Sky 2 (album)

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Sky 2
File:Sky 2 Album Cover.jpg
Studio album by Sky
Released April 1980
Recorded Studio 3, Abbey Road Studios
Genre Progressive rock
Length 79:56
Label Arista/Ariola
Producer Sky, Haydn Bendall, Tony Clark
Sky chronology
Sky
(1979)Sky1979		 Sky 2
(1980)		 Sky 3
(1981)Sky 31981

Sky 2 is the second album by English/Australian instrumental progressive rock band Sky, released in 1980. Despite being a double album it reached number one in the British Album charts, and at the time was the fastest double album to receive platinum status in the UK,[1] while the instrumental single "Toccata" peaked at 5 in the British Singles Chart.[2]

Francis Monkman played guitar on the 20-minute rock suite "FIFO" because, in his words, "I felt it necessary to inject a grunge element".[3] "FIFO" stands for "First In, First Out", and is a song about computer processing.[4]

Due to the album's length (just over 80 minutes across 2 LPs: too long for one CD, but perhaps, in the eyes of the record labels, not worth the expenditure of producing two CDs), it has never been released in its original form on CD. Early 90's issues by Music Club and Nota Blu fade "Scipio" out a minute early, whereas Castle Music's 2005 reissue leaves "Scipio" intact, but omits the final variation of "Gavotte and Variations". Other CD issues by Success and Merlin Records contain no musical edits, but omit "Gavotte and Variations" and "Andante" entirely.

In 2014 Esoteric Recordings continued their schedule of remasters and expanded releases with this recording, their issue of which contained the same edited version of "Gavotte and Variations" as Castle Music's reissue.

Track list

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Hotta"   Kevin Peek, Herbie Flowers 7:46
2. "Dance of the Little Fairies"   Flowers 3:31
3. "Sahara"   Peek 6:56
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
4. "FIFO - 1st Movement: FIFO"   Francis Monkman 6:44
5. "FIFO - 2nd Movement: Adagio"   Monkman 2:29
6. "FIFO - 3rd Movement: Scherzo"   Monkman 4:19
7. "FIFO - 4th Movement: Watching the Aeroplanes"   Monkman 3:33
Side three
No. Title Writer(s) Length
8. "Tuba Smarties" (live)"   Flowers 3:18
9. "Ballet-Volta"   Praetorius, Arr. John Williams 2:45
10. "Gavotte and Variations"   Rameau 6:14
11. "Andante"   Antonio Vivaldi, Arr. Williams 2:58
12. "Tristan's Magic Garden"   Tristan Fry 4:09
13. "El Cielo"   Williams 4:20
Side four
No. Title Writer(s) Length
14. "Vivaldi"   Darryl Way 4:03
15. "Scipio"   Flowers 12:09
16. "Toccata"   Bach, Arr. Peek, Holmes 4:42

2014 two disc reissue edition

Chart positions

Chart Year Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[5] 1980 1
Preceded by UK Albums Chart number-one album
3 May 1980 – 17 May 1980		 Succeeded by
The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits by Boney M.

Personnel

  • John Williams - classical guitars
  • Francis Monkman - keyboards, synthesizers, harpsichord, piano, left-hand channel electric guitar on "FIFO"
  • Herbie Flowers - bass guitar, tuba on "Tuba Smarties"
  • Tristan Fry - drums, tuned percussion on "Tristan's Magic Garden" (drumkit, vibraphone, marimba, bass marimba, tympani & xylophones), trumpet on "Tuba Smarties"
  • Kevin Peek - electric & classical guitars

References

  1. ↑ http://plum.cream.org/sky/
  2. ↑ Sky UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  3. ↑ Wynne, Richard (2002). In Jam [sleeve notes].
  4. ↑ http://plum.cream.org/sky/sky2.htm
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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