Skin 'Em Up

Skin 'Em Up is the debut album from the Scottish neo-rockabilly group the Shakin' Pyramids, released in 1981 by Cuba Libre, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. It reached no. 48 on the UK Albums Chart,[1] and yielded a single in "Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll". The band released three EPs during 1981, two of which were led by tracks from the album: Take a Trip and Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll (the latter backed by single B-side "Alright Alnight" and two new tracks). The album has been described as an important release in the early 1980s rockabilly revival.[2]

Skin 'Em Up
Studio album by
the Shakin' Pyramids
Released27 March 1981
RecordedJanuary 1981
GenreRockabilly
LabelCuba Libre (Virgin)
ProducerAli Mackenzie
The Shakin' Pyramids chronology
Skin 'Em Up
(1981)		 Celts and Cobras
(1982)

Skin 'Em Up was recorded in only 50 hours. Producer Ali Mackenzie stated, "The Pyramids had more of an acoustic sound so we could knock the songs out pretty quickly. It was done dirt-cheap."[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Melody Maker wrote, "As a debut album, Skin 'Em Up is confident, fast and fun."[5] NME noted, "Although The Shakin' Pyramids don't twist the '50's forms into any startling directions, they do invest them with a great deal of spontaneity and freshness."[5] Sounds stated, "With a deep-rooted love for the Everlys, the hardy ability to busk their way around the nation's bus stops and the confidence to rely on the minimum of instrumental muscle, they are different from the rest, in a perverse way."[5]

Skin 'Em Up was awarded 5/5 stars in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1983).[4] Trouser Press wrote, "The album pounds furiously, putting your average megawatt metal band to shame. Songs — mostly non-originals — zip by at a blinding rate; the record's only flaw is its brief running time. Then again, if brevity be the soul of this music, the Shakin' Pyramids are a rockabilly Ramones."[6] AllMusic rated the album 4½/5 stars, calling it an "explosive bopping and mostly acoustic set" that "helped define the short-lived rockabilly revival of the early '80s".[2]

Track listing

Side A

No.TitleLength
1."Take A Trip"2:21
2."Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll"2:27
3."Let's Go"1:44
4."Teenage Boogie"1:27
5."Tired 'n' Sleepy (live)"2:24
6."Wild Little Willie"1:29

Side B

No.TitleLength
1."Cry Cry Kitten"2:38
2."Sixteen Chicks"1:48
3."Pretty Bad Blues"1:52
4."I Got A Baby (live)"2:28
5."Sunset Of My Tears"3:28
6."Hellbent On Rockin'"2:06

Personnel

References
  1. The Shakin' Pyramids at Official Charts Company
  2. Skin Em' Up at AllMusic
  3. Sloan, Billy (19 September 2021). "The Cuban Heels. Work Our Way To Heaven. Billy Sloan's Greatest Scottish Albums". The Herald. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. The Rolling Stone Record Guide, Second Edition (1983). "Rolling Stone List of five-star albums". Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  5. Clark, Al (1982). The Rock Yearbook: 1982. St. Martin's Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0312687847.
  6. Trouser Press. "Shakin' Pyramids". Retrieved 2 December 2009.
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