The Absolute Game

Infobox Album |
Name = The Absolute Game
Type = Album
Artist = The Skids


Released = September 1980
Recorded = The Manor and Audio International
Spring 1980
Genre = Punk rock; New Wave
Length = ??:??
Label = Virgin
Producer = Mick Glossop
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:297uak1k5m3b link] |
Last album = "Days in Europa" (1979)
This album = "The Absolute Game" (1980)
Next album = "Joy" (1981)

"The Absolute Game" was The Skids' 1980 third album (not counting the two different versions released of their second album, 1979's "Days in Europa") and was produced by Mick Glossop.

The album continued the Skids' progression from a punky sound into a more mellow one - paralleled by many bands of the period. The album has a great deal in common with "Days in Europa", but not much with its successor, "Joy". Around this time the band were driven by internal rifts and disagreements, leading to various members coming and going. Soon after the release and live concert tour of The Absolute Game, Adamson and Baillie left the band. (Although Adamson did temporarily return to play on one more song from the album Joy, called Iona.) Adamson went on to launch the career of his new band, Big Country, and Baillie moved back to Scotland to live. A great deal of Big Country's future sound and style can be heard in this album. In particularly on "Hurry On Boys", which features bagpipe simulations and real didgeridoo. "Joy" has a completely different sound to other Skids albums, and some fans consider "The Absolute Game" to be the last canonical Skids album. This was also the first album featured Richard Jobson and new bassist Russell Webb as a working duo, while Adamson and Jobson relationship was in decadence, reason the lead guitarist dropped out. Jobson and Webb as a constantly musical duo worked constantly until 1988, when their last band The Armoury Show failed to get hits and split up.

Controversy

Initial copies came with a limited edition second disc entitled "Strength through Joy". Richard Jobson, the Skids' lead singer, later stated that this title had been taken from Dirk Bogarde's autobiography and was not based on the Nazi slogan "Kraft durch Freude". However it continued the controversial theme of the first release of "Days in Europa", which had been withdrawn.

Track listing

;Original album
# "Circus Games"
# "Out of Town"
# "Goodbye Civilian"
# "The Children Saw the Shame"
# "A Woman in Winter"
# "Hurry On Boys"
# "Happy to Be With You"
# "The Devils Decade"
# "One Decree"
# "Arena"

Strength through Joy – limited edition second disc available with initial copies only
# "An Incident in Algiers"
# "Grievance"
# "Strength through Joy"
# "Filming Africa"
# "A Man for All Seasons"
# "Snakes and Ladders"
# "Surgical Triumph"
# "The Bell Jar"

Personnel

*Richard Jobson — vocals / guitar
*Stuart Adamson — guitars / vocals / keyboards / percussion
*Russell Webb — bass guitar / vocals / keyboards / percussion
*Mike Baillie — drums / vocals / percussion

With:

*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 — didgeridoo