Paul Weller: Fly On The Wall - "B" Sides & Rarities 1991-2001

This is a three-disc collection of Paul Weller 'b' sides and rarities from the first decade of his solo career. As you can see, he was pretty prolific during this period. I have included the material in this box set as well as some more tracks have subsequently been made available on varioius deluxe edition releases.

The non-album material from the debut album's many sessions includes one of the first post-Style Council recordings in the catchy jazzy funky pop of Here's A New Thing - featuring horns and flute but also funky bass, programmed house music loops and a typically Weller call for a "new thing", All Around The World-style and the lengthy but infectious jazz rock instrumental That Spiritual Feeling which strongly sets out the foundations for Weller's new sound. It was a Style Council leftover that had initially appeared, in less appealing form, on Modernism: A New Decade. 

A lighter, beautifully bassy version of Into Tomorrow is that song's first outing; Arrival Time is another instrumental, and it was one full of "new Weller" acid jazz noodlings - saxophones, parping organ, rumbling bass and solid, funky drums. Fly On The Wall is a gentle, acoustic ballad of the sort that would come to characterise Weller's subsequent solo work. Lyrically, it was full of the mature reflections that Weller would also become known for around this time. Always There To Fool You is an instrumental version of Uh-Huh Oh Yeh. The lively The Ends Of The Earth is vaguely Van Morrison-esque, it borrows from Amongst Butterflies in places.

I have always loved the deep, bassy grind of the beautiful but chunkily solid and slightly Bill Withers-influenced This Is No Time, it is one of Weller's best songs from the period and should have made the album. A killer, guitar-drenched live cut is from this era too. The groovy but sleepily funky instrumental Another New Day is a long version of the two instrumentals that were interjected on the actual album.

The Loved is a blissed-out tender acoustic ballad. Once again, it is very representative of Weller circa 1993-94 and the Wild Wood era. A stonking cover of Neil Young's protest song, Ohio, is a hidden Weller gem, it has a great live version too.

Everything Has A Price To Pay is a deep, folky blues acoustic ballad with a haunting atmosphere and vocal. All Year Round is an impressive, saxophone-drenched live recording of the old Style Council rarity while Feelin' Alright is a convincing cover of the Traffic sixties number. The Bitter Truth is a lively acoustic, bass and drums number that would have been a fine addition to the album. It sounds as if it took its acoustic lead riff from George Harrison's My Sweet Lord in places. Another delightful rarity is Weller's melodic, folky cover of Tim Hardin's Black Sheep Boy.

 

Weller's acoustic cover of Marvin Gaye's Abraham, Martin & John is tender enough but lacks the genuine soul of the original. New Thing is a re-working of Here's A New Thing, with a jaunty, soulful, almost Style Council feel to it - check out those gloriously catchy bassy guitar riffs.

Hung Up was a short, punchy single release that sort of helped to cement Weller's "Britpop" credibility. You can imagine the Gallagher brothers loving this. There is a potent guitar solo in it, but is doesn't ever really out-do anything on the Wild Wood album. 

A muscular live cover of The Who's Magic Bus dates from this time too, it segues into Bull-Rush, the opposite of the studio version. I'm Only Dreaming uses a bit of the sound of Cat Stevens' The First Cut Is The Deepest on its guitar line as well as some distinctly Beatles 1967 sounds. It has an entrancing sixties feel to it. 

A surprisingly cover is of the gospel Oh Happy Day, that features some fine saxophone, unusually for Weller, and a soulful vocal. Greetings is a slow-burning and robustly evocative number with a powerful bass line and drum sound. It speeds up appealingly half way through.

The non-album material from the Stanley Road sessions includes some great covers in The Beatles' (John Lennon's) Sexy Sadie and The Temptations' I'd Rather Go Blind. The former captures the song's muscular cynicism and the latter finds Weller on fine soulful form, showing that he can cope with covering a soul classic.

Steam is an experiment by producer Brendan Lynch with deep dance beats and fuzzy guitar loops. It sort of harks back to Weller's flirtation with house music a few years earlier. As with many of these things, though, it probably goes on a few minutes too long. After four minutes I find I tire of its sonic homogeny.

It's A New Day, Baby is an acoustic strummer that sort of puts me in mind of Ronnie Lane. My Whole World Is Falling Down is a BBC Session cover of the William Bell Stax single. Again, it is very well done, featuring some nice funky guitar. A Year Late is a folky, acoustic ballad, backed by strings and with one of those higher-pitched and plaintive Weller vocals. Finally from this period, there is an enjoyable cover of Bob Dylan/The Band's I Shall Be Released. Another sumptuous bass line drives it along and yet again, Weller does the business on the vocal. The guitar is very early Rod Stewart sounding too.

The non-album tracks from the Heavy Soul sessions featured Brendan Lynch's studio experimentation of Eye Of The Storm, an instrumental enhanced by some swirling guitar and pounding drums; a cover of Bobby Bland's insistent Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City, which suits Weller's robust delivery down to the ground; Shoot The Dove, a piano-driven ballad in slow, reflective style of Hung Up; a lively psychedelic-funky-dance-ish instrumental in So You Want To Be A Dancer (I am not a huge fan of dance stuff, but I like this - great bass and guitar sounds); The Riverbank, a dreamy re-working of The Jam's Tales From The Riverbank and finally Brand New Start, a wistful, acoustically-driven piece of typical Weller fare. It was a piece of infectious rootsy folky blues that exemplified just where Weller was at in 1997-98.

As You Lean Into The Light also appeared in two versions. Its alternative one is done in stark, acoustic format, with no drums or bass. Also worthy of mention are some songs from the otherwise fallow year of 1998. Right Underneath It is a tough, mid-pace Weller rock number once again very much in the style if his material from the time. It would not have been out of place on the Stanley Road album.

Now came some covers. Bang Bang is a beguiling cover of Cher’s hit song, Weller does it really well, backed by a sublime bass line. John Lennon’s Instant Karma also suits Weller perfectly. The same applies to The Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down, so much so that it almost sounds like a Weller original.

There wasn't much non-album material from the Heliocentric period around 2000. Helioscentric is a bassy, psychedelic-influenced instrumental, featuring weird guitars, plenty of Eastern sounds and dance drums. The “underground remix” of There’s No Drinking After You’re Dead is an interesting variation of the track, full of sledgehammer pounding dance drums, funny tape loop sounds and nothing much to remind you if the original song. It is ok fir a few minutes, but is ultimately pretty much inessential. I keep waiting for the song to start though....

Lots of stuff to listen to here - good luck trawling through it!