Disco de XTC: “Skylarking [Bonus Track]”

XTC has always forged an idosyncratic career path which has delighted their fans and left others puzzled. There is a perception that the band is essentially a studio creation of a group of gifted reclusive musicians who refuse to tour because they can't cut it as a live band. In the early 90s I saw Aimee Mann coax the nortoriously stage phobic Andy Partridge out to play a few songs and he turned out to be a riveting performer as he blazed through a half a dozen XTC songs and blew the roof off the joint. Still XTC refuses to tour in support of their releases and leaving them with a hand full of devotees who count their XTC albums among their most precious possessions. "Skylarking" is the Holy Grail of lost treasures of 1980s music. I've heard a lot of comparisons to "Sgt. Peppers", but folks, this is better than the Beatles tour de force. "Skylarking" is as close to high art as pop music will ever get.

"Skylarking" is a song cycle which depicts a young man's rite of passage through the seasons of love into heartbreak and eventually disillusionment. Todd Rundgren is the cement that keeps "Skylarking" from imploding under the weight of it's big ideas. Todd's studio brilliance begs the question of why he was never able to jump start his own career. The remastering has added even more clarity to what was a "crisp as an autumn morning" original master. Todd's separtion of the vocal tracking rivals some of Brian Wilson's most inspired harmony mixes of the "Pet Sounds/Smiley Smile" era. There are charming locaction sounds like chirping crickets and singing birds that capture the esessence of XTC's eccentric pantheistic vision. If you are reading this review, you are probably among the converted. If there was any justice in this world, "Skylarking" would be grounds enough for XTC to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I have a feeling Andy and Colin could care less, but I do.

I compared the new remaster to the earlier Geffen CD release, which revealed some interesting differences.

The peak levels on both versions are the same. The new remaster (Caroline Records CAR50690) sounds louder, so average levels are bumped up. This means a compression of dynamic range between soft and loud, i.e. the loudest sounds stay the same, but the softer sounds are increased in volume. I generally prefer less compression, but this album was somewhat compressed to begin with.

The remaster is more forward -- the vocals and guitars and keyboards stand out more. The sound is generally cleaner and the timbre is more natural in the midrange and high frequencies. Vocals, cymbals, guitar strums, and tinkly things sound more real.

On the other hand, the bass and drums have more impact on the original Geffen release, while the midrange and high frequencies are less prominent, and the detail is a little smeared. This is a disappointment, because I love Colin Moulding's bass work, and I don't think the remastered version does it justice.

Colin Moulding also wrote five songs on Skylarking, better than the two or three he'd get to do on some other XTC records. I think it lends more balance to the album, with less domination of Andy Partridge's sometimes strident vocals and Partridge's generally weirder -- but still fun -- songs.

Skylarking is a great pop album. I love what Todd Rundgren did with these songs, except that he tends to mix things to sound good on the radio, and that means his recordings may sound a little bland on better equipment. Oranges and Lemons, XTC's follow-up to Skylarking, is quirkier and more to my liking, but the songs and arrangements on Skylarking are top-drawer XTC. I'd have to say they peaked with these two mid-career albums.

Despite my reservations about dynamic range compression and the diminishing of the bass frequencies, this is a pleasant-sounding remaster. Does the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs remaster have the best of both worlds? I don't know. I haven't heard it. I'm tempted to track down a copy, though. This is music that deserves the best audio presentation.

A final point about the liner notes. All the lyrics are there, on the center two pages of the booklet. But print is so ridiculously small that you may need a magnifier to read them, even if you're not an 80-year old grandma. I'm nearsighted, and if I take off my glasses and plant the booklet about 8 inches from my eyes, I can barely make the words out. Normal CD-booklet text is small enough, but this is absurd. And inexcusable. Whomever is responsible for the graphic design of the booklet needs his or her head examined. What were they thinking?! It is a sign they just didn't care, but I for one believe lyrics are an important part of the album, and when you pay extra money to get the physical product, it should be properly designed with some useful amenities -- like lyrics, of course. The CD booklet of the original Geffen has the lyrics, and the print is moderately small, but not microscopic.

