So, just what exactly were
Skids
? Punks with O-levels, new wave cop-outs, or just chance-takers and opportunists? The answer is probably a combination of all three. Far more important, however, is the fact that they left behind a clutch of great, if universally pretentious, singles. On album, it was hard not to get a little miffed at
Richard Jobson
's would-be aristocrat pop nonsense. Still, this debut had some good tunes, courtesy of pre-
Big Country
Stuart Adamson
, like
"The Saints Are Coming"
and, of course, the wonderful
"Into the Valley."
Of huge importance to
fans is that the CD reissue includes the original live B-side to the latter,
"TV Stars,"
a song which will mean nothing to anyone who didn't grow up watching British television, but a whole heap to those who did. ~ Alex Ogg