Search - XTC :: Upsy Daisy Assortment (Selection of Sweetest Hits)

XTC
Upsy Daisy Assortment (Selection of Sweetest Hits)
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock

Track Listings (19) - Disc #1
1. Life Begins at the Hop - XTC, Moulding, Colin
2. Making Plans for Nigel - XTC, Moulding, Colin
3. Generals and Majors - XTC, Moulding, Colin
4. Respectable Street - XTC, Partridge, Andy
5. Senses Working Overtime - XTC, Partridge, Andy
6. Ball and Chain - XTC, Moulding, Colin
7. No Thugs in Our House - XTC, Partridge, Andy
8. Love on a Farmboy's Wages - XTC, Partridge, Andy
9. Funk Pop a Roll - XTC, Partridge, Andy
10. This World Over - XTC, Partridge, Andy
11. Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her - XTC, Partridge, Andy
12. Grass - XTC, Moulding, Colin
13. Dear God - XTC, Partridge, Andy
14. Earn Enough for Us - XTC, Partridge, Andy
15. The Mayor of Simpleton - XTC, Partridge, Andy
16. King for a Day - XTC, Moulding, Colin
17. Chalkhills and Children - XTC, Partridge, Andy
18. The Disappointed - XTC, Partridge, Andy
19. The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead - XTC, Partridge, Andy

CD Details

All Artists: XTC
Title: Upsy Daisy Assortment (Selection of Sweetest Hits)
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Geffen Records
Original Release Date: 6/17/1997
Release Date: 6/17/1997
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Styles: New Wave & Post-Punk, Adult Alternative
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 720642513729

Synopsis

Amazon.com

For the uninitiated, Upsy Daisy Assortment is a solid introduction to XTC (though the songs thrive best in each album's story-structure), but the compilation will probably feel weightier to those who remember when the band's mixture of cynical, biting lyrics and effervescent tunes was a relatively new concept. Musically, Upsy Daisy Assortment is pop, with styles ranging from stripped-down ooh-ah-ing '50s bubblegum in "Life Begins at the Hop," to the more jarring, jangly, quirky rock-pop of "Making Plans for Nigel," to Beatles-esque ballads like "The Mayor of Simpleton." But it's XTC's lyrics about class, politics, social restrictions, and the plight of the working class that make them seem like a punk band, even when they're at their sappiest. Andy Partridge's lyrics about an upwardly-mobile neighbor drunkenly retching over the undoubtedly white-picket fence a few hours before church ("Respectable Street"), crooned above sparkling melodies, seem so wrong that they're absolutely perfect. --Megan O. Steintrager

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Member CD Reviews

Robert R. (flicknife) from CHICAGO, IL
Reviewed on 3/27/2010...

Better than the other "best of".

CD Reviews

I can't complain, but I will

punkviper | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 08/14/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As great as this Best Of is, and it IS great, if you are really interested in hearing ALL the best stuff, you owe it to yourself to pick up the Fossil Fuel 2CD set via import. It has every song present here, plus more that are quite indispensable. I did buy this CD, and loved it. Then I heard people talking about the import 2CD version, and decided to lay down the sheckles for it. What I found was perfection! There are SO many songs as good as or better than what is present on Upsy Daisy. So measure your desire to hear all the best that XTC has to offer, and don't be surprised if you buy this and end up trading up to the superior Fossil Fuel 2CD set!"

Beginner's Primer to XTC

L. Carter | 04/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've come to XTC late, but, since being turned onto them a couple of months ago, I can say I'm not only hooked, I'm obsessed. As a result, I've been buying up every CD they've ever made, including this one, "Upsy Daisy Assortment." So far, in all my purchases, I have yet to be disappointed."Upsy" is a perfect CD for the beginning XTC lover. It takes the listener over the pop "transistor" hits ("Making Plans For Nigel", the scaled-down version of "Respectible Street" - for its original lyrics, see their album "Black Sea"), then introduces the ear to some of their more Beatle-esque works, which are equally brilliant ("Love On A Farmboy's Wages", "Grass"). In between are the controversial ("Dear God"), the flat-out rockers ("No Thugs In Our House") the sad and dreamy, exquisitely-crafted ballads ("This World Over") and the just plain "I've-Never-Heard-Anything-Like-This-Before" ("Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her").If you like this CD - and I can't see how you could fail to, particularly if you're as sick of what passes for well-crafted pop music these days as I am - move along to "Drums and Wires" and "Black Sea". And - of course - "English Settlement". Once you've gotten those under your belt, go exploring through the group's new boxed set, "Coat of Many Cupboards", which features 40+ alternate, rejected and rehersal versions of a broad spectrum of this band's musical legacy.The world needs more XTC."

Fair Compilation

WillieB | 07/07/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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.

"

Best way to start your obsession

MPS | Seattle, WA | 05/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

"XTC" ecstacy.

H3@+h | VT | 11/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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"."