Near the end of the '80s, according to his second autobiography, Repossessed, Cope was signed up to produce another band who, due to health reasons, cancelled a pre-booked, three-day studio session. With time and technology available, Cope seized the chance, called in his band (Skinner, DeHarrison, and Cosby), and, on the sly, recorded the half-hour long Skellington, which he released via the Zippo label much to Island's consternation. Very much conceived as an initial riposte to what he considered the failure of My Nation ...
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Near the end of the '80s, according to his second autobiography, Repossessed, Cope was signed up to produce another band who, due to health reasons, cancelled a pre-booked, three-day studio session. With time and technology available, Cope seized the chance, called in his band (Skinner, DeHarrison, and Cosby), and, on the sly, recorded the half-hour long Skellington, which he released via the Zippo label much to Island's consternation. Very much conceived as an initial riposte to what he considered the failure of My Nation Underground, Skellington lets Cope call the shots on a sometimes fragmentary and goofy but often fascinating example of his quick mind at work. Though he does sound like he's straining for material at points -- one number, "Robert Mitchum," is a totally archival piece written with Ian McCulloch before the Teardrop Explodes days -- clearly he's not aiming for deathless art, but a good, righteous blast of inspiration. Allegedly recorded and mixed in the order in which the songs appear, Skellington shows Cope's voice in much better form than the sometimes indifferent mixing on My Nation would indicate. His voice is often lower and richer than on many previous outings, making for a great contrast to the past while foreshadowing much of the approach on Peggy Suicide, as does the organic flow of the music. The band keeps up with Cope like a charm, not minding the ragged edges -- the sheer vibe alone beats out everything back to Fried, if not earlier. Murky horn arrangements and the generally acoustic-led songs drew comparisons to similarly fractured recordings like Syd Barrett's solo work and Skip Spence's Oar. Even with a quick, wired song called "Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed" and the concluding high-pitched semi-wail of "Commin' Soon," Skellington is less minds losing sanity than Cope and company unwinding to generally fun effect. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi
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Add this copy of Skellington to cart. $62.49, very good condition, Sold by MUSICAL ENERGI rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wilkes-Barre, PA, UNITED STATES, published by Copeco / JU 89.
