Surfeiting On Superfluity Dept. - Nobody Needs A Skin Alley Box Set So Here It Is

See? They got, like, this naked chick, okay, and projected themselves on her bod? Why don't today's bands do this?

The thing to do with this is to start with their last album, Skin Tight. It's a nice set of country rock songs recorded in Memphis and Nashville for the Stax label. Don Nix produced (whom you should know, ya doofus). Top-tier vocals, guitar, plush strings and funky horns. There's really nothing wrong with it, apart from the drummer, who needs a good talking-to, and the la-las, but to read the online reviews, especially at Greatcoat Misery progarchives, you'd think the band bombed an orphanage. This is because it was a sudden lane swerve from their established rock/prog/jazz direction, and like so many similar attempts only alienated old fans without picking up new ones. So give it a listen. It's no lost classic, but doesn't deserve to be lost completely. It could have been a fine and moderately successful first album for another band, but for the Skinnys it was their last album and a dump-bin nosedive. The band split up, finding work in industrial carpet cleaning, vinyl upholstery repair, forklift certification, customer greeting at Walmart, and supporting Stray.

Although I didn't think so at the time, this is an excellent cover and has lasted well.

 

Skin Alley (I wonder why they didn't call themselves Beef Curtains?) were a product of the late 'sixties UK counter-culture (don't snicker, it was a groovy scene), scoring a major-label deal - back when a major-label deal was a major deal - for their first album [above - Ed.] in '69 or whenever it was [CORRECT DATE PSE ED!] [Fuck you, and fuck off - Ed.].  Living In Sin, a great song and shouldabin single, featured on the unbelievably influential - for me, at least - Fill Your Head With Rocks comp. The band gigged festivals and the prestigious Polytechnic Ents Committee circuit, and the album sold enough for the suits at CBS to give them another chance, which they regretted, denying to their US bosses they'd even heard of the band and blaming it on Dave in the post room.

What's that thing in the middle? If you knew, you knew. Shews influence of Rick Griffin, not that you care, you dozy merry-andrew.

To Pagham And Beyond is one of the all-time greatest album titles. It's not, unfortunately, one of the all-time greatest albums, except if you wear an army surplus greatcoat and frown at everything. It's not full-blown prog, and thank Christ for that (I have to thank him for something), but its eclectic mixture of influences and swell jazzy interplay are more than enough to warrant that crucial second spin on th' Consolette. You will dig this waxing and certainly not regret downloading it.

Sleeve design by Edward Barker, one of the few UK underground cartoonists to make any money at all. I like it. It has the simplicity of the first two albums, and it's funny, especially if you're stoned. Cheese ... yeah, ri-right ...

In an unlikely label jump, they moved to Stax for the third album. The prog elements were sidelined - not a Stax thing, apparently - for a mainstream rock approach that had the prog fans sneering. La-las notwithstanding, Two Quid Deal? is a creditable album nearly impossible to not enjoy, in spite of the drummer's dogged insistence on keeping the fiddly prog æsthetic alive. Accordion hoedown!

This post relied on the support of the murmuration of swallows.