Esoteric (label)
01 May 2018 (released)
22 May 2018
In 1979 the original lineup of Sky launched into a musical world that seemed to be only about punk, New Wave and disco. What gave the band the idea that a bunch of classically trained musicians playing rock versions of classical tunes could possibly make a dent in the charts?
When the final studio album was released in 1987 they had sold millions of records, had massive success in the UK, Germany, Australia and played the Royal Albert Hall, a 5 night residency at the Dominion Theatre and major halls all over the world.
I would say that what made Sky special was that there was no-one else playing classical in a rock format and absolutely no-one who had the sheer ability of people such as the legendary John Williams (guitar), Herbie Flowers (bass), Tristran Fry (drums & percussion), Francis Monkman (keyboards) and Kevin Peek (guitar). There were bands such as Yes and some of the remnants of the Prog sound that were including classical in long pieces but the ability to make relatively short pieces stand out was extra special.
This box-set contains all of the seven studio albums that Sky released and a bonus DVD of ‘Live In Nottingham 1990’ and for anyone unfamiliar with the band’s output this covers all of it.
All of these albums are already available in deluxe editions (with Esoteric’s usual bonus tracks and extensive booklets) but the price if this set makes it very good value and the remastered albums are exactly the same as the individual, so no loss in value.
The live DVD has been out of print for about 15 years and is quite sought after – a genuine bonus.
It is remarkable, listening to these albums, just how fresh they sound – the Esoteric remasters have been done to a really high standard.