Skylarking is the eighth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 27 October 1986 on Virgin Records. Produced by American musician Todd Rundgren, it is a loose concept album about a nonspecific cycle, such as a day, a year, the seasons, or a life. The title refers to a type of bird (skylark), as well as the Royal Navy term "skylarking", which means "fooling around". It became one of XTC's best-known albums and is often regarded as one of their finest albums.
Like XTC's Dukes of Stratosphear side project, Skylarking was heavily influenced by the psychedelic music of the 1960s. Most of the album was recorded at Rundgren's Utopia Sound Studio in Woodstock, New York, with some work undertaken in San Francisco at the Tubes' studio; Tubes drummer Prairie Prince also drummed on the album. Rundgren played a large role in the album's sound design and drum programming, providing the band with orchestral arrangements and an assortment of equipment. However, the sessions were fraught with tension, especially between Rundgren and bandleader Andy Partridge, and numerous disagreements arose over drum patterns, song selections, and other details.
Upon release, Skylarking was met with indifference in the UK, peaking in the album charts at number 90, while both of its lead singles "Grass" (backed with "Dear God") and "The Meeting Place" peaked at number 100. In the US, "Dear God" became a college radio hit, causing US distributor Geffen Records to recall and repress Skylarking with the track included, and propelling the album to number 70. Following the song's growth in popularity, it was the subject of controversy in the country, inspiring many angry phone calls to radio stations and at least one bomb threat.
Skylarking has been included on "100 greatest albums of the 1980s" lists by Rolling Stone (in 1989) and Pitchfork (in 2002). In 2010, it was discovered that a wiring error made during the mastering process caused the album to have a "thin" sound, and the problem was corrected on subsequent remasters. In 2016, an expanded reissue was released by Partridge's Ape House label with demos, outtakes, and new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes by Steven Wilson. In 2024, Wilson mixed the album in Dolby Atmos for an updated reissue.
Background
In the 1980s, XTC underwent a gradual transition in their sound and image. Their albums became increasingly complex, and after frontman and songwriter Andy Partridge suffered a panic attack before a concert, the band ceased touring. In 1984, they released The Big Express, which sold poorly and attracted little critical notice. According to Partridge, the group's psychedelic influences had begun "leaking out" through the use of Mellotron, phasing, and "backwards so-and-so". They paid further homage to these influences on the mini-album 25 O'Clock, released on April Fools' Day 1985 and credited to "the Dukes of Stratosphear". 25 O'Clock outsold The Big Express in the UK even before "the Dukes" were revealed to be XTC. Partridge remembered: "That was a bit upsetting to think that people preferred these pretend personalities to our own personalities ... they're trying to tell us something."
During a routine meeting in early 1986, Virgin Records executives threatened to drop the band from the label if their next album failed to sell more than 70,000 units. One reason why the group was not selling enough records, the label reportedly concluded, was that they sounded "too English". As was the case for their other records, the label refused to allow the band to act as their own producers, even though Partridge was already established as a producer of other artists. Given a list of American producers to choose from by the label, the only name they recognized was Todd Rundgren. To Virgin, he appeared to be ideal for XTC, as he had a reputation for completing troubled projects on schedule and under budget, such as Badfinger's Straight Up (1971) and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell (1977). XTC was a rare example, he said, "where I was both familiar with the band's previous work and unnecessary as a 'songcraft' agitator." He had also attended an XTC show in Chicago during their 1980 Black Sea tour.
Guitarist Dave Gregory was a fan of Rundgren's music, particularly since hearing his 1978 album Hermit of Mink Hollow, though his bandmates were not as familiar with Rundgren. For bassist Colin Moulding, "I'd seen him on stage, on TV, with his Utopia stuff, and I thought it was way over the bastard top ... Then Dave started playing me one or two things. I heard 'I Saw the Light,' and I thought, 'Christ, that's a really good song!' I didn't know he had that side to him." All that Partridge knew about Rundgren was his solo album Something/Anything? (1972). Gregory urged the group to work with him: "I reminded Andy that Todd had produced one of his favourite New York Dolls records [New York Dolls, 1973]. In the absence of any better alternatives, he agreed." Once contacted, Rundgren offered to handle the album's entire recording for a lump sum of $150,000—including tape costs, studio hire, lodging, and his production fee—which the band accepted.
