Take The Skinheads Bowling

[Flint]

Yeah, IIRC Wire was having a writer's block so the band just recorded some covers to accompany the Australia single.

[Mr Inconspicuous]

I always thought it was a sort of sendup of 'Prince's Trust'-type efforts to reform juvenile delinquents but if the author says it's just gobledegook...

[Takk]

Originally Posted by Red

I've never really understood why the Manics did Skinheads. It's like the same with Damn Dog, which also doesn't seem to mean anything, but is just a cheerful peice of nonsense. I kind-of envision the discussion leading to them being recorded for the release going like this:

Richey: Right, we need one more song for this one here.
Nicky: You got anything, Richey?
Richey: Nothing. Well's empty.
Nicky: Mine too. James, you want to write anything?
James: Kinda like, no.
Richey: Shall we just do a cover, then?
James: Yeah, sure.
Nicky: Okay. What's the most lyrically profound song we can think of? The fans are going to agonise over these lyrics for years, trying to work out what they mean and why we chose them. We've got to give them something good. Something hard. Something they won't get right away. Something obscure, strange, meaningful, and meaningful to us.
Sean: How about just Take The Skinheads Bowling, just to fuck with them?

And so it goes.

Kinda guessing richey wasn't around by then

[tzb]

Pfft, shows how much you know!

[The Gutless Wonder]

I've always loved this cover. Great fun and James sings it really well.

[Radiomanic]

One of their better covers, as in the same sessions they managed to completely obliterate Primal Scream's Velocity Girl! The re-recording of this they did for Lipstick Traces is atrocious as well.

[The Gutless Wonder]

I like the updated version and always liked their version of Velocity Girl as well!

[Nature's Discontent]

Decent cover, I prefer the re-recording though.

[Scarecrow]

There was an episode of Family Guy in which two characters (one white, one black) argue about bowling. They talk about black balls knocking over "self-righteous" white pins, and shit. After I heard that, I thought TTSB might be an anti-racist message along the same lines. Guess I read too much into it. Good song though.

If anyone wondered why I resurrected this thread, does anyone have any information about the re-recording? I have no idea what prompted them to record another version, and I'm guessing from James' vocals that it was more recent.

[UEF]

Originally Posted by Mr Inconspicuous

I always thought it was a sort of sendup of 'Prince's Trust'-type efforts to reform juvenile delinquents but if the author says it's just gobledegook...

I thought that as well. You can imagine a Daily Express headline saying "NOW THEY TAKE THE SKINHEADS BOWLING"

[everlasting]

Love it. Loved the version they did live in 2003 and at the start James do a "Yeeehaarrrrrr", it's ace.

[Tetsuo]

Originally Posted by Red

I've never really understood why the Manics did Skinheads. It's like the same with Damn Dog, which also doesn't seem to mean anything, but is just a cheerful peice of nonsense. I kind-of envision the discussion leading to them being recorded for the release going like this:

Richey: Right, we need one more song for this one here.
Nicky: You got anything, Richey?
Richey: Nothing. Well's empty.
Nicky: Mine too. James, you want to write anything?
James: Kinda like, no.

And so it goes.

Introducing the song at Glastonbury 03 James said it was one of their favourite singles growing up. I'm assuming that's in part reason why they did it.

Originally Posted by Radiomanic

One of their better covers, as in the same sessions they managed to completely obliterate Primal Scream's Velocity Girl! The re-recording of this they did for Lipstick Traces is atrocious as well.

Oh, I didn't know the Lipstick Traces version was a re-recorded one. I must start picking up some of them Manics CD singles I keeping seeing around.

What other songs had they recorded for b-sides and then re-recorded for Lipstick?

[Slideling]

Originally Posted by Richian

HAD A DREAM, I WANNA LICK YOUR KNEES!

... I get silly sometimes.