| The Sky of Mind | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Genre | New-age, Instrumental | |||
| Length | 45:24 | |||
| Label | Ray Lynch Productions | |||
| Producer | Ray Lynch | |||
| Ray Lynch chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Sky of Mind is Ray Lynch's second album released in 1983. Initially released on a cassette tape, [1] the album was promoted by word of mouth,[ citation needed ] and became an underground success.[ citation needed ]
The album was recorded and produced at Lynch's own home. [2] The album was dedicated to his spiritual teacher, Adi Da Samraj. On the label is a quote from Adi Da's 1978 work, The Enlightenment of the Whole Body, starting with "The mind is like a cave of bats." [1] [3] The titles "Quandra", "Too Wounded", and "Green Is Here" were also taken from works by Adi Da. [3] The album was rearranged for its subsequent re-releases. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
Stephen David of New Age Journal described the album as a "suite of meditations", stating that it was "quiet, ethereal, and a little predictable". [1] AllMusic gave the re-release a 3/5, writing "the radiant compositions also make for ideal morning listening". [4] In the appendix of their 1988 book, Healing Music, Andrew Watson and Nevill Drury writes that the album is "a modern interpretation of classical themes", noting the combination of acoustic and synthesized instruments. They also wrote that one of the tracks, "The Temple", "could easily be inspired by Ligeti". [6]
All tracks are written by Ray Lynch
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Quandra" | 9:13 |
| 2. | "Good News" | 6:18 |
| 3. | "The Temple" | 7:58 |
| 4. | "Too Wounded" | 8:59 |
| 5. | "Pavane" | 6:47 |
| 6. | "Green Is Here" | 5:43 |
Production
Cabaret Voltaire were an English music group formed in Sheffield in 1973 and initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson. Named for the Zürich nightclub that fostered the early Dada movement, the band are often characterized as among the most innovative and influential electronic acts of their era.
Kevin Mann, better known by his stage name Brotha Lynch Hung, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Sacramento, California who has been described as "the creator of horrorcore rap". He is also a former 24th Street Garden Blocc Crip gang member, which is a Crip-affiliated street gang based in Meadowview, Sacramento.
Substance is a compilation album by English alternative dance band New Order. It was released in August 1987 by Factory Records. The album compiles all of the band's singles at that point in their 12-inch versions, along with their respective B-side tracks. The then-newly released non-album single "True Faith" is also featured, along with its B-side "1963" and new versions of "Temptation" and "Confusion".
Pigbag were a British post-punk band, best known for their instrumentals, active between 1980 and 1983.
Current 93 are an English experimental music group, founded in 1982 by David Tibet. Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorted, excoriating vocals. In the mid-'80s, Current 93's sound shifted to a style Tibet has called "apocalyptic folk", combining folk music with industrial elements. Tibet has been the only constant member of Current 93, with a wide variety of collaborators joining in over the years. They have released over twenty full-length albums, as well as many other recordings.
Clock DVA are a musical group from Sheffield, England, whose style has touched on industrial, post-punk, and EBM. They formed in 1978 by Adi Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat language of Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange. Dva is Russian for "two".
Raymond Lynch is an American guitarist, lutenist, keyboardist, and composer. He began his musical career in 1967 by performing in The Renaissance Quartet in New York City before leaving in 1974 and giving up his musical career. During his hiatus, Lynch studied with his spiritual teacher, Adi Da, who would ultimately encourage him to return to music. Lynch released five albums during the 1980s and 1990s, including The Sky of Mind, Deep Breakfast, No Blue Thing, and Nothing Above My Shoulders but the Evening. Initially producing his music independently, Lynch eventually worked with Music West. After Lynch sued and left the company, Lynch joined Windham Hill in 1992 before retiring in 2000. Lynch has won three Billboard awards.
The Sisterhood was a musical project led by Andrew Eldritch. With guest musicians, the Sisterhood recorded songs he had originally intended for a second album by the Sisters of Mercy.
