Skylarking
by XTC
- Type: Album
- Released: 27聽October聽1986
- Label: Virgin, Geffen
- Country: United Kingdom
- Length: 49:23
- Community rating: 4.1/5 from 13 ratings
Artists on this release: Andy Partridge, Dave Gregory, Colin Moulding
Album Notes & Community Reviews
Producer Todd Rundgren shaped 'Skylarking' into a lush, pastoral work of 1960s-influenced psychedelic pop, weaving together dense orchestral arrangements and an organic soundscape that belied the often-tense recording sessions. The album functions as a loose song cycle exploring the seasons and the phases of life, merging Andy Partridge鈥檚 sophisticated songwriting with Colin Moulding鈥檚 melodic contributions into a seamless whole. Initially met with indifference in the UK, the album's fortunes changed when the US B-side "Dear God" became a controversial college radio hit, cementing 'Skylarking' as one of XTC's most critically acclaimed and enduring recordings.
Genres
Descriptors: melodic, literate, orchestral, jangly, storytelling
Tracklist
- Summer's Cauldron (03:19)
- Grass (03:05)
- The Meeting Place (03:14)
- That's Really Super, Supergirl (03:21)
- Ballet For A Rainy Day (02:50)
- 1000 Umbrellas (03:44)
- Season Cycle (03:21)
- Earn Enough For Us (02:53)
- Big Day (03:32)
- Another Satellite (04:15)
- Mermaid Smiled (02:26)
- The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul (03:24)
- Dying (02:31)
- Sacrificial Bonfire (03:49)
- Dear God (03:39)
Credits
- Andy Partridge - vocals, guitar
- Colin Moulding - vocals, bass guitar, bonfire
- Dave Gregory - vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizers, chamberlin, string arrangement, tiple
- Todd Rundgren - producer, melodica, synthesizers, backing vocals, orchestral arrangements, computer programming
- Prairie Prince - drums
- Mingo Lewis - percussion
- Jasmine Veillette - vocals
- Kim Foscato - assistant engineer
- George Cowan - assistant engineer
- Dave Dragon - sleeve drawings
- Cindy Palmano - photography
- Ken Ansell - typography