Skin is an album by Peter Hammill

Peter Hammill

Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...

, originally released on vinyl on Foundry Records in 1986 and later re-released on CD on Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

. It was also released on CD by DaTE (a division of Line Music GmbH).

The album was notable for spawning that rare thing, a Peter Hammill single: "Painting by Numbers" appeared on both 7" and 12" formats. It was the eleventh (and until now last) single by Hammill. The B-side was the non-album track "You Hit Me Where I Live". This track later appeared on the Virgin CD release of the album. As usual, none of these releases entered the UK charts. The DaTE CD release included two extra tracks, the aforementioned "You Hit Me Where I Live" plus "Painting By Numbers (Extended Version)".

The album sees Hammill employing the Yamaha DX7

Yamaha DX7

The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...

, the first commercially successful digital synthesiser, an instrument which was typical for the sound of the 1980s and which he plays until today. He also made use of an Emu

E-mu Systems

E-mu Systems, Inc. is a synthesizer maker and pioneer in samplers and low-cost digital sampling music workstations.-History:Founded in 1971 by Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum, E-mu began making modular synthesizers...

 Drumulator drum machine.

Track listing

All songs by Peter Hammill, except where indicated.

1. "Skin"
2. "After the Show"
3. "Painting by Numbers"
4. "Shell"
5. "All Said and Done"
6. "A Perfect Date"
7. "Four Pails" (Chris Judge Smith
   Judge Smith
   Christopher John Judge Smith , is a songwriter, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been known simply as Judge Smith since 1994.- Early years :In 1967, with Peter Hammill, Judge...
   
   , Max Hutchinson)
8. "Now Lover"

Personnel

Musicians:

• Hugh Banton
  Hugh Banton
  Hugh Robert Banton is a British organist and organ builder, most widely known for his work with the group Van der Graaf Generator in the 1970s.-Career:...
  
   – cello
  Cello
  The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
  
  
• David Coulter – didjeridu
• Guy Evans
  Guy Evans
  Guy Randolph Evans is an English progressive rock drummer, percussionist and composer, and a member of Van der Graaf Generator....
  
   – percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
  
  , drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  
• Stuart Gordon – violin
  Violin
  The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
  
  
• Peter Hammill – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  , vocals
• David Jackson
  David Jackson (rock musician)
  David Nicholas George Jackson , nicknamed Jaxon, is a British progressive rock saxophonist, flautist, and composer. He is best known for his work with the band Van der Graaf Generator and his work in Music and Disability...
  
   – saxophone
  Saxophone
  The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
  
  
• David Luckhurst – voices
  Voices
  Voices is a 2006 translation of a 2003 crime novel by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason, another entry in the multi award-winning Detective Erlendur series. It was first published in English in August, 2006. The Swedish translation of the novel won Sweden's Martin Beck Award for the best crime...
  
  

Credits:

• Arun – cut
• Coach – engineer
• Neil Perry – engineer
• Paul Ridout – engineer, cover art
• Stephen Street – engineer