Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the next release in the continuing series of reissues of the entire catalogue by the legendary classical rock band Sky. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. Featuring the gifted talents of guitarist John Williams, percussionist Tristan Fry, legendary bass player Herbie Flowers, former Curved Air keyboard player Francis Monkman and guitarist Kevin Peek, Sky recorded their debut album at Abbey Road studios in the early months of 1979. The band’s self-titled debut reached the UK top ten in May 1979 and went on to achieve Platinum status in the UK and was also a major hit in Europe and Australia.

Sky is the debut album by the supergroup Sky, released in 1979. Formed in 1979 as a direct result of classical guitarist John Williams' 1971 Changes album in which he ventured into soft rock for the first time, Sky was an attempt to meld the worlds of classical music and rock instrumentals, with results that echoed the U.S.-based work of composer Chip Davis with his Fresh Aire projects. In 1971, Williams recorded Changes with the intent of displaying his classical guitar prowess in the context of soft rock arrangements. Amongst the session players on the album were bassist Herbie Flowers (then with Blue Mink), keyboardist Francis Monkman (then working with Curved Air), and drummer Tristan Fry, who was doing session work in addition to working as a percussionist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the Fields.

UK eight disc (seven CDs + NTSC/Region 0 DVD) set. The Studio Albums 1979 - 1987 is a clamshell box set that gathers together all seven studio albums released by the legendary classical rock band Sky over a nine year period. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. Featuring the gifted talents of guitarist John Williams, percussionist Tristan Fry, legendary bass player Herbie Flowers, former Curved Air keyboard player Francis Monkman and guitarist Kevin Peek, Sky recorded their debut album at Abbey Road studios in the early months of 1979…

The band Sky would appeal to those who enjoy the instrumental works of the Alan Parsons Project, early symphonic period of Mike Oldfield and '80s Camel. The first album ("Sky", 1979) have some well-known classical pieces, the best of them Satie's haunting 'Gymnopedie', but the highlights of Sky's oeuvre were always their original music, and here Francis Monkman was front and centre. The astonishing 'Where Opposites Meet' is essential listening, to see what can be done with a combination of classical and contemporary stringed instruments. 'Westway' is the album's other highlight, a piece that nails their colours to the mast immediately: here we get splendid bass lines overlaid with playful acoustic guitar and harpsichord, underpinned by a driving beat. An excellent debut release…

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the next release in the continuing series of reissues of the entire catalogue by the legendary classical rock band Sky. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. Sky’s line-up remained the same for this, the band’s fourth album "Sky 4: Forthcoming” released in April 1982. Another successful chart album, "Sky 4: Forthcoming” has now been remastered and includes a companion DVD of Sky’s live set for the BBC TV programme "Night Music”, broadcast in July 1982 (the first ever release of this classic television appearance). The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the next release in the continuing series of reissues of the entire catalogue by the legendary classical rock band Sky. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly re-mastered and includes a companion DVD of Sky at Westminster Abbey, (the first ever DVD release of this classic concert). The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the next release in the continuing series of reissues of the entire catalogue by the legendary classical rock band Sky. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. Featuring the gifted talents of guitarist John Williams, percussionist Tristan Fry, legendary bass player Herbie Flowers, former Curved Air keyboard player Francis Monkman and guitarist Kevin Peek, Sky recorded their debut album at Abbey Road studios in the early months of 1979. The band’s self-titled debut reached the UK top ten in May 1979 and went on to achieve Platinum status in the UK and was also a major hit in Europe and Australia.

Sky were an English/Australian instrumental rock group that specialised in combining a variety of musical styles, most prominently rock, classical and jazz. The group's original and best-known line-up featured classical guitarist John Williams, bass player Herbie Flowers, electric guitarist Kevin Peek, drummer Tristan Fry and keyboard player Francis Monkman. In September 1984, Sky began recording their seventh album, The Great Balloon Race, in Kevin Peek's Tracks Studio in Western Australia. During the mixing stage, the band learnt that they had been dropped by Ariola Records. The album was eventually released on Epic Records (coincidentally, also the label releasing John Williams' albums) in April 1985. The Great Balloon Race was the first Sky album to feature entirely original material without any classical content, although two pieces ("Allegro" and "Caldando") were strongly classically inspired.

The fourth Sky album - Sky 4 Forthcoming - was released in March 1982. This was Sky's first album to feature no original material. It consisted predominantly of arrangements of classical compositions (with the exception of a version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" and a band-composed variation on Adam de la Halle's ballet score for "My Giselle") and was marketed under the slogan "Genius Past, Genius Forthcoming". Music on the album included Sky treatments of pieces such as Berlioz's "March To The Scaffold" and Wagner's "Ride Of The Valkyries".

Sky 3 is the third album by English/Australian instrumental progressive rock band Sky, released in 1981. It reached number three in the British Albums chart. It was the first album recorded after Francis Monkman's departure from the group, with Steve Gray replacing him on keyboards.

Sky 2 is the second album by English/Australian instrumental progressive rock band Sky, released in 1980. Despite being a double album it reached number one in the British Album charts, and at the time was the fastest double album to receive platinum status in the UK, while the instrumental single "Toccata" peaked at 5 in the British Singles Chart. Francis Monkman played guitar on the 20-minute rock suite "FIFO" because, in his words, "I felt it necessary to inject a grunge element". "FIFO" stands for "First In, First Out", and is a song about computer processing. The track "Vivaldi", is Sky's own version of an earlier track by fellow progressive rock band Curved Air, of which Monkman was formerly a member. It originally appeared on their 1970 album "Air Conditioning".

The last album to feature John Williams, its pre-Christmas release was not only an attempt to capture the gift-buying market, but reflected the content of perhaps the most accomplished work the band had done since Francis Monkman's departure. Opening with an interpretation of a Christmas classical music stalwart (including sleighbells!), with track titles like "Mother Russia" and "A Girl in Winter", how can one not associate this with cold, wet nights (preferably snow instead of rain)? Most of Sky's classical reworkings leave me cold, but Troika is one of the exceptions. Herbie offers his almost-contracual "silly" piece to the album in the shape of "Telex from Peru", and the album's quiet piece comes courtesy of a rare Fry composition, "Then and Now"…