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The Wilde Flowers
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written by: Nigel Camilleri
update: 6 June 2001
Album Reviews
Albums reviewed here are:
The Wilde Flowers - The Wilde Flowers
Tracklist: 1 Impotence (2:10), 2 Those Words They Say (2:40), 3 Memories (1:35), 4 Don't Try To Change Me (2:26), 5 Parchman Farm (2:18), 6 Almost Grown (2:50), 7 She's Gone (2:13), 8 Slow Walkin' Talk (2:26), 9 He's Bad For You (2:49), 10 It's What I Feel (A Certain Kind) (2:19), 11 Memories (Instrumental ) (2:08), 12 Never Leave Me (2:36), 13 Time After Time (2:45), 14 Just Where I Want (2:10), 15 No Game When You Lose (2:53), 16 Impotence (1:16), 17 Why Do You Care (Zobe) (3:13), 18 The Pieman Cometh (Zobe) (3:15), 19 Summer Spirit (Zobe) (3:28), 20 She Loves To Hurt (3:12), 21 The Big Show (4:12), 22 Memories (3:03)
Line-up The Wilde Flowers: Robert Wyatt (drums, voice) (tracks 1-16, 20-22), Hugh Hopper (bass) (tracks 1-16, 20-22), Brian Hopper (guitar, backing vocals) (tracks 2-19, 21), Kevin Ayers (vocals) (tracks 5-7), Richard Coughlan (drums) (tracks 2, 3, 12-16), Graham Flight (vocals) (tracks 1, 9), Richard Sinclair (guitar) (tracks 4, 5, 7-11), Pye Hastings (guitar) (tracks 1, 20); line-up Zobe (tracks 17-19): Dave Lawrence (voice, bass), Bob Gilleson (drums), John Lawrence (guitar, backing vocals)
All tracks were composed by Hugh Hopper, except for Impotence (music Hugh Hopper, lyrics Robert Wyatt), Those Words They Say (Brian Hoper), Parchman Farm (Booker White), Almost Grown (Chuck Berry), She's Gone (Kevin Ayers), Slow Walkin' Talk (Brian Hopper), He's Bad For You (Robert Wyatt), The Big Show (Brian Hopper); all Zobe tracks composed by Brian Hopper.
The only commercially available collection of recordings from this seminal band are gathered on this compilation. The CD features tracks from all the phases of the band's short history, as well as a couple of recordings that former members made together following the demise of the group, and three recordings from Brian Hopper's band Zobe (another Forgotten Sons tale!). There are a couple of tracks available on the compilations called Canterburied Sounds (Volumes I - IV) (also available from Voiceprint), that are not included on this CD.
The best way to approach the album is by separating the tracks into different contexts, according to the phase in the band's history in which they were recorded. The first set of recordings presented on this album are taken from a session on 16 March 1965, which took place at Wout Steenhuls Studio, Broadstairs, Kent. There are four tracks from that session present here: Parchman Farm, Almost Grown, She's Gone and Memories (Instrumental). Of these tracks, two are cover versions (Parchman Farm by Booker White and Almost Grown by Chuck Berry), She's Gone is a Kevin Ayers composition while the instrumental version of Impotence allows an insight into one of the most curious tracks on the album. Impotence appears in no less than three versions, each taken from a different phase of The Wilde Flowers' history and each has been treated differently.
The inclusion of these two particular cover versions is a clear example that although the band members had a love for jazz music, their musical roots lay well within that of other similar sixties beat groups with Chuck Berry being the notable influence. Though the cover versions are pretty straight forward, one cannot but sense that the group still approached the tracks in a different method than routine cover bands. Even the Beatles-esque She's Gone, penned by Kevin Ayers, is interesting when one looks at how he developed musically. Especially when compared to the first tracks he wrote with Soft Machine, which possess a somewhat similar musical style to this particular track.
The instrumental version of Memories, in my opinion, should have opened the album. Throughout the album we are regaled with three versions of this song, which at this stage still had no lyrics and shows the jazz influences slowly creeping into the band's music.
The second batch of recordings comes from a session in Summer / Autumn of 1965, once again at Wout Steenhuls Studios. By this time the line-up of the band had changed. Kevin Ayers had left the band to be replaced by Graham Flight. The tracks from that session are Don't Try To Change Me, Slow Wakin' Talk, He's Bad For You and It's What I Feel (A Certain Kind). Flight's voice is slightly higher pitched than Wyatt's and has more strength in it, resulting in the tracks he sings having a harder and harsher sound. Don't Try To Change Me has that Sixties beat feel to it, while Slow Walkin' Talk has more of a blues influence.
