THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN

The next 45 from The Wedding Present has proved to be the most popular of them all among the fan base.   But before we get to there, there’s a few more bits of the backstory needing to be told.

With the series focussing on the singles, I omitted to mention last week that a further album had come out on Reception Records in July 1988.  Tommy was a 12-track compilation of the early singles, b-sides and material from radio sessions.    It’s easy to forget that much of the early material was only ever pressed in relatively small numbers, so this was a good way of ensuring the ever-increasing number of fans wouldn’t feel left out.  Tommy reached #42 in the album charts, some five places higher than George Best had achieved.

Something from even further back also needs to be mentioned.

The band’s second John Peel session, recorded in October 1986, included a short instrumental called Hopak. This was a traditional song from Ukraine, the country of birth of the father of the band’s guitarist Pete Solowka, and often played as part of pre-gig tune-ups while touring.

From this, an idea emerged that they should return for further Peel sessions, in which the sets would consist solely of their versions of Ukrainian folk songs.  These duly took place in June 1987 and March 1988, with both sessions being so popular with listeners that they were each repeated on four occasions within short periods of time.  These sessions were augmented by two guest musicians – Len Liggins (violin/vocals) and Roman Remeynes (mandolin), with David Gedge more than willing to step back and concentrate on playing rhythm guitar.

The plan was then to release both sessions in mid-1988 on an EP via Reception Records, which you will recall was the label owned and run by the band.  However, the distribution company Red Rhino, on whom Reception and many other small labels relied, unexpectedly went bust.  Having weighed up all the options, including shifting to a new distribution set-up, The Wedding Present chose instead to close down their label and take up the offer that had been put to them by RCA Records, one of the world’s biggest major labels.

Cue the cries of ‘sell-out’ from the indie purists and music critics.  The band said publicly, and on more than one occasion, that they would be the ones dictating things to the label, with them having the final say on what would be released.

And, as if to prove this was the case, the first release via RCA Records, in April 1989, was a mini-album, on 10″ vinyl, called Ukrainski Vistuip v Johna Peela, consisting of the eight songs recorded over the two Peel Sessions.   This entered the charts at #22, proving just how more effective the major labels were with marketing, sales and distribution into the shops.

All of which takes us up to May 1988.   Another Peel Session is recorded, but this time it consists of four new and original TWP songs.   The excitement around the first releases under the RCA banner was really growing, with the previous sell-out shouts being largely forgotten.

It was late September when this hit the shops:-

mp3: The Wedding Present – Kennedy

I’ve said before, but this is the point in time when I finally ‘discovered’ the band, after hearing this played on the radio during the Top 40 rundown.  I was hooked…….

Last year, a new book about TWP songs was published, in which fans contributed their stories as to why one was a particular favourite.  There’s hundreds of different tales on offer, but the song which was most nominated and featured was Kennedy.

And rightly so. It’s the song that made me a convert to the church of David Gedge, and I’ve been a faithful member ever since. I’m a regular attendee at the places of worship (ie gigs), and I’ll also contribute as and when required to the coffers (ie records, t-shirts, videos, CDs, etc).   It’s just such a tremendous tune, and the chorus (as such) is bonkersly brilliant…..too much apple pie indeed. 

Released on 7″, 12″, cassette and CD, there were three other songs to pick up and enjoy.

mp3 : The Wedding Present – Unfaithful
mp3 : The Wedding Present – One Day All This Will All Be Yours
mp3 : The Wedding Present – It’s Not Unusual *

Yes….the Tom Jones song!   The cover versions were becoming increasingly inspired.

Oh, and a special shout-out for Unfaithful.   A song that really deserved to be given a much higher profile than a b-side.   It could have, and arguably should have, been a single – one that would have demonstrated a slower and more melodic side to the band than they were known for at this point in time.

Apologies for the length of this post, but hopefully you’ll understand why it turned out that way.

Brevity will be the buzzword from now on in.

JC

Before 1988 came to an end, The Wedding Present once again hooked up with Strange Fruit, the commercial arm, musically, of the BBC, to release another 12″ single.

