Apple Venus and Wasp Star are incredible records.  I had been dying for new XTC and thought they were done making music by the time Apple Venus came out, and it just sounded like perfection for me.  Generals and Majors was my intro to XTC, Oranges and Lemons is my number one album, though.

Swindon, home of XTC, was at the heart of the British railway industry, hence the Big Express with a big train wheel on the cover.

One of my favorite bands. Colin Moulding is a desperately under recognized bass player, not to mention a great songwriter in his own right. I remember being blown away by Mayor of Simpleton when it came out and I just had to learn the bass line. I actually recorded a play along of it during the pandemic and published it on my own Zbwedicon YT channel.

Dave Gregory didn't write any of the songs, but he had a major influence on the arrangements, played keyboards and guitar. He wrote the amazing string arrangement for "1000 Umbrellas." His guitar work is amazing. He replaced Barry Andrews for the third album, Drums and Wires, which, in my opinion, took XTC into another level of creativity. He left the group during Apple Venus/Wasp Star, and I think it shows.
My rankings:

14. Go 2
13. White Music
12. Wasp Star
11. Psonic Psunspot
10. Apple Venus
 9. The Big Express
 8. Mummer
 7. 25 O' Clock
 6. Nonsuch
 5. Drums and Wires
 4. Skylarking
 3. Oranges and Lemons
 2. Black Sea
 1. English Settlement

Any of the top five could be number one, depending on my mood. They're all great records for slightly different reasons.

Wow I cant believe you got to this. The Big Express celebrates SwinDon which was a famous centre of steam engine building and the original cover was die cut, round. After 40 years I have suddenly found them and bought most of their vinyl material but its costing me an arm and a leg. Nonsuch was originally a palace planned by Henry VIII and never built and the space is now a public park. The cover of English settlement represents huge cutting in the local chalk hills. Virgin ripped them off and the rest is history - I have to agree with your choices. The best band you've never heard of! Sorry to ramble.

Love XTC  good video mazzy!

I'm lucky I got to see XTC open for the Talking Heads at the Beacon theater in NYC on New Years Eve 78-79. One of my top 5 concerts of all time.  English Settlement is also my fave album from them.

English Settlement a TOP 5 of mine since it came out. A true Masterpiece.

Black Sea album from front to back. One of my favorite albums of all time from any band 👍

Thanks Mazzy! I picked up English Settlement at Tower Records one day, took it home, put it on the turntable, and was blown away. Suddenly XTC had a customer for life. I'd rate The Big Express a bit higher, but that's just me. Then I had been laid off or fired, I can't remember, from my job and between temp jobs basically had a summer off. So I'd go have lunch with my wife (who thankfully still had a job) and I had made a cassette of Skylarking and I'd listen to that in the car going to and coming from meeting her that summer and it's not only a great album, it brings back memories of what was both a difficult (Earn Enough For Us) and beautiful year in my life. I love this band.

One of my favorite bands. So many great songs: Battery Brides, Generals and Majors, complicated Game, Sensen Working Overtime, etc, etc. I saw them twice. First time in the Marquee Club in London in November 1977, second time in Paradiso Amsterdam during there English Settlement tour. Thanks for giving us so many great songs guys. And thanks to you too Mazzi.

Late to the party but wanted to mention (if it hasn’t been mentioned already) that XTC went on Letterman and played King for a Day.

From the bands that started after the classic rock period until the late 70s, for me there are three that I go back to the most and are my favourites... REM, Elvis Costello and XTC. No weak tracks on most of their catalogue. My list would be 1 Oranges, Skylarking, Black Sea, Drums and Wires, Nonsuch, English Settlement , Dukes, Go 2, White Music and the rest. I only heard ES for the first time about a few years ago and don’t know why I overlooked it for so long. Even their lowest ranking for me is still 4/5 stars and the rest are fives. Soooo underrated

XTC are one of my fav bands Mazzy; thanks for doing this video 😀🎶

you are clear headed in this ranking and what amazes me is,...that so much of this music is unknown these days to many. Beatles on steroids...strike that...exponential variety.

Great band, fabulous songs. I saw them perform live many years ago in west London supported by Squeeze. Great gig to say the least.

It is moments like this that makes videos like yours so great. All I can say is WOW! I had never heard of this band, how I'd missed hearing of them in the 80's is beyond me. After watching your video I streamed "Skylarking" on the way to work and was blown away. It has everything that appeals to my eclectic taste in music. I will definitely be purchasing the CD. Thanks for turning me on to them, and keep up the great videos!

I have an old comp on CD called Waxworks: Some Singles 1977-82 and then I have the 2019 CD + Blueray  of the Dukes called Psurroundabout Ride. May have to check out some of their proper albums.

INHO: Check out The Dukes of Stratosphear alter ego stuff as well as Andy Partridge Fuzzy Warbles , both of which I would put in the middle of this pack.
1.Skyarking  ( Cmon Its the Pet Sounds of the 80's)
2. English Settlement
3. NonSuch
4. Mummer
5.Oranges and Lemons
6. Apple Venus Vol 1
7. Wasp Star (A venus vol 2 )
8. Black Sea
9. Big express
10. Drums and Wires
11. Go 2
12. White Music

XTC is one of those rare bands that never made a bad album.  Here's my ranking for today:

1) Apple Venus, Vol. 1
2) Skylarking
3) Black Sea
4) Drums and Wires
5) English Settlement
6) Mummer
7) The Big Express
8) Oranges & Lemons
9) The Dukes of Stratosphear - Chips from the Chocolate Fireball
10) Nonsuch
11) Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Pt. 2)
12) White Music
13) Go 2