30 September 2022
Newsdesk
“How did this not get on the album?!”
Just one of many musings from Paul Weller when selecting tracks for his eagerly-awaited forthcoming B-sides and rarities album Will Of The People.
Handpicked by Paul himself, Will of The People* is a carefully curated collection of 31 tracks from Weller’s extensive cornucopia of tunes that never quite made it to one of his 9 studio albums since 2002. Here is a collection which reminds us that there has always been a parallel narrative to the main recorded output of Paul’s albums and singles. The B-Side, and the remix, is a space in which to explore, experiment, or to flex a different set of artistic muscles.
The story begins back in the autumn of 2003, when the Fly On The Wall 3LP & 3CD collection brought together a wealth of Paul Weller solo recordings that stretched back to 1991. The B-sides, 12” EP tracks, single remixes and ‘live’ recordings featured all had one thing in common, namely that they hadn’t been included on any of his hugely successful solo albums. Furthermore, in many instances, they’d become highly sought after in their original formats and were fetching significant sums from fans and collectors. Will Of The People follows up Fly On The Wall and takes the listener through a similar mix of rarities, this time spanning the period 2002 to 2021.
From covers to eclectic remixes, Will Of The People delivers a scintillating array of songs which skirt across many genres. Here you will find such gems as Paul’s cover of The Beatle’s “Birthday”, released to celebrate Macca’s 70th, and the sparkling disco-ball banger remix of Cosmic Fringes by none other than the Pet Shop Boys. It also includes Paul’s first foray into film soundtracks with the sublime “Ballad Of Jimmy McCabe” from the film Jawbone. Scattered across the tracks are appearances from the likes of Primal Scream, Simon Tong & Graham Coxon.
Will Of The People is released on triple vinyl, 3CD and digitally. The album features sleeve notes written by writer and broadcaster John Wilson.
Preceding this will be a digital only EP entitled the Whoosh EP, available from 29th September. This features 4 unreleased tracks including a demo of a track Paul wrote with Noel Gallagher for The Monkees last album.
Tracks on the Whoosh EP are:
1. Paul Weller & Noel Gallagher - Birth of an Accidental Hipster
2. Paul Weller - Room 309
3. Paul Weller - Be Happy Children (demo)
4. Paul Weller - Whoosh
The full track-listing for Will Of The People goes like this:
Vinyl
Side 1:
The Piper
Into the Sea
Big Brass Buttons
Super Lekker Stoned – Richard Fearless mix
Saturns Pattern – Young Fathers remix
Let Me In (Demo)
Side 2:
I Spy
Oranges and Rosewater
Praise if you Wanna
Mother Ethiopia
We Got a Lot
I’ll Think of Something
Side 3:
Devotion
Sun Goes
Alone
Lay Down Your Weary Burden
The Olde Original
Pure Sound
Side 4:
Landslide
Dusk Til Dawn
The Ballad of Jimmy McCabe
Rip the Pages Up – vocal version
How Sweet It Is
Golden Leaves
Side 5:
Birthday
Sera-fina
I work in the Clouds
Portal to the Past
Hopper – White Label remix
Side 6:
Cosmic Fringes – Pet Shop Boys remix
Alpha
CD
Disc 1:
The Piper
Into the Sea
Big Brass Buttons
Super Lekker Stoned – Richard Fearless mix
Saturns Pattern – Young Fathers remix
Let Me In (Demo)
I Spy
Oranges and Rosewater
Praise if you Wanna
Mother Ethiopia
We Got a Lot
I’ll Think of Something
Disc 2:
Devotion
Sun Goes
Alone
Lay Down Your Weary Burden
The Olde Original
Pure Sound
Landslide
Dusk Til Dawn
The Ballad of Jimmy McCabe
Rip the Pages Up – vocal version
How Sweet It Is
Golden Leaves
Disc 3:
Birthday
Sera-fina
I work in the Clouds
Portal to the Past
Hopper – White Label remix
Cosmic Fringes – Pet Shop Boys remix
Alpha
Digital
PT1:
The Piper
Into the Sea
Big Brass Buttons
Super Lekker Stoned – Richard Fearless mix
Saturns Pattern – Young Fathers remix
Let Me In (Demo)
I Spy
Oranges and Rosewater
Praise if you Wanna
Mother Ethiopia
We Got a Lot
I’ll Think of Something
PT2:
Devotion
Sun Goes
Alone
Lay Down Your Weary Burden
The Olde Original
Pure Sound
Landslide
Dusk Til Dawn
The Ballad of Jimmy McCabe
Rip the Pages Up – vocal version
How Sweet It Is
Golden Leaves
PT3:
Birthday
Sera-fina
I work in the Clouds
Portal to the Past
Hopper – White Label remix
Cosmic Fringes – Pet Shop Boys remix
Alpha
* yes I know bloody Muse just had an album of the same name....
