Skids - Hymns From A Haunted Ballroom (1981)

Skids were formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson (guitar, keyboards, percussion and backing vocals), William Simpson (bass guitar and backing vocals), Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson (vocals, guitar and keyboards). They played their first gig on 19 August 1977 at the Bellville Hotel in Pilmuir Street, Dunfermline, and within six months they had released their 'Charles' EP on the No Bad Records label. The record brought them to the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, which in turn led to a local gig supporting The Clash, and by April 1978 they'd signed to Virgin Records. Their first single for Virgin was 'Sweet Suburbia', released in 1978, and quickly followed by 'The Saints Are Coming', but it was 'Into The Valley' which propelled them into the UK singles charts, reaching the top 10 in early 1979. Their debut studio album, 'Scared To Dance', came out the same year, and featured a re-working of 'Charles' from that early EP, as well as including both hit singles, but not 'Sweet Suburbia'. The album was recorded at The Townhouse Studios in London, with production and keyboards by David Batchelor, and as Adamson walked out towards the end of the sessions before all the guitar overdubs were completed, session guitarist Chris Jenkins completed the recordings using Adamson's studio set up, adding additional guitar to four tracks – 'Into The Valley', 'Integral Plot', 'Calling The Tune' and 'Scared To Dance'. In the meantime, Adamson returned to Scotland when the recording was finished, and then re-joined the band for the live concert tour promotion of the album. Skids enjoyed a further year of chart success as the stand-alone single, and double 7" pack, 'Masquerade', plus 'Working For The Yankee Dollar' both reached the top 20 in the UK. 

The latter came from their second album, also released in 1979, 'Days In Europa', with the record's production and keyboards being handled by Bill Nelson. Just before recording of the album commenced, Kellichan left the band and was temporarily replaced by ex-Rich Kids drummer Rusty Egan, who played on the album and later on the live concert tour of the record, where the band were temporarily joined by keyboard player Alistair Moore for the live gigs, playing Bill Nelson's keyboard parts from the record. In November 1979 Mike Baillie was recruited as a permanent band member, taking care of the drums, backing vocals and percussion, slowly taking over from Egan while the band was still touring 'Days In Europa'. The album had some controversy surrounding it when it was released, both with some of Jobson's lyrics, as well as the album cover, which showed an Olympian being crowned with laurels by an Aryan-looking woman, and the lettering was in Gothic script. Some, including DJ John Peel, felt that this glorified Nazi ideology and it was indeed similar to posters from the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in Germany. After the original version of the album had already been released, Canadian record producer Bruce Fairbairn was brought into the project, with the original cover being replaced and the track 'Pros And The Cons' was removed, with 'Masquerade' added to replace it. The album was also remixed and the tracks re-sequenced, and this second version was released in 1980, making the original release a sought-after rarity. In February 1980, one of Skids' founding members, William Simpson, left and was replaced by Russell Webb on bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, percussion, and guitar, and this new line-up immediately started work on the recording of the band's third album 'The Absolute Game', released in 1980, and produced by Mick Glossop. 

It proved to be their most commercial release, reaching the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart, and it contained the minor hit single 'Circus Games', alongside such curiosities as some of the tracks including a collection of fourteen adult and child backing vocalists, and one featuring a lone didgeridoo player. Initial copies of The Absolute Game came with a free limited edition, second album entitled 'Strength Through Joy', echoing the band's previous controversial themes. Jobson claims to have got the title from Dirk Bogarde's autobiography, although it is better known as the name of the  German state-operated leisure organization in Nazi Germany. Soon after the release and live concert tour of 'The Absolute Game', Baillie left the band, followed shortly afterwards by Adamson, although he did stay around long enough to play on 'Iona' for the next album, 'Joy'. Baillie moved back to Scotland to live and Adamson went on to launch his new band, Big Country, leaving Jobson and Webb to write and record the band's fourth and final album on their own, with Webb producing. The pair played multiple instruments on 'Joy', and also invited a collection of seventeen musical friends to perform on various tracks with them. Following the release of 'Joy' in 1981, Skids dissolved the following year, with the compilation 'Fanfare' issued posthumously by Virgin before the bodies were even cold in the grave. Jobson and Webb went on to form The Armoury Show, recording just one album, 'Waiting For The Floods' in 1985 before splitting up, with Jobson going on to pursue a solo career as a poet, songwriter, television presenter and most recently, as a film director. Adamson had the most success of the former members, with Big Country releasing many hit singles and albums, before he passed away in 2001, but for fans who were around at the time, Skids were one of the best post-punk bands of the period, which you can hear on this collection of non-album singles and b-sides from their short five year lifespan. 

Track listing

01 Reasons (b-side of 'Charles' 1978)
02 Test-Tube Babies (b-side of 'Charles' 1978)
03 Sweet Suburbia (single 1978)
04 Open Sound (b-side of 'Sweet Suburbia')
05 Night And Day (from the 'Wide Open' EP 1978)
06 Contusion (from the 'Wide Open' EP 1978)
07 TV Stars (b-side of 'Into The Valley')
08 Masquerade (from the 'Masquerade' double 7" single 1979) 
09 Out Of Town (single version, from the 'Masquerade' double 7" single 1979) 
10 Another Emotion (from the 'Masquerade' double 7" single 1979) 
11 Aftermath Dub (from the 'Masquerade' double 7" single 1979) 
12 Grey Parade (b-side of 'Charade' 1979)
13 Vanguard's Crusade (b-side of 'Working For The Yankee Dollar' 1979)
14 All The Young Dudes (b-side of 'Working For The Yankee Dollar' 1979)
15 Hymns For A Haunted Ballroom (b-side of 'Working For The Yankee Dollar' 1979)
16 Monkey McGuire Meets Specky Potter Behind Lochore Institute (b-side of 'Goodbye Civilian' 1980)
17 Brave Man (b-side of 'Fields' 1981)