Skylarking was XTC’s ninth studio album, released through Virgin Records in October 1986. Originally hailing from Swindon–a large town in Wiltshire, England–the band had become prominent figures in the post-punk scene of the late-70s and early-80s, primarily on the strength of hit singles like “Making Plans For Nigel” (1979), "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" (1980), and “Senses Working Overtime” (1982). Each of their first five albums proved more popular than the last, with 1982’s English Settlement peaking at #5 on the UK charts.
Recorded at producer Todd Rundgren’s Utopia Sound Studio in Woodstock, New York, Skylarking continues the stylistic reinvention of XTC that began with the group’s retirement from touring in 1982. Previous records saw them adopt a more-economical approach to arranging, largely avoiding overdubs unless they could be recreated on stage. No longer burdened by the pressures and constraints of performing live, the band were now free to fully exploit the studio as an instrument in service of their artistic vision–much like The Beatles had done in the later half of their career.
Tonally, Skylarking shares very little in common with its predecessor–1984’s The Big Express–which retains more of the quirky frenetic energy that defined the band's earlier output. The album is perhaps most notable for the controversial single “Dear God,” which–despite being left off initial pressings–became popular with college radio stations around the United States.
Fans may recall that Skylarking was previously reissued in 2016 as the fourth entry in the band’s “Surround Sound Series” campaign, which began in 2013 with 1992’s Nonsuch. Each set contains an audio-only Blu-Ray disc with stereo and 5.1 surround sound renditions from mixing maestro Steven Wilson.
Purely from a production standpoint, it’s difficult to say whether or not this is XTC’s most ambitiously-crafted LP. That honor could just as easily go to the follow-up, 1989’s Oranges and Lemons–which is overflowing with layers upon layers of colorful instrumentation–or the aforementioned mechanical juggernaut that is The Big Express. Like its predecessor, I would definitely argue that a traditional stereo soundstage was simply inadequate to fully service what the band and Rundgren had created.
Wilson’s 2016 5.1 surround mix brilliantly deconstructs-and-reconstructs the album all around the listener, injecting newfound clarity into the dense arrangements without stripping away the magic of the original. The rear speakers are frequently engaged for elements like the layered backing vocals, strings, rhythm guitars, and percussion.
Like many fans, I’d assumed that the 2016 reissue marked the definitive final word on Skylarking. Aside from all the Steven Wilson remixes (stereo, 5.1, and instrumental), the Blu-Ray also featured two versions of the original 1986 stereo mix (the 2001 remaster and the 2010 ‘corrected polarity’ remaster) as well as numerous demos and session recordings from the era. For all intents and purposes, it was a box set condensed onto a single disc.
The 2024 CD/Blu-Ray edition offers up much of the same material (2016 remixes and both stereo remasters), with a notable addition: Wilson has gone back to the original multitracks once more to create a Dolby Atmos mix of Skylarking and four associated tracks from the same sessions. This is only the second XTC release to contain Dolby Atmos audio, following last year’s The Big Express reissue. The instrumental mix is presented in the immersive format as well.
For this new Atmos presentation, Wilson has carefully and cleverly rearranged each musical puzzle piece to fill an even larger canvas. Much of the information that resided upfront in the 5.1 mix–such as the piano, rhythm guitars, and percussion–has now been relocated to the side surround speakers, while additional ‘sound design’ elements like the vocal harmonies and orchestration engage the overhead channels.
The outdoor ambience in “Summer's Cauldron” gently emerges from the rear surrounds, while the cricket sounds and buzzing bees float overhead. The melodica bursts from the side surrounds, announcing the arrival of Andy Partridge’s distinctive voice largely from the center channel. Double-tracked vocals (“please don’t pull me out…”) then emanate from the rear, as the acoustic guitars swirl around the ground-level soundstage. The 2016 5.1 mix had Colin Moulding’s harmonies placed in the rear, but now they’re isolated in the height speakers.
Gorgeous strings fill up the rear soundstage for “Grass,” with acoustic guitars extending from the front stage out into the side surrounds. Colin Moulding’s higher-register harmony appears mostly in the front height channels, along with the lead electric guitar that plays in unison with the strings. Starting in the second verse, a tambourine playfully circles the height array.
Percussion from the front stage kicks off “The Meeting Place,” as sound effects shift between the height speakers and guitars explode from beside the listener. Moulding’s double-tracked vocals on key phrases (“whistle will blow…”) activate the rear surrounds, while additional background vocal parts appear overhead.
Dave Gregory’s guitar from the left side speaker trades off with keyboards from the right side in the bouncy “That’s Really Super, Supergirl.” During the second verse, Andy Partridge’s processed backing vocals (“I won’t call again…”) hover directly above the listener. The guitar solo shortly after the two-minute mark appears isolated in the center channel, emitting its reverb towards the height speakers.
Piano sits between the front and front height speakers for “Ballet For A Rainy Day,” with guitar strums in the sides and double-tracked vocals centered in the back. The cascading backing vocals appear from behind as well, suspended between the rear and rear height speakers.
