Paul Simpson - Man In a Burning Anorak Vol. 1 (2004)

Frontman/songwriter Paul Simpson of The Wild Swans has released two albums worth of previously unreleased songs , in part to raise funds to finish the band's forthcoming album. All for a worthwhile cause.

Man In a Burning Anorak 1 (12 tracks) Unreleased antiques, curios and failed experiments from Paul’s wilderness years.

*Please Note: Recording quality is poor on the home demos Peace Man, Beautiful and Northern Lights.

TRACK LISTING

1. Contact High
2. Electric Sunrise Pt.1
3. Sunken Ships
4. Beautiful French Degenerate
5. Apollo Tomorrow
6. Peace Man (Demo)
7. Astral Girl
8. Beautiful (Demo)
9. Northern Lights (Demo)
10. Ghosts Of The Russian Forest
11. I'm Gone
12. Dark Blossoms

Review

by D.C. Harrison

Volume 1 is essentially a set of previously unused tracks from over the last 20 years or so. With this in mind, sound quality varies greatly. Beautiful was described, according to the sleeve notes, by Shack manager Nathan McGough as the worst sounding demo he’d ever heard, a fact Simpson takes some pride in. Underneath, though, there's a strong melody begging to be reborn in the future. The strongest tracks are, perhaps predictably, those that benefit from the best recordings. Contact High is a solid opener, Apollo Tomorrow is excellent and earned the approval of Ian McCulloch. Astral Girl, meanwhile, was strong enough to almost snare Simpson a record deal alone, before bad luck with greedheads scuppered that idea. Collections of unused tracks are often a decent barometer to a songwriter’s quality control. Judging by this, Simpson's is on the high side. Ghosts Of The Russian Forest and Beautiful French Degenerate are other highlights, the latter featuring a great line of how someone close to you can raise you up even when your friends are against you ('My girl tells me that I'm great/she makes me feel like William Blake').

The Wild Swans - The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years (2011)

The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years, finished on 10 September 2010 and already released. Comprise of 16 tracks (13 initially) and features Paul Simpson, Les Pattinson, Ged Quinn, Ricky Maymi, Mike Mooney, Will Sergeant, Henry Priestman, Candie Payne, Steve Beswick and Richard Turvey. 

'For the first time ever I am happy with the results, the unmixed tracks are sounding so good its scary. It may be 20 odd years late but I think we have finally made the definitive Wild Swans masterpiece' - Paul Simpson

The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years THE WILD SWANS 2011 [Enjoy] 1. Falling To Bits 2. Liquid Mercury 3. Chloroform 4. In Secret 5. English Electric Lightning 6. When Time Stood Still 7. Underwater 8. Intravenous 9. Glow In The Dark 10. My Town 11. Lost At Sea 12. The Bluebell Wood 13. Outro

Tracks In Snow EP
THE WILD SWANS
2009

[Enjoy]

1. Dark Times
2. Disintegrating
3. Poison

English Electric Lightning 7"
THE WILD SWANS
2009

[Enjoy]

1. English Electric Lightning
2. The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years

Liquid Mercury 7"
THE WILD SWANS
2009

[Enjoy]

1. Liquid Mercury
2. The Wickedest Man In The World

The Wild Swans Live in the Philippines

Liverpool Legendary, The Wild Swans concert held at One Esplanade was a blast. They sang tracks from the "Bringing Home The Ashes - 1988", "Space Flower - 1990" and "The Coldest Winter in a Hundred Year - 2011" albums. Lastly they sang "Whatever Possessed You" which was released by "Care" which of course as the same vocalist. Sadly it ended with the song and the crowd eagerly request for the "Flaming Sword" but I guess 15 songs are too much but as promised, they will be back next year.

The promoter flashed the upcoming concert event, "Modern English back to back with The Icicle Works" will be in the Philippines sometime January next year - More power to you guys!

