With so many glam metal bands to emerge on the scene during the late 1980s and early ’90s it was understandable that so many would merely slip into obscurity. This was not always a reflection on the quality of the music or marketability of the group but sometimes just poor timing. The short-lived Skin & Bones were first formed in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1988 by John Vance, who eventually adopted the stage name Johnny Vamp when he decided that he wanted to be a rock star. He soon formed a band with a young guitarist known as Jimi K Bones and they landed their first show at that summer at The Cat Club in New York. Adopting the name The Vamps, the group had only thee songs when they booked the gig and were forced to write new material in just a few days. They then gained minor acclaim supporting such artists as Joan Jett but their success would soon come to an end when the band suddenly split.
Johnny Vamp decided to relocate to New York, where he struggled to launch a music career, although he would contribute to the soundtrack to a low budget horror movie called Hell High. Bones had remained in Baltimore but, along with bassist Steve Mach, gave into temptation and moved to New York to form a new group with Vamps. Taking the name Skin & Bones, they still needed a drummer but managed to recruit the services of Atlantic City native Gregg Gerson, who had performed with Billy Idol’s live band and had contributed to his hit Rebel Yell album. With a full line-up, Skin & Bones soon began to make a name for themselves on the New York music scene with their blend of punk rock and hair metal, akin to the material being produced by the equally obscure Soho Roses and Heartbreak Angels.
Despite being of American descent, Skin & Bones would land their first break when they were signed by London-based independent label Equinox Records. Recording sessions for what would become their debut album look place primarily at Trident Studios in Soho, London, which had been founded in the late 1960s and had played host to iconic artists like David Bowie and T-Rex. The other location used was Metropolis Studios, also based in London, which had recently opened and would later be used by some of the most successful artists in the business, from Slipknot and Iron Maiden to Justin Timberlake and Tom Jones. To oversee the recording was Andy Taylor, who had first entered the industry as the guitarist for British pop group Duran Duran during the early 1980s, before forming Power Station with Robert Palmer. Later turning to production, Taylor became forged a respectable career through his work with Rod Stewart and Thunder, while also performing guitar for Palmer’s 1988 hit Addicted to Love.
Taylor would be assisted in the studio by Mike Fraser, whose résumé as both engineer, and later producer, would include AC/DC, Paradise Lost, Strapping Young Lad and Aerosmith. Vamp and Bones would become the band’s main songwriters, with contributions from both Al Scotti and Vini Poncia, the latter known for his work with Ringo Starr and Kiss. Once the mastering had been completed at Town House Studios, Equinox released the album under the title Not a Pretty Sight, a ten-track record that would include the single Resurrection Love, along with fan favourites Nail It Down and the power ballad Cover Me With Roses. While the recording sessions had been completed as a four-piece, Bones felt that he needed assistance for the multi-layered tracks and so the band hired a second guitarist, Pete Pagan, of New York punk group The Throbs.
The modest success of Not a Pretty Sight would allow the band to tour around the United States, Europe and Asia, although their troubled follow-up, the EP Madhouse, would fail to generate further interest. Both releases would later be compiled together for the 2010 album Speak Easy, issued through Metal Mayhem Music. Following the split of Skin & Bones, Vance formed Johnny Vance and the Outsiders, while Bones gained acclaim as a guitarist-for-hire, touring with the likes of Kix and Joan Jett and the Black Hearts. One interesting point is that, over recent years, the band have been referred to as Skin N’ Bones, although it is worth noting that Not a Pretty Sight was credited to Skin & Bones.
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