''Charles EP'', or simply named ''Skids'', is the first disc and EP of
punk rock band
Skids, recorded in October 1977 and released on 24 February 1978 on the Scottish punk label No Bad. The lead track was originally planned to be "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 bass line in "Charles" later won Simpson plaudits from musicians such as
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
and
Peter Hook
Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
.
[''The Skids 30th Anniversary'', News of the World, July 2007]
The band comprised a then teenage
Richard Jobson on vocals,
Stuart Adamson
William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...
on guitar, Bill Simpson on bass and
Thomas Kellichan
Tom Kellichan (born c. 1954) was the original drummer of The Skids, from 1977 to 1979.
Biography
From Cowdenbeath, and a former van driver, he completed the line-up of The Skids after answering their ad for a drummer. During his tenure the band ...
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
''Scared to Dance'' is the debut studio album by Scottish punk rock band Skids. It was released on 23 February 1979 by record label Virgin.
Writing
Anti-war themes are a recurring motif in the album. There are also a great deal of reference ...
'' debut album in 1979, while the rest of the songs were added as bonus tracks on that album's remastered edition.
Track listing
All tracks by Stuart
;A-side
#"Charles"
;B-side
#"Reasons"
#"Test Tube Babies"
Personnel
*
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
– Voice
*
Stuart – Guitar
*Alexander – Bass
*
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
– Drums
References
External links
The Skids discographyCharles EP release
{{Skids
1977 debut EPs
Skids (band) albums