Penned by Robert Wyatt, He's Bad For You has Wyatt joining in with Flight for the vocals. The two duet on a track that shows Wyatt's different musical approach to the Hopper brothers, who composed the majority of The Wilde Flowers' tracks. Rhythmically, the track is more complex with the saxophone playing a prominent role in the musical structure while the guitars are relegated to a rhythmic backing.
It's What I Feel (A Certain Kind) has Richard Sinclair taking over lead vocals, a glimpse of the future Caravan founder taking the limelight. Once again, the track though not commercial in terms of being ear-friendly, still lacks the quirkiness that Wyatt manages to infuse into the tracks he penned.
The last official Wilde Flowers recording session that is represented on this collection comes from a session in Spring 1966, again at Wout Steenhuls Studios. Graham Flight had left the band by now with Robert Wyatt taking over the vocals and Richard Coughlan replacing Wyatt on the drums. This recording session has the group at its most prolific stage, as no less than seven tracks from this compilation are from that very session. The tracks are: Those Words They Say, Memories, Never Leave Me, Time After Time, Just Where I Want, No Game When You Lose, and Impotence. Wyatt's percussive background is evident even though he was not playing the drums. He was unable to contain himself from lending a percussive hand. The majority of these tracks has the added sound of a tambourine, played by Wyatt.
Musically, the band seemed to have remained in a rut. Their musical dimension don't seem to have progressed too much, as the tracks retain a similar style and structure to much of what was played on previously recorded tracks. Having heard these tracks, one can imagine the frustration of a creative mind as Wyatt's, who was deeply in love with jazz music. With these tracks he was being limited in the ways he could express himself and it is no wonder that shortly after these recordings he left the band.
Of interest are the recordings of Memories and Impotence. Memories has lyrics added to it, while Impotence is another track that would be re-recorded a few years later. Also worth noting about these recordings is that in the previous session's recordings the band utilised Brian Hopper's saxophone playing, which added another dimension to the band's music. This time around, the saxophone is conspicuously absent. The end result is a bland sound with the group only really managing to shine on Impotence.
No recordings exist (as yet) of the lineup of The Wilde Flowers that had Dave Lawrence joining instead of Hugh Hopper. In fact, one could say that The Wilde Flowers were effectively over by mid-1966. The CD offers two batches of added recordings that have a link to The Wilde Flowers.
The first set of recordings are three tracks laid down in 1968 by Zobe, the band that Brian Hopper had formed. Also involved in the band was Dave Lawrence, a member of the final line-up of The Wilde Flowers. Zobe never released an album though these demo-tracks show that the group had a sound and style that was very similar to The Wilde Flowers. On the other hand, the sound is slightly more folk-orientated, especially with the clean guitar strumming, coupled with the occasional flute playing by Brian Hopper (Summer Spirit).
On 6 August 1969, Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt got together for a recording session at the Regent Sound Studios in London. Together they laid down four tracks, aided by Pye Hastings, Brian Hopper and Mike Ratledge. She Loves To Hurt and The Big Show are the only "new" tracks. (Whether they are new tracks or simply old tracks from the Wilde Flowers repertoire is unknown. One also wonders if these recordings where just done for the fun of reviving old memories or whether there was renewed interest in The Wilde Flowers recordings.
She Loves To Hurt has Pye Hastings singing while The Big Show has Wyatt on vocals. What is definite is that the
maturity of these musicians, as well as their progression in the world of music with Caravan and Soft
Machine, shines through these two tracks. The tracks show a broader musical diversity and complexity than all
of what The Wilde Flowers had perviously accomplished. Impotence and Memories are revived and revamped
giving them that more "modern" and progressive touch, something they lacked on their previous recordings.
Of note is the inclusion of Mike Ratledge in this last set of recordings. Ratledge was never a member of The Wilde Flowers, but
his influence on Wyatt and Hopper was instrumental in kick-starting their musical careers and it is only fitting
that the earliest recording of the band, Memories, is also included in this 1969 recording with just the trio
of Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper and Mike Ratledge playing.
Nigel Camilleri
Related Websites
There is no official The Wilde Flowers website, but the most authorative site (in my opinion!) related to
the Canterbury Progressive rock scene is the Calyx Website.
Should you have any further information regarding The Wilde Flowers that could be added to the site, do not
hesitate to contact me.
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