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David64T View Drop Down
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Points: 392 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Sky albums being reissued, with extras
    Posted: November 24 2014 at 04:24
The first 2 albums by the polite instrumental band Sky are being reissued by Esoteric, apparently with bonus audio and video extras.

More info here:
Sky reissue

And here:
Sky2 reissue

Info from the website:

Sky reissue:
"This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly re-mastered and includes the bonus tracks ‘Dies Irae’, the single version of ‘March to the Scaffold’ (Previously unreleased on CD), and a live version of ‘Where Opposites Meet’ recorded by BBC Radio One at a charity concert at Wembley Arena in November 1979. This deluxe edition also includes a DVD (NTSC / Region Free) featuring all of Sky’s surviving BBC TV appearances in 1979, all previously unreleased on video or DVD.
The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay."

Sky 2 reissue:
"This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly re-mastered and includes a DVD (NTSC / Region Free) featuring all of Sky’s surviving BBC TV appearances in 1980, all previously unreleased on video or DVD – namely the highlight’s of Sky’s concert at Hammersmith Odeon in 1980 as broadcast by the BBC on "Rhythm on Two” and Sky’s performance of "Toccata” on "Top of the Pops” in April 1980.
The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay."

As a Sky fan from 1979/1980, I'm excited for one - I'm looking forward to seeing the BBC TV concert footage again of the original Sky lineup (with Francis Monkman) after 30+ years.  My personal journey into the world of prog rock started with trying to find other bands that did what Sky did... but I soon found no-one else quite did do that. And even Sky stopped doing it too after a few years...
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richardh View Drop Down
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Points: 28830 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 24 2014 at 15:12
I've had them on order for a while. Thumbs Up
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Points: 21075 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 24 2014 at 15:45
I'll be getting them
Ian

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https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/
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David64T View Drop Down
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Points: 392 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 25 2014 at 05:23
Well I just put my order in for Sky and Sky 2, too, so to speak. Looking forward to getting them.

It seems Esoteric are planning to release Sky 3 and Sky 4 as well, in January, with the Sky 3 extras including the DVD of the concert at Westminster Abbey:

Sky 3
"This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly re-mastered and includes a companion DVD (NTSC / Region Free) of SKY AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY,  (the first ever DVD release of this classic concert). The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay."

Sky 4
"Another successful chart album, "SKY 4: Forthcoming” has now been remastered and includes a companion DVD (NTSC / Region Free) of SKY’s live set for the BBC TV programme "Night Music”, broadcast in July 1982 (the first ever release of this classic television appearance). The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay."

I'll check out what the first 2 CDs are like though, I think!
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richardh View Drop Down
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Points: 28830 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2014 at 02:01
Sky 3 never did that much for me . No Francis Monkman and not much prog. I never checked out Sky 4 as a result.
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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Points: 15926 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2014 at 02:24
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Sky 3 never did that much for me . No Francis Monkman and not much prog. I never checked out Sky 4 as a result.
Amusingly enough, I enjoy Sky's debut, really love Sky II, and the 3rd album had only a few moments I liked. My sis has the Great Balloon Race (or what's-its-name) and I never thought much of it. Must be Monkman's prescence....??
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Points: 38 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2014 at 08:24
SKY band was lower-tier instro-prog.

You had me going there a while - I thought the thread was about the excellent SKY record label.
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Points: 392 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2014 at 08:37
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Sky 3 never did that much for me . No Francis Monkman and not much prog. I never checked out Sky 4 as a result.
Amusingly enough, I enjoy Sky's debut, really love Sky II, and the 3rd album had only a few moments I liked. My sis has the Great Balloon Race (or what's-its-name) and I never thought much of it. Must be Monkman's prescence....??

As a rusted on Sky fan at the time, I remember buying Sky 3 when it was released, then Sky 4, and each new album after that, and feeling a slight disappointment when I first heard the "new" music for the first time.

