Review of Skid Row Under The Skin: The Making Of Thickskin

Introduction

Skid Row are Johnny Solinger (vocalist replacing Sebastian "Baz" Bach), Phil Varone, Rachel Bolan, Scotti Hill and Snake Sabo. I won`t go into the history of the band here except to say that there have been changes afoot since they exploded on the scene in the late 80s. Back then and all through the 90s they`ve headlined and supported Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Pantera, Bon Jovi, KISS and others as well as played at Donnington, Europe and the Rock in Rio. Selling millions of records of their debut self-titled album and following it up with the #1 Billboard album, "Slave to The Grind", cemented their huge global following and assured them enormous success.

Taking some time off before their next album Skid changed producer to Bob Rock who produced a heavier sounding album in "Subhuman Race". Things weren`t working out with Sebastian`s ego growing in the band so he was replaced and Solinger is now the front man. They both have different approaches to being in the spotlight but Solinger is no worse than Baz was. 15-years on and the sound of the band is still the same hard sounding edgy rock with some fantastic riffs. Good to hear them back on the scene.

Video

Presented with a fullframe 4:3 transfer, Under the Skin looks good. There`s a mixture of aspect ratios and film stock used so some of the digital video stuff looks a little grainy, but don`t let this put you off, it`s still good to watch. A lot of stuff is shot behind the scenes with the band in rehearsal and giving interviews covering all aspects of the new album. I couldn`t notice any problems with the video transfer.

Audio

The main programme gives you a choice of DD5.1 or DD2.0 soundtracks. The former is more expressive and has a better range so if you can listen to 5.1, do so. There`s not really any sound creeping in the rear speakers that I could detect, but then I did have the front cranked up to 11...a good soundtrack with no problems whatsoever making itself heard.

Features

Easy to navigate static menus with some interesting supplements focusing on individual members of the band.

• Cooking with Johnny (9:41) - A different kind of cookery programme, lead singer cooks up chicken enchiladas whilst drinking shots of tequila and Mexican beer. He doesn`t make a mess, nor does he appear inebriated as the programme wears on. I thought we`d get a drunken messy chef, but no he cooks and bakes. This is just one of those extras that you watch for the novelty a few times...

• Snake Solo "beat yourself blind" (3:46) - Snake playing an inspired bit of guitar...

• Timmy Tapper "Armless Drummer" and Thick the Skin (5:09) - If drumming`s your thing, you might appreciate this. It`s just one camera on Phil`s banging while recording and he almost resembles Animal from Sesame Street. He`s also no less impressive than Animal.

• Scotti Solo "Monkey Business" (1:19) - It`s Scotti`s turn to pluck a few hard grungy sounding notes. The footage is taken from the same gig as Snake`s guitar fingering above.

• Rachel Bolan Motorsports (4:38) - This is a short clip about Rachel`s obsession with 600 Racing. For the uninitiated, this is racing cars (some of which look like 60s hotrods with fat tyres) with motorbike engines. There`s more on the website, www.600Racing.com, but to be honest, this racing doesn`t interest me...

• Picture Galerie (typo?) - A range of behind the scenes pics of the band running as a slideshow accompanied by the band`s music.

There are German and Dutch subtitles in the main programme with German subtitles on the extras. The strange thing about the subtitles on the extras, even if you`ve switched them off, is that they kept appearing when you moved between the different extras. Minor niggle. Packed in a standard DVD keep case.

Conclusion

Skid Row`s first DVD is one that goes behind the scenes of their latest album, Under the Skin, and I have to say that it`s better than my initial expectations. There I was thinking it was yet another rock music DVD but it turns out to be rock music and then some. It`s professionally produced and is a good mix of live performance footage and rehearsal/recording footage with interesting interviews too. A lot of the stuff takes place in Snake`s home and studio and is pretty up close and personal. Some interesting extras round off the package.

This is a great disc for Skid Row fans and anyone who likes the band`s blend of rock. It`s better than a lot of hard rock DVDs I`ve seen and is more than just the music. One complete track is available as an MP3 for download from the band`s website, www.skidrow.com/media. Under the Skin DVD comes recommended.