English Settlement (studio album) by XTC
Condition: Used
Condition: Used
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 371 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 4,682.
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English Settlement track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
English Settlement rankings
Latest 20 charts that this album appears in:
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English Settlement collection
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English Settlement ratings

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 350 ratings for this album.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
75/100 ![]() | 02/03/2025 14:15 | mids | ![]() | 80/100 |
70/100 ![]() | 01/29/2025 23:59 | jnmayles | ![]() | 73/100 |
75/100 ![]() | 01/21/2025 15:45 | Jantje | ![]() | 76/100 |
70/100 ![]() | 01/06/2025 18:56 | dukeboxkool | ![]() | 73/100 |
65/100 ![]() | 12/09/2024 11:12 | JamesMowbray | ![]() | 70/100 |
Rating metrics:
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 78.9/100, a mean average of 77.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.0.
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English Settlement favourites
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English Settlement comments
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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!
Nice album, the first couple of tracks are really exciting and then it goes downhill for me.

Bit topheavy. Has good singles but overall isn’t super great.
XTC sing about Brexit.
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).

An album I have no hesitancy rating a "100". Good job, guys. You earned it.
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.
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.

What is timtooky even talking about?

Solid release. Maybe my favorite XTC album.
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