Julian Cope – The Skellington Chronicles (1993)

I remember picking this up in a boot fair for a quid or so, about twenty years ago, thinking I'd found the Julian Cope Holy Grail. I'd heard of the legendary Skellington but had never heard the album.

This 1993 CD reissue brings together the original 1989 album with Skellington 2, its follow up.

So here's the tale. Disillusioned with the process of record making after the interminable sessions for My Nation Underground, Cope took mates Donald Ross Skinner (guitars, keyboards) and Rooster Corby (drums) into the studio, and in two days, they had Skellington, stripped down and ready for release. Island Records were not interested in a raw underproduced Cope album, so he released it himself, initially as an official bootleg for fan club member.

As you'd expect it's a series of half-formed ideas, many of which wouldn't have got further than the demo under normal circumstances. Skellington first, there are a few diamonds there, which would grace any Cope issue. Doomed is a throwaway little opener, while Beaver has the makings of something greater, and Robert Mitchum, a co-write with Ian McCulloch is fun and silly. Out Of My Mind On Dope And Speed is a high energy romp, still a live favourite. I also enjoyed Little Donkey, and Great White Wonder. And Incredibly Ugly Girl is horrible.

Skellington 2 was recorded four years later, with the same cast and DIY ethic. But while it was recorded in two days like Skellington, it's clear that a lot more preparation has gone into these songs. Most songs are under two minutes, leaving the listener wanting more, and there's lots to enjoy. Electrical Stormgirl is an upbeat acoustic start, with Poppins bouncing along to a riff reminiscent of T Rex's Get It On. There's a rockabilly feel to the fine Skip, and I've Got My TV And My Pills is more relaxed. The Angel And The Felatress is a longer song, and I wish it wasn't.

Waco-Pops is another short, acoustic number, nothing special, similarly but electric Common Land At Water's Edge. Scud-U-Like is mercifully short (it took longer to write this sentence). Grimreaper Is A Krautrocker is an eight minute frenzy somewhere between Faust and the Silver Apples, then it's a gentle romp to the end with American Tragedy gentle and calm, the sea-shantyesque Wayland's Smithy Has Wings (which gets more engaging with every listen), the dreamy Madonna Baglady Blues with a floating trumpet solo, and the lovely London Underground.

As he found his feet as a solo artist, Cope tired of playing the game, and this pair of albums show him doing what he's a master of - being Julian Cope. Not everything will be to everyone's tastes, not everything works, and lots is only half formed, but it's all authentic. Just sometimes authentically bonkers.

Link to Skellington 2 tracks

4* - I'm not sure it's a 'great' album, but the two sessions provide such joy, even when they don't quite hit the spot, that it's worth four stars.