''Skin'' is the 14th studio album by
Peter Hammill, originally released on vinyl on Foundry Records in 1986 and later re-released on CD on
Virgin Records. It was also released on CD by DaTE (a division of Line Music GmbH).
The album was notable for spawning a Peter Hammill single, "Painting by Numbers", which appeared on both 7" and 12" formats. It was the 11th (and until now last) single by Hammill. The B-side was the non-album track "You Hit Me Where I Live". This track later appeared on the Virgin CD release of the album. As usual, none of these releases entered the UK charts. The DaTE CD release included two extra tracks, the aforementioned "You Hit Me Where I Live" plus "Painting by Numbers" (Extended Version).
The album sees Hammill employing the
Yamaha DX7, the first commercially successful digital synthesiser, an instrument which was typical for the sound of the 1980s and which he plays until today. He also made use of an
Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...
Drumulator drum machine.
Track listing
All songs by Peter Hammill, except where indicated.
#"Skin"
#"After the Show"
#"Painting by Numbers"
#"Shell"
#"All Said and Done"
#"A Perfect Date"
#"Four Pails" (
Chris Judge Smith
Christopher John Judge Smith (born 1 July 1948), is an English songwriter, author, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been kno ...
, Max Hutchinson)
#"Now Lover"
Personnel
*
Hugh Banton –
cello
*David Coulter –
didjeridu
The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...
*
Guy Evans –
percussion, drums
*Stuart Gordon – violin
*Peter Hammill – guitar,
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, vocals
*
David Jackson –
saxophone
*David Luckhurst – voices
Technical
*Peter Hammill - recording engineer (Sofa Sound)
*Coach, Neil Perry,
Stephen Street
Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths, The Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album ''Viva Hate'' following the spl ...
– recording engineers, mixing (
The Wool Hall
The Wool Hall is a recording studio in the village of Beckington, near Bath, Somerset, England. It was originally a residential studio set up by Tears for Fears in the 1980s and used by many artists, including The Smiths and Van Morrison. Sinc ...
, near Bath)
*Paul Ridout – engineer, cover art
*Arun Chakraverty – original mastering
References
External links
Lyricson Hammill's Sofa Sound website
{{Authority control
Peter Hammill albums
1986 albums