Destination Dusseldorf

Product Information

Back in the day I wasn't a big Skids fan, I saw them perform at Surrey University in 1979, and remember only two things from that night, the skinheads had a rumble and some person born out of wedlock nicked my denim jacket from the cloakroom and I went home cold and grumpy, but I don't remember the music, perhaps it may have done had I bought "Scared to Dance". There’s nothing very specific in the lyrics as Jobson urges; ‘Look at the world around you, realise the dreams, got to fight for the answers, open your eyes and see’, but it’s a pretty safe bet which enemies this particular politicised Scot is drawing our attention to. Tidal Wave, the first of several songs written in collaboration with Matin Metcalfe, follows in a similar vein with a powerful chorus and earnest words foretelling momentous changes on the horizon.

Rather than attempting to emulate the spiked artiness of debut Scared To Dance, the bold historical statement of Days In Europa or the polished intensity of The Absolute Game, Jobson wisely went with big anthems, stirring choruses, vigorous backing vocals and rousing slogans, and with Destination Düsseldorf, it’s in many ways more of the same. Following "Destination Dusseldorf" was always going to difficult but "Here We Go Again" with its driving marching drumbeat and sparse guitarwork works is another that has me wanting to dance although the unnecessary coda has me thinking the track has ended and I'm listening to something different.

Special mention too to Last Night From Glasgow, a label that is doing great things for both old and new Scottish artists. Third track "Don't Stop" comes roaring out of the blocks but then has a change of direction and becomes kind of arty in a Bowiesque rocking way, its ok but after that wonderful start I can't help but feel it could have been better. I still listen to Days In Europa regularly, my love of the band and Be Bop Deluxe insists on that album being my favourite, but The Absolute Game is just as great. Why would anyone want to dump on their legacy of innovation with a bunch of the hoariest Rock n Roll musical and lyrical cliches known to man?

However, anyone who has witnessed the singer’s undiminished exuberance on stage in recent years will testify that there isn’t the slightest hint of jadedness in his deportment, but even he’s allowed a bad hair day. The band note Europe as an ongoing inspiration for the new LP; "from the beauty of the Renaissance to the savagery of many wars, the highs and lows have been there as an ongoing and ever evolving influence. Creativity born from friendship and respect lies at the heart of this new album which we think will be one of our finest recordings. The more rocking, more complex, more punky "Wings Of Desire" that follows is another cracker and one I want to see live when the Skids support From The Jam later this year; and at about this point on this my third or fourth listening I'm changing my original opinion that "Destination Dusseldorf" isn't as good as "Burning Cities". Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases. It's not like he didn't say "Stuart Adamson is the Skids" in a radio interview (which DD sets out to prove with near-Herculean resolve. Last Night From Glasgow's own site is best as they have all the formats and different coloured vinyl versions. Richard Jobson is a great rabble-rouser and we certainly need those at this moment in time, but he’s an even better storyteller as evidenced by the title track / lead single Destination Düsseldorf, a lively paean to German artist and one of the singer’s heroes, Jospeh Beuys.