The Absolute Game

The Absolute Game
Studio album by Skids
Released September 1980 (1980-09)
Recorded The Manor and Audio International
Spring 1980
Genre Punk rock; New Wave
Label Virgin
Producer Mick Glossop
Skids chronology
Days in Europa
(1979)		 The Absolute Game
(1980)		 Joy
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
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The Absolute Game is Skids' 1980 third album (not counting the two different versions released of their second album, 1979's Days in Europa) and was produced by Mick Glossop.

The album continued Skids' progression from a punky sound into a more mellow one - paralleled by many bands of the period. The album has a great deal in common with Days in Europa, but not much with its successor, Joy. Around this time the band were driven by internal rifts and disagreements, leading to various members coming and going. Soon after the release and live concert tour of The Absolute Game, Adamson and Baillie left the band. (Adamson had already played on one song from the album Joy before leaving, called Iona.) Adamson went on to launch the career of his new band, Big Country, and Baillie moved back to Scotland to live. A great deal of Big Country's future sound and style can be heard in this album. In particularly on Hurry On Boys, which features bagpipe simulations and real didgeridoo. Joy has a completely different sound to other Skids albums, and some fans consider The Absolute Game to be the last canonical Skids album. This was also the first album which featured Richard Jobson and new bassist Russell Webb, who continued to work together until 1988 when their last band The Armoury Show failed to achieve chart success and split up.

Contents

Controversy

Initial copies came with a limited edition second disc entitled Strength Through Joy, a collection of material recorded during The Absolute Game sessions but omitted from the album. Its songs apparently feature members of the band playing each other's instruments. Richard Jobson, Skids' lead singer, later stated that this title had been taken from Dirk Bogarde's autobiography and was not based on the Nazi slogan Kraft durch Freude. However it continued the controversial theme of the first release of Days in Europa, which had also been withdrawn after accusations of Nazi glorification.

Track listing

Original album

All tracks composed by Skids unless indicated otherwise.

Side One
No. Title Length
1. "Circus Games"   4:10
2. "Out of Town" (Jobson/Adamson) 4:08
3. "Goodbye Civilian"   4:15
4. "The Children Saw the Shame"   3:40
5. "A Woman in Winter"   5:40
Side Two
No. Title Length
6. "Hurry On Boys"   3:42
7. "Happy To Be With You"   3:36
8. "The Devils Decade"   5:42
9. "One Decree"   3:23
10. "Arena"   5:10

Strength Through Joy

(limited-edition second disc available with initial copies)

All tracks composed by Skids.

Side One
No. Title Length
1. "An Incident in Algiers"   3:55
2. "Grievance"   2:58
3. "Strength Through Joy"   1:59
4. "Filming in Africa"   3:39
Side Two
No. Title Length
5. "A Man For All Seasons"   1:50
6. "Snakes and Ladders"   4:01
7. "Surgical Triumph"   2:13
8. "The Bell Jar"   2:33

2008 re-release

All tracks composed by Skids unless indicated otherwise.

Original album
No. Title Length
1. "Circus Games"   3:52
2. "Out of Town" (Jobson/Adamson) 4:08
3. "Goodbye Civilian"   4:18
4. "The Children Saw the Shame"   3:42
5. "A Woman in Winter"   5:58
6. "Hurry On Boys"   3:45
7. "Happy To Be With You"   3:38
8. "The Devils Decade"   5:33
9. "One Decree"   3:26
10. "Arena"   5:25
Bonus tracks
No. Title Length
11. "Circus Games" (Single A-side edit, 1980) 4:10
12. "Goodbye Civilian" (Single A-side edit, 1980) 3:31
13. "Monkey Mcguire Meets Specky Potter Behind Lochore Institute" ("Goodbye Civilian" single B-side, 1980) 2:55
14. "An Incident in Algiers" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 3:55
15. "Grievance" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 2:58
16. "Strength Through Joy" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 1:59
17. "Filming Africa" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 3:39
18. "A Man For All Seasons" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 1:50
19. "Snakes and Ladders" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 4:01
20. "Surgical Triumph" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 2:13
21. "The Bell Jar" (Strength Though Joy EP, 1980) 2:33

Personnel

With:

References

  1. ^ The Absolute Game 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
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