The Skids
Encyclopedia
Skids were an art-punk/punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 from Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...

, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, founded in 1977 by Stuart Adamson
Stuart Adamson
Stuart Adamson , born William Stuart Adamson, was an English-born Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, described by legendary music journalist John Peel as “Britain’s answer to Jimi Hendrix”...

 (1958–2001, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

s / backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

 / keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

 / percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

), William Simpson (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 / backing vocals), Thomas Kellichan (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

) and Richard Jobson
Richard Jobson (television presenter)
Richard Jobson is a Scottish singer-songwriter and film-maker, best known as a television presenter, film director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...

 (vocals / guitar / keyboards). Their biggest success was the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 "Into the Valley
Into the Valley
"Into the Valley" is a 1979 single by Skids, taken off their Scared to Dance album, and is their best known song, appearing on a number of punk rock and Scottish music compilation albums. It reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 24 March 1979...

", released in 1979.

Career

They played their first gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

 on 19 August 1977, at the Bellville Hotel in Pilmuir Street, Dunfermline, Scotland.
Within six months they had issued the "Charles" EP on the No Bad record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, created by Sandy Muir, a Dunfermline music shop
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...

 owner and then manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 brought them to the attention of national BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

 DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

, John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

. This led to a local support slot for The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...

. Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 then signed up Skids in April 1978. The singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 "Sweet Suburbia" and "The Saints Are Coming
The Saints Are Coming
"The Saints Are Coming" was the third single by the Scottish punk rock band Skids, featured on their 1979 debut album, Scared to Dance. The song became an international #1 hit when it was covered in 2006 by Green Day and U2...

" both made commercial inroads, before "Into the Valley" reached the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Top 10 singles chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

 in early 1979. The band also released their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 Scared to Dance
Scared to Dance
-Bonus tracks :All tracks composed by Jobson/Adamson unless indicated otherwise.-Personnel:* Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar* Stuart Adamson — guitars / vocals* William Simpson — bass guitar / vocals...

in 1979. It was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...

 at The Townhouse Studios in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 with production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

 by David Batchelor. Adamson walked out towards the end of the sessions before all the guitar overdubs were completed, but the album does showcase his unique guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 style which was later to come to prominence in the band Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...

. Session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...

 guitarist Chris Jenkins was brought in to complete it. In the meantime Adamson returned to Scotland while the recording was finished. He rejoined the band for the live concert tour promotion of the album. The record also featured the song "The Saints are Coming", it was also recorded in late 2006 as a charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

 single by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

 and Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

.

Skids enjoyed a further year of chart success as "Masquerade" and "Working For The Yankee Dollar" reached the UK Top 20 singles chart. Both came from their second album, also released in 1979, Days in Europa
Days in Europa
-1980 re-release:All tracks composed by Jobson/Adamson unless indicated otherwise.This second release's cover includes the controversial first cover as a picture on the wall behind the woman in white's head. On the back of the cover the illustration is repeated, only with the withdrawn release's...

, with the record's production and keyboards by Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson (musician)
Bill Nelson is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter and experimental musician...

 (Be-Bop Deluxe, Red Noise, Channel Light Vessel and solo artist). Nelson was the obvious choice for the record's production duties as he was Adamson's principal "guitar hero" and was an enormous influence on Adamson's playing. Nelson also played an important role in polishing Skids' sound and in encouraging the development of Jobson's lyrics. Just before recording of the album commenced, Kellichan left the band and was temporarily replaced on drums by Rusty Egan
Rusty Egan
Rusty Egan was the drummer for the British new wave band, The Rich Kids. They were founded by former Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock, bass guitarist and backing vocals, occasional lead vocals; with Steve New guitarist and backing vocals, occasional lead vocals; and fronted by Midge Ure guitarist, lead...

 (ex-Rich Kids
The Rich Kids
Rich Kids were a short-lived, seminal new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from The Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure, and Rusty Egan, who later went to found Visage.-Career:...

, then with the band Visage
Visage
Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...

