EP Review – B-Side Ourselves by Skid Row (Atlantic Records/Rhino Records)

B-Side Ourselves is the name of an EP released by Skid Row back in 1992. A few weeks back, on October 17th, Rhino Records re-issued it as a grey vinyl. That has now also been released on digital at all the usual places like Spotify and iTunes. B-Side Ourselves was/is a 5 track cover EP, which pays tribute to the band’s influences. It includes covers of songs by Ramones, Judas Priest, KISS, Rush and Jimi Hendrix.

While I imagine collectors will be delighted with the vinyl release, it does feel like a record label’s cash grab. Even more so when you hear that Sebastian Bach, the original Skid Row vocalist found out about it on social media as he mentions below – “Atlantic / Rhino Records have released the 1992 EP B-Side Ourselves on grey vinyl . I found out about this release on social media, so I don’t know if this is sourced from the original analogue tapes or made from digital files, or anything else about this release. I hope it sounds good on your turntable.”

B Side Ourselves has 5 tracks on it starting with Psycho Therapy. This track also features backing vocals from Taime Downe (Faster Pussycat). It is a fun little punk number and Skid Row did a good job of recreating that attitude. C’mon and Love Me is a cover of Kiss’ cult classic from the Dressed to Kill album.

Up next is Delivering the Goods which is a live recording of the Judas Priest classic. It is probably the coolest song on the album purely because it also features Rob Halford (Judas Priest) as a guest vocalist. It is a good cover and it is great to hear Halford and Bach together on it. What You’re Doing is the penultimate cover. It is a take on the Rush track and, again, is a decent cover with Back really throwing himself into the vocals. The short EP ends with a cover of Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix which is pretty neat and lets Scotti Hill and Dave Sabo show off a bit with their guitars.

That is it. 5 covers that mix between pretty cool (Rob Halford) and well, it’s just a cover. For fans of the original Skid Row, there is a lot of nostalgia to hear the old band playing together again. Even though it isn’t again. Musically, it is Skid Row playing other people’s songs without messing with them very much. One for the collectors I guess.

You can pick up B-Side Ourselves on all the usual streaming services now. Also you can get the grey vinyl from Rhino Records or from your local independent record store. You can also grab a copy from below this article. Unfortunately, in real life Skid Row and Sebastian Bach are separate entities now so check them both on Facebook for Bach and Skid Row. Be sure to give them a like or follow while you are there.

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