Album Notes

Start at the Top is the great lost Skin Yard release. It is a collection of their old singles, b-sides, and outtakes, starting off with the two songs from the long out-of-print Sub Pop single. None of the tracks have ever been on CD before, and several have never even been heard prior to this release. Skin Yard were one of the seminal "grunge" bands from Seattle. At the helm were Daniel House (president and owner of C/Z records) and Jack Endino (producer extraordinaire known for his work with Nirvana, Soundgarden, Afghan Whigs, Mudhoney, and a seemingly never ending list of bands). Ben McMillan sang for the band, and later founded Seattle Grunge-Metal band Gruntruck with SY drummer, Scott McCullum. There were a host of Skin Yard drummers who left a substantial mark on the history of Seattle Rock. Among them were Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam), Jason Finn (Love Battery, The Presidents of the United States of America), and Barrett Martin (R.E.M, Screaming Trees, Mad Season, Mark Eitzel).

The band was active from 1985 through 1992, and released five proper albums during those years. They were heavy and played some big meaty riffs, but there was always something very different about them. Skin Yard opted to stray from the pack with a more tripped-out and noise-damaged sound. They experimented playing with odd time signatures and were not afraid to work on more sophisticated arrangements. Try to imagine a place where King Crimson and Motorhead find common ground. Now add in a vocalist with traits of Bowie and Murphy. Skin Yard was a band well ahead of their time, one that would have probably seen greater success had they started a few years later. Start at the Top pressed in a hand-numbered limited edition of only 1200.