, and a New Romantic 1980s dance DJ at the Blitz
Blitz Kids
The Blitz Kids were a group of young people who frequented the Blitz nightclub in Covent Garden, London in the very early 1980s, and are credited with launching the New Romantic cultural movement...

 club). Egan played on the album, and later on the live concert tour of the record. Keyboard player Alistair Moore also temporarily joined the band to perform live with them. He had been recruited to play Bill Nelson's keyboard parts from the record. In November 1979, Mike Baillie (drums / backing vocals / percussion) (ex Insect Bites) was recruited as a permanent band member. He slowly took over from Egan, while the band were still touring Days in Europa. Some of Jobson's lyrics, and the album cover caused controversy. It showed an 'Olympian
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

' being crowned with laurels, by an Aryan
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...

-looking woman, and the lettering was in Gothic
Blackletter
Blackletter, also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 to well into the 17th century. It continued to be used for the German language until the 20th century. Fraktur is a notable script of this type, and sometimes...

 script. Some, including DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

 felt that this glorified Nazi ideology and it was presumed that the imagery was copied from the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...

, held in Germany. After the original version of the album had already been released, Canadian record producer Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Fairbairn
Bruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...

 was brought into the project. The original cover and the track "Pros and the Cons" were removed. The sleeve was completely redesigned and the song "Masquerade" added. The album was also remixed and the tracks re-sequenced. This second version was released in 1980.

In February 1980 one of Skids founding members William Simpson left and was replaced by Russell Webb
Russell Webb (musician)
Russell Webb is a New Wave bass guitarist who was member of bands like Slik, PVC2 , The Zones, The Skids, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd., and collaborated with Richard Jobson and Virginia Astley, and The Who.-Slik and PVC2:In 1977, future Ultravox and Live Aid face, guitarist and singer...

 (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 / backing vocals / keyboards / percussion / guitar) (Slik
Slik
Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid 1970s, most notable for their UK no.1 hit "Forever and Ever" in 1976. Beginning with glam rock and changing their style to soft rock/bubblegum...

, PVC2 and The Zones). Webb joined as a permanent band member, and immediately started work on the recording of the band's third album. The Absolute Game
The Absolute Game
-Strength Through Joy:All tracks composed by Skids.-2008 re-release:All tracks composed by Skids unless indicated otherwise.-Personnel:* Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar...

, released in 1980, and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 by Mick Glossop. It proved to be the band's most commercial release, reaching the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

 and contained the minor hit single "Circus Games". A few of the tracks on the album also included a collection of fourteen adult and child backing vocalists, along with a lone didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...

 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
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...

's autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...

.

Soon after the release and live concert tour of The Absolute Game Baillie left the band and was followed soon after by Adamson (although Adamson did stay around long enough to play on one more song for the next album Joy, called "Iona"). Baillie moved back to Scotland to live and Adamson went on to launch his new band, Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...

. This left Jobson and Webb to write and record the band's fourth and final album Joy, which Russell Webb also produced. The pair played multiple instruments on the album, and also invited a collection of seventeen musical friends to perform on various tracks with them. Skids dissolved in 1982, with the album Fanfare
Fanfare (compilation)
Fanfare is the title of the first compilation album released by Scottish punk and new wave band Skids, on Virgin Records in 1982, shortly after the group dissolved...

posthumously issued by Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

. It was a mixture of most of the bands singles and some B sides, though omitted any tracks from the 'Joy' period.

Jobson and Webb then went on to form a new band called The Armoury Show
The Armoury Show
The Armoury Show was a New Wave band formed in 1983 by Richard Jobson on vocals, Russell Webb on bass guitar, John McGeoch on guitar and John Doyle on drums. Each member was known for being in a previously acclaimed band, as Jobson and Webb were in The Skids and McGeoch and Doyle in Magazine. The...

. The group recorded just one album, Waiting for the Floods in 1985 before splitting up. Jobson went on to pursue a solo career as a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

 and most recently a film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, He released albums on the Belgian record label Les Disques du Crepuscule
Les Disques du Crepuscule
Les Disques Du Crépuscule was a Belgian independent record label.The label was started in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré, residents of Brussels who had previously organised and promoted concerts in the city. Initial releases were by Factory Records artists, and were labelled as being...

, and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's own Parlophone Records. Webb proposed a solo career, according to Armoury Show fan page, later joined Public Image Ltd.
Public Image Ltd.
Public Image Ltd are an English post-punk band formed by vocalist John Lydon , guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble, with frequent subsequent personnel changes. Lydon is the sole constant member of the band....

 in 1992, but playing their last tour, and is now a videogame designer.

