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View Full Version : Album Club - Week 123: 10.12.2013: XTC - Skylarking (1986)



Album Club
10-12-2013, 00:02
John (JohnB) has chosen an album for us. Thanks John!
Please enter into the discussion if you wish to vote, and listen to the entire album before commenting.

XTC - Skylarking (1986)

http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag89/Jrb1961/image_zpseab91ca2.jpg (http://s1300.photobucket.com/user/Jrb1961/media/image_zpseab91ca2.jpg.html)

spotify:album:3FVsJiQMI7dp0RfTBdWtMW

Originally released in mid 1980s, but re-released by Andy Partridge in 2010. (Apparently the phasing was back to front on all previous versions?)

The record company forced a "name" US producer on the band in an attempt to reinvigorate their US career....this turned out to be Todd Rundgren. Rumours are that band and producer did not get on, the result however is an album that nicely tips a hat to Ray Davies and the Beatles in a sort of Wiltshire meets California way!

I first saw them in 1978 in Brighton, when the electrics went off and Partridge played us an acoustic, unplugged version of Statue of Liberty, whilst they fixed the power.

Skylarking Wikkipage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylarking)
XTC Wikkipage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XTC)

synsei
10-12-2013, 21:03
I enjoy XTC's earlier material and I really thought I'd heard this album before, I'm certainly familiar with the title, however it would appear not. It's not at all what I was expecting and to be frank it isn't working for me. Sorry John I so wanted to like it. There is one stand out track though which I rate very highly indeed and that is Dear God, which I deem to be the best song XTC have produced during their career, therefore as a consequence I have amended my scoring to take that into account. 6/10 from me ;)

johnB
11-12-2013, 15:18
Thanks Dave,
I suppose that their development as a band from spiky angular post-punk power-pop of the first 2 or 3 albums to what they became on their last few albums is part of what makes them interesting. The track that you like "Dear God" wasn't on the original album, it got appended to the cd reissue after US College radio flipped the single "Grass" and played "Dear God" which was the B-Side.
A few listens will bring out the subtleties and melodies (IMHO) of what I think is a beautifully sounding, very English, album that ranks alongside some of the pastoral/psych work of the the Kinks (Village Green etc) and even early 1970s Beach Boys (Holland) (only my opinion before I get lambasted).
:)

johnB
13-12-2013, 14:40
worth a listen!

loo
13-12-2013, 16:54
I could not really get on with this , I really like white music and go2 but after that I feel they start to loose direction and this sounds like they are lost in the wilderness ,
4/10 from me
Paul

Bazil
13-12-2013, 20:53
I've always been aware of this band but never really listened to them, not sure what to make of this at all, voting delayed pending more investigation.

pjdowns
14-12-2013, 19:22
Thanks for the introduction to XTC but this is not my cup of tea at all, so gonna have to be a 1/10 from me, sorry.

Paul.

kenworthy100
14-12-2013, 19:53
I really wanted to like this, having listened a couple of times I really can't get into it, 3/10

Tim
14-12-2013, 20:36
Sorry John, not for me. I didn't like XTC much back in the day and that's not really changed. I disliked (a lot) Making Plans for Nigel, or whatever it was called and this has not done anything to help that. I got as far as Season Cycle but had to stop and call it a day.

I quite like Dave Gregory's current venture Tin Spirits and have seen them a couple of times, once when Steve Rothery played with them, which was a really good night. But XTC is not my bag.

2/10

johnB
14-12-2013, 21:07
Wow, my choice this week is going down about as well as the Dexy's album I put up on Album Club last year!

Skylarking was in the top 50 of Rolling Stone's best albums of the 1980s, and 15th in Pitchfork Magazine's Top 100 album of the 1980s.

Perhaps I'd better relisten to Level 42 which seems more popular. :)

The Grand Wazoo
15-12-2013, 00:51
OK, I'll go for an 8/10 on this one.
I've got all of the XTC albums and a few of them, I'd rate as 12/10, if I could. This isn't one of their best, as far as I'm concerned, but I'd rather take this than anything by Level 42!

high.spirits
16-12-2013, 10:58
Through the years I have missed XTC completely, so this was a new band for me. Must have had a young family at the time and new music took a back seat. Was still listening to 60/70s soul and blues.

It surprised me as I was not really expecting this sort of music from XTC. Some tracks no so good but the rest were ok, so 7/10 from me.

Thanks for your suggestion as its broadened my listening scope and I will dig some more XTC out from Spotify.

Audioman
16-12-2013, 11:24
This album in my experience takes a while to get into and is not my favourite XTC by any means. The remastered vinyl version with recording in phase and the controversial cover is a great improvement and enables one to appreciate the album fully for the first time. 8/10 from me.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fmxn03jAL._SY355_.jpg

Bazil
18-12-2013, 17:53
Right I'm back after a few more listens, not bad, cheerful, tuneful, a bit like a slowed down Kinks. 7/10.

losenotaminute
23-12-2013, 10:50
Not at all familiar with XTC, so gave this a listen this morning with interest. Unfortunately, I found it quite depressing! I'm not sure if it's the vocal or something else but the band sound very miserable to me, even on the higher tempo tracks. I did find 'The Man Who Sailed Around his Soul' quite engaging, but on the whole it's not for me. 3/10 sorry....

Lawrence

MikeMusic
21-05-2014, 11:02
Just worth having 6/10 for me

MartinT
21-05-2014, 15:45
I completely missed this for some reason. As it turns out, its very eighties sound is not doing much for me at all. 4/10

MikeMusic
21-05-2014, 17:42
I completely missed this for some reason. As it turns out, its very eighties sound is not doing much for me at all. 4/10

Funnily enough they have done very similar albums that are much better
Will put them on the "you must hear this" list for the next do