Joy (The Skids album)
| Joy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Skids | ||||
| Released | November 1981 | |||
| Studio | Britannia Row Studios, London, England and Highland Studios, Inverness, Scotland | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, celtic rock | |||
| Length | 46:51 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Russell Webb | |||
| Skids chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Guardian | favourable |
Joy is the fourth and final album by Scottish punk rock and new wave band Skids. It was their first after the departure of signature guitarist Stuart Adamson, who went on to found Big Country. As such, it represented a change of direction from rock towards folk music, amplifying the traditional Scottish element already hinted at in previous releases.
The band line-up included Richard Jobson and Russell Webb along with J. J. Johnson (drums and percussion), Paul Wishart (saxophone, flute, keyboards, percussion and vocals) and a collection of musical friends. The band rehearsed at Britannia Row Studios in London.
Sessions in July 1981 led to the release of the first single from the upcoming album. "Fields" was released in August, with Kenny Hyslop on drums. The song also featured Billy MacKenzie (vocals) and Alan Rankine (guitar), core members of The Associates. Guesting, early in her career, was Virginia Astley (flute). The strummed guitar and marching band elements (bagpipe emulation and percussion) signalled a change in direction, though the rabble-rousing melody and football pitch vocal delivery were standard Skids fare.
Sessions continued through September 1981 and produced a second single, "Iona" (named for the Scottish island). It was the only song on the album to be recorded at Highland Studios in Inverness, Scotland. Released in October 1981 this was the last Skids track to feature Stuart Adamson, alongside Mike Oldfield. At 3:24 the single edit is significantly shorter than the epic to be found on the album.
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