Scared to Dance

Scared to Dance
Studio album by Skids
Released 1979 (1979)
Recorded 1978 at Air Studios, London
Genre Punk rock
Length 37:70
Label Virgin
Producer David Batchelor
Skids chronology
— Scared to Dance
(1979)		 Days in Europa
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Scared to Dance is the debut album by the Scottish art-punk band Skids and reached number 19 in the UK album chart in March 1979. The album was produced by David Batchelor and engineered by Mick Glossop. Scared to Dance was the first album to feature Stuart Adamson's 'bagpipe guitar', which would be the trademark of his later band, Big Country. This combined with Richard Jobson's highly distinctive singing style set it apart from many of the other punk albums of the period.

Contents

Singles

The biggest hit from the album was Into the Valley, which became Skids' best known song, and was adopted and sung by fans of Dunfermline Athletic F.C., the band's local football team, as well as Charlton Athletic F.C. in England whose ground is known as "The Valley".

The song "The Saints are Coming", a minor hit at the time, was later re-recorded as a charity single by Green Day and U2.

As with their next album, Days in Europa also released in 1979, anti-war themes were frequently used. There are also a great deal of references in singer Richard Jobson's lyrics to the band's home region in Scotland.

Track listing

Original album

All tracks composed by Jobson/Adamson unless indicated otherwise.

Side One
No. Title Length
1. "Into the Valley"   3:17
2. "Scared To Dance"   3:19
3. "Of One Skin"   2:29
4. "Dossier (of Fallibility)"   3:31
5. "Melancholy Soldiers"   3:02
6. "Hope and Glory"   3:17
Side Two
No. Title Length
7. "The Saints Are Coming"   2:41
8. "Six Times"   2:10
9. "Calling the Tune"   4:03
10. "Integral Plot"   2:39
11. "Charles" (1979 re-recording, composed Adamson) 2:43
12. "Scale"   4:43

Bonus tracks (2005 re-release)

All tracks composed by Jobson/Adamson unless indicated otherwise.

No. Title Length
13. "Charles" (Original 1978 EP recording, composed Adamson) 2:35
14. "Sweet Suburbia" (Non-album single A-side, 1978) 2:25
15. "Open Sound" ("Sweet Suburbia" single B-side, 1978) 1:53
16. "TV Stars" ("Into the Valley" single B-side, 1979, recorded live at the Marquee, London, 1 November 1978) 1:44
17. "Night and Day" (Wide Open EP B-side, 1978) 2:38
18. "Contusion" (Wide Open EP B-side, 1978) 2:43
19. "Reasons" (Charles EP, 1978, composed Adamson) 2:08
20. "Test Tube Babies" (Charles EP, 1978, composed Adamson) 2:04

Personnel

With:

References

  1. ^ Scared to Dance at Allmusic
Skids
Stuart Adamson · Mike Baillie · Rusty Egan · Richard Jobson · Tom Kellichan · William Simpson · Russell Webb
Studio Albums
Scared to Dance · Days in Europa · The Absolute Game · Joy
Live and Compilations
Singles
Related Articles