Richard Skelton - where to begin?

No thread on this guy! I read the recent Invisible Jukebox piece in The Wire and need some help navigating a huge discography. Any fans?

I don't know his work that well, but I like the album "Landings" on Type.

Landings is totally amazing. I've only heard Verse Of Birds otherwise, but wasn't as impressed.

Landings is the place to start.

There's a small amount of conversation about Skelton here:

The "classical" music you buy from Boomkat (2010): a thread to discuss Sylvain Chauveau, Johann Johannsson, Peter Broderick, Olafur Arnalds and others

I've got Landings and it's pretty awesome. Where to go from there?

I'm a big fan of the Wolf Notes album he recorded with his partner...
http://aeolian.bandcamp.com/album/wolf-notes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9iE3u2PGAo

Think you can happily dip in to any of his back catalogue and find something of interest, particularly if any of the themes or places appeal to you.

Does anyone own any of the particularly nicely packaged releases (as opposed to the jewel case/slip case releases)?

Struck by the thought that he is famed for his artifacts yet, in my entire collection, he is the artist I listen to most on scrappy CD-Rs (burned from the *skura DVD).

Missed this, from April:

http://www.corbelstonepress.com/archival-4.htm

Just noticed (having finished "On Silbury Hill") that Little Toller have commissioned a monograph from Richard Skelton ("Fen Wall").

http://www.corbelstonepress.com/nimrod.htm

Just been delayed by up to a month.

http://thequietus.com/articles/16648-richard-skelton-the-inward-circles-interview

http://aeolian.bandcamp.com/album/diagrams-for-the-summoning-of-wolves

a new long piece (or short album) by *AR (Skelton/Richardson)

Got given this and the inward circles album yesterday - haven't really digested them yet, only a couple of listens each, but they're really great so far, even listening on rubbish laptop speakers which is all I've had a chance to do.

Does anyone own any of the particularly nicely packaged releases (as opposed to the jewel case/slip case releases)?

way late on this, but yes - I have a wooden box w/exclusive CD and a load of artifacts - really awesome, one of my favourite things.

I've only ever managed to get any of the bound book editions, but they're all lovely as well.

Once you get to a certain stage with Richard he seems to let you know before general release about things - he sent me a mail at the back end of last year about Summoning of Wolves telling me I could have one of the last book editions.

Not Skelton but currently on tour with him and may appeal:

https://surfacetensionriverlea.bandcamp.com/releases

Toby from the Boomkat thread ... your birthday 2015 Skelton update?

New Skelton:

http://www.corbelstonepress.com/belatedmovements.htm

I still haven't listened to the previous one but good news regardless

I've enjoyed playing "Belated Moments ..." a lot this week but the timing was particularly good (late night, fading wood burner, cottage in the middle of nowhere, everyone else asleep).

Yeah, this is a really good one.

New version of "Landings":

http://corbelstonepress.com/landings.htm

(Must confess I have lost track of what versions of the album I own now).

Must come back to this thread when feeling more eloquent but this is really very good. Liking it a lot.

From Twitter:

Adam Scovell ‏@AdamScovell · 7h7 hours ago
Another exciting bit of Holloway news is that it now has an original score by Richard Skelton and it sounds amazing.

Fancy edition sold out:

http://corbelstonepress.com/memorious-earth.htm

There's a new fancy edition now.

Dear friends,

'Memorious Earth' was the summation of our work in Cumbria, and in early August we'll be moving on, heading north of the border to look for new landscapes in Scotland. We're particularly interested in discovering communities with progressive environmental ideas who are welcoming of the kind of work we do. If you know of any, we'd be delighted to hear from you.

With that in mind, we'll be packing up and putting Corbel Stone Press on temporary hiatus, whilst we travel around Scotland. Whilst we may be able to arrange for some orders to be shipped whilst we are travelling, there may be delays in fulfilling them. All orders made before August 6th will be dispatched as usual.

(A quick note: there are just 3 copies left of the 'Memorious Earth CD-R edition').

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our work in Cumbria.

With our warmest wishes,

Autumn & Richard.

http://littletoller.co.uk/bookshop/monographs/beyond-the-fell-wall/

Collection:

http://www.corbelstonepress.com/srl-10th-anniversary.htm

Missed the physical edition of this, completely:

http://theinwardcircles.bandcamp.com/album/i-have-heard-a-music-and-it-is-delirious

I missed that ep as well, somehow.

The collection would be lovely but it's an edition of 10 and even though there's lots there I don't have I think it belongs to the superfans.

It hasn't sold out yet ...

http:​//corbelstonepress.​com/archival-5.​htm​

Complete Sustain-Release USB stick. Essential and a bargain.

