The Best Record of 1989: Day 19
#29 XTC, Oranges and Lemons vs. #100 Pizzicato Five, On Her Majesty's Request
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at records from XTC & Pizzicato Five
Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I'd be occasionally writing some of these up.
I've started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There'll probably definitely be some typos.
Check 'em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.
KA—
Memphis can be a funny place to live if you're not from there. The traffic is like a video game; the people are either the nicest you'll ever meet or not, and so on. Living there briefly in the late '90s is something I've tried to memory-hole, but a few moments still stand out. One of which was an impossibly sunny day. The sort of day where you think nothing could make this even better…and then XTC's “King for a day" comes on the radio. And let me tell you, blasting this, windows down as I whizzed along on I-240 might be the highlight of my time living there.
"I don't know how to write a big hit song" is a funny line coming from someone like Andy Partridge. And it's true that he--and XTC-- haven't exactly dominated the charts, but that's more an indictment of our tastes than his skill. This is, after all, the band that gave us “Generals and Majors,” “Senses Working Overtime,” and “Making Plans for Nigel.” One of their biggest ("Dear God") is a B-side on a single that should've been a hit ("Grass"). Maybe they were too self-serious; maybe it was a timing issue.
All of that to say that by the time 1989 rolled around, I can't blame the band for saying “F it” and just making a fun record. Brian Wilson's passing has colored everything I'm listening to right now, but it seems clear to me that the band had been spending a lot of time steeped in the Beach Boys' discography. The sounds, the textures, and the lushness of it all scream Pet Sounds twenty years later. Even the cover is bright and gaudy—certainly compared to the band's other releases.
The knock on this record is that it's a handful of songs too long. That's a fair point, though I'd argue that its highs more than make up for its lows. And the lows aren't that bad- it's just that they're being held to impossibly high stands. “Mayor of Simpleton” and “The Loving” (written by Colin Moulding) are fantastic. Album closer “Chalkhills and Children” feels woozy and dreamy in equal parts. Like it's about to wilt in the Tennessee humidity. It's a last burst of quiet pop perfection and ends the record on a great note.
The line I began with is from “The Mayor of Simpleton,” a track many will tell you is pure pop perfection —and it is. It's stuffed to the gills with hooks and pop goodness—and it's not even the poppiest track on the record. That title belongs to “King for A Day” (another Moulding track). King For a Day is happy-go-lucky. It's bright and sunny- so much so that it comes dangerously close to treacly. It waltzes right up to the line but never crosses it. Instead, we get three and a half minutes of bliss. Enough so that it can even make city driving in Memphis seem okay.
How is it possible that something so effortlessly cool is in the same bracket challenge as Motley Crue? This was the band that your art school friend was tipped off to during a stint as an exchange student. It's the perfect blend of city pop, jazz, swagger, and Burt Bacharach. There are horns. Synths for days. Timpanis, for god's sake! "Bellissima 90" practically commands you to strut down the block.
Pizzicato Five maintains some of this cachet simply by making it hard to find their work. For example, most of their discography isn't available on streaming services; your best bet is YouTube. Even then, the song titles are often in Japanese, which isn't awesome if you can't read it. On the one hand, this sucks, as this record is a gateway to what their next few would sound like. On the other, clear those hurdles, and man! You are in for a treat. A wild ride through smooth sounds, city lights, and the rarified air that only the coolest of the cool ever get to walk through.
Note: In 1995, the record was remastered and reissued under the title “By Her Majesty’s Request.”
Bottom Line: Both records are lush soundscapes packed full of pop goodness. if it were up to me, these would’ve been seeded much closer together. I love both and this might be the toughest call to make all week?
My vote: I think lack of name recognition-and accessibility- will be Pizzicato Five’s downfall here. I can’t see ‘em making it past XTC, but won’t be sad if they do. And if just one person becomes a fan of the band after this, it’ll all be worth it. My bracket and vote will both be going to Oranges and Lemons.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Check out the full bracket here.
Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.
As always, thanks for being here.
KA—
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Haven't listened to Oranges & Lemons in a while. Definitely need to change that.
XTC for me please.