But with each new album - at the time - there was still enough of what I originally liked about the band's music for me to enjoy the later albums too as they were issued, and the occasional concert tours were still enjoyable.

That said, I suspect many people on this forum will find their interest in the music of Sky wanes dramatically after Sky 2: the reviews here for the Sky albums seem to reflect that. And even as a fan I wouldn't recommend the last Sky albums - "Balloon Race" (uninspired and trapped within a self-inflicted cocoon of '80's musical technology) or "The Mozart Album" (the collaboration with Neville Marriner and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields resulted in too much orchestra, too little Sky).
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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Points: 15926 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 26 2014 at 11:22
Trivia here - my Aussie copy of Sky II lists a piece called Gavotte And Variations on Side 3, but the vinyl track is the Toccata. The final track on Side 4 is Toccata again !! I've not heard Gavotte........but I get Toccata twice.....
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David64T View Drop Down
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Points: 392 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 27 2014 at 04:32
Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

Trivia here - my Aussie copy of Sky II lists a piece called Gavotte And Variations on Side 3, but the vinyl track is the Toccata. The final track on Side 4 is Toccata again !! I've not heard Gavotte........but I get Toccata twice.....

Strange indeed - but of course you can then play that "hit single" twice as often before the record wore out.
Big smile

If I remember rightly, when Sky 2 was originally released here in Australia, it was sold for the price of a single LP too! Perhaps that was to appease buyers who expected to get 4 sides of, well, rocked up classics in the style of Toccata, and actually got a healthy serving of classical guitar duets, solo harpsichord and Tristan going bonkers on percussion...!
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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Points: 15926 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 27 2014 at 05:17
..........and Herbie's Tuba
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David64T View Drop Down
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Points: 392 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 27 2014 at 05:54
Aah yes - how could I forget Herbie's tuba..



Thanks to Mr PlumCream and the Sky fan site for the image:
http://plum.cream.org/sky/1980.htm


And at the concerts - I have a vague memory of one where they wore monogrammed "Sky" sweaters!


Edited by David64T - November 27 2014 at 06:05
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lizzy93 View Drop Down
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Points: 7 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 27 2014 at 13:27
thx
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richardh View Drop Down
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Points: 28830 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 27 2014 at 13:44
Originally posted by David64T David64T wrote:

Originally posted by Tom Ozric Tom Ozric wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Sky 3 never did that much for me . No Francis Monkman and not much prog. I never checked out Sky 4 as a result.
Amusingly enough, I enjoy Sky's debut, really love Sky II, and the 3rd album had only a few moments I liked. My sis has the Great Balloon Race (or what's-its-name) and I never thought much of it. Must be Monkman's prescence....??

As a rusted on Sky fan at the time, I remember buying Sky 3 when it was released, then Sky 4, and each new album after that, and feeling a slight disappointment when I first heard the "new" music for the first time.

But with each new album - at the time - there was still enough of what I originally liked about the band's music for me to enjoy the later albums too as they were issued, and the occasional concert tours were still enjoyable.

That said, I suspect many people on this forum will find their interest in the music of Sky wanes dramatically after Sky 2: the reviews here for the Sky albums seem to reflect that. And even as a fan I wouldn't recommend the last Sky albums - "Balloon Race" (uninspired and trapped within a self-inflicted cocoon of '80's musical technology) or "The Mozart Album" (the collaboration with Neville Marriner and The Academy of St Martin in the Fields resulted in too much orchestra, too little Sky).

Thanks for the honest opinion. To be fair those first two were hard to live up to , Sky 2 is a solid 5 star masterpiece while if half stars were allowed the debut is 4 and half easy.IMO.
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Tom Ozric View Drop Down
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Points: 15926 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 29 2014 at 03:57
^ I gave the debut a 3 star review a couple of years ago, maybe I should spin the LP again and re-assess ?? I think the production, whilst very 'tidy' and honest, was a tad 'soft'. The follow-up sounds more 'punchy', esp. Tristan's drums. I love their sleeve notes - such a sense of musical humour.
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