Sky

[Rufus]

I have heard very little from this band but remember them being labellef as 'Prog' . I note Esteroic have re-released some albums.Any recommendations?

[arturs]

Interesting band. You can start with 1 or 2 and go forward in time until you don't like 'em anymore.

[jkelman]

I'll be doing a piece on the entire series, and only have first four at moment,but I particularly like the first two so far.

Proggy, yes, but also more pop and pure classical-leaning at times. I always remembered them as being a bit of a square peg in a round hole group...

[Progbear]

I only have 2. It could definitely do with some pruning, but the good stuff (in particular the “Fifo/Adagio/Etc.” suite) is really, really good indeed.

[NogbadTheBad]

1 & 2 are excellent. I don't really feel the need to go any further than that. I do like the DVD's that come with 1 & 2, particularly the concert footage on 2.

[rcarlberg]

Sky was classical guitarist John Williams' attempt to bridge popular music. Though often interesting, I rarely got the impression that he "got it" and truly became a pop musician. "Changes" and "John Williams and Friends" are for me the best examples he ever came up with.

Isn't Francis Monkman (Curved Air) in probably the early version of Sky though?

[bob_32_116]

I remember arriving back in Australia from an extended overseas holiday, and "Toccata" was all over the airwaves.

To this day I am in two minds about this kind of thing. Part of me says that if I want to listen to the classics I'd rather listen to them in classical style. On the other hand I can't fault the playing, and if it exposes this music to ears that would otherwise not hear it, so much the better.

[JJ88]

For me, the 'classical rock' side of the band is rather lumbering and stodgy, and that 'solo' side of the 2nd album is pretty tedious and 'muso'. But like Progbear said, things like the 'Fifo' suite are very good.

[andypashley]

I've been a Sky fan since way back... from when I was at at school. Much of their later work is underrated... I always enjoyed "The Great Balloon Race", the first post John Williams' departure and really different than anything they'd done before. Some really nice tunes on "Cadmium" too.

[bRETT]

Isn't Francis Monkman (Curved Air) in probably the early version of Sky though?

First two albums only, each of which is highlighted by a side-long suite that he wrote.

The "Five Live" album is essential for anyone who finds Sky too stodgy, they get pretty lively on that one.

[Soc Prof]

Monkman's side-long suite used way too much harpsichord if I remember correctly.

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[Scrotum Scissor]

Proggy, yes, but also more pop and pure classical-leaning at times. I always remembered them as being a bit of a square peg in a round hole group...

They were sometimes referred to as "thinking man's elevator music", leaving a certain ambivalence even with music critics at how to actually perceive the band's merits of quality. Sky were, like The Enid (albeit with different music entirely), essentially post-modernist and should still, even today, be seen that way - IMHO. Of course, back then there were very few writers and reviewers who caught on to this factor, be they classical or rock/pop.

First two albums are fairly OK.

[Oreb]

3 and 5 are their best - emphasis on band compositions and generally these were pretty fine. I have particular fondness for 5 having been in the audience for at least one of the tracks recorded.

I picked up the Esoteric reissue of 4 and have to say that it's better than I had remembered. 'My Gisele' and 'Skylark' are gorgeous.

I never went beyond 5 at the time, but I've ordered the job-lot of the new editions.

[arturs]

They were sometimes referred to as "thinking man's elevator music",

That's a fair description, and I don't mean that in a negative way. I view myself as a "thinking man" and I like Sky. And the music is great as background music, but you can also listen if you want more attentively, and get some enjoyment out of them.

Sky filled a valid niche between pop and the classics, like when you want classical overtures, fanfares and melodies but don't want a 45-minute composition around them.