History
Early years
The Wildhearts formed in the early 1990s, after Ginger was sacked from the Throbs and the Quireboys. The bottom had fallen out of his world, and all that he had left, all that he cared about was the bottle of Jack Daniel..'s he was swigging from. Walking down some steps to the London Underground, he fell. As he lay on the floor, he decided that if the bottle was smashed, he would kill himself. If the bottle remained intact, he would start a band. The bottle was intact.
Ginger wanted to form a band where he could apply himself as a songwriter, rather than merely a guitarist as in his previous bands, inspired by the likes of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, and throughout the band..'s early career he wrote nearly all the songs himself. Initially a singer (Snake) was recruited but this proved unsuccessful and Ginger himself reluctantly took on the lead vocals, despite his reservations. He has never thought himself a good singer.
The band have had a fairly chaotic history, splitting up several times, adding and subtracting various members, and their career has been blighted by drug and alcohol related problems throughout. Much of the band..'s career was affected by sometimes bitter feuds with their record company, East West.
The first album
In 1993, to follow up their debut mini album Don..'t Be Happy... Just Worry... the band recorded demos for their first full length album. These were deemed so good that they were released as Earth Vs The Wildhearts without re-recording. Singles ..'Greetings From Shitsville..' and ..'TV Tan..' were underground hits in 1993. The single ..'Caffeine Bomb..' was a UK chart hit in 1994, helped by a memorable video in which Ginger appeared to vomit into CJ..'s face. The band appeared in Top of the Pops wearing green welding goggles. The debut album was reissued in late 1994 with ..'Caffeine Bomb..' tacked on and ..'Suckerpunch..' was another hit. Non-album double A-side ..'If Love is Like a Love Bank... I Want an Overdraft..' and ..'Geordie in Wonderland..' appeared at the start of 1995 helped by another banned video.
The follow up
The Wildhearts had grand plans for a double album, but East West vetoed this plan during the recording sessions, forcing the band to release a collection of 6 of the more eclectic tracks on a fan club only release Fishing For Luckies in early 1995. The second album proper was to be known as ..'P.H.U.Q...'. After the departure of CJ, midway through the recording sessions, the album was completed without a second guitarist. P.H.U.Q. was released in May 1995 and reached number 6 in the British charts, making it the band..'s most successful record. Shortly after the album..'s release, Mark Keds of Senseless Things was drafted in, but lasted just one recording session for 4 songs, one of which was called ..'Friend For 5 Minutes..' which turned out to be ironic as within a few weeks Keds was sacked after disappearing to Japan for a farewell tour with his old band. The Wildhearts were again down to a three piece for a few months, and even did a few gigs like this. This arrangement was not perfect however and the band felt a second guitarist was required - after requesting demos and holding auditions the job went to the previously unknown Jef Streatfield.
By late 1995 the band were finally fed up with their record label and set out to tour the Japan and the UK, determined that they would split up the band unless East West would release them from their contract. The tours were a resounding success and eventually the band managed to escape their record contract.
Round Records era
In early 1996 the Wildhearts were in an upbeat mood, claiming to have recorded 2 new studio albums, which would be released via East West on the band..'s own record label Round Records. Only one of these records saw the light of day, a revamped version of the previously fan club only ..'Fishing For Luckies..' with 8 new tracks making it up to full album length. The other album was never quite finished, although leaked copies were distributed as the Shitty Fuckin..' Stupid Tracks bootleg, and finally received an official release in 1998 as part of the Landmines and Pantomimes rarities compilation, although the band urged fans to boycott this record which they had not approved.
Endless Nameless era
In 1997 the band signed to Mushroom Records, and set about making another album. This album, recorded during a traumatic time for the band was a significant departure from their previous pop rock sound, with a very distorted sound. Fans were initially confused by the first single Anthem, released in July 1997, and by the time the album itself, Endless Nameless was released the opinion of fans was totally divided, some calling it a masterpiece, others an aberration. All was not harmonious inside the band either and drug problems, particularly affecting Danny, were putting a strain on the band in late 1997. Things came to a head in November of that year when Ginger decided to split the band, shortly before the release of Endless Nameless, and before a scheduled British tour, which was then cancelled.
