Wild Wood is the second solo studio album by Paul Weller, released in September 1993. It made it to number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and contained four UK hits: "Wild Wood", which reached number 14 on the UK charts, "Sunflower", which reached number 16, "The Weaver" which reached number 18 as "The Weaver EP" and "Hung Up", which reached number 11.
| Wild Wood | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 September 1993 | |||
| Recorded | April–May 1993 | |||
| Studio | The Manor Studio, Oxfordshire | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 54:04 | |||
| Label | Go! Discs | |||
| Producer |
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| Paul Weller chronology | ||||
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The original 1993 UK and European CD included 15 tracks. When issued in the US, and reissued in the UK in 1994, a 16th track was added. A two-disc deluxe edition was released on 22 October 2007.
The title track, "Wild Wood", was released as a single in 1993, with "Ends of the Earth" as the B-side.[1] It reached no. 14 on the UK charts in September 1993.[2]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[4] |
| Mojo | [5] |
| NME | 7/10[6] |
| Q |  [7] |
| Record Collector | [8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Select | 4/5[10] |
| Spin | [11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
Wild Wood was released to enthusiastic reviews from critics.[13] In Melody Maker, Taylor Parkes raved that "Wild Wood is, on its own sweet terms, a triumph",[14] while in Select, Adam Higginbotham called it "the album that his solo debut should have been" and "an album of good pop songs to some; to others, a reassuring sign that the man is back on track".[10] Paul Moody also offered qualified praise in NME, deeming it "not the absolute tour de force we may have hoped for", but nonetheless "three-quarters of the way to marking a complete rebirth."[6] Rolling Stone's Tom Sinclair wrote that Wild Wood "gives retrochic an unexpected twist" and found it "charmingly anomalous, a smart, left-field stroke capable of transporting the listener to a dimly remembered land of pop delights."[9] Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly noted the album's "intricate" music, describing it as a cross between "the gruff-punk charge" of Weller's band the Jam and "the refinement and musicality" of his later band the Style Council.[4]
In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine lauded Wild Wood as Weller's "first true masterwork since ending the Jam", further crediting it with helping to "kick off the trad rock that dominated British music during the '90s."[3] Record Collector's Lois Wilson said that the record, in addition to its "lyrical and musical depth", exhibited Weller's "renewed belief in his guitar playing", and "marked a critical and commercial rebirth" for Weller.[8] Paul Moody reappraised the album more effusively in Uncut in 2007, writing that the album's "nostalgic mood hit a nerve with both lapsed Jam fans and young upstarts Blur and Oasis", and that "it's Weller's unshakeable self-belief which marks Wild Wood out as a landmark in British rock. Within a year of its release ... grunge would be over, Britpop would be in full swing, and fears of rock's demise dismissed as a bad dream."[12]
In 2000, Q placed Wild Wood at number 77 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".[15] Wild Wood was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[16]
Uncut rated "Wild Wood" as Weller's ninth best ever song and the best of his solo career, with the Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke praising it as a "very easy, kicking-back sort of song".[17]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunflower" | Paul Weller | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" | Weller | 3:41 |
| 3. | "Wild Wood" | Weller | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Instrumental (Pt 1)" | Weller, Brendan Lynch, Steve White | 1:37 |
| 5. | "All the Pictures on the Wall" | Weller | 3:56 |
| 6. | "Has My Fire Really Gone Out?" | Weller | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Country" | Weller | 3:39 |
| 8. | "Instrumental Two" | Weller, Lynch, White | 0:50 |
| 9. | "5th Season" | Weller | 4:54 |
| 10. | "The Weaver" | Weller | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Instrumental One (Pt 2)" | Weller, Lynch, White | 0:34 |
| 12. | "Foot of the Mountain" | Weller | 3:37 |
| 13. | "Shadow of the Sun" | Weller | 7:36 |
| 14. | "Holy Man (reprise)" | Weller | 1:50 |
