Skin Yard - 1000 Smiling Knuckles / Bulldog 10" (1991)I feel bad about posting that dreadful Hott single, but it’s not like anyone is reading anyway, let alone listening... but I digress. Now is the time for you, the reader (who doesn’t exist), to be rewarded for your patience. Today, I’m going to offer you some of the delicious sounds of Seattle’s own Skin Yard.
I really wanted to post this earlier in the week, as I want to post more often than once a week, but it took me a few tries to come up with something I really wanted to post. Many people have done their rundown of Skin Yard’s history, and you can read bassist Daniel House’s account here.
I’ve decided I’m going to give you my introduction to, and history with, Skin Yard.
Sometime in late 1994, I picked up the Deep Six compilation (now out of print for the second time) quite by chance. I didn’t know it was re-released, and I’m not even sure I knew it existed ever. The main draw for me was early Soundgarden and Melvins, some familiarity to make the purchase safe and not a complete loss. I had heard Green River, someone had the Come On Down EP, and I thought it was alright. One thing this CD had was two tracks by Malfunkshun, which until now had been largely unheard outside of Seattle in the pre-innerweb days. The CD would of course be my first glimpse of not only Malfunkshun, but The U-Men and or course, Skin Yard.
Front to back, the disc was fantastic, but Skin Yard had this underlying darkness that the other bands didn’t possess. After hearing “The Birds” and “Throb” I was smitten. They seemed to specialize more in atmosphere, whereas The Melvins specialised in punching you in the face with an anvil as much as possible in the span of 45 seconds (at least back in those days).
Of course, in the pre-innerweb days, you actually had to work to find something you were looking for… if it even existed. Sometimes you would walk into a record store, only have the clerk tell you a record didn’t exist because a) they were ignorant, or b) it really didn’t. Some stores couldn’t order things that other stores could for whatever reason, etc, etc. I used to drive hours away to independent record stores to find what I wanted, releases you couldn’t find at Sam Goody’s or Record Town. I ventured to Music City and House of Guitars to scour the bins for obscure releases. Eventually, I contacted Jack Endino and he filled in most of the gaps in my collection, being the ultra cool dude that he is.
At that time, Skin Yard was mine and mine alone. No one I knew of them, and no one I knew was really interested because they weren’t Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. “Fools!” I cried, “Have you no courage to explore the depths of the Seattle scene?!” Regardless of my friends’ indifference, I enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and the discovery of new music from my new favorite band.
Anyhow, this is the 10 inch single. This version of The Beatles’ “Bulldog” is drastically different than the one that appears on 2001’s “Start At the Top” rarities collection.
A: 1000 Smiling Knuckles (03:19)
B: Bulldog (02:36)
I really wanted to post this earlier in the week, as I want to post more often than once a week, but it took me a few tries to come up with something I really wanted to post. Many people have done their rundown of Skin Yard’s history, and you can read bassist Daniel House’s account here.
I’ve decided I’m going to give you my introduction to, and history with, Skin Yard.
Sometime in late 1994, I picked up the Deep Six compilation (now out of print for the second time) quite by chance. I didn’t know it was re-released, and I’m not even sure I knew it existed ever. The main draw for me was early Soundgarden and Melvins, some familiarity to make the purchase safe and not a complete loss. I had heard Green River, someone had the Come On Down EP, and I thought it was alright. One thing this CD had was two tracks by Malfunkshun, which until now had been largely unheard outside of Seattle in the pre-innerweb days. The CD would of course be my first glimpse of not only Malfunkshun, but The U-Men and or course, Skin Yard.
Front to back, the disc was fantastic, but Skin Yard had this underlying darkness that the other bands didn’t possess. After hearing “The Birds” and “Throb” I was smitten. They seemed to specialize more in atmosphere, whereas The Melvins specialised in punching you in the face with an anvil as much as possible in the span of 45 seconds (at least back in those days).
Of course, in the pre-innerweb days, you actually had to work to find something you were looking for… if it even existed. Sometimes you would walk into a record store, only have the clerk tell you a record didn’t exist because a) they were ignorant, or b) it really didn’t. Some stores couldn’t order things that other stores could for whatever reason, etc, etc. I used to drive hours away to independent record stores to find what I wanted, releases you couldn’t find at Sam Goody’s or Record Town. I ventured to Music City and House of Guitars to scour the bins for obscure releases. Eventually, I contacted Jack Endino and he filled in most of the gaps in my collection, being the ultra cool dude that he is.
At that time, Skin Yard was mine and mine alone. No one I knew of them, and no one I knew was really interested because they weren’t Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. “Fools!” I cried, “Have you no courage to explore the depths of the Seattle scene?!” Regardless of my friends’ indifference, I enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and the discovery of new music from my new favorite band.
Anyhow, this is the 10 inch single. This version of The Beatles’ “Bulldog” is drastically different than the one that appears on 2001’s “Start At the Top” rarities collection.
A: 1000 Smiling Knuckles (03:19)
B: Bulldog (02:36)
Too bad the link isn't working, I've been looking for this version of Hey Bulldog for years now. Just such a better version.
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