Search - :: Crack the Sky

The GREATEST American Rock Album????

T. Kasuboski | Winneconne, Wisconsin United States | 03/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I heard this LP, I expected to be impressed. I wasn't impressed, I WAS SHOCKED, FLOORED, and BLOWN-AWAY!!!! Style-wise, CRACK THE SKY sounded remotely like a mix of Queen, Stardust-era Bowie, Yes, and lots of jazz/funk groups. The rad thing about CRACK THE SKY however, is the fact that while you can hear similarities between them and other groups, they don't actually sound like any other band. Their style is fiercily unique and their production values exceed the very best rock groups of the 70's. Also, lyrically CTS absolutely rule(just check out "Robots For Ronnie" or "Let Me Go Home" or "Sea Epic"). The guitar work on this album is amazing and will be appreciated by fans of jazz, hard rock, funk, and even metal. The album is also quite a treat when you have a buzz going!!! So in conclusion, if you're a fan of 70's prog-rock, hard rock, rock/funk fusion, or just great ROCK 'N' ROLL, YOU MUST ADD THIS ALBUM TO YOUR COLLECTION!!! Blow your friends away with a band which should have been a household name."

Prog-Rock Delight!

Eric J. Hradecky | Rockford, IL United States | 01/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Crack the Sky was an oddity in an odd sub-genre, Prog-Rock. CTS specialized in overblown guitar based epics that herk and jerk all over the map! A drummer buddy of mine turned me on the band in our sophomore year of high school, 1975. He loved them because of the constent time-changes in the songs. I grew to love them because of the over-powering guitar work. And Palumbo's voice was (and remains) hypnotic!



I highly recommend this record. If you want to dip your toe into the water of mid-70's Prog-Rock, here is your record, er, CD. Also try Animal Notes/Safety in Numbers, very nicely packaged together. Animal Notes being CTS's second release and Safety number three.



If you like other Prog-Rocker's of the time {Lamb and earlier Genesis, ELP, Yes and Wakeman's solo stuff, Rick Derrenger and Rundgren's Utopia} I'm sure you'll love Crack the Sky's first through third records!"

My Favorite American Band

Vintage TV Dude | Myerstown, PA USA | 01/06/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I just have to get this off my chest. I've wanted to say this for a long time.



Yes, this is my favorite American band. But who's in charge of their early discography for their CD releases? Their debut album reduxed? Just give me the whole original album unedited. Give me bonus tracks if you wish, but leave the original album alone! Don't substitute vocals! It's like changing rock history.



Now I have all of their early music on vinyl and I have the 2fers for both the first album and "White Music" on CD as well as "Animal Notes" and "Safety In Numbers". But if I want to hear the "whole" album of one of these, I have to dig out the scratchy records!



Why can't Lifesong just put out the original product for the devoted fans of this band?



Both 2fers sound like they were remastered from a non-Dolby cassette tape. There is so much hiss and it's been so poorly remastered that once again, I have to get out the vinyl if I want to hear a cleaner and full version of these albums. Are the original master tapes lost?



You don't even get all of the songs that appeared on the original albums on these 2fers. You get "selections". That's a rip-off.



This band doesn't deserve this and the fans don't either. In many ways, I used to consider them the "American Beatles" for their excellent creativity, originality and their humor and still do.



The best representation of their early work out there right now is "Crack Attic". But once again, some of those tracks sound muddy as well.



Let's petition Lifesong or John Palumbo to give us what we fans want - clean individual CDs with all of the songs that were remastered from the original master tapes."