Skewbald/Grand Union
A white cover consisting of only small text reading "SKEWBALD/GRAND UNION" in all caps. Two 50s appear on the top and bottom.
EP by
Skewbald/Grand Union
Released1991
RecordedNovember 1981
StudioInner Ear (Arlington, Virginia)
GenreHardcore punk
Length4:07
LabelDischord
ProducerSkewbald/Grand Union

Skewbald/Grand Union, also known as 2 Songs,[1] is the eponymous archival EP featuring the only studio recordings by American hardcore punk band Skewbald/Grand Union.

Background and band history

Commonly known as simply Skewbald,[2] Skewbald/Grand Union was a short-lived hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C., founded by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, after their previous band, Minor Threat, broke up for their first time[3][4] in September 1981.[nb 1][5] Their lineup was rounded out by guitarist Edward Janney[nb 2][7] and bassist John Falls.[nb 3][2][3][4][6][8][9]

The band's strange name was a result of a friendly dispute between MacKaye and Nelson. The four-piece was initially named Grand Union, after a nearby grocery store. MacKaye then found the word "skewbald" in a dictionary, and thought it was a better name. Nelson, however, still preferred Grand Union.[3] The two were unable to favor either title, and the disagreement was never settled.[2][4][6][8][9]

In November 1981, the band recorded three untitled demo songs, not originally intended for release, in a self-produced session, engineered by Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia.[2][6][8] After recording, the rehearsals came to a halt and Falls left the project.[2] Eventually, MacKaye moved from vocals to bass and the band practiced as a three-piece a few more times in early 1982, but Skewbald/Grand Union, who never came to play a show, was dissolved upon the reformation of Minor Threat in the spring of 1982.[nb 4][2][4][6][9][11][12]

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]

For ten years, the recordings of Skewbald/Grand Union[14] made the rounds in tape trading circles and some erroneously believed that the songs were Minor Threat outtakes.[2][4]

In 1991, the demo received a proper release, on 7-inch clear vinyl, when Dischord Records issued the one-sided EP Skewbald/Grand Union[nb 5][4][6] to commemorate the label's 50th release.[2] Two out of the three songs were merged on the first track.

Reissues

Skewbald/Grand Union was reissued as a CD EP[nb 6][1] in October 1997.[1][6][15] Individual tracks were made also available as digital downloads.[1]

In 2002, the medley "Sorry/Change for the Same" was featured on the 3-CD compilation box set 20 Years of Dischord.[nb 7][16][17]

Track listing

All tracks written by Skewbald/Grand Union

  1. "Side One" (unofficially known as "Sorry / Change for the Same") (2:54)
  2. "Side Two" (unofficially known as "You're Not Fooling Me") (1:13)

Personnel

From left: Edward Janney, John Falls, Ian MacKaye, Jeff Nelson. Photo by Michael Salkind

Production

Notes

  1. ↑ Minor Threat played a "farewell" gig around Christmas 1981.[5]
  2. ↑ Formerly of Untouchables, later played in the Faith, Rites of Spring, One Last Wish, and Happy Go Licky.[6]
  3. ↑ Who had briefly played guitar with Youth Brigade.[2]
  4. ↑ The reformed Minor Threat played their first show in April 1982.[10]
  5. ↑ Dischord #DIS 50V
  6. ↑ Dischord #DIS 50CD
  7. ↑ Dischord #DIS 125

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Skewbald, 2 Songs. dischord.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Skewbald. dischord.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Fourth ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 95.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Minor Threat"[usurped]. Kill from the Heart. Archived from the original[usurped] on March 10, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Azerrad, Michael (Little, Brown and Company, 2001). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991. First e-book ed., 2012. Hachette. ISBN 9780316247184. pp. 368-369.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Huey, Steve. "Skewbald/Grand Union: Artist Biography by Steve Huey". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Fourth ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 132.
  8. 1 2 3 Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. ISBN 9781932595895. p. 159.
  9. 1 2 3 Khanna, Vish (February 15, 2007). "Ian MacKaye: Out of Step". exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  10. ↑ Azerrad, Michael (Little, Brown and Company, 2001). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991. First e-book ed., 2012. Hachette. ISBN 9780316247184. p. 370.
  11. ↑ Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Fourth ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 101.
  12. ↑ Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. ISBN 9781932595895. p. 160.
  13. ↑ Skewald/Grand Union (EP). AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  14. ↑ Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. ISBN 9781932595895. p. 140.
  15. ↑ Skewbald/Grand Union (EP), 1997 reissue. allmusic.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  16. ↑ Various artists, 20 Years of Dischord. dischord.com. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  17. ↑ Various artists, 20 Years of Dischord. allmusic.com. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
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