Worth having, if you don't have most of the stuff already, certainly.

I haven't wandered too far away from Skelton's own stuff and Autumn Richards, so since this also includes the Archival Series to date it looks the best way to acquire those.

Revisting Landings this afternoon. Wonderful record.

http://www.caughtbytheriver.net/2016/03/13/the-pale-ladder-selected-poems-texts-by-richard-skelton/

I've been on a big mod classical kick (Julia Kent is my other big discovery), and Landings is remarkable. A couple questions about it:

It's out of print? The cheapest copy I can find on Amazon is $26 (and ships from Spain!).
Should I jump into The Complete Landings, or would Landings suffice?

I'm pretty sure the Type release is out of print now.

You could just go for this ... http://corbelstonepress.com/srl-10th-engraved-usb.htm

https://towardsafrontier.wordpress.com/

Contemplated making myself a "Best of" - or at least, a compilation for enjoying during a week in the Peak District - but suspect I will just end up picking out an album to take.

http://corbelstonepress.com/andrightlines.htm

Anyone read Richard's novel?

https://www.corbelstonepress.com/the-look-away

I dug out an old Clouwbeck CD-r over the weekend - From Which the River Rises - and was captivated enough to think I was might have a revisit of as much of the Skelbo catalogue as I can find/manage.

I sort of feel that - along with Robert Macfarlane - he's got a lot to do with grip the 'lone enraptured male' has on a good deal of nature writing and ambient music. But, having been reminded of the delicacy and immensity he's capable of, I'm inclined from this distance to say baws to all of that and have another go.

Which as a lone enraptured male myself is jolly decent of me, I think.

I'm not really sure I would *blame* Skelton for much ... He does what he does very well but this doesn't feel overbearing.

I'm also a fan of Macfarlane and I could see that his "grip" feels more pronounced. I could almost imagine lots of nature-ish books only being repressed if he could be commissioned to write an intro.

I think there's a lot to be gained from immersing yourself in the "Skelbo catalogue".

I don't know why I've come to associate the two - something to do with timing, I suppose, and the proximity to which I discovered both artists. Fwiw, I was mostly being facetious and wasn't calling Skelton's honesty and commitment into question. I met him once (and Autumn), around the time of Landings. He'd just performed a live soundtrack to a contemporary dance piece; he was great, absorbing company. As for Macfarlane, The Wild Places is magnificent.

Oh, there's definitely a connection - particularly around language (obscure words)/nature.

Sure, and they've collaborated a few times, right? Skelton is namechecked in The Old Ways and he has a presence in Landmarks, I believe?

Listening to Border Ballads right now and greatly enjoying its Gavin Bryars-esque moods. I'm not acquainted with the rest of his rather extensive catalogue – any particular titles I should check out?

I'd go straight to Landings, then Box of Birch (under the A Broken Consort name) and maybe the From Which the River Rises EP by Clouwbeck.

The book that accompanies Landings is excellent and you get a real sense of the whole project.

Noted. Thanks!

I'd also suggest going straight for Landings. Strangely, i'd thought this conversation had already happened but I can't see it.

It might be worth searching for one of the compilations of all his tracks.

Landings thirded. Wolf Notes is another good one.

We've definitely done this before but I don't think there's a different Skelton thread. It's not on the Boomkat Classical thread?

While we're at it, how does Border Ballads compare to his previous work?

I think it's one of the ones I listen to the least (but I might be confusing it with verse of birds).

It just came out this year.

Then I don't think I've heard it?

I am just generally confused these days.

I think that "The Shape Leaves," also under the Broken Consort moniker, is much better than "A Box of Birch," but yes, start with "Landings."

I am just generally confused these days.

You and me both!

I spent some time listening to various Skelton albums earlier this year and as such the new one didn't make a huge impression on me. It was good but didn't separate itself from the pack for me.

New Skelbo sounding great.

https://phantomlimblabel.bandcamp.com/album/these-charms-may-be-sung-over-a-wound

I've yet to comb through his entire discography, but it sounds less pastoral than prior releases? There's more to his work than stylistic stillness, it seems.

I've not read anything about the project but it seems less tied to place, which is his usual obsession. And the sound bed seems more, synthetic?

Good points both. It's what I'm hearing as well – perhaps the 19th century 'scientific' theme called for a more audibly technological soundscape.

Anyone keeping up? Just noticed I've missed a version of his new album that included a bonus album.

I think A Great Body might have been the last one I got so I'm probably only 5 or 6 behind.

I liked These Charms May Be Sung Over a Wound

I've liked a lot of the stuff he's released over the course of the past few months, TALUS is probably his most cheery drone yet, and I really like SUTR as well.