In 2007 Richard Jobson, William Simpson and Mike Baillie, along with Bruce Watson
Bruce Watson (guitarist)
Bruce Watson is a Canadian-born Scottish guitarist, best known for being a founding member of the Scottish-based rock band Big Country....

 (guitar / backing vocals), Jamie Watson (guitar), Brian Jobson (backing vocals) and Jane Button (backing vocals), got together to play three gigs. They were to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the group's formation, and as a final tribute to Stuart Adamson, who died in 2001. The shows on 4 and 5 July were at Dunfermline's Glen Pavilion (where they were supported by Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....

 band, The Draymin), outside of which Skids had previously played only their second gig, according to Jobson, and on 7 July, at the T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...

 festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

.

The Skids returned to the stage on 28 November 2009 as one of the headlining acts in Homecoming Live, a series of gigs held around the SECC complex in Glasgow to celebrate the end of the Year of Homecoming in Scotland. The line-up mirrored the 2007 gigs, with members of The Gospel Truth Choir
The Gospel Truth Choir
The Gospel Truth Choir is a Scottish choir that perform a wide variety of music in a gospel style. Originally formed by a group of friends in 2007 for the wedding of BAFTA winning composer Paul Leonard-Morgan, they also regularly perform backing vocals in studio and on stage - as well as being a...

 joining Button on backing vocals for "A Woman in Winter" and "Working for the Yankee Dollar".

The same lineup performed a concert on 5 March 2010 at the ABC in Glasgow, with support from The Law and Bruce & Jamie Watson, and lastly a concert on 6 March 2010 at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, with support from Beatnic Prestige and Bruce & Jamie Watson. This final concert was to conclude a week of events celebrating the works, past and present, of Richard Jobson as part of The Fifer Festival 2010 on 6 March 2010.

Lineup changes

A considerable number of musicians have played for, or with, Skids. The official website only lists eleven "Original and Main Members of the Skids". (Their contributions and others are detailed below). According to information from the original first edition vinyl record album sleeves, there were only ever six permanent band members: Richard Jobson, Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan, Russell Webb and Mike Baillie.

Personnel for Scared to Dance (1979)

  • Richard Jobson
    Richard Jobson (television presenter)
    Richard Jobson is a Scottish singer-songwriter and film-maker, best known as a television presenter, film director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...

     — vocals / guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

  • Stuart Adamson
    Stuart Adamson
    Stuart Adamson , born William Stuart Adamson, was an English-born Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, described by legendary music journalist John Peel as “Britain’s answer to Jimi Hendrix”...

     — guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    s / vocals
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

  • William Simpson — bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     / vocals
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

  • Thomas Kellichan — drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....


With:
  • Chris Jenkins — guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

  • David Batchelor — keyboards
    Keyboard instrument
    A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

  • Producer — David Batchelor

Personnel for Days in Europa (1979 & 1980)

  • Richard Jobson — vocals
  • Stuart Adamson — guitars / vocals / keyboards
  • William Simpson — bass guitar / vocals

With:
  • Rusty Egan
    Rusty Egan
    Rusty Egan was the drummer for the British new wave band, The Rich Kids. They were founded by former Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock, bass guitarist and backing vocals, occasional lead vocals; with Steve New guitarist and backing vocals, occasional lead vocals; and fronted by Midge Ure guitarist, lead...

     — drums
  • Bill Nelson
    Bill Nelson (musician)
    Bill Nelson is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter and experimental musician...

     — keyboards
  • Producer — Bill Nelson

Second Version ONLY
  • Thomas Kellichan — drums on "Masquerade" ONLY
  • Producer — Bruce Fairbairn
    Bruce Fairbairn
    Bruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...


Live concert performances ONLY
  • Alistair Moore — keyboards
  • Rusty Egan — drums
  • Mike Baillie — drums

Personnel for The Absolute Game (1980)

  • Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar
  • Stuart Adamson — guitars / vocals / keyboards / percussion
    Percussion instrument
    A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

  • Russell Webb
    Russell Webb (musician)
    Russell Webb is a New Wave bass guitarist who was member of bands like Slik, PVC2 , The Zones, The Skids, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd., and collaborated with Richard Jobson and Virginia Astley, and The Who.-Slik and PVC2:In 1977, future Ultravox and Live Aid face, guitarist and singer...

