Sky developed from John Williams' rock music albums, Changes and Travelling. I remember hearing these on BBC Radio 2 at the time, because I worked in a place dominated by an easy listening fan. The band had a mainstream hit with the excellent Toccata which got them a lot of coverage. Sky2 was released soon after, amid tabloid newpaper adverts, at a budget price.
A friend and I were browsing in a Virgin record shop in central London. It may have been in Oxford Street, but could have been in Tottenham Court Road or somewhere. It was notable at the time for having a range of imports, so you could get Nektar albums like Live in New York. Anyway, we heard something being played through the shop speakers, which we liked, so we asked at the counter and they said it was Sky2. We both bought a copy. The track turned out to be Watching the Aeroplanes, which I still think has a great riff and is a bit underrated.
Herbie Flowers played bass on Lou Reed's Walk On the Wild Side. He had the idea of multi-tracking accoustic and electric bass, although he neither received, or sought, songwriting credits. In the light of Matthew Fisher's success with A Whiter Shade of Pale, you would think he might reconsider.
Thanks for mentioning the album TH, it reminded me of my younger days trawling through London record shops and prompted me to dig it out and give it another listen. The only other Sky album I've got is a poor vinyl rip of Cadmium (1984), which I don't think ever made it to CD. It's very good, although the critics gave it a panning.
It seems a shame to me that Sky did not continue beyond the nineteen-eighties. Kevin Peek had serious financial problems, which I hope he has resolved.
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