Bill Wyman

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!