English Settlement
by XTC

English Settlement by XTC
Year: 1982
Release date: 1982-02-12
Overall rank: 1,106th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 358 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1982 (16th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (169th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,106th)

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Product Details
Availability

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eBay
XTC "English Settlement" LP Vinyl Epic Records (ARE 37943) 1982 ☆ EX ☆ CLEAN
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
English Settlement by XTC (CD, 2002)
Condition: Like New


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eBay
Rock XTC - English Settlement Epic, Virgin
Condition: Used


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XTC bestography

English Settlement is ranked 2nd best out of 30 albums by XTC on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by XTC is Skylarking which is ranked number 384 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 4,383.

XTC album bestography « Higher ranked (384th)
Skylarking
This album (1,106th)
English Settlement
Lower ranked (1,106th) »
English Settlement

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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English Settlement track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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#
Track
Rating/Comments
3.
Track pick (870 - 113 votes)
Average Rating: 87 (113 votes)Comments: View 0

Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

English Settlement rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,106th | 1980s rank: 169th | 1982 rank: 16th
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 AAL2014Top 48 Music Albums of 198213/484
2026SkernsTop 85 Music Albums of 19824/855
2026 Patman360Top 98 Music Albums of 198224/984
2026joathomeTop 43 Music Albums of 19828/434
2026sunnydhammTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s29/10014
2026 JMGL95Top 33 Music Albums of 198219/332
2026pinkfreud1981Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s40/10012
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198213/1004
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s67/1007
2026Juneof44Top 50 Music Albums of 198224/503
2026saltysurpriseTop 54 Music Albums of 198217/544
2026MasterOfPuppetsTop 22 Music Albums of 198218/221
2026 flamingyesdeptBest Years for Music10/38 -
2026JohnnyoAlbums of the year 1982 by Ultimate Record Collector36/54 -
2026UntitledTop 25 Music Albums of 198221/251
2026matterhornriderTop 58 Music Albums of 198210/584
2026 imacgillTop 100 Music Albums of 198210/1005
2026 ssteveTop 25 Music Albums of 198217/252
2026LittleM1971Top 86 Music Albums of 198220/864
2026SkernsTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s20/10016
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 298
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 1,565
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

English Settlement collection

English Settlement ratings

Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 358 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 358 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
 
01/25/2026 11:54 Untitled  Ratings distribution  1,67077/100
 
65/100
 
01/15/2026 00:37 This_is_handsome  Ratings distribution  76979/100
 
65/100
 
01/07/2026 11:43 bjorndedrij  Ratings distribution  13762/100
 
50/100
 
01/01/2026 04:45 brent13  Ratings distribution  1,90468/100
 
100/100
 
12/19/2025 23:18 Devilwoac  Ratings distribution  78996/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.7/100, a mean average of 77.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.0.

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English Settlement comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 15 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 10/18/2024 16:23 | #305704
A relaxing listen. There are some choruses that are somewhat memorable, but the songs (on the whole) don't really develop enough, rendering them, though enjoyable, pretty repetitive. Still a well-performed album to pass the time. 8.5/10!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 09/16/2022 13:21 | #289713
Nice album, the first couple of tracks are really exciting and then it goes downhill for me.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 08/05/2021 03:37 | #272267
Bit topheavy. Has good singles but overall isn’t super great.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 07/04/2018 19:28 | #217767
XTC sing about Brexit.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/29/2018 14:57 | #206762
I like it, but it isn't one of my favourite XTC albums. I still score it a good 80, but I feel there are three or four tracks that don't seem to be of their normal standard. Having said that even with them removed I don't think it would be scoring any higher as a single album (rather than a double).
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 03/04/2017 05:07 | #186783
An album I have no hesitancy rating a "100". Good job, guys. You earned it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/12/2017 12:58 | #182359
English Settlement marked the end of an era for XTC. It was the last album they ever performed live and the last to feature long time drummer Terry Chambers. It was here that the band began their slow metamorphosis from Frankenstein Punk to Pastoral Pop. This oncoming identity crisis coupled with extreme recording restriction (26 songs in a mere 28 days!) resulted in a chaotic and oddly vulnerable record. Not every song is a winner, and the production is noticeably less polished than other efforts, but there's a certain magic about English Settlement and tracks like Senses Working Overtime, Knuckle Down and Yacht Dance remain some of the highlights of the bands career.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 10/27/2016 05:29 | #177527
This is an album that can really grow on you if you let it. The songs are catchy as hell and have the tendency to not leave your head after a while. Definitely my favorite XTC album that I've listened to so far.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/20/2016 03:33 | #166495
What is timtooky even talking about?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 05/30/2015 03:02 | #142670
Solid release. Maybe my favorite XTC album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1982
1. Thriller by Michael Jackson
2. The Dreaming by Kate Bush
3. The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden
4. Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen
5. Pornography by The Cure
6. 1999 by Prince
7. Avalon by Roxy Music
8. Rio by Duran Duran
9. Love Over Gold by Dire Straits
10. The Nightfly by Donald Fagen
11. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) by Simple Minds
12. Combat Rock by The Clash
13. Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
14. Peter Gabriel (1982) by Peter Gabriel
15. Big Science by Laurie Anderson
16. English Settlement by XTC
17. Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest
18. Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall
19. Bad Brains by Bad Brains
20. The Lexicon Of Love by ABC
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