Over the course of just seven years, Seattle’s Skin Yard laid the foundation for both the local grunge scene (and, eventually, the disaffected alt-rock genre’s global takeover upon the arrival of Nirvana) as well as much of the alt-metal and funk-rock explored by bands like Rage Against the Machine at the beginning of the ’90s. Even if you aren’t familiar with their name, you can clearly hear echoes of Chris Cornell in Ben McMillan’s vocals, while their revolving door of drummers included future members of Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, and The Presidents of the United States of America.
Needless to say, there’s plenty to celebrate when it comes to the band’s legacy. And while bassist Daniel House will be exploring that legacy next year with the release of his book on Skin Yard titled Words on Bone, his label C/Z Records will be closing out 2024 with a box set highlighting the band’s singles and other material emphasizing their proto-grunge sound. “It’s been in the works for close to two years now, “ House shares, “and it’s finally becoming a reality. This is the most elaborate package that C/Z Records has ever released, and of course as a result, also the most expensive thing we’ve ever done.”
Leading up to the collection’s December 2 release, today we’re getting an alternate version of “Living Pool,” a single from 1991’s psych-tinged 1000 Smiling Knuckles. “‘Living Pool’ was one of my favorite songs to play live and is also among my favorite Jack [Endino] songs,” House adds of the single. “Being able to release this alternate version is a thrill, and the video that was created captures the cold-sweat alchemy of the song.”
Check that out below, and pre-save Skin Yard Select here.
