Waxworks and Fossil Fuels

After listening through all their albums this month, I still think that the best introduction to XTC is one of their singles collections, like Waxworks or The Compact XTC or Upsy Daisy Assortment or Fossil Fuel. Nearly all of XTC's best songs were released as singles, so listening to a best-of collection is a nice way to get everything in one place.

My first XTC purchase was Waxworks: Some Singles 1977-1982, which collects nearly all of their singles thru English Settlement (with the notable exception of "Respectable Street"). It was a good introduction to the band, but was replaced in the CD age by The Compact XTC which expanded the set with six more singles from Mummer and The Big Express (but still no "Respectable Street").

Ten years later, Virgin put out a two disc set of all their singles for that label called Fossil Fuel, which replaced the others. This was condensed for the U.S. market to a single disc set called Upsy Daisy Assortment, which has nothing before Drums And Wires and includes notable album tracks like "Funk Pop And Roll" and "Earn Enough For Us" that were never released as singles.

Right now, I think Fossil Fuel is the one to get, which is lucky because it seems to be the only one that's currently in print. It includes nearly ever XTC song I feel like playing at any given point, and surpasses every other greatest hits album, but it's still weird to hear "Grass" by itself without "Summer's Cauldron" before it.