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to XTC and Skylarking by a co-worker in 1995, having never heard of them before. After one listen, I knew that this would become one of my favorite albums of all time, which it remains to this day. XTC and Skylarking completely changed my musical tastes from that one moment onwards. How many times can a person say that in his/her life?

The production of each song and their placement within the album is so well crafted that they should be listened to in sequence, where the rich melodies flow from one song to the next. Each element of every song is superb.

The thing that continues to amaze me is how each song is so unique and surprising. For example, the first minute of '1000 Umbrellas' is almost off-key and uncomfortable to listen to. It then changes to an upbeat melody with beautiful keyboard and violin accompaniment, and continues to switch back and forth through the duration of the song. The first track, Summer's Cauldron, starts off with a growing crescendo of birds chirping, bees buzzing, and insect noise. It merges into one of the best tracks on the album. Likewise, the last song, Sacrificial Bonfire, remains one of my favorites. The soaring strings and pounding drums blend into a fantastic voyage of sound and words that evokes imagination and visualization of the song itself. Very few artists can pull off these feats and make the music not only palatable, but enjoyable to listen to time and again.

Every time someone asks me if they can borrow a CD that they haven't heard yet, I always ask them if they have ever heard of or listened to XTC. Skylarking is one of the first albums I recommend. Any serious music listener will not be disappointed.

My only disappointment with XTC is that I have yet to find another album of theirs that tops Skylarking. I enjoy all of their music and I find that each album is unique, surprising, and worthwhile. However, for me personally, this album represents the high point of their music.

Final word-- If you don't have this, buy it.

First of all, I can not stress enough what a clever and intelligent songwriter that Andy Partridge is. This intricate story of the cycle of life that he and the band have crafted here is one of the most well written albums ever made. This outstanding effort is catchy, clever, intelligent and thought-provoking all throughout. It easily competes for the title of greatest album of the 80's, and it makes for more effective use of distinctly 80's production techniques than most albums of the decade even come close to. The music can be mostly described as organic lush pop but it ranges from that to the brilliantly spare and desolate production on "Another Satellite", to the jazzy finger-snappin' "The man who sailed around his soul". Upon first impression, on its face, "Skylarking" does as many reviewers have mentioned appear to be bright and sunny. But, that's simply a testament to how sharp and clever that Partridge and the other songwriter Colin Moulding are because most of the songs are overflowing with cynical sarcasm (the dose is heaviest in many of the "brightest" sounding songs; "That's really super, supergirl", "Earn Enough For Us"). This album is really about them questioning and even challenging this very cycle. "Summer's Cauldron" is an excellent introduction that does a good job of prepping you for the story. This intro perfectly captures the disenchanted mindstate of the writer as he ponders upon the stages of and our very process of living throughout this album. He sings, "Drowning here in Summer's Cauldron, Under mats of flower lava, Please don't pull me out, this is how I would want to go...Please don't heed my shout, I'm relaxed in the undertow" perfectly setting the tone for the rest of this masterpiece. "Grass" is where the story really starts off in earnest. This highly clever and humorous track is basically about adolescent romps, so this is the stage of life where the story begins. My favorite line is when he sings, "Over and over we flatten the clover!" I can't think of a more clever way of saying what he is saying within the song's context. "The Meeting Place" is basically another humorous song about adolescent relationships. The next three songs seem to basically be about heartbreak. "That's really super, supergirl" seems to be about a guy being hurt by this girl that he was into, while she callously brushes it off as being no big deal. This witty track is full of sarcastic jabs. Then the emotions go from sadness (Ballet for a Rainy Day), to hurt and anger (1000 Umbrellas). "Season Cycle" is the closest thing to a title track on this album. On this song, Partridge takes a break from telling the story and assumes the roll of the outside observer. This song's chorus contains the album's most singularly defining moment when he sings, "who's pushing the pedals on this season cycle?" The next two songs take place in the early adulthood, young serious couple stage in life and are probably the two most sarcastic songs on this album. "Earn enough for us" is pretty much about what the title suggests, but this song is so clever, insightful, and deeply incisive that it would require a lot more space than I have available here to really dig into it. "Big Day" is basically about marriage, and the best part of this sharp and cutting song is when he sings, "Are you deafened by the bells? (sound of wedding bells ringing in the background), Could be heaven, Could be hell in a cell for two-oo-ooo"! You don't hear that sort of plain and sober honesty in songs very often. The rest of the album is a lot more straight-faced. The remaining songs are about the fall and winter of life and mainly deal with man's mortality...except for "Mermaid Smiled" that is. "Mermaid Smiled" seems to basically be about the re-discovery of innocence lost or at least a new found appreciation for that innocence, and within the disenchanted context of this album, it actually makes a pretty powerful statement. They end the album off with "Dear God" which is the most effective and compelling capturing of a crisis of faith that I've ever heard. The song is most effective as he sarcastically and scathingly tells God all about the people that are made in his image. I'm sure listeners' response to this song will vary, but whatever your position, this revealing and incisive track driven by that brilliant interplay between the bass and acoustic guitar is bound to leave an indelible impression. This is not just one of the greatest albums of the 80's but one of the greatest albums ever made period, and you'd be hard pressed to find an album that makes for a more compelling and invigorating listen.