Moving into “1000 Umbrellas,” strings appear completely isolated in the side speakers while the acoustic guitar stays upfront with Partridge’s voice. The Atmos mix reveals that his vocals during the chorus (“how can you smile…”) are actually triple-tracked: there’s one part in the center channel, another in the rear speakers, and a third positioned directly overhead. Towards the end, additional harmonies from the rest of the group pour in from the rear heights.
“Season Cycle” foregrounds the organ, with piano assigned to the sides and the layered harmonies extending from the rears up into the height array. On the lyric “round and round,” these vocals wildly swirl around the top speakers. Some may consider this gimmickry, but I think that type of movement works in this context because the music is suggesting it.
Guitars take the sides for the rocking “Earn Enough For Us,” while Patridge’s double-tracked lead vocals again appear divided between the center and rear surround speakers. The solo background vocal part after "roof held together with holes" pops up mostly in the rear heights, along with a keyboard doubling the main guitar riff anchored entirely in the front heights.
“Big Day” is another showcase for the vocal layering, with Colin Moulding's triple-tracked performance distributed out into the center, rear, and front height speakers. Gregory’s lead guitar holds firm in the left side speaker, firing its delay off into the right side. After the lyric “are you deafened by the bells” just before the one-minute mark, said bells amusingly circle the height array.
“Another Satellite” showcases the huge delays on Andy Partridge’s voice in the top speakers, along with the main synthesizer riff pinned mostly to the side surrounds. During the chorus (“so circling we'll orbit another year…”), the chime-like keyboards bounce around the four quadrants.
“Mermaid Smiled” splits the different acoustic guitar parts between the front and back stages, with percussion filling in from the sides. The muted horns are diagonally offset between the front right and rear left height channels.
The jazzy “The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul” might be the most impressive track from an immersive standpoint: it starts with finger snaps mostly in the front left height speaker, then bongos over in side right and the flute zig-zagging overhead. When he sings the title refrain, Partridge’s voice literally sails around the height array.
Acoustic guitars float out beside the listener for “Dear God,” as the child’s voice slowly shifts from the center channel into the front height speakers. Background vocals soon emerge from the rear surrounds (“did you make disease…”), while the short orchestral interlude after “and the devil too” fills up the overhead speakers. During the impassioned build-up in the latter half of the song, tom-tom strikes appear largely from behind.
The ominous, contemplative “Dying” kicks off with percussion upfront and guitars again pushed out toward the sides. The ticking percussion effectively jumps around the top speakers, while piano takes the rear. At the end, the vocal chorus chanting “don’t want to die like you” is suspended directly above the listener.
Skylarking then concludes with “Sacrificial Bonfire,” another Colin Moulding composition. Different drum parts call-and-respond between the front and rear speakers, while horns later fill out the sides and the big string crescendos dominate the height speakers.
Moving into the bonus portion of the disc, the bombastic “Extrovert” (B-side to “Grass”) kicks off with different guitar parts split diagonally between the front right and side left speakers. Horns blast from the rear, with the trumpet solo wildly roving around the top array. The lead guitar circles the height channels on the fade as well.
Different sets of percussion take up residence in the front and rear height speakers for “Let’s Make a Den,” while horns and backing vocals again favor the rear. Guitars own the side channels throughout “The Troubles,” with the lower-register vocal harmonies positioned behind the listener and percussion up in the height array.
The final track in the Atmos playlist is an early version of “Little Lighthouse,” which ended up being recut by The Dukes of Stratosphear–XTC’s ‘60s psychedelic-inspired alter ego–for their 1987 release Psonic Psunspot (check out the 5.1 mix on the 2019 Psurroundabout Ride CD/Blu-Ray set). The pinging synth line traverses the height speakers, while horns bounce around the room and rollicking guitars burst from the sides.
Though one might assume this new 2024 edition of Skylarking renders the 2016 reissue obsolete, don’t be so quick to offload your copy as it does feature some unique content. The new Blu-Ray doesn’t include any of the demos and work tape recordings that were on the previous release, nor does the booklet feature Partridge’s extended liner note essay from the 2016 set.
While it’s still my fondest wish that English Settlement eventually be reissued as part of this series (according to Steven Wilson, the vast majority of the original multitrack assets sadly remain unaccounted for), now I’m curious to see if Ape House and Panegyric will end up commissioning new Dolby Atmos mixes of the five prior records that already received 5.1 mixes. Out of all those extant titles, Oranges and Lemons seems like it could be the most revelatory when presented in an even larger space.
In a curious subversion of the usual arrangement, the Atmos mix of Skylarking is exclusively available on Blu-Ray disc–so it cannot be accessed on any of the streaming services that support spatial audio. Fortunately, the Blu-Ray has been issued as part of an affordable two-disc set rather than an exorbitant deluxe edition. I have to say, the immersive listening experience on a 7.1.4 system is simply astounding and will absolutely replace the 5.1 mix as my new go-to way of hearing this wonderful album.
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