THE MAKING OF...
A SONG with a title like “The Story Of The Blues” demands ambition, and Pete Wylie was just the man to provide it. The bullish Liverpudlian songwriter had come through the Eric’s scene as part of the short-lived Crucial Three with Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch, but his own band –initially named Wah! Heat –failed to match the success of the Teardrops and Bunnymen. By the time Wylie wrote “The Story Of The Blues” in 1982, Wah! Heat consisted of just Wylie and bassist Carl Washington. “The Story Of The Blues”, which appears on the upcoming Pete Wyle &Wah! compilation Teach Yself Wah!, started life as a “drinking song” but soon developed into something more, inspired by Wylie’s reading of Toffler’s Future Shock and The Third Wave, and adesire to move beyond aguitar-bass-drums format.
Wylie developed the song with producer Mike Hedges at Playground, the Camden studio where Hedges had worked with the Associates and Siouxsie &The Banshees.
Pete Wylie in 1982: challenging himself
STEVE RAPPORT; PAUL RIPLEY; JACK HOULTON
“Mike spoils you,” says Wylie. “He does things that make you think all producers are like that. He had the knowledge, training and experience to get the right sounds.” They used the studio to its full effect, introducing strings and backing vocalists –including future Spitting Image voice artist Kate Robbins –and doing whatever was required to match the song’s over-the-top emotions with asuitably epic sound. Over afew frantic days, the song developed into ahope-filled anthem with huge chorus and relentless refrain. Recording took place during the 1982 World Cup, and Wylie recalls watching Scotland’s 4-1 loss to Brazil at the studio in the company of Billy Mackenzie, Alan Rankine and “the most alcohol Ihave ever seen in one wheelbarrow”.
Later, Wylie recorded aspoken-word section – “Talkin’ Blue (The Story Of The Blues: Part Two)” –where, breaking the fourth wall, he explored the theme of the record, delivering amessage of empowerment inspired by his personal politics, his Liverpool upbringing and the social-realist dramas of Alan Bleasdale.
“It wears its heart on its sleeve,” says Wylie. “I don’t worry about sentimentality, as long as it is sincere. When you do something without sincerity it can hit the right notes but it won’t have the intrinsic authentic soul. That’s not what I do. On ‘The Story Of The Blues’ Iwanted to push beyond the key Iwas most comfortable in –that was the working method.”
PETER WATTS
PETE WYLIE: “The Story Of The Blues” came from aconversation with Kosmo Vinyl, the fifth member of The Clash. He said Ishould write adrinking song, something like “One For The Road”. That’s why on the sleeve Iam the degenerate at the bar and Carl [Washington] was the cool barman listening to my crap.
KEY PLAYERS
Pete Wylie (Singer, writer)
Mike Hedges (Producer)
Kosmo Vinyl (Clash roadie)
Anne Stephenson (Violin)
Kate Robbins (Backing vocals)
Yousef Sheikh (Bass)
KEY PLAYERS