This time, it was from the Janice Long Show for a session recorded back on 20 April 1986 and broadcast on 15 May 1986.  Three of the songs were TWP originals, with the other being a cover from a band much associated with Leeds.

mp3: The Wedding Present – Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft (Evening Show Session)
mp3: The Wedding Present – Shatner (Evening Show Session)
mp3: The Wedding Present – My Favourite Dress (Evening Show Session)
mp3: The Wedding Present – I Found That Essence Rare (Evening Show Session)

The last of these was written and recorded by Gang Of Four and included on their 1979 debut album, Entertainment!   As covers go, I’ll suggest it’s just on the right side of OK, with the original angular guitar sound getting replaced by something just a bit faster, which means it’s all done and dusted in around 40 seconds less time.  

mp3: Gang Of Four – I Found That Essence Rare

This was the sixteenth in what was known as the Nighttracks series, but was the first to be given both a vinyl and CD release.  It didn’t chart, but then again it was really only aimed at hardcore fans and everyone seemed satisfied given that the versions of the TWP songs differed a bit from the studio versions, but I still can’t get used to there being no whistling on Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft.

What nobody knew at the time was that 1989 would take the band to a place of horror for many of their diehard and hardcore fans as they accepted an offer that was put to them by a major record label….

JC

A good indication of the standing the band had, even at such an early stage, can be seen from them being asked to contribute a track to Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father, an album produced by the NME to raise money for a children’s charity.   The album itself saw contemporary singers and bands record new versions of the songs on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, which had been released back in 1967 by The Beatles.  It’s worth mentioning in passing that the album spawned one double-A sided single, one side of which featured the immensely popular Wet Wet Wet, thus ensuring it reached #1.   The other side of the single featured Billy Bragg‘s contribution to the album, which means the history books will always show that the Bard of Barking achieved something that very few of his contemporaries ever managed.

A couple of months later, in September 1988, The Wedding Present released their next single, one which came with something of a twist.   The standard 7″ offered up two brand new songs:-

mp3: The Wedding Present – Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?
mp3: The Wedding Present – Not From Where I’m Standing

The A-side is one of the finest indie-pop songs of the era.   It really benefits from the backing vocal provided by Amelia Fletcher whose voice had previously added so much to quite a number of the band’s songs but goes to an entirely different level on this particular release.

The B-side is another fast and frantic number that doesn’t vary from the tried and tested formula. 

There was a second 7″ single:-

mp3: Cadeau De Mariage -Pourquoi Es-Tu Devenue Si Raisonnable?
mp3: Cadeau De Mariage – Give My Love To Kevin (acoustic version)

Yup, David Gedge offers up the French translation of the new single.   If I’ve one criticism of it, then it’s down to the vocal delivery sounding a bit forced to fit in with the tune, and Amelia’s contribution seems lost.    It wouldn’t be the last time David would sing one of his songs in a foreign language, and I think it’s fair to say he got better with each effort.

The b-side more than makes up for any deficiencies.   Give My Love To Kevin was one of the outstanding tracks on the debut album, George Best, but here we are, almost 12 months on, being treated to a beautifully stripped-back take on things, complete with an accordion.   It was one way of demonstrating to the critics that TWP were far from one-dimensional.

The 12″ release of Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?  dropped the French version and instead offered up the track the band had contributed to the Sgt. Pepper album.

mp3: The Wedding Present – Getting Better

David later explained why they got involved and why they did this particular take on the song.

“It’s a good idea and it’s a good cause.  It was a rush decision to do it, we were phoned up and the next day we rehearsed it and the day after we recorded it. I don’t like the original LP, to tell the truth, it’s not the greatest Beatles LP but that is one of the best songs. It’s a pop song. I’d have been in two minds about doing one of those strange psychedelic ones. We did it in our style, sped it up, turned up the guitars and rattled it out.”

Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? almost gave the band their first real taste of charts success, singles wise. It reached #42, an agonising two places away from a name check in the weekly rundown on Top of The Pops. 

JC