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The original album as it appeared back in 1986 (it sure doesn't sound like an 80s album) does not include Dear God which was actually a B-side to the Grass single. Dear God became a college radio hit in the U.S. and that resulted in it being included in the U.S. album at the expense of Mermaid Smiled. The initial UK and US CD releases reflect this difference, with the Gold Ultradisc following the latter's track listing. It is only after remastering, that the latest releases (Japanese paper sleeve and this one) contain both songs with Dear God being tagged on at the end (the Japanese paper sleeve edition does not list the track). Sequence-wise, I prefer the latest incarnation as it offers the best of both worlds and generally sound better after the remastering (the Gold CD stills sounds superior but lacks Mermaid Smiled).

XTC play quirky and intelligent pop with shades of Squeeze and the Beatles. Early XTC sounded a little different, having more punk and new wave elements in them. The best albums pre-Skylarking include Black Sea and Drums & Wires. Notable post-Skylarking releases include Oranges & Lemons and their last studio album Wasp Star (Apple Venus Vol. 2). Skylarking stands out from all their other albums in that it follows a concept - pastoral meditation on the cycle of life and death. It is quite likely that this is down largely to Todd Rundgren's production and vision. If you study his other work (including his own albums) as well as other artistes he has produced (prime example being Hall & Oates' War Babies), you will see that unity and flow are the twin pillars of his production technique. This however should not detract from the writing skills of Partridge and Moulding, which turn up many gems here including Grass, Ballet For A Rainy Day and Dear God. Of course, there was the inevitable clash of egos between Partridge and Rundgren (an example being Partridge's annoyance that Rundgren chose almost, if not all of Moulding's offerings for the album - other XTC albums feature about 3 songs from Moulding; Skylarking has 5).

Reluctant concept album? XTC's Sgt. Pepper? Whatever the label, this is one fine album that has to be listened to from start to finish and then back again. It is another one of those 'cyclical' albums that deserve a wider audience, much like Love's Forever Changes and The Byrd's Notorious Byrd Brothers.


Brilliant, lush, pop masterpiece!   July 28, 2005
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

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 bitterness and 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 share many of the same sentiments but they don't cause me to not believe in God, they do however sometimes cause me to not believe in people. 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.


No impact   April 21, 2006
 5 out of 19 found this review helpful

I'll probably never run out of music to discover. It seems that no matter how many stones I turn, no matter how exhaustive my search is, there will always be atleast a few gems I'd somehow overlooked. For me, XTC are one of those gems. I picked up Black Sea at the local record shop and it completely knocked me out. Maybe it was those huge drums, or the way everything felt like it was pulling apart at the seams. Regardless of what it was, I had to have more. Over the course of the next few weeks I proceeded to buy Drums and Wire followed by English settlement. Again, both were completely stellar albums, especially D & W.

Then there was Skylarking. It was supposed to be THE XTC album, their masterpiece. People compared it to the likes of Pet sounds and proclaimed it one of the best albums of all time. I'm sad to say it didn't live up to the hype for me. In fact, I find it to be downright mediocre. For me this is where they dropped the ball and failed to pick it back up. I'll admit that I miss the more raw, punk like energy that was found in early XTC, but that's not why I dislike this album. I actually enjoy alot of mellow, lavishly produced music, but Skylarking just sounds...bland. None of the songs seem to stand out and the production is borderline soft rock. Every time I listen I hear less of what made me love XTC in the first place and more of why I can't stand Phil Colins. Even the songwriting itself is weak, lacking strong hooks and any sort of weight to help the music rise out of the syrupy muck that Todd Rundgren laid out. I just don't see what all the fuss is about.