''Scared to Dance'' is the debut studio album by Scottish

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band Skids. It was released on 23 February 1979 by record label

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

Writing

Anti-war themes are a recurring motif in the album. There are also a great deal of references in singer Richard Jobson's lyrics to the band's home region in Scotland.

Music and production

''Scared to Dance'' was produced by David Batchelor and engineered by Mick Glossop. ''Scared to Dance'' was the first album to feature Stuart Adamson's '

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

guitar', which would be the trademark of his later band

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although they have retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music inc ...

Release

The album was preceded by the single " Into the Valley", released on 16 February 1979, which reached No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart. ''Scared to Dance'' was released on 23 February, reaching No. 19 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

Reception

''Scared to Dance'' has been well received by critics. Ira Robbins of

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

called the album "excellent ..Using loud guitar and semi-martial drumming for its basis, Jobson's hearty singing sounds like an 18th century general leading his merry troops down from the hills into glorious battle."

Legacy

The song "

The Saints Are Coming "The Saints are Coming" was the third single (music), single by the Scottish punk rock band Skids (band), Skids, featured on their 1979 debut album, ''Scared to Dance''. The song became an international hit when it was covered in 2006 by U2 and ...

" was later covered by

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

and U2 and released as a charity single, reaching #1 in several countries. "Into the Valley" became popular as adopted and sung by fans of Dunfermline Athletic F.C., the band's local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team, as well as

Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, London, Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Thei ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

whose ground is known as The Valley. Scared To Dance is also the name of the club night, film screening and live music promoters founded in 2009.

Track listing

Personnel

; Skids * Richard Jobson – vocals, guitar * Stuart Adamson – guitar * William Simpson – bass guitar * Thomas Kellichan – drums ; Additional personnel * David Batchelor – piano, production * Chris Jenkins – guitar ; Technical personnel * Mick Glossop –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Steve Prestage – engineering assistance * Russell Mills – sleeve artwork * Dennis Morris – sleeve photography

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control Skids (band) albums 1979 debut albums Virgin Records albums Albums with cover art by Russell Mills (artist)