriented pop/rock and goes for a lusher, orchestrated sound that is more akin to their Skylarking album. There are some exceptions: Then She Appeared is a truly delightful and uplifting guitar based pop song and then there's the "hit" Peter Pumpkinhead which sounds much closer to English Settlement than Skylarking. On Nonsuch Andy Partridge writes some of the most beautiful songs of his career such as the haunting Rook or the charming Holly Up On Poppy, Andy's ode to his daughter riding her hobbyhorse. Bassist Colin Moulding contributes the excellent My Bird Performs and the delightfully cynical The Smartest Monkeys. His only miss is the truly excreble Bungalow. I can't figure out if Colin is serious about looking back on a nostalgic bit of English culture, the seaside bungalow, or if he's mocking the whole thing. In any case it is the absolute worst song he ever wrote and XTC ever released. But one bad song among so many good ones is forgivable. Overall Nonsuch has a charming, lush, jazzy, yet almost baroque quality, and is a later period XTC masterpiece. The last truly great album from this amazing band.

When I first bought this album I knew I'd like it for Peter Pumpkinhead, but I found it to be a tedious and heady listen. The songs were so sweet and poppy I felt like I needed an aspirin. But as I took the time to read along with the songs in the brilliantly stylized medieval-esque lyric book I became fond of all 17.

1.The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead - Partridge casts JFK as an historical archetype. A sweet n' sour happy song with a nice harmonica riff, crisp guitar, and big drums. Profound and inspiring.

Short review to highlight XTC's excellent achievement on this record. Despite the melodies flowing oh so easily and the production silky and engrossing, this album was quite difficult to get into. Theres lots of tracks and each one follows a different scheme, 'Peter Pumpkinhead' and 'Then she appeared' are among the most melodic things I've ever heard, 'Wrapped in Grey', 'Books are burning' more thoughtful, 'Rook' and 'Holly up on Poppy' swirls of gorgeous, dense psychedelia. But XTC bring it all together and careful listening reveals an absolute TRUCKLOAD of nuances, subtle instrumental ideas and well conceived intentions. A dense, sprawling masterwork which, on finally coming to appreciate, i am forced to liken to finding a treasure trove full of beer and candy after a deadly trip to the bottom of the ocean.....worth buying anyway, this band is unstoppable!