XTC - Skylarking
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Free Music Notes for Skylarking
Free Music Review: Really Super
Hit: 5 Stars
For anyone who hungered for more Beatles music after the Fab Four disbanded, you couldn't do any better than to pick up this album. Baroque pop, splendid harmonies, inventive strings- they're here in droves. The string section on songs like "Grass" and "1000 Umbrellas" in particular remind me of the wonderful touch of 'fifth Beatle' George Martin's work from "Sgt. Pepper's" on. I'm sure lots of fans of XTC's earlier, spikier albums will disagree with my review but this is my favorite work from Andy, Colin and Dave. The rockingest numbers on this masterpiece include "That's Really Super, Supergirl" and "Earn Enough For Us" with its George Harrison-like snakey lead guitar figure and witty lyrics. The other '60's band that have a big influence on "Skylarking" is the Beach Boys. Check out songs like "Season Cycle" and "Another Satellite" from this CD and the spot-on "Chalkhills and Children" from their follow-up to "Skylarking" called "Oranges & Lemons" for an update on the Boys' classic sound. "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" would be XTC's first attempt at jazz-pop, pointing the way to future numbers such as "Miniature Sun", also from "Oranges & Lemons". This band never stopped growing, with each innovation more thrilling than the last.Free Music Review: Skylarking: "A summer's day baked into one cake."
Hit: 5 Stars
"Dear god,
I can't believe in,
I don't believe in,
I won't believe in heaven and hell.
No saints, no sinners,
No devil as well.
No pearly gates, no thorny crown.
You're always letting us humans down.
The wars you bring, the babes you drown.
Those lost at sea and never found,
And it's the same the whole world round.
The hurt I see helps to compound,
That the father, son and holy ghost,
Is just somebody's unholy hoax,
And if you're up there you'll perceive,
That my heart's here upon my sleeve.
If there's one thing I don't believe in...
It's you,
Dear god."
XTC instantly became one of my favorite 80s bands the first time I heard "Senses Working Overtime" in 1982. The band's core duo has always been Andy Partridge on guitars and vocals and Colin Moulding on bass and vocals. Drummer Terry Chambers joined in 1973, and guitarist and keyboardist Dave Gregory later joined the band around 1979, shortly before Partridge suffered a mental breakdown on stage in Paris in 1982. Skylarling (1986) is the stunning result of an acrimonious collaboration between perfectionist studio wizard Todd Rundgren (A Wizard, A True Star) and the talented band. Rundgren not only insisted on the track sequence, but also insisted that the band adhere to his concept for the album. As a result, Skylarking became a battle of the artistic egos between Rundgren and Partridge, but the end result is a perfect cycle of intelligent pop songs, which Partridge now describes as "a summer's day baked into one cake." Rundgren's genius is quite obvious on the multi-textured album, and thanks to his studio engineering, the album sounds as good today as when it was originally released more that 20 years ago. The album resulted in the controversial single "Dear God."
Digitally remastered, this album/CD has never sounded better. The remastered setlist includes:
1. Summer's Cauldron (2001 Digital Remaster)
2. Grass (2001 Digital Remaster)
3. The Meeting Place (2001 Digital Remaster)
5. Ballet For A Rainy Day (2001 Digital Remaster)
6. 1000 Umbrellas (2001 Digital Remaster)
7. Season Cycle (2001 Digital Remaster)
8. Earn Enough For Us (2001 Digital Remaster)
9. Big Day (2001 Digital Remaster)
10. Another Satellite (2001 Digital Remaster)
11. Mermaid Smiled (2001 Digital Remaster)
12. The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul (2001 Digital Remaster)
13. Dying (2001 Digital Remaster)
14. Sacrificial Bonfire (2001 Digital Remaster)
15. Dear God (2001 Digital Remaster)
G. Merritt
Free Music Review: a masterpiece should be taken seriously
Hit: 5 Stars
As many have agreed, yes, this IS a masterpiece work. That does not mean it is for everyone, but what is? It may not be a masterpiece for the masses, but it is a masterpiece for those who understand and appreciate its brilliance. The more one knows about music, the more one appreciates Skylarking...Free Music Review: A CLASSIC, A MASTERPIECE, THIS ALBUM TOPS SGT. PEPPER'S!
Hit: 5 Stars
Even if you have no clue who/what XTC are, this album will turn you on to their music. Not a single bad track at all. Bigger than the Beatles! And best of all: It will NOT sound dated, neither now (21 years later) nor when i give it to my grandkids.Free Music Review: Summer's Cauldren is a great song
Hit: 4 Stars
And then things drop off. Things pick up again with Another Satellite and that's about it. Don't get me wrong XTC is a great band but.... they are so ambitious that they lose me. There are two excellent songs here and then everything else is kind of boring. Genius for sure.
Summer's Cauldren is worth 4 stars.