The early years
In the early 80s, the seminal Blue Bell rock combo, In Time, played to standing-room-only audiences at the Wreck Room on Pulaski Drive. Things looked promising for the four lads from the Wissahickon Senior High School. With Daly at the mic, Turk on guitar, Skin-Ed on bass, and AJ on drums, In Time brought a fresh, new sound to these placid suburban streets. Their music was a welcome break from the corporate and so-called classic rock that dominated the radio.However, their career soon took an unexpected detour after a failed European tour in the summer of 1984 left Skin-Ed stranded in Sweden. He did his best to adjust to the new surroundings and bring the In Time sound to the north throughout the dark winter that followed. Yet, because of suspect political ties, it was not easy for the young musician to return home. The Swedish government held him in limbo for 9 months.
Meanwhile, back in the states, the rest of the group tried to keep the music alive. They enlisted the help of a local bass player and long-time friend, Bill R. Unfortunately, Bill was an unreconstructed hippie and lacked the requisite suburban angst to propel the rhythm section in quite the way the band needed.
Despite the bass player troubles, and an emerging distance between all the members, the band managed to write the beginnings of some of their most important songs.
When Skin-Ed finally was finally expelled from the northern welfare state in the spring of 1985, he headed straight back to Blue Bell to take up his axe once again.
That summer, In Time honed their songs at the little clubs that were springing up around Blue Bell with names like The Garage, The Living Room, and The Den. They also began work on their much-anticipated first cassette. At the famous Hathaway Barn studio in Pennlyn, the band sweated over the details of every song.
With the release of their first (and only) album, Inside Your Mind, the band felt they were on the verge of something big. But, some of the stresses that had begun to show that year were becoming too real.
Turk was the first to explore �outside projects� and pretty soon, most of the band members had developed other interests. Practice time was short and far between. There were occasional spats and bruised egos.
The big break
However, the first single from Inside Your Mind, Weird House quickly climbed the charts and hit number one. The band knew they had a phenomenon on their hands. Five other singles from the album also broke the top ten: Inside, Old Ladies, Economic Injsutices, Antionette Perplexes Me, and This is Not Television. It was the summer of love for the In Time boys.
What followed was a whirlwind media tour starting with the now legendary performance on Saturday Night Live and followed by appearances on the Tonight Show and the fledgling music video network, MTV. In fact, In Time was the first band from Blue Bell to produce a music video. The clip, for Economic Injustices, brought home to millions of suburban viewers the tragedy of homelessness�a Regan-era plague. The video also won critical acclaim and propelled first-time director Tom Morton into his long career.
The band ignored repeated calls for them to tour the country and immediately began working on their follow-up release. By the late fall of 1985, the band had a cache of new songs, including such classics as On the Telephone, 80 Proof, and Roman Legion Number 9. The plan was to build their second release around these songs. Daly saw the second release, unofficially titled Histrinoia, as a rock opera that chronicled a young history buff�s decent into alcoholism and paranoia. Although not everyone in the band bought onto the project.
Trouble with fame
This preoccupation with new material ensured that the Inside Your Mind songs did not stay on the charts for long. Without consistent touring to promote the album, the public soon lost interest. In September of 1985, the last Inside Your mind song to reach to top 10, This is not Television, was knocked off the top spot by Take On Me by A-Ha.
By the spring of 1986, the band could not ignore the pressure to tour. Reluctantly, they put together a US tour that would take them from Blue Bell to San Francisco. There were 40 dates in 35 cities over the course of two months. It was going to be big. Unfortunately, internal troubles plagued the trip from the beginning.
From the beginning, rumors swirled around the band about heavy drinking and illicit drug use. Though none of the In Time members were ever arrested for drugs or sought treatment for substance abuse, songs like Inside and 80 Proof fueled the rumors. AJ had some particularly rough spots and would be missing for several days, only to show up right before a gig ready to play. And then there is the infamous arrest of Skin-Ed on vandalism charges at State College.
Worse than the drinking and drugs were the fights. They had begun early in the career, but quickly escalated with the tensions that came with stardom. The most devastating was the conflict over the direction of the now shelved second album. Turk and Daly fought viciously over the concept. Some believe Daly was taking hard drugs at the time and this clouded his vision. Others felt he was a genius in the midst of a masterpiece. Either way, compromise was not possible.
Meanwhile Turk had met the noted performance artist �L� and was spending most of his time with her. The two began wearing striped shirts and hats made out of paper bags and creating abstract �art.� L had a strange hold over Turk and the two were inseparable. She began attending practices and influencing the musical direction of the band. She even tried to make the entire band wear paper suits.
Things were going downhill fast. The tour kicked off in Blue Bell. The crowd was full of the faithful, but the band couldn�t muster the same energy. By the time the tour reached State College, things had gotten completely out of control. It was the last time In Time would perform together. The now infamous State College show ended after five songs with Turk and Skin-Ed storming off the stage and Daly repeating into the microphone, �Did you ever get the feeling your being watched?� It was crazy. The few remaining audience members booed, threw beer bottles, and trashed the place.
What followed were almost 20 years of acrimonious legal battles, failed reunions, recriminations, and accusations. For the most part, the members of In Time returned to their hum-drum lives and became computer programmers, architects, college professors, writers, and fathers. Some, started other short-lived bands. Skin-Ed formed the multi-national super group Millions of Eds in the early 90s. And Daly still tours occasionally with E Pluribus Unum.
Their influence
Despite their short career, In Time had a lasting impact on rock and roll. It is often said of the Velvet Underground that nobody bought their albums, but those who did went out and started bands. With In Time, many people bought their albums, but only a few went out and started bands. Among those few are the superstars of today like Brittany Spears and long-time fans like Ani DiFranco. Brittany has recently attributed her singing career to In Time. �I remember watching the Saturday Night Live appearance from my crib and thinking, If this guy can sing, then I can.� Also listed among bands influenced by In Time are: Bon Jovi and Sting. According to Sting, �They really changed the face of rock and roll in the 80s.�
A resurgence
Early in 2004, something remarkable happened. Turk was contacted by a producer in Chicago who was greatly interested in re-releasing Inside Your Mind, as well as some of the lost Histrinoia tracks. This sparked a thawing in the relations between band members. With a wave of 80s nostalgia sweeping the country, Daly, Turk, Skin-Ed, and AJ saw an opportunity to renew old friendships and make a buck. Now the band mates speak regularly.
While contract negotiations are ongoing, look for a re-release of Inside Your Mind soon.