Sky 2 (album)

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,^[1] while the instrumental single "Toccata" peaked at 5 in the British Singles Chart.^[2]

Francis Monkman played guitar on the 20-minute rock suite "FIFO" because, in his words, "I felt it necessary to inject a grunge element".^[3] "FIFO" stands for "First In, First Out", and is a song about computer processing.^[4]

Due to the album's length (just over 80 minutes across 2 LPs: too long for one CD, but perhaps, in the eyes of the record labels, not worth the expenditure of producing two CDs), it has never been released in its original form on CD. Early 90's issues by Music Club and Nota Blu fade "Scipio" out a minute early, whereas Castle Music's 2005 reissue leaves "Scipio" intact, but omits the final variation of "Gavotte and Variations". Other CD issues by Success and Merlin Records contain no musical edits, but omit "Gavotte and Variations" and "Andante" entirely.

In 2014 Esoteric Recordings continued their schedule of remasters and expanded releases with this recording, their issue of which contained the same edited version of "Gavotte and Variations" as Castle Music's reissue.

Track list

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Hotta"	Kevin Peek, Herbie Flowers	7:46
2.	"Dance of the Little Fairies"	Flowers	3:31
3.	"Sahara"	Peek	6:56

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
4.	"FIFO - 1st Movement: FIFO"	Francis Monkman	6:44
5.	"FIFO - 2nd Movement: Adagio"	Monkman	2:29
6.	"FIFO - 3rd Movement: Scherzo"	Monkman	4:19
7.	"FIFO - 4th Movement: Watching the Aeroplanes"	Monkman	3:33

Side three
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
8.	"Tuba Smarties" (live)"	Flowers	3:18
9.	"Ballet-Volta"	Praetorius, Arr. John Williams	2:45
10.	"Gavotte and Variations"	Rameau	6:14
11.	"Andante"	Antonio Vivaldi, Arr. Williams	2:58
12.	"Tristan's Magic Garden"	Tristan Fry	4:09
13.	"El Cielo"	Williams	4:20

Side four
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Vivaldi"	Darryl Way	4:03
15.	"Scipio"	Flowers	12:09
16.	"Toccata"	Bach, Arr. Peek, Holmes	4:42

2014 two disc reissue edition

CD: Original album (Remaster) + Bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hotta" (2014 Digital Remaster)
2.	"Dance of the Little Fairies" (2014 Digital Remaster)
3.	"Sahara" (2014 Digital Remaster)
4.	"FIFO" "FIFO" "Adagio" "Scherzo" "Watching The Aeroplanes" (2014 Digital Remaster)
5.	"Tuba Smarties (live)" (2014 Digital Remaster)
6.	"Ballet-Volta" (2014 Digital Remaster)
7.	"Gavotte and Variations" (2014 Digital Remaster)
8.	"Andante" (2014 Digital Remaster)
9.	"Tristan's Magic Garden" (2014 Digital Remaster)
10.	"El Cielo" (2014 Digital Remaster)
11.	"Vivaldi" (2014 Digital Remaster)
12.	"Scipio" (2014 Digital Remaster)
13.	"Toccata" (2014 Digital Remaster)

DVD: Video recordings (NTSC / Region Free)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Toccata" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
2.	"Danza" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
3.	"Sahara" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
4.	"Dance of the Little Fairies" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
5.	"Vavaldi" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
6.	"Hotta" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
7.	"Ballet / Volta" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
8.	"Carillon" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
9.	"Tuba Smarties" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
10.	"FIFO (1st, 2nd & 4th Movements)" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
11.	"Danza Paraguaya" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
12.	"Valse Creollo" (Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon Broadcast as "Rhythm on Two" – BBC TV 24 & 31 July 1980)
13.	"Toccata" ("Top of the Pops" – BBC TV 10 April 1980)

Chart positions

Chart	Year	Peak position
UK Albums Chart^[5]	1980	1

Preceded by Greatest Hits by Rose Royce	UK Albums Chart number-one album 3 May 1980 – 17 May 1980	Succeeded by The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits by Boney M.

Personnel

John Williams - classical guitars
Francis Monkman - keyboards, synthesizers, harpsichord, piano, left-hand channel electric guitar on "FIFO"
Herbie Flowers - bass guitar, tuba on "Tuba Smarties"
Tristan Fry - drums, tuned percussion on "Tristan's Magic Garden" (drumkit, vibraphone, marimba, bass marimba, tympani & xylophones), trumpet on "Tuba Smarties"
Kevin Peek - electric & classical guitars

References

↑ http://plum.cream.org/sky/
↑ Sky UK chart history, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
↑ Wynne, Richard (2002). In Jam [sleeve notes].
↑ http://plum.cream.org/sky/sky2.htm
↑ "Number 1 Albums – 1980s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2011.

Sky

John Williams Herbie Flowers Francis Monkman Kevin Peek Tristan Fry Steve Gray Paul Hart Richard Durrant

Studio albums	Sky Sky 2 Sky 3 Sky 4: Forthcoming Cadmium The Great Balloon Race Mozart

Live albums	Sky Five Live Live In Nottingham

Compilations	Masterpieces Classic Sky Anthology Toccata - An Anthology

Video releases	Sky In Bremen Sky At Westminster Abbey Live In Nottingham

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