Skellington is the fifth solo album by Julian Cope, released in November 1989[3] as a semi-official bootleg for fan club members only.

It was inspired by Cope's frustration with the work on his 1988 album My Nation Underground, which he had lost faith in even as he completed it.

In contrast to the multiple overdubs, 1980s pop stylings and army of backing singers used on My Nation Underground, Skellington’s sound was extremely skeletal, mainly acoustic, and sparsely orchestrated by Cope in association with his two main collaborators – Donald Ross Skinner (guitar, piano, organ) and Rooster Cosby (percussion, brass).

When Island insisted that Skellington was illegal and should be withdrawn due to their contract with Cope, the artist refused and defiantly released yet another similar album (Droolian) just two months later.

All tracks are written by Julian Cope, except where notedCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.