Skin

Skin’s debut album, recorded in LA when the band were still searching for a name. Skin’s biggest chart success so far, hitting number 9 in the UK album chart. It launched the career of the band in a big way, and featured the hits singles “Tower of Strength”, “Money”, “House of Love” and “Look But Don’t Touch”. Japanese re-issue added 6 bonus tracks. Skin were formed in 1993 by ex-Jagged Edge members Myke Gray and Andy Robbins (also formerly of Tokyo Blade & Shogun) along with former Kooga vocalist Neville MacDonald and drummer Dicki Fliszar, formerly from Bruce Dickinson’s touring band and band Vamp. Originally called Taste, they went through a number of names (Obsession, Bad For Good, Phoenix) as they played a smattering of small club dates throughout 1992…

Synopsis Earlier this year Lynyrd Skynyrd performed their first two studio albums, Pronounced 'L h-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd and Second Helping , live in their entirety for the first time, at two specially staged concerts at the Florida Theatre in their home town of Jacksonville, Florida. It was a special occasion for both the act and their fans as the band performed tracks they d never or rarely played live before alongside classic songs that are an essential part of any Lynyrd Skynyrd live show…

Mercury prize winning, British band Gomez have announced the 20th anniversary release of their second album Liquid Skin. Abbey Road’s Frank Arkwright has delved into the archives to remaster ‘Liquid Skin’ from the original tapes which will be released via Virgin/UMC on 12 July as a special 2CD or 2LP standard & coloured vinyl edition featuring 19 unreleased tracks.

Nitin Sawhney's Beyond Skin works on at least two levels. First, it's a plea against racism and war, relating, as Sawhney writes in the liner notes, that one's identity is defined only by oneself – that identity is "beyond skin." Second, the music is an extremely accomplished blend of classical, drum'n'bass, jazz, hip-hop, and Indian elements. The album's political statements are seen most clearly in the samples imbedded in the beginning and ending of most tracks. Dealing with nuclear testing and identity, the samples are effective in setting the tone for the songs. The music is quite lush, featuring among other instruments, tablas, pianos, and cellos to equally beautiful effect. The production brings a crystal-clear polish to nearly every element in the mix, whether it's the passionate, intense vocals of the Rizwan Qawwali Group on "Homelands" or the stunning, impossibly gorgeous voice of Swati Natekar on "Nadia." The entire album is bathed in eclectic touches which never fail to maintain a poetic, accessible sense of charm and wonder. Rarely has electronic music been crafted with as much substance and style as it has on Beyond Skin. Sawhney travels back and forth between genres quite effortlessly. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.