"Skylarking" may be XTC's finest hour. It's the most cohesive, consistent, and focused of all their albums. That it came so deep into their lengthy career is a testament to the band's resourcefulness and ability to continually challenge themselves. The songs form a beautiful, seamless, melodic tapestry that covers amazingly diverse territory, yet still sounds focused. Along with the Beach Boys' "Smile," Love's "Forever Changes," Echo & the Bunnymen's "Ocean Rain," Skylarking" is an awesome example of "baroque pop," and was also constructed as a loose song-cycle.

Partridge and Moulding are in top form, and this time Moulding scores more points than he'd managed on the last few albums with his lazy, lush "Grass," the hook-filled "Meeting Place," the moody, gorgeous "Big Day," and the spare, melancholy "Dying." Meanwhile Partridge conjures up some truly effective, moody storms, like the powerfully dramatic, all-string "1000 Umbrellas," and the brooding, beautiful classic "Dear God." Elsewhere, Partridge exudes a more playful side with the Beach Boys-influenced "Season Cycle," the catchy "Supergirl," and the upbeat "Earn Enough for Us." The emotional depth and sheer beauty of these songs is unparalleled. Take Partridge's embittered delivery on "1000 Umbrellas": you can totally feel his agony, as if you were the one to have just been unceremoniously dumped.

"Mermaid Smiled" was bumped off US pressings and replaced by "Dear God" when the latter became a surprise hit. "Dear God" is a polarizing tune (some diehards adamantly dismiss versions of "Skylarking" with "Dear God") but I quite like it and don't mind its presence on the record at all. However, "Mermaid Smiled" has to be one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard: a lush, rich, manic, and surging rush that sends chills up my spine whenever I hear it. I would highly recommend finding a version that contains both "Dear God" and "Mermaid Smiled."

One complaint: Todd Rundgren's production is a bit plastic-y in places, especially on "Supergirl" and a few others, and I prefer the fuller, more organic sounds of "Mummer" and "English Settlement." Despite that, the guitars still sparkle and shimmer, while the string sections make for some deeply moving listening. "Skylarking's" songs are mostly top-notch, and sadly, XTC couldn't repeat the same level of quality on their next album, the flawed "Oranges and Lemons." It's a close call, but to me "Skylarking" just takes the lead over the rest of their output.