From dtam@epas.utoronto.ca Sat May 6 15:06:25 1995 Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 01:33:12 -0400 From: dtam To: dtam@epas.utoronto.ca Subject: SkinnyHistory.html [IMAGE] "It's a dog eat dog world, and from where I sit, there just ain't enough damn dogs!" The Skinny Puppy story began in the Summer of 1983 when Cevin Key and Nivek Ogre discovered a similar taste for the bizarre and mutated in music and film. The two joined forces and recorded the "Back and Forth" cassette. It was purported that 50 copies were released by Cevin. But only 35 were dubbed, 15 by hand and 20 at high speed. The cassette - now a treasured rarity among Skinny Puppy fans - garneded the attention of Vancouver's Nettwerk Productions. The "Remission" EP was released amidst the first wave of Nettwerk releases in the fall of 1984. Produced by Cevin Key and Dave "Rave" Oglive, the band's debut EP propelled Skinny Puppy out of the shadows and into enigmatic notoriety. The crushing combination of percussive keyboard and rhythm work, together with Ogre's own brand of malignant, cryptic vocalizations, surprised and disturbed unsuspecting listeners throughout North America. When the Play It Again Sam label of Brussels, Belgium, licensed the record, the continent of europe was exposed to the same treatment. [IMAGE] In October, 1985, with synthesist Wilhelm Schroeder in the ranks, Skinny Puppy released their debut LP, "Bites", through Nettwerk and Play It Again Sam. Production was once again handled by Cevin Key and Dave Oglive, with the exception of "Assimilate", which was produced by Tom Ellard of Severed Heads. "Bites" quickly received critical acclaim in North America and Europe, and charted higher than any other Canadian independant release in recent memory on charts like CMJ, Rockpool and U.S. Rock. Songs like "The Choke" and "Assimilate" laid waste to dancefloors on both sides of the Atlantic. [IMAGE] In the Summer of 1986, Wilhelm Schroeder (Bill Leeb) left the band to pursue solo work (FLA) and was replaced by Dwayne Goettel, formerly of the band Psyche. On September 5, 1986, Skinny Puppy's second LP, "Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse", was released. Boiling over with fresh sounds and rhythms, "Mind: TPI" remains an expedition into a netherworld of sonic, seething emotion. The first single, "Dig It", shot to the #10 position on the Rockpool/Rollign Stone dance chart and the LP reached #17 on CMJ's chart. "Stairs and Flowers", remixed from "Mind: TPI" by New York DJs Justin Straus and Murray Elias, expanded on the mutant hip hop beat of "Dig It". Combined with the new track, "Chainsaw", the single summer up Skinny Puppy's psycho-dance strategy and it reached #8 on the Rockpool/Rolling Stone chart. The release of the "Mind: TPI" LP also signalled the beginning of a licensing agreement between Skinny Puppy and Capitol-EMI for the world outside of Canada. "Clease, Fold and Manipulate", Skinny Puppy's third full length LP, was released worldwide in October, 1987. The LP contained some of their most coherent, powerful material to date. Tracks such as "Anger", "Tear or Beat", and "Shadow Cast", with their heavy rhythms, balanced perfectly with the more atmospheric feel of "The Mourn" and "Epilogue". The 12" single of "Addiction" and "Deep Down Trauma Hounds", remixed by British noise-supremo Adrian Sherwood, was simply one of the most intense moments in Skinny Puppy's vinyl history. "Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate" marked a crossover of sorts for Skinny Puppy. The public was finally coming around to Skinny Puppy's nightmarish world on a larger scale. The could no longer be dismissed as a cult phenomenon. And when People magazine reviewed the LP, their popularity was undeniably confirmed. Said David Hiltbrand (People): "Skinny Puppy craft what they call audio sculpture. Of course, listeners might have other names for it. Like insanity. Strange random sounds and echoes ricochet through the mix. Dialogue drifts in and out, like sounds from a TV set in an adjoining hotel room. The efect is like stepping into a nightmare being experienced by the Phantom of the Opera." Even the ever-fickle British press succumber to Skinny Puppy's aural onslaught. The Stud Brothers (Melody Maker): "Skinny Puppy are unspeakable. They hurt and exhilarate. Skinny Puppy do what the best do - the determine mood." New Musical Express: "Like the best horror books and films, Skinny Puppy take one into one's darkest dreams and never let up the pressure. The irony is the dream they are dealing with is the reality we experience everyday we wake up. Extraordinary in every way." [IMAGE] "VIVIsectVI", released in October 1988, was the long awaited follow up. The LP and first single, "Censor" (alternately titled "Dogshit"), were characterized by both brutal, relentless rhythms and strangely accessible meelodic lines. "Testure", the next single, was the band's most approachable sing since "Dig It". To many people's surprise, it cracked the Billboard Dance Chart top 20. In support of the LP, Skinny Puppy undertook their most ambitious tour to date. The trademark mind-bending live show had evolved to more powerfully reflect the band's ongoing concerns for the animal rights movement. Throughout the show, the audience witnessed a transformation. Ogre began the show as an average man, complete with his ignorance toward the plight of animals. As the show progressed, Ogre became the laboratory vivisectionist, the enlightened man, and finally the tortured test subject itself. November, 1989 marks the release of "Rabies", Skinny Puppy's fifth full length recording project. "Rabies" has been described by the band as a thematic and musical continuation of 1985's "Bites" LP. From the first listen, it's obvious that "Rabies" is harder, heavier and more fully realized than anything that has come before it. Massive guitars, relentless, armour-plated beats and vocals from the edge of madness all combine to create a collection of songs that are typified by the electro biker-grundge of the first single, "Tin Omen". And for the first time, Cevin Key and Dave Oglive have shared production duties. Co-production on "Rabies" is handled by Chicago noise-terrorist Al Jourgensen (Ministry, Revolting Cocks etc.). The result is an increased sense of intensity and ergency that hasn't been this upfront since "Bites". 1989 also spawned the 12" Anthology. A collection a driving singles ranging from the early days of "Dig It", "Addiction" and "Stairs and Flowers" to the dance hit "Testure". A sort of greatest hits package of remixed singles by the likes of Adrian Sherwood and Chris Sheppard. A cover by "I, Braineater" Jim Cummins brought a different Skinny Puppy to the world in 1990: "Too Dark Park". This new feel for the band created the singles "Tormentor" and "Spasmolytic". With Cevin and Dave at the helm once again the wall of sound gained a sense of authority and confidence. A thread of judgement and anger backed by the sound of a dying world. "Too Dark Park" led to a amazing tour featuring Ogre's "Stilt-Man". "ain't it dead yet?" a now classic film of a performance at the Toronto Concert Hall was released on VHS in 1989 and CD in 1991. This classic shows the greater strength of Skinny Puppy, the live energy. Orge's theatrics and passion for the dramatic illustrates the stories of the Skinny Puppy sound. Recorded on CD as one long track to recreate the live essence. With "Last Rights" in 1992 Skinny Puppy took their fans one step further. To the torturing playground of "Killing Game", the tradition of "Inquisition" and the deja vu of "Riverzend". This release showed how Skinny Puppy always breaks new ground and shatters mindsets. In 1992 "Back and Forth" the treasured cassette saw commercial release. "Back and Forth Series Two" is a collection of early Skinny Puppy recordings from 1981 to 1984. Featuring first ever demos, live tracks and original 4 track recordings. A collectors edition in a etched metal box was also released. _________________________________________________________________ [IMAGE] Back to the Skinny Puppy page