Crack the Sky (Crack the Sky album)

Crack the Sky
Studio album by Crack the Sky
Released	November 1975
Recorded	1974–1975
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	40:48
Label	Lifesong
Producer	Terence P. Minogue, Marty Nelson, William Kirkland
Crack the Sky chronology
Crack the Sky (1975) Animal Notes (1976)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	Link
Christgau's Record Guide	B− [1]

Crack the Sky is the debut album by American rock band Crack the Sky, released on LP in 1975 (see 1975 in music) by Lifesong Records. In 2015, it was ranked number 47 in the Rolling Stone list of "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". ^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Palumbo.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hold On"	3:00
2.	"Surf City"	3:54
3.	"Sea Epic"	6:33
4.	"She's a Dancer"	3:54
5.	"Robots for Ronnie"	4:39
6.	"Ice"	4:36
7.	"Mind Baby"	4:32
8.	"I Don't Have a Tie"	3:04
9.	"Sleep"	7:48

Personnel

Crack the Sky

• John Palumbo – Lead vocals, keyboards, guitar
• Rick Witkowski – Lead guitar, percussion
• Joe Macre – Bass guitar, back-up vocals
• Jim Griffiths – Lead guitar, back-up vocals
• Joey D'Amico – Drums, back-up vocals

Additional musicians

• Michael Brecker — Horns ("She's a Dancer", "Mind Baby")
• Randy Brecker — Horns ("She's a Dancer", "Mind Baby")
• David Sanborn — Horns ("She's a Dancer", "Mind Baby")
• George Marge — Woodwinds ("Robots for Ronnie", "Sleep", "Sea Epic")
• Tom Jones — Trombone ("Sleep")

Production

• Terence P. Minogue – Producer
• Marty Nelson – Producer
• William Kirkland – Producer
• Donald Puluse – Recording and mixing engineer
• Terry Cashman — Executive producer
• Tommy West – Executive producer
• Stan Kalina – Mastering engineer
• Vinny Adinolfi – 2002 CD producer
• Elliott Federman – 2002 CD remastering
• Ted Brosman – Tape master

Additional credits

• Recorded and mastered at CBS Studios, 52nd St., New York City
• Recorded at Columbia Records Studio, 32nd St., New York (orchestra on "Ice")
• Recorded at Minot Sound Studios, White Plains, New York ("Sleep")
• Susan Senk – Cover coordination
• Mary Walsh – Front cover photography
• Benno Friedman – Back cover photography
• Bob Heimall – Art direction and design
• Danny Palumbo – Major domo
• Petillo Strings – Acoustic guitar strings
• "Thank you orchestra and all of our Stainless Steel Groups of Chums"
• Amy Bennick – Art direction, design (2002 CD)
• "Special thanks to Kevin Stander and Steve Smolen of Record & Tape Traders, Terence P. Minogue for taking the time to tell the story, and Mike Ragogna, as always for his guidance."
• Merri Kirkland – Spanish translation ("I Don't Have a Tie")
• 2002 CD remastered at SAJE Sound, New York City

Alternate versions

In 1988, Lifesong released a CD pairing Crack the Sky with White Music on a single disc (LSCD-8801). To fit both albums on one CD, the song "Mind Baby" and two tracks from White Music were omitted. In 2002, a reinvented and mastered CD of Crack the Sky was released. It included four bonus tracks: demo versions of "Let Me Go Home (A Visit to the Projects)", "Eileen, I Lean on You", and "Hold On"; and "Dr. Octopus Part 2" from the Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero album. It is noted the song "Sleep" fades out more than a minute earlier than the original LP version. Liner notes include track-by-track comments by original producer and long-time CTS compatriot, Terence P. Minogue.

References

1. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 23, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
2. Dolan, Jon; Geist, Brandon; et al. (June 17, 2015). "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone .

Sources

• LP and CD liner notes