I know it's a couple months away, but John's XTC reviews are coming up. Skylarking is usually regarded as the favorite, and I know John agrees, but it's not an incredibly solid consensus, so I figured I'd see what other people though.

Personally, while I love the first half of Skylarking, I've never been able to get into the second half all that much. I'm not stupid, I get the concept, it's just that, musically, most of it doesn't do all that much for me. If I liked the second half as much as the first, it'd definitely be my favorite.

As it is, I think I prefer both Black Sea and English Settlement. I'm not a huge fan of Drums and Wires - which is, from my observation, their most divisive album - but I can see how somebody could be. The guitar sound they get on that album is great, and the songs have some interesting qualities. I will admit, "Making Plans for Nigel," "When You're Near Me," and "Complicated Game" are all classics.

What do you guys think?