     — bass guitar / vocals / keyboards / percussion
  • Mike Baillie — drums / vocals / percussion


With:
  • Jude Nettleton — vocals
  • Julius Newell — vocals
  • Andrew Sigsworth — vocals
  • John Sigsworth — vocals
  • Alison Pipkin — vocals
  • David Pipkin — vocals
  • Hannah Yeadon — vocals
  • Esther Marshall — vocals
  • Chloe Dymott — vocals
  • Marlis Dunklau — vocals
  • Gracie Benson — vocals
  • Sally Nettleton — vocals
  • Harriet Bakewell — vocals
  • Mary Volke — vocals
  • Derek Wadsworth — didgeridoo
    Didgeridoo
    The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...

  • Producer — Mick Glossop

Personnel for Joy (1981)

  • Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar / keyboards
  • Russell Webb — bass guitar / vocals / guitar / keyboards / percussion

With:
  • J J Johnson — drums / percussion
  • Paul Wishart — saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

     / flute
    Flute
    The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

     / keyboards / percussion / vocals
  • Alan Darby — guitar
  • Stuart Adamson — guitar
  • Mike Oldfield
    Mike Oldfield
    Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

     — keyboards
  • Dave Duncan — bodhrán
    Bodhrán
    The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...

  • Tim Cross — keyboards / flute
  • Alan Rankine
    Alan Rankine
    Alan Rankine played keyboards, and guitars, for the rock band, Associates, which he co-founded with Billy Mackenzie in the late 1970s....

     — guitar
  • Billy MacKenzie
    Billy Mackenzie
    William MacArthur "Billy" Mackenzie was a Scottish singer, with a distinctive falsetto voice best known as a member of The Associates.- Biography :...

     — vocals
  • Ken Locke — cello
    Cello
    The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

     / vocals
  • Virginia Astley
    Virginia Astley
    Virginia Astley is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. From the start of her songwriting career in 1980, Astley took her inspiration from many sources. Her classical training influenced her as did a desire to be experimental with her music...

     — flute / vocals
  • Frances Lynch — vocals
  • Nicky Holland — vocals
  • Debbie Mitchell — vocals
  • Nick Griffiths — vocals
  • Carey Taylor — percussion
  • Producer — Russell Webb

All personnel

Richard Jobson, Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan, Chris Jenkins, David Batchelor, Rusty Egan, Bill Nelson, Alistair Moore, Russell Webb, Mike Baillie, Jude Nettleton, Julius Newell, Andrew Sigsworth, John Sigsworth, Alison Pipkin, David Pipkin, Hannah Yeadon, Esther Marshall, Chloe Dymott, Marlis Dunklau, Gracie Benson, Sally Nettleton, Harriet Bakewell, Mary Volke, Derek Wadsworth, J J Johnson, Paul Wishart, Alan Darby, Mike Oldfield, Dave Duncan, Tim Cross, Alan Rankine, Billy MacKenzie, Ken Locke, Virginia Astley, Kenny Hyslop, Frances Lynch, Nicky Holland, Debbie Mitchell, Nick Griffiths, Carey Taylor, Midge Ure, Billy Currie, John Mcgeoch, Steve Severin, Kirsten Adamson, Carol Laula, Callum Adamson, Bruce Watson, Jamie Watson, Jane Button, Brian Jobson, Brian Docherty, Lisa Macgregor, Maria Marshall

Singles

  • Charles EP
    Charles EP
    The Charles EP, or simply named Skids, is the first disc and EP of punk rock band Skids, released in 1977 on the Scottish punk label No-Bad....

    (March 1978: No Bad, NB1)
  • "Sweet Suburbia" / "Open Sound" (September 1978: Virgin, VS 227, also white vinyl) # 70 UK Singles Chart
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

  • Wide Open EP
    Extended play
    An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

     featuring "The Saints Are Coming
    The Saints Are Coming
    "The Saints Are Coming" was the third single by the Scottish punk rock band Skids, featured on their 1979 debut album, Scared to Dance. The song became an international #1 hit when it was covered in 2006 by Green Day and U2...

