My liking of The Skids came originally when I first heard Into The Valley. I absolutely loved that song. After hearing more I saw this was a great group that had definitely been overlooked in favour of more popular groups. Richard Jobson (lead singer) is now a successful film director. Stuart Adamson (guitarist and singer) went on to front the more successful Big Country before sadly committing suicide in December 2001. These two really kept the band going and made all the songs worthwhile. Their debut was Scared To Dance, but was a much rougher form of The Skids. The Absolute Game strikes me as their most successful because it feels more polished and well planned, but the rough punkier feel to Scared To Dance definitely works. The Skids could probably be defined most obviously as a punk band, but the lyrics are a lot more artistic and poetic, and the band stays loyal to its Scottish background, something they often used for inspiration.
The LP sleeve features the four members faces on what is supposed to be a marble effect surface. The faces are raised in the cardboard which is a little bit cheesy, but still holds up. The inner sleeve is plain with a lyric sheet included (you’ll probably need it too)
The album kicks off with one of the singles released — Circus Games. The song starts with some excellent guitar work from Stuart, and finally kick starts with a heavy drum beat from Mike Baillie. Richard Jobson’s lyrics compliment the song perfectly with Stuart’s guitar riffs really adding to the song. The children’s singing halfway through — “Come and play circus games, come and play at circus games” is very creepy, keeping a subtle darker tone to the song “Midst all the honour he puts the wrong one to trial” The eerie tone is kept throughout as the song ends with a girl’s laughter, blending into the next track — Out Of Town. The song gets off to a brilliant start with some more excellent drumming and excellent guitar work from Stuart. The song had potential, but at 4:03 it definitely drags longer than it should. About halfway through the song gets repetitive, and the song loses its effect. Taking out a verse or maybe the instrumental probably would have helped the song a great deal.
Goodbye Civilian was another song to see release as a single (it even featured as the only picture disc from the band). It has a much more synthesized sound to it, which adds something unique to the LP. The backing vocals really help thicken up Richard’s part in the song, and he performs 100%, in the chorus particularly. The song possibly lasts a little bit longer than it should, but it isn’t as obvious as Out Of Town. I feel this is definitely the case with this track as the single was cut in running time. The song comes full circle, ending similarly to how it started, which rounds off the track nicely.
The xylophone-heavy intro to The Children Saw The Shame starts it off as something different to the album, and it is probably one of the lesser known tracks on the album. The instrument work keeps this song emphasised, with no weak spots. Richard Jobson is brilliant yet again but the track doesn’t feel as memorable as perhaps Circus Games. The song is greta but doesn’t really add a lot to the LP.
Woman In Winter is by far the best track on this LP. It pulls in at 5:40, but it isn’t a second too long. For obvious reasons the track was cut to under 4 minutes for the single release, but it really doesn’t need it to keep momentum. The vocals from Stuart and Richard are absolutely perfect in this song, expecially in the opening. This ballad to a “woman in winter” is the perfect way to end side one of the LP, remaining my favourite Skids song and being the very reason I bought this LP.
Side two of the LP starts with Hurry On Boys, which is very guitar heavy and more reminiscent of earlier punk songs from Scared To Dance. The song isn’t as striking as other tracks on the LP, but offers a consistent beat, which keeps a competent track afloat, despite becoming a bit monotonous. The vocals work to the songs advantage, but what starts off as a recognisable lyrical pattern becomes a more boring repetetiveness.
Happy To Be With You is, again. very dependant on drums and guitars, getting off to a bit of a slow start. The song could have easily been a dull offering, but the band all singing in on the chorus really makes the track a worthwhile offering, and the build up to the final chorus ends the song on a definite high note. Not the best on the LP, but it remains a good listen.
The Devil’s Decade starts with heavy guitar riffs backed by a heavy drum beat. The song is much darker in music and lyrics. Lines like “While we buried Dad/Mother doesn’t talk now/Only to her soul” show a deeper and darker meaning to the song, and is probably reflecting the rougher Dunfermline upbringing Richard and Stuart grew up with. The “la“s that finish the song may possibly spin the track out a bit longer than necessary, but the track is worth it for the dark poetic images it conjures, and is a great companion to Woman In Winter.
The LP takes on a lighter tone with One Decree. The instruments lift the dark feel given from Devil’s Decade, but the song doesn’t hold a lot of weight. It was a decent B‑Side to Circus Games, but is not one of my favourites. Great backing vocals from the band though, complimenting Richard’s singing well.
The final track on the LP is Arena. It’s probably the best choice out of all the tracks (though Woman In Winter could have worked) The vocals from Richard aren’t as thick, and have been toned down, but this works fairly well. The verses aren’t as lengthy or poetic as perhaps The Devil’s Decade, but the background chanting helps give off a heavier tone to the song, and the small guitar solo after each chorus is a brilliant little melody. It is backed up with more guitar riffs and drumming for the final section of the song with the line “All the boys are innocent, lonely, oh oh” gently fading in, before finally fading out to a brilliant finish on the LP.
This LP is a great piece of music from The Skids, a band that definitely deserves more credit than is given. It’s a shame the band split so early, but Stuart’s later group, Big Country is very reminiscent of The Skids. A lot of songs on The Crossing give a feeling very much like this LP, and it’s great to see Stuart carried on to front another brilliant band. For Big Country fans it’s definitely worth a listen, and anyone who enjoyed The Skids should look into this. It isn’t phenomenal, and some tracks feel a bit like fillers, but with songs as fantastic as Arena, The Devils Decade and Woman In Winter it is worth a listen. In case you read this and decide to actually give it a go (ha ha) I’d probably advise buying the Woman In Winter or Circus Games single first, rather than branch out on a whole LP. Those two tracks probably represent the feel of the album.
Thanks for reading!