10-24-12 Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman born 1938; on 10-24-70 Pink Floyd’ “Atom Heart Mother” LP was No. 1 in England.
CD MONKEY GRIP TRATTORIA JP PSCR-5413
1974 9 TRKS Menu 71, Rolling Stones (’95 issue)
LP MONKEY GRIP ROLLING ST UK COC 59102
1974 9 TRKS Rolling Stones, U.K. vers.
7″ (SI SI) JE SUIS UN ROCK STAR A&M US 2367-S
1980 2 TRKS no pic sleeve
LP GREEN ICE POLYDOR JPN 28MM 0058
1981 18 TRKS Ken Thorne etc., insert
7″ COME BACK SUZANNE (PS) A&M UK AMS 8170
1981 2 TRKS with pic sleeve
LP BILL WYMAN A&M UK AMLH 68540
1982 10 TRKS Rolling Stones
CD BILL WYMAN SANCTUARY US 36265.2
1982 14 TRKS (4 x bonus tracks) (’06 issue)
7″ NEW FASHION, A (PS) promo A&M UK AMS 8209
1982 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, promo
7″ VISIONS (PS) promo A&M UK AMS 8227
1982 2 TRKS with pic sleeve, promo
CD ANYWAY THE WIND BLOWS (Rhythm Kings) BMG JPN BVCF-31015
1998 14 TRKS Gary Brooker, Eric Clapton etc.
For rather ages, if you were an outspoken Bill Wyman fan, you had to stick to the “In Another Land” London Records U.S. 45 by The Rolling Stones. I believe it’s his only lead vocal on a Rolling Stones track.
When watching The Rolling Stones on videotape (60’s stuff especially), you can’t help but notice that their bass player really holds his instrument up really high, which seems a fairly odd place to try and play it. Probably his best bass sound on a Rolling Stones album (in case you were wondering) is the intro to “Live With Me” on “Let It Bleed” – nothing but bass for a few seconds!
Probably, his career highlight was leaving the shackles of The Rolling Stones. Free to embrace a solo career, Wyman quickly adapted to the age of MTV…and synthesizers! No, I don’t have every single Bill Wyman solo album, but…I always rather liked the “Green Ice” (O.S.T.) LP.
My favorite single from his A&M / Ripple Records ’82 solo album is probably “A New Fashion”, which – to my ears – doesn’t sound a million kilometers from contemporary work by, say, Gary Numan. Did you buy the Sony “Video EP” of the singles from that album? I certainly did!
Yes, there are more recent Bill Wyman efforts than the ’82 solo slbum. The Rhythm Kings have several out now, but the only one that ever crossed my path was “Anyway The Wind Blows” with Gary Brooker (of Procol Harum) and Eric Clapton… Happy Birthday, Bill!