XTC took full advantage of their studio-bound status with The Big Express, creating their most painstakingly detailed, multi-layered, sonically dynamic album to date.
The more upbeat material and brighter sound recall some of the band's earlier moments, but most of all, The Big Express signals a turning point for the band, setting the blueprint for their later approach -- a combination of studio perfection matched with impeccable songcraft that results in a thoroughly consistent and enjoyable album beginning to end.
Skylarking, the album that followed, gets much more glory, and certainly its impact was greater (this one was virtually ignored), but really, The Big Express covers much of the same territory and is just as strong an album in many ways.
[Three songs were added to the middle of the CD reissue -- "Red Brick Dream," "Washaway," and "Blue Overall" -- but they fit seamlessly into the complete picture.].
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake UpColin Moulding | XTC | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | All You Pretty GirlsAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | Shake You Donkey UpAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss HerAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | This World OverAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:36 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 6 | Red Brick DreamAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 02:01 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 7 | The Everyday Story of SmalltownAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | I Bought Myself a LiarbirdAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | I Remember the SunColin Moulding | XTC | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | Train Running Low on Soul CoalAndy Partridge | XTC | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 39 mins | 89 MB | |||||
| 39 mins | 233 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ken Ansell | Design |
| 2 | Matt Barry | Assistant Engineer |
| 3 | Gavin Cochrane | Photography |
| 4 | Stuart Gordon | Viola, Violin |
| 5 | David Gregory | Guitar (Electric), Mellotron, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 6 | Annie Huchrak | Choir/Chorus |
| 7 | David Lord | Engineer, Mixing, Producer, Vocal Arrangement |
| 8 | Colin Moulding | Composer, Guitar (Bass), Vocals |
| 9 | Andy Partridge | Composer, Design, Drums, Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Vocals |
| 10 | Peter Phipps | Drums |
| 11 | Steve Saunders | Euphonium |
| 12 | Phil Thornalley | Mixing |
| 13 | Glenn Tommey | Engineer |
| 14 | Ben Turner | Digital Mastering |
| 15 | 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). |