The Colour Of Spring VS Skylarking

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Both seem to capture the feel of a season in their own particular way. Both have child vocals. Both are great.

One is more greaterer than the other. Which is it?

― Hari A$hur$t (Toaster), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

horace andy is a child?

― Amon (eman), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:29 (twenty years ago)

Happiness Is Easy

Dear God

― Hari A$hur$t (Toaster), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

I love'em both, but might just have to go with Skylarking.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:50 (twenty years ago)

I am definitely going with 'Colour Of Spring'. But i have to confess i've never been able to totally get into Skylarking.

― Hari A$hur$t (Toaster), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)

since I was REALLY into Skylarking as a kid and first heard Colour of Spring only a handful of years ago, I have a much deeper sentimental attachment to Skylarking.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

I think the two albums are remarkably alike.

― Hari A$hur$t (Toaster), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 22:55 (twenty years ago)

I am definitely going with 'Colour Of Spring'. But i have to confess i've never been able to totally get into Skylarking.

Same here. "Grass" is definitely fun though.

― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 23:30 (twenty years ago)

"Time It's Time" is a remarkable closer (on CoS).

― PB, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 23:40 (twenty years ago)

since I was REALLY into Skylarking as a kid

Arrrgh! I hate reading posts like this. I was a sophomore in college when Skylarking came out (notice I didn't say "dropped").

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 June 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

http://www.oct.zaq.ne.jp/koolroots/skylarking.jpg

― Amon (eman), Thursday, 16 June 2005 02:04 (twenty years ago)

"grass" is probably one of the least memorable songs on skylarking. and i LOVE weed.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 June 2005 02:08 (twenty years ago)

colour of spring by a mile

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 16 June 2005 02:10 (twenty years ago)

well put cutty, I love the weed as well, which is why I prefer CoS. It's a stoner record in the first degree.

― kwhitehead (stephen schmidt), Thursday, 16 June 2005 02:14 (twenty years ago)

Those Colour of Spring songs on the live album just kill.

― PB, Thursday, 16 June 2005 02:17 (twenty years ago)

Skylarking. I like the atmosphere of Colour of Spring a lot, but Skylarking has more specific moments of pleasure for me.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 16 June 2005 04:12 (twenty years ago)

Skylarking by a country mile: songs over "atmosphere."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 16 June 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

I can't remember any of the songs on Skylarking. XTC irritate me. It's the hat, I think, and the glasses. Talk Talk every time.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Admittedly, if "Life's What You Make It" was on Skylarking, it'd be perfect.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:23 (twenty years ago)

"Skylarking" is not only better than "The Colour Of Spring", it is better than anything else released in the entire 80s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 16 June 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

I'd like to see Geir massacred in a weaponified-virus catastophe.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 16 June 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Skylarking, by a country mile.

As much as I love Talk Talk, Skylarking simply stands as one of the greatest pop masterpieces of all time.

However:

Spirit of Eden/Laughing Stock > Skylarking

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 16 June 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)

NO MORE BEATLEMANIA ONCE IS ENOUGH!

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 16 June 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

That live Talk Talk "London '86" disc is going for over $60 on Amazon.

I want it!!!

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 16 June 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

Skylarking (UK) > Colour Of Spring > Skylarking (US)

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 16 June 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)

Difference?

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

oh dear god not this again

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

Are you suggesting, Andrew, that Skylarking and The Colour of Spring are in some way indistinguishable?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

nice, h.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

thanks j. how you been? i guess i should start reading blogs again. so...what about that brewers game?

oh, and to thread title: skylarking, because "it's my life" > "the colour of spring"

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

UK/US

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)

good, matt! i was gonna ask you about the brewers! i'm doing the chicago rock festivals in july (pitchfork fest on 16/17, lollapalooza on 23/24), but if the brew crew have a homestand on some other weekend, i'd totally make the trip. maybe a weeknight, too, if i take off work early. you should look into it and let me know!

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

Talk Talk btw

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:13 (twenty years ago)

sure, JMC, sounds good, as I wouldn't go to those big-ass rock festivals if I was cooingly asked to go by ludivine sagnier riding naked on top of paulina rubio and maya rudolph

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

damn i need to get out moer

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

That live Talk Talk "London '86" disc is going for over $60 on Amazon.
I want it!!!

I just got it off of Amazon (US) for like $26 (inc. s&h)

― PB, Thursday, 16 June 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

I bought it used for $7.99

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 16 June 2005 20:37 (twenty years ago)

US has "Dear God", UK doesn't, it has something else instead ("Mermaid Smiled"). So I pick the UK cos

i) I really don't like "Dear God"
ii) I think it interrupts the feel of the album and the vague life-cycle theme that runs through it.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 16 June 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

Both seem to capture the feel of a season in their own particular way. Both have child vocals. Both are great.

And both came out in 1986, too! *glee*

― Ian Riese-Moraine: exposing ambitious careerists as charlatans since 1986. (East, Thursday, 16 June 2005 23:41 (twenty years ago)

Since Genesis' "Selling England By The Pound", "Skylarking" is the greatest album ever released.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 17 June 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

Skylarking and Colour of Spring are both great albums, but Skylarking goes downhill drastically over the last two tracks (both by Colin Moulding IIRC), whereas Colour of Spring ends brilliantly.

