Skids (EP)

Charles EP, or simply named Skids, is the first disc and EP of punk rock band Skids, recorded in October 1977 and released on February 24 1978 on the Scottish punk label No Bad. The lead track was originally planned as Test-Tube Babies but between the recording sessions and the EP's release, the band felt their sound had moved on and was more properly represented by Charles and Reasons. All music and lyrics were by Stuart Adamson, though the distinctive bassline in Charles later won Simpson plaudits from musicians such as The Edge and Peter Hook.

The band comprised a then teenage Richard Jobson on vocals, Stuart Adamson on guitar, Bill Simpson on bass and Thomas Kellichan on drums. They were credited on the EP with only their first names, Simpson being listed as Alexander. This was the result of the band's original punk-rock pseudonyms, in which Kellichan became Tom Bomb and Simpson became Alex Plode.

The song "Charles" was featured in re-recorded form on the Scared to Dance debut album in 1979 while the rest songs were added as bonus tracks on that album's remastered edition.

Skid

Skid or Skids may refer to:

Comics, games and amusements

Music

See also

Skids (Transformers)

Skids is the name used for four characters in the Transformers Universes. Due to trademark reasons, the name was modified to "Skid-Z" for it to be used on new characters and an "Autobot" prefix was added when the original Skids toy was reissued and when he became an Alternator.

Transformers: Generation 1

As with many early Transformers toys, Skids' toy was previously released in a Takara toy line named Diaclone. The toy originally included a scooter which could fit inside his vehicle mode but this was omitted when the toy was released as a Transformer.

Skids was characterized as the perfect absent-minded warrior. Highly intelligent and always collecting data, Skids is nonetheless always daydreaming. He is a scientist first and foremost, and has made many valuable discoveries. Skids genuinely hates the war he finds himself caught up in, but for now is forced to continue in the Autobot army.

Reception

Skids was voted the 10th top Transformer who was bad ass in the comics by Topless Robots.

Skids (band)

Skids were a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1977 by Stuart Adamson (guitar, keyboards, percussion and backing vocals), William Simpson (bass guitar and backing vocals), Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson (vocals, guitar and keyboards). Their biggest success was the 1978 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game.

History

Early years (1977–1979)

Skids played their first gig on 19 August 1977 at the Bellville Hotel in Pilmuir Street, Dunfermline, Scotland. Within six months they had released the Charles EP on the No Bad record label, created by Sandy Muir, a Dunfermline music shop owner turned manager. The record brought them to the attention of national BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. This led to a local gig supporting The Clash. Virgin Records then signed up Skids in April 1978. The singles "Sweet Suburbia" and "The Saints Are Coming" both made commercial inroads, before "Into the Valley" reached the UK Top 10 singles chart in early 1979. The band released their debut studio album, Scared to Dance, the same year. It was recorded at The Townhouse Studios in London, England with production and keyboards by David Batchelor. Adamson walked out towards the end of the sessions before all the guitar overdubs were completed. Session guitarist Chris Jenkins was chief maintenance engineer at Townhouse studios and completed the album using Adamson's studio set up, adding additional guitar to four tracks – "Into the Valley", "Integral Plot", "Calling the Tune" and "Scared to Dance". In the meantime Adamson returned to Scotland while the recording was finished. He rejoined the band for the live concert tour promotion of the album. The record included "The Saints Are Coming", which was later covered in late 2006 as a charity single by U2 and Green Day.