aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser
# 107: Wild Swans – ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ (Zoo Records ’82)
Hello friends,
a cult classic for you today – originally recorded in mono, with an inaudible bass and muffled guitars plus vocals which sound like they were sung through a sock. Still, this tune is exquisite beyond belief, so perhaps you should not be put off too easily, even though it might sound a bit ‘amateurish’ to you at first sight! I mean, I’m willing to bet a considerable sum of money that you will already know it by heart of course, but again: if there is at least one young soul reading this to whom this song is still new, I have achieved enough.
Right, let’s explain: the song was first issued as the last ever record on Zoo Records from Liverpool in 1982 as a 12” only. Apparently Peel was rather fond of the record, so much so that a session followed shortly afterwards, and luckily it was amongst those that got released on Strange Fruit Records back in 1986. All of this may be known already, but perhaps this is new:
a. some quite big names were in the band at various times, Paul Simpson (Teardrop Explodes), Alan Wills (Lotus Eaters), Ian McNabb (Icicle Works), Ian Broudie (Big In Japan), Rolo McGinty (Woodentops), also Pete De Freitas from Echo & The Bunnymen, who did drums on the record, also he produced and financed it.
b. If you think ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ is ace, then I urge you to listen to ‘No Bleeding’ from the aforementioned Peel Session: it’s even better … by a hundred miles!
I have never really been able to put a finger on what it is that makes this record so very special, and – mind you – if I had, I probably wouldn’t be able to describe it even halfway properly. But for sure there’s a feeling of strangeness to what is going on in this song, as if something is not quite right, but a bit off rather by a very small number of degrees – still you can’t tell exactly pin those degrees down. In a way, listening to it always drove me a bit nuts, but perhaps that’s just me.
It was re-released three years ago on the (then) ever reliable Optic Nerve Recordings label (which, alas, has gone bankrupt by now, so it seems) as a 7”, and as a band-approved stereo mix as well for that matter, so thanks to the label – because otherwise it wouldn’t have found its way into the 111 singles box.
Someone once described ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ as “the perfect blend of melancholy and hope”. Well, that’s not too far from the truth, as far as I’m concerned …
mp3: The Wild Swans – Revolutionary Spirit
Take good care, enjoy,
Dirk
JC adds……..
Dirk did mention it
mp3: The Wild Swans – No Bleeding (Peel Session)
Passen Sie gut auf sich auf und genießen Sie es.
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
It’s an incredible piece of music – I always think it sounds like a precursor to The Smiths, who would appear a few months later.
I’ve been listening to the Wild Swans 2011 comeback record, The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years, a lot lately. Not the same line-up as their earlier incarnation, but it is a spectacular set of tunes.
Definite classic!
Absolute classic single- so good. Glad it made this list. And only 4 to go!
When I listen to the initial crop of Liverpool post punk bands–Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Big in Japan, OMD, Flock of Seagulls & co.–it occurs to me that the scene was crying out for a guitar god. You already had your Stuart Adamson and John McGeoch, but the door was wide open for the likes of Johnny Marr.
…by which I meant the post punk scene in general, not limited to Liverpool.
Nice one, Dirk – very much enjoyed both your post and this song. Lovely sleeve too.
Great song with mysterious lyrics. Paul Simpson’s vocals are a delight.
In the depths of the TVV archives, I discovered a funny picture of Dirk with today’s 7″, but I hesitate to link it here.
Paul Simpson is one of the great underappreciated and underrated figures from the late 70s post punk scene in Liverpool. I highly recommend his book Revolutionary Spirit to anyone curious about that unique and fertile time frame in music. It is a perfect companion read to Julian Cope’s Head On. Paul is currently writing a second edition, which should be just as compelling.
This just might be the best of the 107 singles so far.
Cheers Dirk. Love this near to complete series. I place Bodines and Therese in this inexplicably brilliantly sounding tune list.