Stiltskin - The Mind´s Eye (1994)

"The Mind's Eye" is the first studio album by the band Stiltskin. The album was driven by the success of the single "Inside".

The one thing that saves Stiltskin's only release from total obscurity is a jeans commercial. The lead track, "Inside," was used in a very successful U.K. ad campaign for Levis. With the help of the ads, along with a strong guitar riff, the song was pushed up the charts in Britain for a brief stay. As far as debut album's go, this was extremely good. A mixture of styles. From the grunge rock of 'Inside', to the mellow 'Sunshine & Butterflies'.  Every track is brilliantly written,with strong emotional lyrics about death of parents and family. It's a great shame they never got the recognition they deserved. Unfortunately, there's nothing else on "The Mind's Eye" to rival this one very good song. The tracks alternate between angst-ridden hard rock and acoustic numbers devoid of life. The best thing about this album is the voice of Ray Wilson, who would go on to replace Phil Collins as the lead singer of Genesis. Wilson has good range, but sings with a detachment that needs to be married to strong melodies to really work. Since such melodies are lacking here, the listener is left with one great song, and one bad song replayed ten different ways.

 

01.  "Intro"(Instrumental)  - 0:36

02.  "Scared of Ghosts" - 4:00

03.  "Horse" - 4:23

04.  "Rest in Peace" - 2:56

05.  "Footsteps" - 3:55

06.  "Sunshine and Butterflies" - 3:52

07.  "Inside" - 5:13

08.  "An Illusion" - 3:48

09.  "America" - 3:17

10.  "When My Ship Comes In" - 3:51

11.  "Prayer Before Birth"(Instrumental) - 4:39

Released:  6 October 1994

Recorded at:  Water Music Studios, London, England

Genre:  Grunge, Indie Rock, Post-Grunge

Length:  40:50

Label:  White Water Records

Producer:  Peter Lawlor

All Songs Written By:  Peter Lawlor

Personnel

Ray Wilson - vocals

Peter Lawlor - acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, bass guitar, drums, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond organ, backing vocals

James Finnigan - bass, Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer Piano

Ross McFarlane - drums, percussion

Sian Bell - Cello

Ambrosian Singers - Choral Opening

Tessa Sturridge - Backing Vocals