Nothing to do with Genesis
A. Hamilton | Alexandria, VA USA | 10/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Genesis were the status quo, after all. (And no, The Skids had nothing to do with Status Quo, either, and neither did Genesis). And much as I loved Big Country (I saw one of their first gigs, at Strathclyde University in Glasgow with about 100 other people), the Skids were even better, possibly because every great band needs two competing visions - often the arty singer versus the muso guitarist, like Morrissey/Marr, Mackenzie/Rankin, or others too famous to mention, and even though Richard Jobson was no one's art student, he was enough of a wanna-be intellectual and wordsmith to fill the art role. (He went on to become a fully-fledged intellectual, performing a poetry tour and publishing a long prose poem and later a novel named "16 Years of Alcohol", which he later made into a movie).
Each of the four Skids albums were distinctly different from the others, and each represented a new stage in their journey that did not end well but had impressive landmarks along the way. This first one was the rawest, the most 'kinetic', (to use one of Richard Jobson's words), and closest to straight-ahead punk. It contains the recently-revived (by U2 and Green Day) "The Saints Are Coming", the famous "Into The Valley", and the iconic "Charles". The lyrics are impenetrable and pretentious but still probably mean something in the aggregate - war and death were Jobson's frequent preoccupations, and they get a full airing here - and Adamson's distinctive guitar sound appears more-or-less fully-formed on its first outing (The Edge has talked about how inspiring the sound of this album was for U2, and how they 'borrowed' the guitar sound in their first albums).
On stage, The Skids were even more 'kinetic' than their songs, but this album comes closest to capturing their energy. Scared to Dance is a terrific album that refuses to age."
Big Country Genesis
Jose Ruben Orantes Garcia | Chiapas, México | 05/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This work is the most important of the Skids, but sadly, the last great songs of this band... remember thid id the genesis of another great band: Big Country. Excellent work"
Legendary post-punk album
Pieter | Johannesburg | 03/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This legendary album opens with the anthemic Into The Valley with its raucous guitars, powerful melody and poetic lyrics. It will always be one of the truly great and memorable rock songs. The tempo is slower on the desperate love song Scared To Dance where the guitars impress once again, whilst the energetic Of One Skin is a real tour de force with a complex arrangement that varies between superfast power rock and slower sections.
Another highlight is Melancholy Soldiers, a brooding rocker where voice and guitar beautifully complement one another. The evocative imagery of the defiant Hope And Glory is delivered over an impressive display of guitar virtuosity. I love the droning effect of the guitars and the stabbing rhythms of Six Times, whilst the melancholy Calling The Tune sounds like a negative, despairing U2 and Integral Plot has a lovely tune around which the vocals and guitars lovingly embrace.
Charles is another gem of this great album, a potent protest song that is melodic and poetic. This re-issue has been enhanced by extra tracks which include the single version of Charles and other great moments like Test Tube Babies and Sweet Suburbia. This music is full of power and passion, an example of the magnificent rock that came out of the UK in the late 1970s. I also recommend Sweet Suburbia: The Best Of The Skids.
Sweet Suburbia: The Best of the Skids
Through a Big Country: Greatest Hits"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1