XTC Skylarking GEFFEN RECORDS GHS 24117 (1986 2nd issue w/Dear God) MINT

$

21

XTC Skylarking GEFFEN RECORDS GHS 24117 (1986 2nd issue w/Dear God)

Tracklist

A1 Summer's Cauldron A2 Grass A3 The Meeting Place A4 That's Really Super, Supergirl A5 Ballet For A Rainy Day A6 1000 Umbrellas Arranged By [Strings] – Dave Gregory A7 Season Cycle

B1 Earn Enough For Us B2 Big Day B3 Another Satellite B4 The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul B5 Dear God B6 Dying B7 Sacrificial Bonfire

*(all photos are of the actual item)

• Copyright (c) – Virgin Records Ltd.
• Manufactured By – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
• Mastered At – Artisan Sound Recorders
• Produced For – Alchemedia Productions Inc.
• Mixed At – Utopia Sound

• Artwork [Sleeve Drawings] – Dave Dragon
• Backing Vocals – The Beech Avenue Boys
• Composed By – Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding (tracks: A2, A3, B2, B6, B7)
• Drums [Time Bomb] – Prairie Prince
• Engineer [Assistant] – George Cowan, Kim Foscato
• Photography By [Inner Sleeve] – Cindy Palmano
• Producer, Engineer, Concept By [Continuity], Arranged By [Orchestral], Computer [Programming] – Todd Rundgren
• Typography – Ken Ansell
• Vocals, Bass, Other [Bonfire] – Colin Moulding
• Vocals, Guitar – Andy Partridge
• Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Chamberlin, Other [And The Odd Tiple], Arranged By [Strings For '1000 Umbrellas'] – Dave Gregory

Notes

Original US release.

Second issue replaced "Mermaid Smiled" with "Dear God" after the latter became a hit.

Printed inner sleeve with lyrics/credits.

• Barcode: 0 7599-24117-1 (obsolete)

AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
     Working with producer Todd Rundgren didn't necessarily bring XTC a sense of sonic cohesion -- after all, every record since English Settlement followed its own interior logic -- but it did help the group sharpen its focus, making Skylarking its tightest record since Drums and Wires. Ironically, Skylarking had little to do with new wave and everything to do with the lush, post-psychedelic pop of the Beatles and Beach Boys. Combining the charming pastoral feel of Mummer with the classicist English pop of The Big Express, XTC expand their signature sound by enhancing their intelligently melodic pop with graceful, lyrical arrangements and sweeping, detailed instrumentation. Rundgren may have devised the sequencing, helping the record feel like a song cycle even if it doesn't play like one, but what really impresses is the consistency and depth of Andy Partridge's and Colin Moulding's songs. Each song is a small gem, marrying sweet, catchy melodies to decidedly adult lyrical themes, from celebrations of love ("Grass") and marriage ("Big Day") to skepticism about maturation ("Earn Enough for Us") and religion ("Dear God"). Moulding's songs complement Partridge's songs better than before, and each writer is at a melodic and lyrical peak, which Rundgren helps convey with his supple production. The result is a pop masterpiece -- an album that has great ambitions and fulfills them with ease. The initial release of Skylarking didn't feature "Dear God," which was originally the B-side of "Grass." After "Dear God" became an unexpected hit, "Mermaid Smile" was pulled from the album so the hit single could be added.