The Speckless Sky is an album by Jane Siberry. It was Siberry's highest-charting album on the Canadian charts and contains her biggest Top 40 hit, "One More Colour". The album's second single, "Map of the World (Part II)", was also a hit on Canada's adult contemporary charts.
| The Speckless Sky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Studio | Manta Sound, Toronto | |||
| Genre | Progressive pop, ambient pop, new wave | |||
| Length | 42:32 | |||
| Label | Duke Street Records, Open Air Records, Windham Hill Records | |||
| Producer | Jane Siberry, John Switzer | |||
| Jane Siberry chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| PopMatters | not rated link |
| Rolling Stone | not rated link[dead link] |
Rheostatics recorded a cover of "One More Colour", with additional lyrics by Martin Tielli, on their 1995 album Introducing Happiness; Siberry and Tielli recorded a duet, "A Long Time Love Song", on the 1991 Bruce Cockburn tribute album Kick at the Darkness. Sarah Polley also performed a cover of "One More Colour" in the film The Sweet Hereafter.
After this album, Siberry's work was distributed outside of Canada by Reprise Records.
Shawn Colvin based lyrics for her song "Kill The Messenger" on the cover art for this album after seeing Siberry perform live.
The Speckless Sky is no longer available on CD, but can be obtained via her store site on Bandcamp.[1]
Reception
editKeyboard compared Jane Siberry's sound to "Petula Clark trying to sound like Kate Bush", but praised the album for the "startling electronic orchestrations" featured in several tracks in the album.[2]
Track listing
editAll songs by Jane Siberry.
- "One More Colour" – 4:38
- "Seven Steps to the Wall" – 5:11
- "The Very Large Hat" – 5:35
- "Vladimir • Vladimir" – 7:08
- "Mein Bitte" – 4:20
- "The Empty City" – 6:40
- "Map of the World (Part II)" – 5:07
- "The Taxi Ride" – 5:39
Personnel
edit- Jane Siberry – vocals, keyboards, guitar
- Al Cross – drums
- Anne Bourne – keyboards
- John Switzer – bass
- Ken Myhr – guitar, guitar synth
- Rob Yale – Fairlight CMI programming, keyboards
- Additional personnel
Charts
editAlbum
| Year | Chart | Peak position | Weeks on the chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Billboard 200 | 149 | |
| 1985 | RPM Top 100 Albums | 17[3] | 32 |
Singles
| Song | Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| "One More Colour" | 1985 | RPM Top 100 Singles | 27[4] |
| "Map of the World (Part II)" | 1986 | RPM Adult Contemporary | 17[5] |
Certifications
edit| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | March 21, 1986 |
Cover Versions
editThe Art Of Time Ensemble featuring (former Barenaked Ladies singer) Steven Page recorded The Taxi Ride for their 2010 album A Singer Must Die.
References
edit- ^ "THE SPECKLESS SKY (1985) includes 'One More Colour' | Jane Siberry". Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
- ^ "In Review". Keyboard. 12 (7): 23. July 1986. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ Top Albums/CDs - Volume 43, No. 12, November 30 1985
- ^ Top Singles - Volume 43, No. 11, November 23 1985
- ^ Adult Contemporary - Volume 44, No. 4, April 19 1986