Pool Of Sound - The Wild Swans

The Wild Swans

'The Wild Swans' was formed in 1980, the brainchild of Paul Simpson, who had left 'The Teardrop Explodes' following the recording of their first single, and he teamed up as vocalist with Jeremy Kelly on guitar, Ged Quinn on keyboards, with these three core members initally joined by James Weston on bass and Justin Stavely on drums. In early rehearsals, Paul just let Jem and Ged get on with jamming the music while he looked on and sang nothing. It was only after several rehearsals that Paul finally stepped to the mic and proved he could sing. The magic was pretty much there from the start, as the three members' natural musical chemistry took no time in emerging. As Jem has stated, "There was an incredible atmosphere down there, and everything just gelled. There was this kind of immediate intuitive thing."
It was Paul’s flatmate, the legendary Pete De Freitas, drummer with 'Echo & the Bunnymen' who financed 'The Wild Swans' first studio session, with his first royalty cheque from his work with the 'Bunnymen'. This produced their first single in 1982 on Zoo Records which set the music world alight. 'The Revolutionary Spirit' c/w 'God Forbid' is a record frequently cited by Zoo founder Bill Drummond as 'the best record that we ever released' and despite turning out to be Zoo's last ever release, the single received a measure of critical acclaim and in time, developed cult status. As Stavely had dropped out of the band by then, De Freitas ended up as financier, drummer as well as producer and was credited under his middle names Louis Vincent. The single spent 9 weeks on the UK Independant Chart peaking at No.13.

Revolutionary Spirit - Debut single

Subsequent to the release of 'The Revolutionary Spirit', weekly rehearsals were given a degree of urgency when the band was offered a BBC Radio 1 John Peel session. Songs on this session, all written by the team of Simpson, Quinn and Kelly, include 'No Bleeding', 'Enchanted' and 'Thirst'. By this point, the band included two new members; Baz Hughes on bass and Joe McKechnie on drums. 'The Wild Swans' were sporadically active in the early 1980's, touring with 'Echo and The Bunnymen' in 1981 following a residency with 'The Teardrop Explodes'. A David Jensen session came in the spring of 1982, with the band penning and performing 'The Iron Bed, 'Flowers Of England' and 'Now You're Perfect.

L - R  Jerry, Paul, Joe McKechnie, Phil Lucking & Ged’s head at the Royal Court Dec 1981

The group split very soon after this BBC Radio 1 session was broadcast. Paul Simpson blames the split of the original line-up on the members having been "too young, too stubborn and too stoned to see what we had." While 'The Wild Swans’ story does not end here, it is this first incarnation of the band that most consider to have produced its finest material. They may never have been as famous, or as commercially successful, as their peers 'Echo & the Bunnymen', 'The Teardrop Explodes' and 'Wah! Heat', but they were certainly every bit as musically innovative and as powerful. While his name may not be so familiar to many, Paul Simpson is an undisputed legend of Liverpool post-punk, and one of the most prolific and consistently brilliant songwriters the city has ever spawned.
1987 saw the band return with its original line-up to sign to Seymour Stein's Sire record label and release the acclaimed album 'Bringing Home the Ashes', but once again the band would fall apart leaving Simpson continuing with a very different sound releasing a second album 'Space Flower' under the 'Wild Swans' moniker before eventually calling it a day.
Unfinished business called Simpson to reform the band in 2008 to finally realise the perfect 'Wild Swans' album. That album, 'The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years' was set for a Spring 2011 release. The new line up was led by Paul Simpson aided and abetted by 'Wild Swans' Ricard Turvey, Steve Beswick (ex 'The Heart Throbs'), Les Pattinson ('Echo & the Bunnymen'), Ricky Maymi ('Brian Jonestown Massacre') and Mike Mooney ('Spiritualized'). Also on the album are Will Sergeant ('Echo and the Bunnymen') and Candie Payne.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/10/pool-of-sound-dead-or-alive.html