Skin Alley

6-10-13          Skin Alley

On 6/10/67 the Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 45 “Okay” charts at No. 13 in England.  On 6/7/80 the Siouxsie & The Banshees “Christine” 45 charts at No. 22 in England. 6/9/79 Tubeway Army “Replicas” LP is No. 1 in England.  On 6/10/67, the LP “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles was No. 1 in England.

I got the Skin Alley LP’s when they came out – or, rather – when they were imported to the US.  I don’t remember which one I got first, but the one I was impressed with was “To Pagham and Beyond” (CBS UK LP) – a quick discography:

LP                SKIN ALLEY (1969)                     CBS UK                           63847               1969 9 TRKS 1^st, produced by Dick Taylor (The Pretty Things guy?)

LP                SKINTIGHT                                   TRANSATLANTIC UK   TRA 273           1973 10 TRKS 4th

CD                TO PAGHAM AND BEYOND…   ECLECTIC UK               ECLCD 1042  1970 6 TRKS (’06 issue)

LP                TO PAGHAM AND BEYOND…   CBS UK                           64140               1970 6 TRKS 2^nd, produced by Fritz Fryer

LP                TWO QUID DEAL                         STAX US                          STS-3013        1973 9 TRKS 3rd, produced by Fritz Fryer (a Transatlantic UK ‘in house’ producer)

Alas, there are 4 x British 45’s, but I have never seen one!

The first 3 albums are more or less straightforward British progressive rock, of the era – yes, a mellotron is involved.  Managed by Clearwater Productions, the same people that did the debut Hawkwind LP!

As far as I know, only their 3^rd album was released in the US.  I’ve kept my eyes open fro a UK Transatlantic copy, but one never crossed my path in 40 or so years.  That being said, I played the US LP on 6/6/13 – and – with a perfect copy – it sounded great!  I guess someone at Stax Records was thinking about British rock music, in 1973!

Skin Alley has a Polish member of the group, Krzysztof–Henryk Juszkiewicz – let’s face it, not many Eastern European members in British bands of that – or any other era!  He’s a pretty snappy keyboard player, I must say!

The 4^th and final album has a more commercial sound – it’s definitely not prog rock – oh well, I have a nice UK copy of it!

Unless I am mistaken, Skin Alley had a song on the massive “Glastonbury Fayre” Revelations UK triple LP!  I just went and got my copy of it, yep, it’s there on Side 2 – that must’ve been the first thing I heard by Skin Alley! (“Sun Music”, re-recorded for inclusion on their 3^rd album, “Two Quid Deal”).

The Glastonbury Fayre triple LP should have it’s own blog day – with mention of all the illustrious “contributors”!  Watch this space!