I always feel Oranges and Lemons gets quite a bit of undeserved criticism.. maybe because it was one of the first XTC albums that really caught my ear. It is a mess, sure, overproduced, definitely, but I really like the sound nonetheless. It reminds me of sitting outside on a particularly hot day, and most of the tracks really have this enticing hazy desert-like vibe (I'm thinking of the stretch from "One of the Millions" and onward to the end). Maybe I could do without tracks 4-6 - "Poor Skeleton Steps Out" sounds like something from the Age of Empires MIDI soundtrack and "The Loving" and "President Kill" are a bit too draggy for my tastes - but that is far outweighed by the awesomeness of "Mayor" and "King", not to forget that glorious conclusion to the whole thing. "Chalkhills and Children" may be my favourite XTC song.. I always picture the sun rising and setting at the same time while listening to it, and I get goosebumps when the harmony vocal enters in the verses. I think it's at least worth a B or C on your scale, and I also think it's better than Nonsuch (really, your feelings towards O&L really sound like mine towards that one).

Great batch of reviews, anyhow, John. Your review of Skylarking is plain excellent!