over the production of their music ensured Shelley could launch his own record label. According to Shelley, he would "[play] the tapes just for myself" until, when starting the label, thought, "Why not put this out?" By this point, there were already British and American bands called Sky, and as he "didn't care to make it three," Shelley added "yen" to the proposed Sky name, the idea coming when he noticed he labelled the tapes with "a Japanese Dymo tape marker using the 'yen' symbol." Released in a sky blue sleeve designed to resemble graph paper, Sky Yen ultimately became the musician's first solo album, and its appearance in 1980 predated Shelley's return to electronic instruments when officially launching his solo career a year later. The record sold out its original run of 1,000 copies but puzzled fans of Buzzcocks. Shelly recalled that, upon release, Sky Yen "sold loads, because people were expecting it to be me singing pop songs and they weren't expecting this noise that came out." In August 1980, Sounds opened their negative review of the album with the words "Poor, Pete Shelley," a reflection of the hostility the album received. Reviewing the album for Smash Hits, Red Starr was baffled by Shelley's decision to record and release "a piece of sheer self indulgence" and further questioned "[w]hy anyone would want to actually buy this double dose of droning unless they had trouble sleeping". He also wrote that the album is neither as strong or as atmospheric as "the recent Durutti Column album" and is solely notable for its collector's value. Retrospective reviews and legacy Sky Yen has built up acclaim in the years since its release. Ged Babey of Louder Than War felt that Sky Yen was "hugely noncommercial" given Shelley's recognition as a pop lyricist in a punk band, and described it as "in a way his Metal Machine Music." Though he felt the album's "[d]rones, oscillations and whale-noises" would test listeners' patience and "clear the room at any party successfully", he felt the record was "brave, uncompromising and fucked music which was way ahead of its time." John Kealy of Brainwashed wrote that although Sky Yen is "a far cry from the short, choppy punk" Shelley is best known for, it is "just as engaging as his more famous efforts." He felt that the album "cleansed [his ears] in a way rarely achieved by