Skids - Days In Europa (1980 Mix)

One of the best British bands to come out of the 1976 / 1977 musical rupture that was punk, Dunfermline's Skids went on to demonstrate they had so much more to them than some of their contemporaries. Always a tight and powerful musical powerhouse they enjoyed a string of vibrant chart hits between 1978 and 1979 and their debut album 1979’s ‘Scared To Dance’ is rightly recognised as a landmark of the era.

Its follow up, ‘Days In Europa’, arrived hot on the heels of chart success but had a complex lifespan. In its first incarnation, it had been issued with a sleeve that drew criticism from some quarters and there were misgivings, too, from their label over the album’s mix. Within a year of its release Virgin Records withdrew ‘Days In Europa’ Mark I and commissioned a new, punchier mix for most of its tracks. Step forward, up-and-coming Canadian Bruce Fairburn with a brief to bring out the best in Bill Nelson’s original production. For ‘Days In Europa (1980 Mix)’, 1979 single, ‘Working For The Yankee Dollar’, was completely re-recorded and standalone hit, ‘Masquerade’, added to the tracklist - joining ‘Yankee’, ‘Animation’ and ‘Charade’ to make the album a four-hit powerhouse. Meanwhile, the sleeve image was replaced with a new painting. The resulting ‘1980 version’ thereby found its way into numerous Skids fans’ collections, rivalling Mark I in their affections ever since.