Concept and style
In January 1986, Partridge and Moulding mailed Rundgren a collection of more than 20 demo tapes they had stockpiled in advance of the album. Rundgren convinced the band that the songs they had written could form a concept album as a way to bridge what he described as "Colin's 'pastoral' tunes and subject matter and Andy's 'pop anthems' and sly poetry." He also suggested a provisional title, Day Passes, and said that the album
The chosen songs were of a gentler atmosphere and relations were drawn between tempo, key, and subject matter. Partridge thought well of the selections, but was annoyed that the tracks and running order were determined so early on in the process, remarking that "you hadn't spoken to the bloke for three minutes, and he'd already been hacking and throwing your work in the bin". Further working titles included All Day Life, Rite, Rite Things, Leftover Rites, Summer Good, and Pink Things Sing. They settled on Skylarking, referring to a type of bird (skylark) and the Royal Navy slang term "skylarking", which means "fooling around". Partridge commented that the album espoused the feeling of "a playfully sexual hot summer ... It's just about summer and being out in the open and discovering sex in a stumbly, teenage way."
Similarly to 25 O'Clock, the music was heavily influenced by the 1960s psychedelic era. However, Skylarking contrasted significantly from earlier XTC efforts. As music critic A.D. Amorosi wrote, "More lyrically mature, lush and gently psychedelic than anything before in their catalog, Skylarking borrowed the hilly, holy feel of Mummer, as well as the ringing Beatles-ish vibe from ... The Big Express, but with a softly sweeping gracefulness and a finessed orchestral swirl." It has been variously described as an album of art rock, art pop, new wave, psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock, neo-psychedelia, post-punk, and chamber pop.
The album's lyrical themes include love, marriage and religion. The track "Dear God" has been called an "atheist anthem." Partridge surmised that the lyrical content of his songs had gradually become more worldly as result of his "coming off—rather abruptly—of 13 years of valium addiction" in 1981. He had also recently become a father and began listening to numerous Beach Boys albums, before which he had only been familiar with their singles. Moulding had recently listened to Pink Floyd's 1967 debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn for the first time and was influenced by Syd Barrett's "free-form" songwriting style. The final tracklist featured five songs written by Moulding, which was much more than usual for the band; Partridge reflected that "I was already feeling sort of pushed out by Virgin. ... But, honestly, that was the best batch of material that Colin had ever offered up for". According to Moulding, "Todd chose the songs. I know for a fact that, had he not, my contribution in number would have been decidedly less. I was just grateful that the band had an independent arbiter."
Production Session difficulties
Collaborating with Rundgren proved to be difficult, especially for Partridge, and numerous disagreements arose over drum patterns, song selections, and other details. Partridge characterised Rundgren's musical preferences as "completely contradictory to mine": for instance, suggesting a fuzz guitar overdub where Rundgren wanted a mandolin. Moulding acknowledged that, until then, it was typical for Partridge to act as an "executive producer" for XTC's albums, frequently undermining the authority of the actual credited producer. According to Rundgren, "Essentially, it was kind of preordained by me what the record was going to be, which was something they never endured before. I think [Colin and Dave] trusted me, but Andy never did." Gregory intimated that "Todd and Andy were like chalk and cheese as personalities, they didn't hit it off from the start. Things just went from bad to worse."
Partridge was satisfied with Rundgren's arrangements but frustrated with the producer's "patronizing" and "so bloody sarcastic" tone and remarks during the sessions. As he remembered, "[Todd would] ask how you were going to do the vocals and you would stand in front of the mic and do one run through to clear your throat and he'd say, 'That was crap. I'll come down and I'll record me singing it and you can have me in your headphones to sing along to.'." Another line he recalled was: "You can dick around with [the track] for a few hours your way if you like. I'm going up to my house. When you find out it doesn't work your way, give me a call and we'll record it my way." He believed that the producer's role was "to keep us in line", however, and that Rundgren was successful in that respect. On the extent of the altercations, Rundgren said "there was the moment Andy said he wanted to cleave my head in half with an axe. But there was never anything physical. Just verbal abuse." Gregory stated that he was "quite happy to be directed by Todd instead of Andy." He thought that Rundgren "deliberately belittle[d Andy] if he thought he was getting too big for his boots. Andy rose to the bait every time." Moulding did not have "any problem with Todd", instead feeling that Partridge was "so unhappy and taking it out, a little bit, on me."
Rundgren had listened to The Big Express and concluded that the group had "lost track" of their studio indulgences. His style of embracing technical mistakes without allowing the members a chance to fix them was also a source of contention. Partridge often stated that this was because Rundgren wanted to spend as little money as possible, while Moulding said: "I don't believe that was the only reason. You could tell, that was his working method. He liked to do it because he's of the opinion—and I think I am as well—that the best take is where the band is running through while the engineer's trying to get a sound! That's the take that should be recorded, you know." At times when Partridge wanted to improve some part of the music, Rundgren would respond saying "Andy, it won't necessarily be 'better' – it'll just be different."