Andy Partridge's discovery of the 12-string guitar set the tone for English Settlement, an album that moved away from the pop gloss of Black Sea in favor of lighter, though still rhythmically heavy, acoustic numbers with more complex and intricate instrumentation.
There are plenty of pop gems -- "Senses Working Overtime" stands as one of their finest songs -- but the main focus seems to be the more expansive sound; most of the songs are drawn out to near-epic length, ultimately taking some of the impact of the songs away.
Despite several terrific tracks, English Settlement seems more a transitional album than anything else, although the textural sound of the album is quite remarkable, indicating the direction they would take in their post-touring incarnation.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RunawaysColin Moulding | XTC | Play | 04:33 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | Ball and ChainColin Moulding | XTC | Play | 04:32 | 0 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | Senses Working OvertimeAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 04:51 | 0 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | No Thugs in Our HouseAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:09 | 0 MB | 36 MB |
| 5 | All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)Andy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:22 | 0 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | Jason and the ArgonautsAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 06:09 | 0 MB | 42 MB |
| 7 | Fly on the WallColin Moulding | XTC | Play | 03:17 | 0 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | Melt the GunsAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 06:34 | 0 MB | 39 MB |
| 9 | LeisureAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:02 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | It's Nearly AfricaAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 03:55 | 0 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | Knuckle DownAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 04:28 | 0 MB | 28 MB |
| 12 | Down in the CockpitAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:27 | 0 MB | 32 MB |
| 13 | English RoundaboutColin Moulding | XTC | Play | 03:49 | 0 MB | 23 MB |
| 14 | SnowmanAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:11 | 0 MB | 35 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 68 mins | 434 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ken Ansell | Artwork |
| 2 | Allan Ballard | Photography |
| 3 | Terry Chambers | Drums |
| 4 | Ian Cooper | Digital Remastering |
| 5 | Dave | Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Nylon String), Percussion, Prophet 5, Spanish Guitar, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Hans Devente | Vocals |
| 7 | Trans DeVente | Guest Artist, Vocal Support |
| 8 | Art Dragon | Illustrations |
| 9 | Howard Gray | Assistant |
| 10 | David Gregory | Fuzz Guitar, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Korg Synthesizer, Piano |
| 11 | Colin Moulding | Bass, Composer, Fretless Bass, Korg Synthesizer, Percussion, Piano, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Hugh Padgham | Engineer, Mixing, Producer, Vocals, Vocal Support |
| 13 | Andy Partridge | Angklung, Animal Sounds, Brass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Korg Synthesizer, Percussion, Prophet 5, Sax (Alto), Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | XTC | Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |