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Conference mr1pst::music

Title:MUSIC V4
Notice:New Noters please read Note 1.*, Mod = someone else
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Wed Oct 09 1991
Last Modified:Tue Mar 12 1996
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:762
Total number of notes:18706

262.0. "Sky" by AYOV27::DROBB (Looking back, it's so bizarre ...) Thu Jul 02 1992 10:12

    Didn't really want to start a separate topic for this but ... I thought
    folks, particularly in the U.S., might like to know that Sky's three
    albums from the late 70's/early 80's ("I", "II" and "III" - original,
    huh?) have just been issued on CD in the U.K. (for the first time 
    anywhere in the world).
    
    This band shifted a *lot* of units in that timeframe with their own
    brand of pomp-rock (or whatever it was categorised as by the music
    press at the time).
    
    - Dougie
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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262.1HNDMTH::TUTAKE. Martinez: '92 All-Star Write-InThu Jul 02 1992 18:352
    
    Sky...wasn't that Francis Monkman's band ? 
262.2Don't know who elseTHEBAY::WIEGLEBDAPotatoe Head BluesThu Jul 02 1992 19:3510
    RE: .1
    
    Yep.  At least it was one of the groups that Francis Monkman was in.
    (He was in Renaissance for their "Prologue" LP, and perhaps in the band
    Curved Air).
    
    It also included John Williams, who played acoustic guitar behind Pete
    Townsend for his cuts on "The Secret Policeman's (Other?) Ball".
    
    - Dave
262.3RHETT::MCABEERaised by humansThu Jul 02 1992 22:357
    >  It also included John Williams, who played acoustic guitar behind Pete
    
    BTW, this is the same John Williams who has been one of the leading
    classical guitarists for more than thirty years, in case anybody asks.
    
    
    Bob
262.4REFINE::BARKERI like to do drawrings.Sun Jul 05 1992 18:204
    I believe so, and also the John Williams who used to conduct the Boston
    Pops.
    
    -Jesse
262.5No comparisonWRKSYS::MARKEYThis Alpha chip goes to 11Sun Jul 05 1992 18:4910
    The two aforementioned John Williams are *not* the same. The guitarist
    is a genious of both the classical and jazz genres. The other guy is an
    overrated "composer" who writes pompous bombastic movie themes and waves
    a baton in front of a bunch of symphony castoffs who play lousy arrange-
    ments of overplayed classics and sappy "popular" music. Please do not
    insult the one by mistaking him for the other.
    
    Brian
    
    (Sorry Bob, if you're listening, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em)
262.6ah brianTOOK::SCHUCHARDDon't go away mad!Mon Jul 06 1992 16:2413
    
    Brian, the world *needs* composers who write bombastic movie themes! At
    least he does not pretend he's doing something otherwise!  All Pops
    conductors are mere talking fronts for symphony castoffs everywhere!
    
    I remember the first time I saw ET - it's getting near the end, and
    the cynic in mean is saying "these guys have no shame - every blatant
    musical/visual trick to bring tears", yet when the movie ended,it
    worked - the place was moist all around and it got a standing O!
    I mean it's simple - you have to shill, do it all the way!!  Save
    good music for good movies...
    
    bob
262.7Lineup (if my memory serves me correctly !!)YOROWN::WALTERSMay you never...Mon Aug 03 1992 15:2626
The original line up was:

John Williams 	guitar	
Tristan Fry	percussion	
Francis Monkman	keyboards
Kevin Peek	guitar
Herbie Flowers	bass (double, electric, tuba)

This lasted for the first three albums, SKY 1, SKY 2, SKY 3. Steve Gray replaced
Francis Monkman on the fourth album "Fourthcoming". The following albums were
"Sky Five Live", "Cadmium" and "The Great Balloon Race".

The music that they played was often a bastardisation of classical music. They 
also managed to cover jazz classics, but their real strength was in original
tunes. The music was always instrumental, played with lots of feeling and fun
by real virtuosi in their field. 

Some of the versions of classics that they "ripped off" include the famous
Toccata from Bach, Ride of the Valkyries from Wagners ring, Troika from 
Lieutenant Kije by some Russian, and other assorted stuff by Saens-Sans,
Satie, etc.

If I had to recommend any of the CD's it would be SKY2, although there is a
compilation of their "greatest hits" (best known tracks) available.

Chris