Welcome to Sky Valley

Welcome to Sky Valley, also known as just Sky Valley, is the third studio album by American rock band Kyuss. It was released on 28 June 1994 on Elektra and Chameleon Records.

Welcome to Sky Valley
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 28, 1994 (1994-06-28)
Recorded1993
StudioSound City (Van Nuys, Los Angeles)
Genre
Length51:55
Label
Producer
Kyuss chronology
Blues for the Red Sun
(1992)
Welcome to Sky Valley
(1994)
...And the Circus Leaves Town
(1995)

Background and composition

Welcome to Sky Valley was recorded in early 1993 and was first meant to be released in January 1994.[2] Because their last album did fairly well, they moved to the main record label Chameleon from the smaller label "Dali". In November 1993, Chameleon suddenly shut down. Elektra then quickly signed the banned and planned to release Welcome to Sky Valley in March 1994.[2] The release was then slowed down even more and the album wasn't released until June 1994.

The album has been called stoner rock, stoner metal, and desert rock.[3][4][5] The album was the first Kyuss album to have bassist Scott Reeder playing on it. He replaced Nick Oliveri in 1992. It was also the last with Brant Bjork playing on it.

Packaging

Welcome to Sky Valley is named after the place in California of the same name. The album cover shows a welcome sign in Sky Valley next to a road that says the album's name, "Welcome to Sky Valley". The photograph was taken at dusk and the road is dark with a purple sky behind.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Josh Homme, except where noted in brackets[6]

I
No. Title Length
1. "Gardenia" (Brant Bjork) 6:54
2. "Asteroid"   4:49
3. "Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop"   6:04
II
No. Title Length
4. "100°"   2:29
5. "Space Cadet" (Homme, Scott Reeder) 7:02
6. "Demon Cleaner"   5:19
III
No. Title Length
7. "Odyssey"   4:19
8. "Conan Troutman"   2:12
9. "N.O." (Reeder, Mario Lalli; originally performed by Across the River) 3:47
10. "Whitewater" (Bjork) 8:00
Hidden track
No. Title Length
11. "Lick Doo"   0:57
Total length:
51:55

Personnel

Credits taken from the album's liner notes.[7]

Kyuss

Additional performers

  • Peter Moffett – additional percussion on "Asteroid"
  • "Madman of Encino" – backing vocals
  • Mario Lalli – lead guitar on "N.O."

Production

Artwork

References

  1. "Robert Christgau: CG: Kyuss". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Morris, Chris (January 15, 1994). "Kyuss Lands on Its Feet and Keeps Climbing". Billboard. https://books.google.com/books?id=FwgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Kyuss+tour+blues+for+the+red+sun&pg=PA76. 
  3. Ritchie, Matthew (August 21, 2017). "An Essential Guide to Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  4. "The 40 Greatest Stoner Albums: Kyuss, 'Welcome to Sky Valley'". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-40-greatest-stoner-albums-20130607/kyuss-welcome-to-sky-valley-19691231. Retrieved 2020-07-28. 
  5. Prato, Greg. "Normadic Pursuits - Yawning Man". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  6. Welcome to Sky Valley (LP label). Kyuss. Beverly Hills, California: Elektra Records. 1994. 7559-61571-1. 
  7. Welcome to Sky Valley (CD liner ontes). Kyuss. Beverly Hills, California: Elektra Records. 1994. 61571-2.