Skellington (album)
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Skellington is the fifth solo album by Julian Cope. It was released in March 1990 through Zippo.
Background
Skellington was recorded in just two days in april 1989. It was inspired by Cope's frustration with the work on his 1988 album My Nation Underground, which he had lost faith in even as he completed it. The two-day session used the same studio setup as the prior album but an entirely different approach. In contrast to the multiple overdubs, 1980s pop stylings and army of backing singers used on My Nation Underground, Skellington's sound was extremely skeletal, mainly acoustic, and sparsely orchestrated by Cope in association with his two main collaborators - Donald Ross Skinner (guitar, piano, organ) and Rooster Cosby (percussion, brass).
At the time, Cope was signed to Island Records, who were not interested in releasing Skellington. This led to Cope releasing it via his own label Copeco, and later expanding the release via a deal with the independent Zippo Records label. When Island insisted that Skellington was illegal and should be withdrawn due to their contract with Cope, the artist refused and defiantly released yet another similar album (Droolian) just two months later. Eventually, the Island directors relented, and both records were allowed to continue in production.
Skellington was expanded with the addition of a sequel Skellington 2: He's Back ... and this time it's personal and released in 1993 as The Skellington Chronicles. Skellington 2 was, like its predecessor, recorded in just two days on April 21-22, 1993. The Skellington Chronicles was re-released as Ye Skellington Chronicles in 1999 with a different track listing.
Track listing
All tracks written by Julian Cope, except where noted.
|
| 1. | "Doomed" | | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Beaver" | | 2:27 |
| 3. | "Me and Jimmy Jones" | | 1:27 |
| 4. | "Robert Mitchum" | Cope, Ian McCulloch | 2:39 |
| 5. | "Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed" | | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Don't Crash Here" | | 0:56 |
| 7. | "Everything Playing at Once" | | 1:29 |
| 8. | "Little Donkey" | | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Great White Wonder" | | 2:10 |
| 10. | "Incredibly Ugly Girl" | | 3:01 |
| 11. | "No How, No Why, No Way, No Where, No When" | | 1:56 |
| 12. | "Commin' Soon" | | 2:16 |
| Total length: | 28:06 |
The Skellington Chronicles (1993 Ma-Gog)
|
|
| 1. | "Doomed" | | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Beaver" | | 2:27 |
| 3. | "Me and Jimmy Jones" | | 1:27 |
| 4. | "Robert Mitchum" | Cope, McCulloch | 2:39 |
| 5. | "Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed" | | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Don't Crash Here" | | 0:56 |
| 7. | "Everything Playing at Once" | | 1:29 |
| 8. | "Little Donkey" | | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Great White Wonder" | | 2:10 |
| 10. | "Incredibly Ugly Girl" | | 3:01 |
| 11. | "No How, No Why, No Way, No Where, No When" | | 1:56 |
| 12. | "Commin' Soon" | | 2:16 |
|
|
| 13. | "Electrical Stormgirl" | | 1:48 |
| 14. | "Poppins" | | 1:36 |
| 15. | "Skip" | | 1:29 |
| 16. | "I've Got My T.V. And My Pills" | | 1:37 |
| 17. | "The Angel & The Fellatress" | | 3:54 |
| 18. | "Waco-Pops" | | 1:35 |
| 19. | "Common Land At Water's Edge" | | 2:27 |
| 20. | "Scud-U-Like" | | 0:44 |
| 21. | "Grimreaper Is A Krautrocker" | Cope, Rooster Cosby, Donald Ross Skinner | 8:29 |
| 22. | "American Tragedy" | | 1:17 |
| 23. | "Wayland's Smithy Has Wings" | | 1:31 |
| 24. | "Madonna Baglady Blues" | | 4:38 |
| 25. | "London Underground" | | 1:59 |
| Total length: | 61:36 |
Ye Skellington Chronicles (1999 Head Heritage)
|
|
| 1. | "Doomed" | | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Beaver" | | 2:27 |
| 3. | "Me and Jimmy Jones" | | 1:27 |
| 4. | "Robert Mitchum" | Cope, McCulloch | 2:39 |
| 5. | "Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed" | | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Don't Crash Here" | | 0:56 |
| 7. | "Everything Playing at Once" | | 1:29 |
| 8. | "Little Donkey" | | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Great White Wonder" | | 2:10 |
| 10. | "Incredibly Ugly Girl" | | 3:01 |
| 11. | "No How, No Why, No Way, No Where, No When" | | 1:56 |
| 12. | "Commin' Soon" | | 2:16 |
|
|
| 13. | "Electrical Stormgirl" | 1:48 |
| 14. | "Poppins" | 1:36 |
| 15. | "Skip" | 1:29 |
| 16. | "I've Got My T.V. And My Pills" | 1:37 |
| 17. | "The Angel & The Fellatress" | 3:54 |
| 18. | "Waco-Pops" | 1:35 |
| 19. | "Common Land At Water's Edge" | 2:27 |
| 20. | "Scud-U-Like" | 0:44 |
| 21. | "American Tragedy" | 1:17 |
| 22. | "Wayland's Smithy Has Wings" | 1:31 |
| 23. | "Madonna Baglady Blues" | 4:38 |
| 24. | "London Underground" | 1:59 |
|
|
| 25. | "Skellington Anti-Polltax Live In Lambeth, England (Medley)" | 5:01 |
| 26. | "Trampolene" ((hidden track)) | 6:52 |
| Total length: | 65:00 |
- "Skellington Anti-Polltax Live In Lambeth, England (Medley)" was recorded at Brixton Fridge, May 1990.
- The track "Grimreaper Is A Krautrocker" from The Skellington Chronicles is not included on Ye Skellington Chronicles.
Personnel
Skellington
- Julian Cope - vocals, acoustic guitar, producer (also performed pseudonymously as "Double DeHarrison" playing piano and "surf organ")
- Donald Ross Skinner - electric guitar, piano, organ
- Mark "Rooster" Cosby - drums, percussion, horns
- Hugo Nicolson - engineer, mixing, horns
- Donato Cinicolo - photography
Skellington 2
- Julian Cope - vocals, guitar, bass, producer
- Donald Ross Skinner - keyboards, guitar, bass on "Poppins", drums on "Skip" & "The Angel & The Fellatress"
- Mark "Rooster" Cosby - drums, saxophone, guitar
- Luke Tunney - trumpet
- Shaun Harvey - engineer, mixing, keyboards on "Grimreaper Is A Krautrocker"
- Donato Cinicolo - photography
- Rob Carter - design, artwork
References
External links
