Top 10 Best Songs from XTC's Skylarking
When XTC were preparing music for their next album, Virgin Records executives insisted that it sell well and brought in Todd Rundgren as producer. Andy Partridge had an idea for a concept album about cycles in nature and life, and he called it Skylarking. Much of the music is influenced by 1960s psychedelic pop, with updated production values and instruments for the 1980s.
Many of the songs flow into each other, including Summer's Cauldron into Grass and Ballet for a Rainy Day into 1000 Umbrellas. These segues help strengthen the album's thematic cohesion. Dear God was originally released as a B-side and wasn't part of the album's original running order.
The album has since been considered by many critics and fans to be XTC's greatest work. Feel free to vote and comment, and if I missed your favorite track on the album, please feel free to add it to the list.
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Ballet for a Rainy Day
This one's a piano driven semi ballad inspired by Andy Partridge's childhood. Since it's England, the weather would frequently rain, and his mother would often get frustrated over her hairdo being ruined. I love it because it has a really beautiful melody.
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Season Cycle
This song's about the changes in seasons that occur regularly in nature. It's piano driven and has a melody that's very reminiscent of The Beach Boys.
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Big Day
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Grass
Another Colin Moulding song. This one's inspired by the time he spent at Coate Water Country Park in Swindon, England, his hometown.
Grassin' this song, dude.
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Dear God
This song was originally left off the album, but Geffen Records added it after it started to get regular radio play in America. It was considered controversial because it's about an agnostic who writes a final letter to God, completely disowning him.
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The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
This song is interesting because the verses are written in 7/4 time rather than 4/4 time. It's got a very strong jazz influence.
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1000 Umbrellas
This song has a really intricate string arrangement crafted by lead guitarist and keyboardist Dave Gregory on a sequencer and a string patch synthesizer.
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The Meeting Place
Colin Moulding wrote this one too. He said that the guitar riff reminded him of the British children's TV series Toytown.
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Earn Enough for Us
This song was inspired by Andy's early work life and reflects how he felt his boss never respected him regardless of how hard he worked.
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That's Really Super, Supergirl
This one has a more contemporary feel than most of the tracks, being driven by a synthesized drum loop. Nonetheless, it does feature a short but clever guitar solo. Dave Gregory used Eric Clapton's Gibson SG, The Fool, to record it, and it was owned by Todd Rundgren at the time.
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Mermaid Smiled
