SKY 2

Second album, but this one is a double, which is of course not exactly good news if you already know of Sky. I was never really fond of Monkman's previous works in his previous Curved Air ripping-off the classic composer (and this was not just that Vivaldi hit, either), but somehow this album and the debut are not completely devoid of qualities, even if on the overall, I cannot be considered a fan of Sky (I suppose that the epoch it was recorded in was not really helping as most of the second league British groups like Curved Air had packed it in and those musos were looking for a new ride and trying to recycle themselves (some as these guys were at least commercially successful even if artistically, this is definitely more disputable), and salvage a career.

As I said in the review of the debut, Sky was definitely nothing original even in the plagiarism dept, since the Dutch groups Trace and Ekseption had filled the slot in the 70's, but these guys managed some mega success (never really understood why, though) and did it with a certain touch of style (I would not call it class yet) even though some of their music is not far from hapless elevator music. Never offending to the ears, if you play this stuff to your grandma, she will not likely yell out of horror, and you might just brag to your friends that YOU might just be capable to make your family listen to prog. All kidding aside, some tracks are actually quite worthy such as the almost 7-min Sahara (it does have something enthralling) but unfortunately all too often offset (like the mini-suite Fifo with its awful 80's sounding drums. Other highlights might be Tristan's Garden, but I guarantee you it has nothing magic and El Cielo (Sky in Spanish). One of the main gripes I have with this album is its length, had it been a single vinyl, it might just have a small masterpiece in its own genre (with me doing the track selection mind you) albeit a minor one. And if I gave it a third star, I am being a little lame, myself.

Nevermind that these had so much success with this album (if memory serves, they went to the upper reaches of the UK charts although maybe not in the pop-rock category), if you are a real proghead, this should only played if you are about to shag a new blonde chick, but do not want to have to suffer techno or Withney, this tedious (mièvre in French) disc might just do the trick and get you laid. But if you are REALLY lucky, she escaped from bed complaining about your bland musical tastes and dares you to give your best shot at impressing you!!!! Your call but let me get you some advice: avoid Monkman-related groups and head for something punchier without going as far as metal. But whether you want to get laid by a worthy woman is really up to you! Get out of the minor leagues ;-) and head for the real stuff.