Compatible with all MP3 players including iPod, iPad, iTunes and Window Media Player
Arguably Weller's best solo album, and certainly the one where all his influences first congealed into something uniquely his own. WILD WOOD's template would once again seem to be Traffic--Weller's surprisingly soulful vocals most often recall a gruffer version of Steve Winood, and there's even a jazz flute in the concluding "Holy Man" jam. Weller's songs however, are not so easily pigeonholed; an achingly beautiful acoustic ballad like "Country," for example, owes a stylistic debt to no one except its composer.
Recorded at The Manor, Oxford, England from April to May, 1993.
Personnel: Paul Weller (vocals, guitar, strings, harmonica, piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, Moog, bass, percussion); Steve Craddock, Robert Howard, Dave Liddle (guitar); Jacko Peake (flute, horns); Helen Turner (organ); Mick Talbot (Hammond organ); Max Beesley (Wurlitzer, percussion, background vocals); Brendan Lynch (MiniMoog, Mellotron, Stylophone, percussion); Marco Nelson (bass, background vocals); Yolanda Charles (bass); Steve White (drums); Dee C. Lee, Simon Fowler (background vocals).
Rolling Stone (10/20/94, p.146) - 3.5 Stars - Good - "...Resolutely pre-punk in its spirit, this album gives retrochic an unexpected twist. With its echoes of vintage Traffic...WILD WOOD could have been recorded in 1970..." Entertainment Weekly (5/27/94, p.88) - "...pits the gruff-punk charge of the band against the refinement and musicality of his later group, the genre-hopping Style Council....It's a record full of intricate nooks and crannies that begs for exploration...." - Rating: A- Q (12/99, p.76) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (6/00, p.63) - Ranked #77 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "A warm, raw, uplifting but endlessly self-questioning record....this is the sound of an artist finding a more emotional voice..." Q (7/00, p.141) - Included in Q's "The Best Male Angst Albums Of All Time" Q (1/94, p.86) - Included in Q's list of `The 50 Best Albums Of 1993' - "...showcases an artist maturing before our very eyes..." Q (p.133) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[A] change of direction that both demonstrated a new maturity and ushered in the whole '90s trad-rock boom." Uncut (p.116) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "WILD WOOD still smells fresh as newly cut pine. 'Country' steals redemption from despair in three minutes..." Stereo Review (7/94, p.86) - Performance: Extraordinary / Recording: Good - "...Weller has always possessed the uncanny ability to interlace the personal with the political, crafting lyrics that can be read on both levels. But it is as a musical force that Weller looms most impressively on WILD WOOD..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.121) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "WILD WOOD remains Paul Weller's most exquisitely balanced album, with soul stirrings, pastoral folk-rock vibes and stinging REVOLVER guitars dissolving into an elegant and exciting sonic hybrid." Record Collector (magazine) (pp.98-99) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The album still sounds like a man having fun, which is infectious. 'Hung Up' remains a great lost single..."
Weller finds himself in Wildwood! Without a doubt, this must be Weller's finest, most complete album in his 12 solo years to date, from 1992's self-titled 'Paul Weller' album, right through to 2002's 'Illumination'.
'Wildwood' weaves its spell on you with its wonderful pastel colours and moods, building up a warm picture with its subtle blend of acoustic guitar balanced well with accompanying keyboards,flutes, brass and the ever-reliable Steve White on percussion.
The 16 tracks are blended wonderfully together with up-tempo tracks and softer songs going hand in hand. Melodic guitars ringing all around in the opening song 'Sunflower'are carried through to other energetic tracks such as 'The Weaver' and 'Hung Up'. Weller's softer side comes through on 'Country' and 'Foot of the Mountain', and there is a fine blend of acoustic and electric on the lovely melodic songs 'All the Pictures on the Wall' and 'Has My Fire Really Gone Out?'
With two or three short instrumental tracks weaving their way through this delightful album and Weller even baring his fatherly, sentimental side with the beautiful, soft 'Moon on Your Pyjamas'this album , for me, really has it all...and I doubt wether Paul Weller will ever make a finer album....although we can live in hope...God bless him! Submitted by gmccavana (Belfast, Ireland) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Essential Listening This might be Paul Weller's finest moment, and that includes his work with The Jam and The Style Council. The range of styles on display here is impressive, from psychedelic rock and roll ("Sunflower") to folk ("Wild Wood", "Country") to soul-funk ("Holy Man"). His voice is wonderful, his guitar playing on fire, and the songs are all top-notch. Pick this up along with "Sound Affects" by the Jam and you'll be hooked. Submitted by a reviewer (Haverhill, MA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
classic - uhh no! This album is such an overlong bore - tedious Sly Stone rip-off without a half decent tune in sight. Is a tune a sign of a lack of maturity (or a sell-out?) - do you remember why we got into rock'n'roll in the first place?Boringly 'respectable' dull production, phony Joe Cockeresque 'mature' vocal style, bland session musician slavings and no energy to save it either. An absolute stinker. Forget it!!! Submitted by steve walsh (Northampton, England) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 2 found this helpful.
WW is NOT a demo? bought this CD after seeing him play a version on The Butterfly Collector on some TV show that amazed me. on WW, there is some really interesting songwriting and his voice is one of the coolest around, but the production, especially (even on the non-demo side) sounds like it was made in some late 80s eight track studio in someone's basement - so in that sense I was disappointed; it sounds more like out takes than a coherent album/CD. Submitted by joeyfuss (chicago, IL) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Have you heard this album?
Buy Wild Wood CD
Buy Paul Weller - Wild Wood Posters From Allposters.com
Weller finds himself in Wildwood!
classic - uhh no!
WW is NOT a demo?
Share this Product