| Days in Europa | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 October 1979 (withdrawn) 7 March 1980 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | New wave | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Bill Nelson | |||
| Skids chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 Second edition album cover, 1980 | ||||
Days in Europa is the second album by Scottish punk rock and new wave band Skids. It was released in 1979 by record label Virgin.
Track #3 on Side 1 is 'Dulce et Decorum Est (Pro Patria Mori)'. A rough translation is "It is a sweet and glorious thing (to die for one's country)". Dulce et Decorum Est is a poem by Wilfred Owen.
Track #3 on Side 2 is Thanatos, the Greek word for "death" and the name of the ancient Greek god of death. It is used in Freudian psychology to refer to the death wish/destructive urge, as opposed to Eros, the reproductive urge.
The album features lyrical references to both World War I and World War II.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10 [2] |
Days in Europa has received a generally mixed response from critics. Ira Robbins of Trouser Press wrote: "In polishing and refining the band's sound even a little, [producer Bill Nelson] smoothed off the vital edge." [3] The Globe and Mail noted that "the record is new wave in tone, with some heavy metal tendencies." [4]
The album was initially released with an Aryan album cover reminiscent of the 1936 Olympics, complete with Germanic Gothic-style lettering. The album was re-released the following year with a new cover. At the same time the opportunity was taken to change the album's track listing and re-mix some of the original songs, allegedly for the US market.[ citation needed ] Some of the original tracks resurfaced on later albums.
The second release's cover includes the controversial first cover as a picture on the wall behind the woman in white's head. On the back of the cover the illustration is repeated, only with the withdrawn release's picture on the wall being replaced with that of the earlier Scared to Dance album. The track "Pros and Cons" is removed, and "Masquerade", also released as a single, is added.
All tracks are written by Richard Jobson and Stuart Adamson, except "Home of the Saved", written by Adamson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Animation" | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Charade" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "'Dulce et Decorum Est (Pro Patria Mori)'" | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Pros and Cons" | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Home of the Saved" | 5:05 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Working for the Yankee Dollar" | 4:53 |
| 7. | "The Olympian" | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Thanatos" | 4:06 |
| 9. | "A Day in Europa" | 3:01 |
| 10. | "Peaceful Times" | 5:05 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Masquerade" (non-album single A-side, 1979) | 2:46 |
| 12. | "Out of Town" (1980 re-recording from The Absolute Game ) | 4:08 |
| 13. | "Another Emotion" ("Masquerade" single B-side, 1979) | 3:00 |
| 14. | "Aftermath Dub" ("Masquerade" single B-side, 1979) | 3:00 |
| 15. | "Grey Parade" ("Charade" single B-side, 1979, composed Jobson, Adamson and Nelson) | 4:45 |
| 16. | "Working For the Yankee Dollar" (single A-side remix, 1979) | 3:39 |
| 17. | "Vanguard's Crusade" ("Working For the Yankee Dollar" single B-side, 1979) | 4:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Animation" | 4:27 |
| 2. | "Charade" | 4:00 |
| 3. | "'Dulce et Decorum Est (Pro Patria Mori)'" | 4:34 |
| 4. | "The Olympian" | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Home of the Saved" | 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Working for the Yankee Dollar" | 3:52 |
| 7. | "Thanatos" | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Masquerade" | 2:44 |
| 9. | "A Day in Europa" | 2:56 |
| 10. | "Peaceful Times" | 5:00 |
Richard Jobson is a Scottish filmmaker who also works as a television presenter. He is also known as the singer-songwriter of the band Skids.
William Nelson is an English singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter, video artist, writer and experimental musician. He rose to prominence as the chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the rock group Be-Bop Deluxe, which he formed in 1972. Nelson has been described as "one of the most underrated guitarists of the seventies art rock movement". In 2015, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the Progressive Music Awards.
Skids are a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson. Their biggest successes were the 1979 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game. In 2016, the band announced a 40th-anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson.
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