Skeletons - In the Flesh +Album Reviews

Excellent cd from a great bar band!!

Gary Bowden | Fort Smith, Arkansas United States | 08/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first saw these guys at a club here in Fort Smith,Ark. back in the early 90's and they were a combination of The Beach Boys with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley mixed in...This cd has a lot of great fun songs...Highly recommended!! They need to rerelease this!!"

Great Band! That Damn Trans Am!

Lindsay Hutton | 02/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(4 1/2 stars) The Skeletons never gained widespread recognition, yet they had a small cult of dedicated followers who made them a modestly popular roots-rock bands in the late '80s and '90s. Based in Springfield, Missouri, the Skeletons formed in 1979 as a touring band assembled by Steve Forbert. Following the tour, they decided to stay together, releasing their own records when they weren't touring either as their own entity or as a supporting group. In 1987 they released their first American album, Rockin' Bones. Over the next 10 years, they remained busy, particularly backing artists like Syd Straw and Dave Alvin, yet only released three other albums - In the Flesh! (1988), Waiting (1992) and Nothin' to Lose (1997). -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide"

4 1/2 Stars:

Lindsay Hutton | 06/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Skeletons never gained widespread recognition, yet they had a small cult of dedicated followers who made them a popular roots-rock bands in the late '80s and '90s. Based in Springfield, Missouri, the Skeletons formed in 1979 as a touring band assembled by Steve Forbert. Following the tour, they decided to stay together, releasing their own records when they weren't touring either as their own entity or as a supporting group. In 1987 they released their first American album, Rockin' Bones. Over the next 10 years, they remained busy, particularly backing artists like Syd Straw and Dave Alvin, yet only released three other albums - In the Flesh! (1988), Waiting (1992) and Nothin' to Lose (1997). - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide"

Probably the greatest band you never heard...

Lindsay Hutton | Scotland | 06/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Skeletons out of Springfield, Mo. should have been mega but essentally people are simply too stupid to appreciate that.
No matter what kind of music you think you like, These Skelefellas can twist it all up like almost nobody. So get with the program!"

4 1/2 Stars: Great Collection of Their Early Tracks

D.C. Hanoy | Athens, Georgia | 04/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prior to the Skeletons, guitarist D. Clinton Thompson (who also served in the Ozark Mountain Daredevils) and bassist Lou Whitney (producer of the first Del-Lords album) played together in a variety of lineups, including the pride of Springfield, MO -- The Morells. The former's superb "Driving Guitars" 45 rescued a swell Ventures tune from obscurity, and the pair has continued to mine the vaults of rock, R&B, and country arcana for some minor classics (unearthing tunes, as Robert Christgau put it, "Dave Edmunds would give his doctorate for") and the inspiration to pen their own instant winners.

The 'Rockin' Bones' LP (1987) compiled the entire contents of the band's original three pre-Morells singles (from '79-'80, after which three of the Skeletons became Steve Forbert's band) and added three tunes cut after the Skeletons were revived in the mid-'80s. The album, which is simply delightful from start to finish, takes an automotive angle, with Whitney's flawless "Trans Am" and covers like "Gas Money" and the instrumental "B/Gas Accord." If Johnny Otis' "Crazy Country Hop" and Whitney's Presleyesque "Tell Her I'm Gone" break the topical mold, they do nothing to interrupt the magical mood.

Adding a second keyboard player, the Skeletons made an all-new (recording-wise, that is) album, reducing the overt nostalgia in favor of a more integrated old-fashioned sound that brings a wider collection of influences into the studio. Besides a wonderfully updated cover of Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me" (This time the protagonist is bald!) and the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Older Guys," 'In the Flesh!' (1988) contains the Del-Lords' purposeful "I Play the Drums," the somewhat sappy "For Every Heart," and a brief "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," with the lyrics altered by one note. The playing's great and the spirit never falters, but this accomplished collection doesn't have quite enough of what makes 'Rockin' Bones' so downright upright. In 1991, East Side Digital released a CD, also titled 'In the Flesh!,' that comprised both Skeletons LPs and included a short essay and history of the band by Daniel Durchholz. - Jim Green/Ira Robbins, AMG

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