Skewbald/Grand Union (EP)

Skewald/Grand Union
EP by Skewbald/Grand Union
Released 1991
Recorded November 1981
Studio Inner Ear
Genre Hardcore punk
Length 4:07
Language English
Label Dischord
Producer Skewbald/Grand Union
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Skewbald/Grand Union, also known as 2 Songs,[2] is the eponymous debut EP and the only stand-alone release by the American hardcore punk band Skewbald/Grand Union.

Background

Skewbald/Grand Union

Skewbald/Grand Union in 1981. From left to right: Eddie Janney, John Falls, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson. Photo by Michael Salkind.

Commonly known as simply Skewbald,[3] Skewbald/Grand Union was a short-lived hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. founded after Minor Threat disbanded[4][5][6] in September 1981,[7][nb 1] by its former members: the vocalist Ian MacKaye and the drummer Jeff Nelson. Their lineup was rounded out by guitarist Eddie Janney[nb 2][9] and bassist John Falls.[nb 3][3][4][5][6][8][10][11]

The band's strange name was a result of a dispute between MacKaye and Nelson. The band was initially named Grand Union, after a nearby grocery store. MacKaye then found the word "skewbald" in a dictionary, and thought it was a better name. Nelson, however, still preferred Grand Union. The two were unable to favor either title, and the disagreement was never settled.[3][4][5][8][10][11]

Skewald/Grand Union never surpassed the rehearsal stage and the project was dissolved upon the reformation of Minor Threat in the spring of 1982.[nb 4][3][5][6][8][11][13][14]

Production

Skewbald/Grand Union only recorded three untitled[3] demo songs in a session produced by the band and engineered by Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia in November 1981.[2][8][10]

Release

For ten years, the recordings of Skewbald/Grand Union made the rounds in tape-trading circles and some erroneously believed that the songs were Minor Threat outtakes.[3][5]

In 1991, the demo received a proper release, on 7-inch clear vinyl, when Dischord Records issued the one-sided EP Skewbald/Grand Union[nb 5][5][8][15] to commemorate the label's 50th release.[3] Two out of the three songs were merged on the first track.

Reissues

Skewbald/Grand Union was reissued as a CD EP[nb 6][2] in October 1997.[2][8][16] Individual tracks were made also available as digital downloads.[2]

In 2002, the medley "Sorry/Change for the Same" was featured on the 3-CD compilation box set 20 Years of Dischord.[nb 7][17][18]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Skewbald/Grand Union. 

No. Title Length
1. "Sorry/Change for the Same" (medley) 2:54
2. "You're Not Fooling Me" (unofficial title) 1:13
Total length:
 4:07

Personnel

Skewbald/Grand Union[2]
Production

Notes

  1. ↑ "Minor Threat played a farewell gig around Christmas 1981..."[7]
  2. ↑ Formerly of Untouchables, later played in The Faith, Rites of Spring, One Last Wish, and Happy Go Licky.[8]
  3. ↑ He done a short stint as guitarist with Youth Brigade.[3]
  4. ↑ "The reformed Minor Threat played their first show in April ’82."[12]
  5. ↑ Dischord #DIS 50V
  6. ↑ Dischord #DIS 50CD
  7. ↑ Dischord #DIS 125

References

  1. ↑ Skewald/Grand Union (EP). allmusic.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Skewbald, 2 Songs. dischord.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Skewbald. dischord.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Updated ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 95.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Minor Threat: United States - Washington, DC". killfromtheheart.com. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Skewbald". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Azerrad, Michael (Little, Brown and Company, 2001). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991. First e-book ed., 2012. Hachette. ISBN 9780316247184. pp. 368-369.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Huey, Steve. "Skewald/Grand Union: Artist Biography by Steve Huey". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Updated ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 132.
  10. 1 2 3 Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. ISBN 9781932595895. p. 159.
  11. 1 2 3 Khanna, Vish (February 15, 2007). "Ian MacKaye: Out of Step". exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  12. ↑ Azerrad, Michael (Little, Brown and Company, 2001). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991. First e-book ed., 2012. Hachette. ISBN 9780316247184. p. 370.
  13. ↑ Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Updated ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 101.
  14. ↑ Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. ISBN 9781932595895. p. 160.
  15. ↑ "Skewbald: Skewbald (Grand Union)". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  16. ↑ Skewbald/Grand Union (EP), 1997 reissue. allmusic.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ Various Artists, 20 Years of Dischord. dischord.com. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  18. ↑ Various Artists, 20 Years of Dischord. allmusic.com. Retrieved September 30, 2015.

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