Esoteric are delighted to announce we will begin work on reissuing and expanding the entire catalogue of the band "Sky" starting in Autumn 2014.
Esoteric are delighted to announce we will begin work on reissuing and expanding the entire catalogue of the band "Sky" starting in Autumn 2014.
At the risk of showing my ignorance, I'm not sure I've heard of this band before.
Checked Wikipedia, and it shows a "progressive rock, classical, and jazz fusion" band by the name of Sky, with members Herbie Flowers and John Williams (among others). Is that the same group?
Yay!
Please don't forget to include the excellent live-album "Sky 5 Live". With bonus-goodies!
The third video I've put there ^ was a big hit in the Netherlands, and rocked my little world back in 1980 (when I was 10). I've forgotten about this band, but the seed of my love for progrock might have been planted by this band!
Hopefully.Originally Posted by aith01
It is indeed, they were very successful here in Europe and particularly in Australia as well.
Good news.I am looking forward to the (hopefully) expanded "Sky Live". An extra release with some earlier live material would be more than welcome too.
On a similar note - Shadowfax' first album "Watercourse Way" would be also a great addition to your catalogue, especially if in the original mix and with some bonus content. Sony does not seem to be interested and the OOP CD commands quite high prices on second-hand markets.
The guy in the middle is Doug Feiger, later of the Knack. Once a sleazebag...
I quite liked them too when I played it!!
It's never been re-released in the original mix, has it?
Great. I really like those records and have managed over the years to track down some of the rare ones, like the post-John Williams "Cadmium."
Will the bandmembers be doing any promotion? I know that Steve Gray and Kevin Peek are no longer with us but the rest are around, yes?
Well Mark met with Tristram and Herbie so Im pretty sure they will be participating. I will be in touch with them very shortly, so far I havent been as Mark has dealt with the guys so far.
This is great news - I have had a bunch on vinyl, and some on CD. While Sky 4 with Gray is a favorite of mine, I really enjoyed the early ones with Francis Monkman (and Williams). Since you have dealt with both Curved Air and now Sky, have you guys interacted with Francis at all? I lost track of him and was curious if he was still active musically at all.
I used to own one of theirs back in the early 80s (Sky 4 iirc). It was decent but I sort of lost track of the band. Hadn't thought of them in years....
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
Very cool news.Sounds like a great time to get acquainted with their music!
I've got the first album on LP, I don't actually remember much about it except that I remember liking it well enough when I bought it circa 20 years ago.
Monkman's two side-long epics (Where Opposites Meet and FIFO) were the best things Sky did. But there are enjoyable things on all their albums, and the third (where Gray replaced Monkman) is strong all the way through.
The third album was always my favourite, but the first three and the double live are all great.
I don't think Five/Live has ever been released complete on CD so this is very welcome news!
Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?
AFAIK no. Moreover some people claim that the last number on CD ("Song For My Brother") comes from an entirely different session (I could not confirm it), so there is a homework to be done before re-releasing it properly.
About a year ago I did a track-by-track comparison of the original LP (which I CDRed) with the Windham Hill re-recording. It's posted in the archives if you wanna search for it.
This one I guess: http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...ll=1#post53206
Then it seems that the last track could have been already "misplaced" on the original LP. The difference in style is jarring for me... Anyway, since Esoteric are going to tackle Sky, maybe they will be more interested in their contemporaries in the future.
Last edited by Jay.Dee; 07-23-2014 at 06:40 PM.
Since Esoteric is going to be tackling Sky, is there any hope of a re-issue of Monkman's rather rare solo album, Energism?
Will ask. Mark about that
This is most excellent news. Are you doing literally the entire catalog through Cadmium and Balloon Race? Will you include the single edits/remixes/12" single versions (just a handful came out) as bonus tracks?
This could also make a rather excellent box set.
One of my all-time favorite acts, actually. I'm an obsessive fan, who even has the two versions of Sky 5 Live. The double CD was rather dubious, padded out with material from other albums. Do you have access to the actual multiple live recordings the label captured?
There is also the Sky-related Williams album to consider with one Rick Wakeman, whoever that is. There's a crap CD reissue under a different title/cover somewhere, but it was never done properly:
http://www.discogs.com/John-Williams...elease/3454650
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