Paul Weller Wild Wood (Deluxe Edition)

A couple of friends whose opinions on music I take seriously told me a few years back to pick up a live record by Paul Weller. I was familiar with Weller from the Jam and the Style Council from years ago, but had never really checked out any of his solo work. That disc was Days of Speed, which is brilliant and well worth tracking down. It led me into an investigation of the solo stuff working backwards and forwards at the same time. The records he put out since Speed, especially Illumination and As Is Now, are big favorites of mine. But I haven't really come across many of the earlier discs.

I was familiar with some of the songs on Wild Wood through the comps and live stuff I've heard, but it's been tough trying to find copies of his earlier albums in the stores around here. I know, the internet has many places for music fans to buy things, but I like finding them and buying them. The instant gratification of going out, buying a disc and bringing it home is still one of my favorite things about being a music fan.

So, Yep Roc has made my patience pay off by releasing this two-disc Deluxe Edition of Wild Wood stateside after its late 2007 release elsewhere. Now I get the full experience of what many call one of his career highlights. And experience is the correct word. With 28 bonus tracks beyond the actual record, it's a lot to take in; not because of the volume of tracks, because of the quality of them.

Let's start with the 15 track original release. Wild Wood is a fantastic mix of the mod and soul influences of a good deal of Weller's work with an added nod to some mellower acoustic music from the 70's, which is talked about a bit in the liner notes as well. According to those notes, Weller spent some time playing records for everyone assembled at the studio working on the album.

Whatever vibe or influence Weller was looking for with those listening sessions would mean nothing without great songs. And Wild Wood has them. Opening track "Sunflower" builds itself upon an addictive spiral of a riff with a knock-out off-beat bridge. The title track is a beautiful acoustic gem. "The Weaver" has this insanely catchy chorus that's been in my head all week. "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" sports such a good groove that its later reprise feels entirely essential.

That album alone would be enough, but those bonus tracks make it seem like amazing music was just simply flowing out of Weller around the time of recording. The demos sound close to their fully realized counterparts. B-sides, other singles and some covers (including songs by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Tim Hardin and Small Faces, among others) sound anything but filler, as some bonus tracks can be. Everything here sounds just as good up against the original release and demonstrate just how good Weller and his assembled band - bassist Marco Nelson and drummer Steve White primarily, with some guests along the way, were at the time.

With thirty years of recorded output, catching up on all of Weller's catalog can be tough. But when you hear how much great stuff he put down on tape during this period alone, I can't help wanting to go search for more. But I don't just have to go back. Weller promises a brand new double album later in 2008. Which is good, because I may need a few months to finish listening to this.

Official site for Paul Weller
Yep Roc site(American label) for Paul Weller. There's a link to stream this album.