| 15. | "Moon on Your Pyjamas" | Weller | 4:00 |
| 16. | "Hung Up" | Weller | 2:49 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Wild Wood" (Sheared Wood (Mix/ Remix) / Paul Weller VS Portishead) | 3:28 |
| 18. | "Magic Bus" (contains medley of Bull Rush) | 5:29 |
| 19. | "Ends of the Earth" | 2:24 |
| 20. | "This Is No Time" (Royal Albert Hall live version) | 6:02 |
| 21. | "Another New Day" | 3:19 |
| 22. | "The Loved" | 3:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunflower" (demo) | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Wildwood" (demo) | 4:02 |
| 3. | "All the Pictures on the Wall" (demo) | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Country" (demo) | 3:32 |
| 5. | "5th Season" (demo) | 5:57 |
| 6. | "The Weaver" (demo) | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Shadow of the Sun" (demo) | 5:30 |
| 8. | "Moon on Your Pyjamas" (demo) | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Ends of the Earth" (demo) | 2:56 |
| 10. | "Love of the Loved" (demo) | 4:41 |
| 11. | "Price to Pay" (demo) | 3:36 |
| 12. | "Changes" (demo) | 2:50 |
| 13. | "I'm Only Dreaming" (previously unreleased) | 2:54 |
| 14. | "Ohio" (demo) | 3:34 |
| 15. | "Oh Happy Day" (previously unreleased) | 3:28 |
| 16. | "Greetings" (previously unreleased) | 3:32 |
| 17. | "Wild Wood" (demo) | 3:34 |
| 18. | "Weaver of Dreams" (demo version 2) | 3:27 |
| 19. | "Foot of the Mountain" (exclusive BBC recording) | 3:35 |
| 20. | "Hung Up" (exclusive BBC recording) | 2:57 |
| 21. | "Black Sheep Boy" (exclusive BBC recording) | 2:10 |
Personnel
edit- Paul Weller – guitars, vocals (on all except 4, 8, 11), Mellotron (1, 2, 13, 14), Minimoog (1, 4, 11), piano (2, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14), Hammond organ (2, 5, 6, 14), bass (2, 5, 14), percussion and handclaps (2, 14), blues harp (6, 9), electric piano and percussion (6), strings (7)
- Marco Nelson – bass (1, 3, 4, 6, 9–11, 13, 15), backing vocals (6)
- Steve White – drums (1–6, 9–11, 13–16), percussion (1, 4, 8, 11)
- Jacko Peake – horns (2, 4, 9, 11, 14), flute (2, 14)
- Brendan Lynch – percussion and handclaps (2, 14), Minimoog (3, 9, 13), Mellotron (3, 13), Stylophone (7)
- Max Beesley – percussion and handclaps (2, 14), backing vocals (6), Wurlitzer (15)
- Helen Turner – organ (3)
- Dr Robert – guitars (6, 7)
- Dee C. Lee – backing vocals (9, 13, 15)
- David Liddle – lead guitar (9)
- Mick Talbot – Hammond organ (9)
- Steve Cradock – electric guitar (10)
- Simon Fowler – backing vocals (10)
- Yolanda Charles – bass (16)
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 42 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 2 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 58 |
References
edit- ^ "Paul Weller – Wild Wood". Discogs. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ "Paul Weller - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wild Wood – Paul Weller". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ a b Ehrlich, Dimitri (27 May 1994). "Wild Wood". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (December 2007). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". Mojo. No. 169. p. 121.
- ^ a b Moody, Paul (4 September 1993). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". NME. p. 32.
- ^ Snow, Mat (October 1993). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". Q. No. 85.
- ^ a b Wilson, Lois; Shirley, Ian (June 2020). "The Changingman". Record Collector. No. 506. pp. 78–88. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b Sinclair, Tom (20 October 1994). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ a b Higginbotham, Adam (October 1993). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". Select. No. 40. p. 94.
- ^ Duerden, Nick (July 2008). "Discography: Paul Weller". Spin. Vol. 24, no. 7. p. 88. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ a b Moody, Paul (December 2007). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". Uncut. No. 127. p. 116. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Paul Weller". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ Parkes, Taylor (25 September 1993). "Wood Vibrations". Melody Maker. p. 32.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever!". Q. No. 165. June 2000. p. 63.
- ^ MacQueen, Ali (2006). "Paul Weller: Wild Wood". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 705. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
- ^ "Paul Weller's 30 Best Songs". Uncut. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Paul Weller – Wild Wood". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 23 April 2022.