    " / "Of One Skin" / "Contusion" / "Night & Day" (October 1978: Virgin, VS 232, red vinyl - also released as a 12 inch single) UK #48
  • "Into the Valley
    Into the Valley
    "Into the Valley" is a 1979 single by Skids, taken off their Scared to Dance album, and is their best known song, appearing on a number of punk rock and Scottish music compilation albums. It reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 24 March 1979...

    " / "T.V. Stars" (February 1979: Virgin, VS 241, also white vinyl) UK #10
  • "Masquerade" / "Out of Town" (May 1979: Virgin, VS 262, also released as a double single) UK #14
  • "Charade" / "Grey Parade" (September 1979: Virgin, VS 288) UK #31
  • "Working for the Yankee Dollar" / "Vanguard’s Crusade" (November 1979: Virgin, VS 306, also released as a double single) UK #20
  • "Animation" / "Pros & Cons" (February 1980: Virgin, VS 232) UK #56
  • "Circus Games" / "One Decree" (July 1980: Virgin, VS 359) UK #32
  • "Goodbye Civilian" / "Monkey McGuire Meets Specky Potter Behind the Lochore Institute" (October 1980: Virgin, VS 373, also picture disc) UK #52
  • "Women in Winter" / "Working for the Yankee Dollar (live)" (November 1980: Virgin, VSK 101) UK #49
  • "Fields" / "Brave Man" (August 1981: Virgin, VS 401, also released as a 12 inch single)
  • "Iona" / "Blood & Soil" (October 1981: Virgin, VS 449)

Studio albums

  • Scared to Dance
    Scared to Dance
    -Bonus tracks :All tracks composed by Jobson/Adamson unless indicated otherwise.-Personnel:* Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar* Stuart Adamson — guitars / vocals* William Simpson — bass guitar / vocals...

    (February 1979) # 19 UK Albums Chart
    UK Albums Chart
    The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

  • Days in Europa
    Days in Europa
    -1980 re-release:All tracks composed by Jobson/Adamson unless indicated otherwise.This second release's cover includes the controversial first cover as a picture on the wall behind the woman in white's head. On the back of the cover the illustration is repeated, only with the withdrawn release's...

    (October 1979; Remixed
    Remixed
    Remixed may refer to:*Remixed, an EP by Le Car*Remixed *Remixed , 2001*Remixed , 2001*Remixed *Remixed , 2003*Remixed...

     & re-issued with a new sleeve design in 1980) UK #32
  • The Absolute Game
    The Absolute Game
    -Strength Through Joy:All tracks composed by Skids.-2008 re-release:All tracks composed by Skids unless indicated otherwise.-Personnel:* Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar...

    (September 1980) UK #9
  • Joy (November 1981)

Live albums

  • BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (February 1992)
  • Masquerade Masquerade (2007, mixed in 2006. Live album featuring tracks from two concerts. They were Hammersmith Odeon
    Hammersmith Apollo
    Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...

     in 1980 & Glasgow Apollo
    The Apollo (Glasgow)
    The Apollo was a music venue in Glasgow, Scotland, operating from 1973-1985. It was opened by Unicorn Leisure, in September 1973, after acquiring a lease from the owners George Green Ltd. The venue's debut live performance was by Johnny Cash on 5 September 1973. While in operation, it hosted the...

     in 1979.)

Compilation albums

  • Fanfare
    Fanfare (compilation)
    Fanfare is the title of the first compilation album released by Scottish punk and new wave band Skids, on Virgin Records in 1982, shortly after the group dissolved...

    (May 1982)
  • Dunfermline: A Collection of the Skids' Finest Moments (July 1987)
  • Sweet Suburbia: The Best of The Skids (January 1995)
  • The Greatest Hits Of Big Country And The Skids - The Best Of Stuart Adamson (2002)
  • The Very Best of The Skids (2003)
  • Into the Valley: The Best of The Skids (2005)
  • The Saints Are Coming: The Best of The Skids
    The Saints Are Coming: The Best of The Skids
    The Saints Are Coming: The Best of The Skids is the seventh greatest hits album by Skids, released in 2007. The album was released following the popularity of U2 and Green Day's cover of "The Saints Are Coming," in 2006.-Track listing:...

    (2007)

See also


External links

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