XTC

[J_Partyka]

Actually, the Geffen Skylarking CD can't be a clone of the Virgin, because it contains "Dear God" in place of "Mermaid Smiled." The revised version was never released in the UK.

Ah. I didn't realize that. I may have to track down an old Virgin CD, then, just out of curiosity ... Considering that Skylarking is one of my all-time favorite albums, I won't necessarily mind having another copy.

I have British, Canadian and American vinyl pressings of that album, and they all sound very good. The one I usually play is the British, not because of any great difference in sound but simply because the quality of the vinyl itself seems to be best.

[Rspaight]

Was there ever a Geffen CD with "Mermaid?" I guess 1986 was still the era when the CD lagged the LP by several weeks.

My pre-Skylarking XTC stock is woefully inadequate -- all I've got is Waxworks (which is no particular prize sonically).

Ryan

[Ess Ay Cee Dee]

nt

[Beatlesfan03]

Very interesting ... That's one of the remasters that I have yet to hear. I presume they used the correct (uncensored) version of "Respectable Street"? If so, that by itself would probably be reason enough for me to pick it up, as I no longer have that version on CD (Fossil Fuel contains the censored single version).

Correct, it is the uncensored version of Respectable Street.

Vis a vis Skylarking, I almost wish I still had my old Geffen CD (assuming it's a clone of the Virgin), as I'd love to compare it to my MoFi to see whether I agree with you or not. All I know at the moment is that I prefer the MoFi to the remastered CD (despite the absence of "Mermaid Smiled," a beautiful track).

Actually, the Geffen Skylarking CD can't be a clone of the Virgin, because it contains "Dear God" in place of "Mermaid Smiled." The revised version was never released in the UK.

Ess Ay is right. I think the only Geffen copies of Skylarking with Mermaid Smiled were actually promo copies. My copies has the gold promo stamp and 9 times out of 10 if I find a used Skylarking with a promo stamp it has Mermaid Smiled on it. The CD version always had Dear God.

Once Dear God took off though, didn't Virgin reissue Skylarking with Dear God as a bonus track?

[Rspaight]

My girlfriend in high school had a Geffen LP with "Mermaid," but I don't remember if it was a promo or not.

Ryan

[Ess Ay Cee Dee]

nt

[J_Partyka]

FWIW, here's what the FAQ at the Chalkhills website (http://chalkhills.org/FAQ.html) has to say on the "Mermaid"/Geffen CD issue (the implication is that there was never a US Geffen CD with "Mermaid"):
______

What's the story with "Dear God" and "Mermaid Smiled" on Skylarking?

Originally Skylarking was released with the song "Mermaid Smiled" appearing in between "Another Satellite" and "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul". "Dear God" was originally released as the B-side to the UK Grass single. "Dear God" started getting some airplay in the US, so Geffen withdrew initial copies of the Skylarking LP and re-released the LP, removing "Mermaid Smiled" and adding "Dear God" in between "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" and "Dying".

The original UK Skylarking CD preserves the original running order with "Mermaid Smiled" and sans "Dear God"; the US CD has "Dear God" but no "Mermaid Smiled". The 2000 remastered edition of the Skylarking CD (and a previous Canada-only CD) has the same running order as the original UK CD (including "Mermaid Smiled"), but also adds "Dear God" as a bonus track to the end of the album (and features improved sound quality over the previous CD releases).

[Beatlesfan03]

(and features improved sound quality over the previous CD releases)

Well...that is open to debate.

[Rspaight]

The 2000 remastered edition of the Skylarking CD (and a previous Canada-only CD) has the same running order as the original UK CD (including "Mermaid Smiled"), but also adds "Dear God" as a bonus track to the end of the album (and features improved sound quality over the previous CD releases).

That'll teach me to trust Amazon's track listings.

Ryan

[J_Partyka]

However, I seem to recall seeing at least a couple of copies with "Mermaid Smiled" that didn't have the promo stamp.

My US Geffen LP has "Mermaid Smiled," but no promo stamp. I bought it very close to the original release date back in '86, so ... these copies were actually (briefly) in the shops.

[Ess Ay Cee Dee]

nt

[J_Partyka]

The LP with the original track listing is far from rare. From what I've seen, it's almost as common as the revised version.

Yep. I see it in used-record stores quite often.

I also have the promo-only Skylarking Interview LP. I'll have to transfer it to CD-R one of these days. Andy Partridge is always entertaining.

Yes, this is a fantastic document. Producer Todd Rundgren even pops up with a few comments at one point. I have already transferred my (admittedly slightly noisy) copy to CD-R; feel free to contact me if you want to save yourself the trouble ...

[Beatlesfan03]

The LP with the original track listing is far from rare. From what I've seen, it's almost as common as the revised version.

Yeah, promo stamp or not, I do see Mermaid pressings more than Dear God pressings. Perhaps there was a mass exodus of these when the Dear God pressings came out.

I also have the promo-only Skylarking Interview LP. I'll have to transfer it to CD-R one of these days. Andy Partridge is always entertaining.

Lucky.

[Xenu]

Hehe...I guess I don't get a consensus, eh?;)

Ryan, if that gold Skylarking is still there, I'll buy it off ya.

[Rspaight]

I'll swing by in the next couple days and see.

Ryan