April and May 1987 saw The Wedding Present out on tour across the UK, mostly at student union venues, while the following month they were a late replacement, well down the bill, at Glastonbury after Red Lorry Yellow Lorry had to pull out unexpectedly. Otherwise, the time was spent, writing, rehearsing and eventually recording the songs for the debut album.
A few weeks in advance of the album, a new single was released as a taster:-
mp3: The Wedding Present – Anyone Can Make A Mistake
Maybe it was around this time that someone cracked the line ‘all the songs sound the same’, to which the smart reply has to be ‘maybe….but it’s a helluva song isn’t it?’ Anyone Can Make A Mistake didn’t deviate too far from the tried and tested, but perhaps the one minor criticism on offer is that it wasn’t quite as brilliant as My Favourite Dress (but then again, what possibly could be?)
This one came out on 7″ and 12″, as well as on cassette, which was a limited edition with a free Reception Records badge. The 7″ had one b-side, but the other formats had two additional songs
mp3: The Wedding Present – All About Eve
mp3: The Wedding Present – Getting Nowhere Fast
The interesting thing about the latter is the fact it’s a cover version, something that the band would increasingly become famed for in the succeeding years. This one is of a song originally released back in 1980 by Girls At Our Best, a short-lived but much-loved post-punk band from Leeds. The decision by TWP to cover the song re-ignited interest in Girls At Our Best (they had broken up in 1982), one that has been maintained through to recent times with Optic Nerve, the Preston-based label which specialises in re-releases from the golden eras of indie-pop, giving said treatment to Pleasure, the band’s sole album from 1981.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Wedding Present cover versions are often things of beauty. Nowhere Fast is a shining example of that. It was an often requested song at indie discos… sadly, memory does not offer hope that my requests were ever answered, or I’ve plain forgotten.
The quality of the singles at this period of the band’s career and the b-sides ooze quality.
After last week’s posting I checked my collection for My Favourite Dress. It was gone. There was a time when this would have quite upset me and I’d be obsessed with attempting to identify the culprit and find another. I was annoyed but a shoulder shrug was as much as I could invest. I won’t replace it. I just don’t need to.
Thankfully, Anyone Can Make A Mistake is still in situ.
Flimflamfan
GAOB always provided some refreshing arch and poppy interludes in the waves of dark indie and lurching post-punk masterpieces that dominated the Peel show in 1981 (one of the greatest years for music, alongside 1979 and, er, 1980). The original of Getting Nowhere Fast is brilliant and only lasts about 90 seconds. In related news, I was delighted to pick up a pristine copy of Rip It Up And Start Again, the excellent Simon Reynolds book, in a charity shop for 49p yesterday. My original copy was falling to pieces (great writing, terrible binding).
chaval
Always loved this track, and agree that the b-sides are good too. They were added to the CD of George Best as bonus tracks but I’d rather they weren’t. They work far better as b-sides.
Fun fact: the lyrics for Anyone Can Make A Mistake are etched into the run-out groove of the 12″.
One of my favourite Weddoes numbers, and for me housed in one of their best sleeves too. What other single could George Best have provided? A Million Miles maybe?
This post reminds me I really must brush up on Girls At Our Best.
Strangeways
@Strangeways: I think A Million Miles was planned to be a single – it was certainly a fan favourite. A white label 7″ of it exists and if I won the lottery I would snap one up!
Cheers for the info, Robster – and good luck with the lottery.
Strangeways