Skip to main content

The Sherbs - I Have The Skill

Take early 80s Genesis, add a tad more new wave to the sauce, drop 'em in the middle of a crocodile infested continent and you've got The Sherbs -- another great example of a late 70s band with proggy tendencies transitioning into early 80s pop.



The herky-jerky rhythm and loving dose of synthesizers in this tune is what stands out to me. I love the little arpeggios the dude throws in on the synths. It's just a smidge more prog than your typical new wave hit of '81. "I Have The Skill" hit 61 on the U.S. pop charts. Did you ever hear it on your FM station back in the day? Me neither. Why not, dude?

Singer, Daryl Braithwaite, throws in some great middle school metaphors throughout the tune. My favorite is "I am the shoreline, you are a breaker." So Aussie! But, when he gets to the end of the verse, he casts aside figurative language and gets starkly realistic with the line, "All I can say is this life that we're living is a death defying thrill." Then the chorus, "I have the skill. I have the skill!" Braithwaite imagines himself as a cyborg, awkwardly learning to cope with the challenges of human life. He has the skill. Even when life is death defying, he knows that his skills will get him through. It's part of his programming. Part of his DNA as a rock & roller. He's got the skills, mate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Trending Tracks

Genesis - Supper's Ready

Clocking in at nearly 23 minutes, Supper's Ready was the first extended composition that Genesis attempted in the studio. It appeared on 1972's Foxtrot . With Steve Hackett's ornate and chiming guitars, Tony Banks classical sounding keys, Phil Collins' athletic drumming (hitting 9/8 in section VI) and, of course, Peter Gabriel's dramatic voice -- lifting from an ethereal hush to a fantastic shriek throughout, it's a prog-rock masterpiece. This was Genesis firing on all cylinders. They were in their formative stage as a band and in love with composing together. Ultimately, the tune would provide a perfect opportunity for Gabriel to develop costumes and portray a host of fanciful characters, including a giant daisy (pictured here). Lyrically, the song is expansive, dealing with themes of good and evil, particularly allusions to the Book of Revelations. Gabriel based the lyrics for the first section, Lover's Leap, on two otherworldly experiences. On one occ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Who - Love, Reign O'er Me

I would contend that "Love, Reign O'er Me" is one of the most climactic and rewarding endings to an album in the history of rock & roll. It comes at the conclusion of a four-sided rock opera, begins with the sound of rain and ultimately ends with Keith Moon beating the shit out of his drums right after Roger Daltrey bellows "Looooooooooooove!" as if he is literally in the process of casting his life into the storming Atlantic Ocean while simultaneously absorbing every hardship, letdown and impossibility that he has ever faced. This is The Who at the peak of their powers. "Love, Reign O'er Me" was released in1973 as the second single from the band's sixth album and second rock opera, Quadrophenia . However, the deeper context of the song can only be truly experienced through listening to the entirety of Side 4 (Dr. Jimmy > The Rock > Love, Reign O'er Me). "The Rock," and six-minute instrumental, has a proggy, Celtic ...
Post a Comment
Read more