Skin Alley - Bad Words and Evil People: The Transatlantic Anthology 1972-73

Title: Bad Words and Evil People: The Transatlantic Anthology 1972-73 Artist: Skin Alley Release Date: 6/27/2006 Label: Castle Music Ltd. UPC: 5050749412577 Genre: Rock Styles: Prog-Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock Moods: Complex, Confident, Difficult, Eccentric, Elaborate, Gutsy, Indulgent, Knotty, Lively, Quirky, Sophisticated, Trippy Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 3 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 2

1. Nick's Seven
2. So Many People
3. Bad Words and Evil People
4. Graveyard Shuffle
5. So Glad
6. A Final Coat
7. Skin Valley Serenade
8. The Demagogue
9. Sun Music
10. You Got Me Danglin' [*]

1. If I Only Had Time
2. At a Quarter to One
3. How Long?
4. Surprise Awakening
5. Broken Eggs [LP Version]
6. Maverick Woman Blues
7. The Heap Turns Human
8. What Good Does It Do?
9. Mr. Heavy
10. Instermental
11. Broken Eggs [Single Version][*]
12. In the Midnight Hour [*]

Year Type Label Catalog # 2006 CD Castle Music Ltd. 1257

No other editions were found for this album.

After a strong showing in the early '70s, Skin Alley drastically changed their lineup (and shifted their musical gears a bit) for their final two albums, 1972's Two Quid Deal and 1973's Skintight. There was still a strong prog rock base to their songwriting, but their folk and rock tendencies came to the fore on these two records more than ever before. Their deft instrumental technique screamed "prog," but never overshadowed the songs with unnecessary noodling or overt showings of musical dexterity. And that's the thing -- there are "songs" here. With most of the tunes clocking in under the four-minute mark, there's no room for overindulgence. The arrangements are concise and even the instrumental numbers show a deliberately sophisticated restraint. Tales from Topographic Oceans, this is not. In packaging these two fine albums together (along with two bonus singles), Castle Music has one-bettered the bootleg "greatest-hits" collections by offering an undisturbed and complete picture of what was certainly Skin Alley's most polished period. A boon for fans who have coveted the rare vinyl pressings (the Stax-released Skintight being scarily collectable), Bad Words and Evil People: The Transatlantic Anthology 1972-73 is a collector's dream package and, for those taking their first tentative steps into the genre, a great place to enter the world of prog rock without fear of being suffocated by mystical dragons and epic guitar wankery. ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide

Name Credits David Wells Liner Notes, Annotation, Compilation Nick Watson Restoration, Digital Remastering Paul Bevoir Artwork, Design Roger Dopson Coordination