''The Absolute Game'' is the third 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 ...

and new wave band

Skids __NOTOC__ Skid or Skids may refer to: * Skid, a type of pallet * Glossary of bowling#Skid, the first phase of bowling ball motion, preceding the hook and roll phases * Skid (aerodynamics), an outward side-slip in an aircraft turn * Skid (automob ...

. Recorded in 1980 and produced by Mick Glossop, it was released in September 1980 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 ...

. It became their most commercially successful album, reaching No. 9 in 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 ...

Writing and recording

This album marks the first collaborative effort between Richard Jobson and new bassist Russell Webb, who continued to work together in the band

The Armoury Show The Armoury Show were a British New wave music, new wave band, formed in 1983 and consisting of Richard Jobson (television presenter), Richard Jobson on vocals, Russell Webb (musician), Russell Webb on bass guitar, John McGeoch on guitar and J ...

and also on Jobson's solo album '' Badman''.

Musical style

Alex Ogg of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

opined "Musically, the Skids were branching out and writing some illustrious pop tunes."

Controversy

Initial copies came with a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...

second disc entitled ''Strength Through Joy'', a collection of material recorded during ''The Absolute Game'' sessions but omitted from the album. Its songs apparently feature members of the band playing each other's instruments. Richard Jobson, the Skids' lead singer, later stated that this title had been taken from

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House (film), Doctor in the Hous ...

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

and was not based on the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

slogan "

Kraft durch Freude NS Gemeinschaft ; KdF) was a German NSDAP-operated leisure organization in Nazi Germany. Richard Grunberger, ''The 12-Year Reich'', p. 197, It was part of the German Labour Front (), the national labour organization at that time. Set up in Nove ...

". However, it continued in the controversial theme of the first release of ''

Days in Europa ''Days in Europa'' is the second album by Scottish punk rock and new wave band Skids. It was released in 1979 by record label Virgin. Writing Track #3 on Side 1 is 'Dulce et Decorum Est (Pro Patria Mori)'. A rough translation is "It is a s ...

'', which had also been withdrawn after accusations of Nazi glorification.

Release

''The Absolute Game'' was released in September 1980, preceded by the release of Circus Games as a single in August. It reached No. 9 in the

. Around this time the band was riven by internal rifts and disagreements, leading to various changes in personnel. Soon after the release and tour of ''The Absolute Game'', Adamson and Baillie left the band.

Reception

Shane Baldwin of ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

'' called it "their finest work, despite the fact that, by then, Jobson and Adamson's relationship had begun to founder. Endlessly inventive and perfectly executed, it deservedly became their most successful release". 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 ...

'' wrote "Parts of ''The Absolute Game'' are just arty pretense, but the inclusion of substantial, engaging material makes it a reasonable addition to the collection."

Track listing

''Strength Through Joy''

Personnel

; Skids * Richard Jobson – vocals, guitar *

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 ...

– guitar, vocals, keyboards, percussion * Russell Webb – bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, percussion * Mike Baillie – drums, vocals, percussion ; Additional personnel * Jude Nettleton – vocals * Julius Newell – vocals * Andrew Sigsworth – vocals * John Sigsworth – vocals * Alison Pipkin – vocals * David Pipkin – vocals * Hannah Yeadon – vocals * Esther Marshall – vocals * Chloe Dymott – vocals * Marlis Dunklau – vocals * Gracie Benson – vocals * Sally Nettleton – vocals * Harriet Bakewell – vocals * Mary Volke – vocals *

Derek Wadsworth Derek Wadsworth (5 February 1939 – 3 December 2008) was an English jazz musician, composer, and arranger. Early life Wadsworth was born in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, on 5 February 1939. He began playing the cornet as his first instrument and star ...

–

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (;()), also spelt didjeridu, among other variants, is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous Drone (music), drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgerido ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Absolute Game, The Skids (band) albums 1980 albums Virgin Records albums