Song · XTC
“Great Fire” by XTC
From the album Mummer (1983)
“Great Fire” by XTC appears on 2 radio countdowns from 1 station between 2002 and 2003. It was first released in 1983 on the album Mummer. Its best result is #1433 on the Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,557 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (XTC - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Great Fire" was one of three UK singles lifted from Mummer, XTC's sixth album, which Virgin released in August 1983. It was the band's first record since they quit the stage in 1982, and Andy Partridge wrote it and sings lead: pop of the finicky, handcrafted sort, all polish and nerves.
Mummer didn't come easy. Partridge was recovering from a nervous breakdown, drummer Terry Chambers quit after cutting only a couple of tracks, and Pete Phipps is the man on the kit here. Bob Sargeant produced with the band, Mark Dearnley recorded and mixed it, and strings from Nigel Warren-Green and Gavyn Wright lend it a chamber-pop gloss. Virgin fretted that the album lacked singles and sent the band back to rework it more than once, which pushed its release back by months.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1733 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1433 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Great Fire" by XTC.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.