Skellington (album)

For the band of the same name, see Skellington (band). For the character in The Nightmare Before Christmas, see Jack Skellington.

Untitled

Skellington is the fifth solo album by Julian Cope.

Background

Skellington was recorded in just two days at the end of the sessions for Cope's 1988 album My Nation Underground. It was inspired by Cope's frustration with the work on 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 (organ, piano, keyboards) 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 When Island insisted that Skellington was illegal and should be withdrawn due to their contract with Cope, the artist refused and defiantly released yet another similar album (Droolian) just two months later.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 later expanded with the addition of a sequel Skellington 2: He's Back ... and this time it's personal, and re-released as Ye Skellington Chronicles (1993).

Track listing

All tracks composed by Julian Cope

1. "Doomed"
2. "Beaver"
3. "Me and Jimmy Jones"
4. "Robert Mitchum"
5. "Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed"
6. "Don't Crash Here"
7. "Everything Playing at Once"
8. "Little Donkey"
9. "Great White Wonder"
10. "Incredibly Ugly Girl"
11. "No How, No Why, No Way, No Where, No When"
12. "Comin' Soon"

The Skellington Chronicles (1993)

1. "Doomed" – 3:38
2. "Beaver" – 2:27
3. "Me & Jimmy Jones" – 1:27
4. "Robert Mitchum" – 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" – 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

Personnel

• Julian Cope - vocals, acoustic guitar (also performed pseudonymously as "Double DeHarrison" playing piano and "surf organ")
• Donald Ross Skinner - electric guitar, organ, piano
• Rooster Cosby - drums, percussion
• Hugo Nicolson - engineer
• Donato Cinicolo - photography

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