Skyy was the brainchild of Randy Muller a multi-talented musician originally from Guyana. Muller worked with B.T. Express before forming Brass Construction.

Skyy consisted of Solmon Roberts Jr, Anibal Sierra, Gerald Lebon, Tommy McConnell, Wayne Wilentz, Denise Dunning, Bonne Dunning and Delores Dunning, along with help from Randy Muller, who with Solmon Roberts Jr produced all the Skyy Salsoul Albums.

This all-encompassing new 4CD Box-Set of the complete Salsoul Collection of the Soul Funk and Disco Band Skyy also includes bonus tracks of 12” and 7” versions of key repertoire cuts. Including the albums ‘Skyy’, ‘Skyway’, ‘Skyyport’, ‘Skyyline’, ‘Skyyjammer’, ‘Skyylight’ and ‘Inner City’ plus bonus tracks from 1979 through 1984, this wondrous collection features all of the big floor fillers, including ‘Here For You’, ‘First Time Around’, ‘Call Me’, ‘Let’s Celebrate’, ‘Bad Boy’, ‘This Groove Is Bad’ plus many, many more.

With sleeve notes by Charles Waring who writes for MOJO and Record Collector magazines, if you missed out on Skyy first time around, and loved the music from that era then this is for you.

CD 1: Skyy
1. This Groove Is Bad
2. First Time Around
3. Lets Turn It Out
4. Fallin’ In Love Again
5. Stand By Me
6. Disco Dancin
7. Lets Get Up (S-k-y-y)

Skyy’s self-titled debut album first brought us the dance number First Time Around, a lengthy, yet nonetheless glorious mixture of funk and disco, which also landed them on the top 20 inside 14 weeks. It was followed by Let’s Turn It Out, where funk was the focus from the off, for the Brooklyn based band. Chanting party vocals, improvising solos and a Solomon Roberts aka master of ceremonies wail, keep this groove on the move (sadly it only peaked at 65).

A bonafide party song, as are most of these selections, and solid ones at that, Stand By Me is the only ballad. A trim track, pop-esque in texture, though disco was on its last leg, its popularity still warranted groups including it in their repertoire and Skyy has its share.

Skyway
8. High
9. Skyyzoo
10. Dance
11. Don’t Stop
12. Love Plane
13. You Got Me Up
14. Who’s Gonna Love Me
15. Music, Music

Their sophomore album featured two single releases: High and Skyyzoo. The former is a moderately-paced groove showcasing the unison vocals of the Dunning sisters. Lightly arranged with an unruffled rhythm track and some guitar licks, the strings and horn complement this laid-back dance number. The single peaked at 13 after 16 weeks on the Billboard R&B charts.

The follow-up, Skyyzoo, was more of a antic-driven number. With its hyped vocals and various music gadgets, the song was an invitation to the dancefloor. It peaked at 32 on the charts after 11 weeks. The remainder of the album falls in line with these two singles, save the ballad Who’s Gonna Love Me and Music. Music, which swings the way of rock with its heavy electric guitar and slashing vocals.

CD 2: Skyyport
1. Here’s To You
2. I Can’t Get Enough
3. Superlove
4. No Music
5. Easy
6. Sun Won’t Shine
7. For The First Time
8. Arrival

This 1980 release was the band’s third album, and the party people who had acquired Skyy’s two previous albums were not disappointed. The LP gets off to an impressive start with the hit Here’s To You (written by Muller), and they keep the creative momentum going with equally infectious funk dance numbers like Superlove (another hit single that Muller wrote) and Take It Easy.

So, if Brass Construction and Skyy both had Muller’s input, why was the latter so much more consistent? It all came down to chemistry. He had a more consistently productive relationship with Skyy, which is interesting when you consider that Muller was actually a member of Brass Construction. Though he co-produced Skyyport and other band releases with Skyy’s Soloman Roberts, Jr., and did a lot of writing for the band, he was never an actual member.

Funnily enough, one of the Skyyport offerings that he didn’t write is the wonderful ballad For the First Time, which Roberts contributed.

Skyy Line
9. Let’s Celebrate
10. Call Me
11. Girl In Blue
12. Jam The Box
13. When You Touch Me
14. Gonna Get It On
15. Get Into The Beat

This fourth outing offers a combination of grittier and funkier songs and some sophisticated mid-tempo grooves, that’s for sure. Call Me is a killer funker/Dance jam that deservedly became an across the board R&B, Pop and Dance smash. Let’s Celebrate, a sleek mid-tempo and sophisticated groove followed suit and also became a huge Top 40 and R&B/Dance Hit.

Girl In Blue, Jam The Box and Get Into The Beat follow the same jamming formula as the one-two punch of the album’s two smashes and could all easily still find a home on the dance floor today.

Gonna Get It On is a Latin tingled killer jam that would have been a smash had it been released just a few years later when the Latin sound became oh-so popular in the mid 80’s and the album’s lone ballad, When You Touch Me. demonstrates the group’s depth and their ability to perform any genre.

CD 3: Skyyjammer
1. Movin’ Violation
2. Won’t You Be Mine
3. This Song Is For You
4. Miracle
5. Skyyjammer
6. Let Love Shine
7. Together
8. Freak Outta

My favorite of the Skyy albums, the fifth album released in 1982 was Skyyjammer, which was a quite brilliant album. Complete with the title track along with Let Love Shine, which also have had instrumental versions do the rounds for quite a while now, anyone who loves their songs will definitely love this album.

A beautiful combination of voices, and wonderful beats, me personally, I play my vinyl LP of this even today!

Skyylight
9. Bad Boy
10. Married Man
11. Questions No Answers
12. Now That We’ve Found Love
13. Hey Girl
14. Show Me The Way
15. She’s Gone
16. Swing I

This was their sixth album, and as much as it is still a good-sounding album, it does sadly feel like Skyy were perhaps treading water here. I mean, and in my own humble opinion, one not-to-be-mentioned track here sounds like a rewrite of an earlier song, but that said, the band rarely strayed from their signature sound.

Stand out cuts include the flirty soul of Hey Girl, the mid-tempo balladry of Questions No Answers, the funky yearn of She’s Gone and the infectious album opener, and Michael Jackson-esque Bad Boy.

CD 4: Inner City
1. Because Of You
2. Two Hearts
3. Dancin’ To Be Dancin’
4. Pay Up
5. Passion In The Night
6. I Got Your Number
7. Love Is Blind
8. Slow Motion
9. It’s My Life

Funnily enough, you can actually tell from the lack of smiles on the album sleeve this album was made during the Regan Era, very different from their previous sleeves where the group were smiling!

Moving on though, the music within mainly consists of mid-tempo jams with a couple of dancefloor tracks, albeit all are well written and produced. Skyy here sound more mature and sober, which makes for a less furtive sound and gives way to a more grounded musical stance.

In truth, Skyy have still have got it here, even if it wasn’t wanted by the general public, for Inner City didn’t chart anywhere. Which is shame, as this was yet another strong release from the crew.

Bonus Tracks
10. First Time Around (12” Version)
11. Skyzoo (12” Version)
12. Lets Celebrate (12” Version)
13. Call Me (7” Version)
14. Bad Boy (12” Version)
15. Because Of You (12” Version)

The final section is a quite wondrous selection of 12” versions (and one 7” single) that come together to bring us the best of the band - at their lenghtiest! Stand outs here to me, are the Skyzoo 12” version, the Bad Boy 12” version and the funky soul that resonates throughout the 12” version of Lets Celebrate.

Official 4CD Purchase Link