― Paul outta Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Friday, 17 June 2005 03:49 (twenty years ago)

They are not Moulding's best songs, but generally, Moulding usually write most of the best XTC songs. More poppy, light hearted and twee than Partridge, which is a good thing.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 17 June 2005 07:40 (twenty years ago)

I think they ARE his best songs! They're two of my favourite songs on the record, they round it off beautifully. They're also - Sacrificial Bonfire especially - the kind of songs Partridge might write.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 17 June 2005 07:43 (twenty years ago)

More poppy, light hearted and twee than Partridge, which is a good thing.

Ugh. This is where you and I differ strikingly. Moulding practically turned XTC into the fucking Starland Vocal Band. It's Andy's nervous energy, wit and aggression that made early XTC so goddamn great.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 June 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

No, it's the interplay between Andy's nervous energy etc and Colin's pop sense that made early XTC grebt. (Plus Barry Andrew's untethered lunacy on the 1st two recds).

XTC with no Colin would have been a bit heavy going. Like Devo or something.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 17 June 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Fair enough, Doc, you're right. Colin served to balance it all out, I suppose.

But Moulding tracks like "Cynical Days" make me wish Andy would brain him with his own Rickenbacker.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 June 2005 15:46 (twenty years ago)

I'm going to listen to Skylarking tonight! I have never rated it much, apart from Earn Enough For Two. But if I'm honest, I've never really given it much of a chance.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 17 June 2005 15:46 (twenty years ago)

what's Cynical Days on. Do I have it?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 17 June 2005 15:47 (twenty years ago)

"Cynical Days" is on Oranges & Lemons.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 June 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

Well, in light of all this talk/talk, I just ordered a CD copy of Colour of Spring so I remember to listen to it more often. And Skylarking still just rates vinyl with me... So there it is.

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Friday, 17 June 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

"Earn Enough for Us" is the only XTC song I care for at all

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Friday, 17 June 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

Oh yes, it's called Earn Enough For Us, not ...For Two. Anyway...

Cynical Days - yes well I don't have O&L

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 17 June 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

Cynical Days - yes well I don't have O&L

You're not missing that much, Doc. It's a fine album, but it's far from their best. There are some nice moments on it, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a bit overproduced.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 June 2005 17:08 (twenty years ago)

That said, Oranges & Lemons was the very last XTC album I could summon any enthusiasm for.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 June 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

That's about where Partridge decided he was only going to write songs for Brian Wilson to notice.

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Friday, 17 June 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

xpost Yes I used to have O&L on vinyl, but didn't rate it. Too slick for me. I wish I'd kept it really, as vinyl doubles are always nice to have around..
Just been listening to some live stuff from before White Music(on the 'Coat..' box) - jeez they were fiery. And bloody hell they could play - so tight! Chambers was a monster drummer and Andy's riffing is brutal. They sound a bit more 'London' too. I didn't see them until 79 and they were still pretty wild, but somehow more polished...if that makes sense.
Moulding's songs were really important in setting them apart from the rest as they got going. Life Begins At The Hop is fantastic and interesting in the way that it points towards a more innocent, slightly rural and out-of-the-way place. 'Come with me to the church on the corner/There'll be nuts and crisps and c-c-c-cola'. And the use of the word 'Hop'. That's 1950's at the latest; no-one was using 'hop' in 1978. Then you've got the map of 'Moulding's Swindon' included with Go2 LP, a goofy flipside to the knowing meta LP cover.
All that went against the grain of punk/new-wave at the time - you had to be pushing foward, mixing styles, flitting between dub and jazz and Eno - but here were XTC at the 'hop'. Brilliant! Of course as they went on the Swindon/pastoral side became their identity, but those early days were the best.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 17 June 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

Got Skylarking on now - much better start than I remembered. Summer's Cauldron into Grass into Meeting Place - I like them having two equally good, yet different singers. Hear either and it could only be XTC, no-one else - sort of like The Move or The Clash (alright Mick was a bit...reedy, maybe not the Clash). They'd pretty much abandoned doing that guitar thing they called 'the rub' by now hadn't they? You know - where Andy and Dave scrub frantically at the strings slightly out of synch. How I love 'the rub'! Actually that went out after Black Sea, I think. There's not much rub on English Settlement. Anyway, I digress... I have to go and water the garden, crack open a beer and then on with Skylarking. It seems a good album for the hottest day of the year so far.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 17 June 2005 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Sacrificial Bonfire = Genius.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Saturday, 18 June 2005 15:09 (twenty years ago)

YES!!! SACRIFICAL BONFIRE IS GENIUS! But I never thought I'd meet another living soul who understood that. Yikes. Thank goodness for you, Dr. C. *wipes brow*

Still can't understand why people lose their marbles over Talk Talk. I think I got Spirit of Eden once on cassette. Couldn't get into it. Don't think I've heard Colour of Spring, though.

― The Silent Disco of Glastonbury (Bimble...), Sunday, 19 June 2005 03:47 (twenty years ago)

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