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" is a song recorded by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie as the title track of the 1982 erotic horror film Cat People. Bowie became involved with the track after director Paul Schrader reached out to him about collaborating. The song was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland in July 1981. Bowie wrote the lyrics, which reflected the film, while the Italian producer Giorgio Moroder composed the music, which is built around only two chord changes.
Espen Beranek Holm is a Norwegian pop artist and comedian.
Deep Breakfast is Ray Lynch's third studio album, released on December 12, 1984. Upon its initial release, the artist sold over 72,000 albums out of his small apartment in San Rafael, California. After signing with Music West Records, the album was released widely in March 1986. Upon its re-release, the album was universally praised for its mesh of electronic and classical sounds, with several calling it an evolution to the respective genres. Eventually, in 1989, the album peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart, behind David Lanz's album Cristofori's Dream. The album was eventually certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1994.
Love Among the Cannibals is the third album released in 1989 by rock band Starship. It was the first album after Grace Slick's departure from the band, and their last full-length studio release until Loveless Fascination in 2013. The album marks a shift in the band's musical direction, featuring a harder edged, AOR style as opposed to the synth pop of their first two albums. Another departure from the preceding albums is the decrease in outside writers, as this album features four songs written by Thomas, Morgan, or Chaquico. The song "Wild Again" had previously been produced for the soundtrack to Cocktail (1988), and was included as a bonus track for the album's CD release. The album had one top 20 single on the Billboard charts, "It's Not Enough", which peaked at No. 12 in October 1989 and was their final Top-40 hit, but the album itself only climbed to No. 64 and single "I Didn't Mean To Stay All Night" was No. 75. The track "I'll Be There" was featured in the end credits of Gross Anatomy (1989).
Nevill Drury was an English-born Australian editor and publisher, as well as the author of over 40 books on subjects ranging from shamanism and western magical traditions to art, music, and anthropology. His books have been published in 26 countries and in 19 languages.
"Dweller on the Threshold" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and first released on his 1982 album Beautiful Vision. It was released as a single on the B-Side in 1982 with the instrumental "Scandinavia" as the "A" side. Another release in 1984 had a live version of "Dweller on the Threshold" as the A-Side.
Steven Halpern is an American new-age musician. He is a Grammy Award nominee and is considered one of the founding fathers of new-age music.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was an American blues rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and the frontman for the band Double Trouble. He is often regarded as one of the greatest guitarists and blues musicians of all time. During his career, he released four studio albums, one live album, and several singles.
Nero are a British electronic music trio composed of members Dan Stephens, Joe Ray and Alana Watson. On 12 August 2011, they released their debut studio album, Welcome Reality, which reached number one in the UK Albums Chart. In August 2012, "Promises" received a Gold certification in the United States. On 10 February 2013, Nero won a Grammy Award for their collaborative remix of "Promises" with Skrillex. Their second studio album, Between II Worlds, was released on 11 September 2015.
Dustin Charles Lynch is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Broken Bow Records. Lynch has released six albums and one EP for the label: a self-titled album in 2012, Where It's At in 2014, Current Mood in 2017, Tullahoma in 2020, Blue in the Sky in 2022 and Killed the Cowboy in 2023. He has also released seventeen singles, of which nine have reached number one on Country Airplay.
The Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) released over 20 solo studio albums, over 25 collaboration albums, 3 remix albums, more than 10 live albums, several compilation albums, over 40 EPs and singles, and about 50 soundtracks. Several of the albums exist in both Japanese and internationally released versions, sometimes containing different track listings. Sakamoto has also released many video albums and music videos.
Blue in the Sky is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Dustin Lynch. It was released on February 11, 2022, through BBR Music Group. It was produced by Zach Crowell and preceded by the lead single "Thinking 'Bout You", a collaboration with MacKenzie Porter. The album also includes collaborations with Chris Lane and Riley Green. Lynch toured in support of the record.