The Wild Swans - Magnitude (The Sire Years) (2007)

Titled Magnitude, the double CD release contains all sorts of extra goodies. This album is combination of Bringing Home the Ashes (1988)and Space Flower (1990). The disc of Bringing Home the Ashes is supplemented by the b-sides of the two singles, "Young Manhood" and "Bible Dreams". This is a must for any fans of winsome elegaic chiming guitar music, perhaps especially Echo and the Bunnymen fans. The one-note guitar solo in "Young Manhood" is a high point. The second album, Space Flower sees them drifting off-path into a faux bubblegum psychedelia, something Paul Simpson has made a bit of a career out of since, albeit in a more ambient vein. It's all lovely melodies, silly lyrics and phased guitar. The ten original tracks are here supplemented by five demos of tracks that never made the album, plus a Bill Drummond remix (calling KLF fans!) of "Melting Blue Delicious" and a session that never made the album ("Tastes Like Tuesday")

Magnitude (The Sire Yeas)

2007

THE WILD SWANS

Paul Simpson,Jeremy Kelly, Joseph Fearon

DISC1 [Enjoy|Mirror] 1. Young Manhood 2. Bible Dreams 3. Bitterness 4. Archangels 5. Northern England 6. Whirlpool Heart 7. Bringing Home The Ashes 8. Mythical Beast 9. Now And Forever 10. The Worst Year Of My Life 11. Holy Holy (bonus track) 12. World Of Milk And Blood (bonus track) 13. 1982 (bonus track) 14. Pure Evil (bonus track)

DISC2 [Enjoy|Salamin] 1. Melting Blue Delicious 2. Butterfly Girl 3. Tangerine Temple 4. Immaculate 5. Space Flower 6. Tastes Like Tuesday (previously unreleased) 7. Chocolate Bubblegum 8. I'm A Lighthouse 9. Magic Hotel 10. Vanilla Melange 11. Sea Of Tranquillity 12. Melting Blue Delicious (Bill Drummond single version/bonus track) 13. Sugar Engines (demo/bonus track) 14. Chocolate Bubblegum (demo/bonus track) 15. Lantern Man (demo/bonus track) 16. Magic Hotel (demo/bonus track) 17. Telescope (demo/bonus track)

The Wild Swans - Coldest Winter For a Hundred Years [2011 Album]

The Wild Swans Biography

Biography

Although there are countless groups who have released a couple of albums and then disappeared into the shadowy recesses of pop culture trivia, Liverpool's Wild Swans deserved a slightly better fate. Led by former Teardrop Explodes organist Paul Simpson, the group's pair of discs attracted little attention on either side of the Atlantic when released, yet stand up favorably, in retrospect, to the group's better-known contemporaries.

It took Wild Swans a while to get off the ground; an early lineup disbanded in the early '80s after recording a single for the Zoo label, but the band reconvened a few years later and released an official debut, Bringing Home The Ashes, in 1988. Although its most striking attribute was Simpson's vocal similarity to OMD's Andy McCluskey, the disc was filled with handsome, well-crafted guitar pop that gained a bit of color from splashes of organ and piano, and even made an occasional overture toward the dance floor. Simpson and bassist Joe Fearon made a far stronger impression with their 1990 follow-up, however, recruiting outstanding drummer Chris Sharrock and guitarist/vocalist Ian MacNabb from the Icicle Works, as well as that group's producer, Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie. Powered by Sharrock's rock-solid timekeeping, Space Flower touched on mild funk ("Melting Blue Delicious"), psychedelic-tinged rock ("Tangerine Temple") and hummable, chiming pop ("Butterfly Girl;" the Smiths "Immaculate"), while Broudie glazed each of the album's 10 tracks with a likable, confident sheen.

That was the last transmission from the group, who exist now as a mere footnote to late-'80s pop. But those who bother to read the fine print and stumble onto Wild Swans may be in for a pleasant surprise indeed.

Bringing Home The Ashes 1988 THE WILD SWANS Jeremy Kelly, Joseph Fearon, Paul Simpson [Enjoy] Track listing Young Manhood Bible Dreams Bitterness Archangels Northern England Whirlpool Heart Bringing Home The Ashes Mythical Beast Now And Forever Worst Year Of My Life Enchanted (Updated)

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Magnitude (The Sire Years) [2007 Album]

Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years [2011 Album]