Hiatus 1997-2001
For several years the band members concentrated on their respective side projects, although the lineup of Ginger, Danny, Ritch and Jef reformed a few times for one off gigs and tours of Japan, where the band had always had a strong following.
Reformation
In early 2001 Ginger shocked and delighted fans of the band by announcing that he was reforming the ..'Earth Vs The Wildhearts..'- era lineup of the band for a tour later that year. This lineup of the band ran into difficulties at first due to Danny..'s resumed heroin addiction, and on several dates of the comeback tour Toshi from support band AntiProduct stood in as bassist. By 2002 Danny was once again clean and the band started recording a new mini-album and also toured the UK. The tracks intended for the album were released in late 2002 across 3 formats of the Vanilla Radio single in the UK, and as the mini-album Riff After Riff After Motherfucking Riff in Japan. The Vanilla Radio single reached the Top 20 in the UK, and in early 2003 work began on a full-length album. During recording Danny checked himself into a rehabilitation centre to deal with an alcohol problem, leaving Ginger himself to play the bass parts on the album. Danny..'s place in the live band was filled by Random Jon Poole, who had already worked with Ginger on his Silver Ginger 5 side-project.
The album ..'The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed..' had a very commercial sound, full of short simple pop songs with little of the heavier rock style which often featured on previous albums. It seemed that things were finally looking up for the band when they managed to get a US record deal, and arranged to tour the US and release ..'Riff After Riff..', a compilation of songs from the UK post-reformation singles. This was The Wildhearts first US release since Earth Vs in 1994.
In early 2005, Ginger dissolved The Wildhearts and briefly joined The Brides of Destruction (featuring Tracii Guns on guitar) before setting out on his own as a full-time solo artist. In typically unpredictable Wildhearts style Ginger then reformed The Wildhearts again for a one-off gig at Scarborough Castle on 17th September 2005. The 1994-1995 line up of Ginger, Danny McCormack, CJ and Ritch Battersby played at this gig. The future, as ever, is never certain, but the separate members currently appear to be concentrating on other projects. A new Ginger solo release is expected later in the year, and Danny McCormack is back with his band The Yo-Yos.
Members
Current members:
- Ginger - vocals and guitar (1990-present)
- Danny McCormack - Bass and vocals (1991-2003, 2005-present).
- C.J. (Chris Jaghdar) - guitar and vocals (1990-1994, 2001-present)
- Ritch Battersby - drums (1994-1998, 2005-present)
Former members:
- Stidi (Andrew Stidolph) - drums (1992-1993, 2001-2004)
- "Random" Jon Poole - Bass (2003-2004)
- Jef Streatfield - guitar and vocals (1995-1998)
- Mark Keds - guitar and vocals (1995)
- Devin Townsend - guitar and vocals (1994).
- Willie Dowling - keyboards and piano (1994)
- Snake - vocals (1990)
- Bam - drums (1991)
- Jools - Bass (1990-1991)
- Pat Walters - Drums (1990-1992)
Discography
All are UK/ European releases unless otherwise stated.
Singles / E.P.s
Studio Albums
Live Albums
- Anarchic Airwaves (1998)
- Tokyo Suits Me (Japan only, 2000)
- The Wildhearts Strike Back (2004)
Compilations
- The Best Of The Wildhearts (1996)
- The Best Of The Wildhearts (Japan only, 2CD version, 1997)
- Landmines and Pantomimes (1998)
- Anthem: The Singles Tracks (Japan only, 1998)
- Moodswings and Roundabouts (Japan Only, Limited Edition 4CD Box Set, 1998)
- Riff After Riff (US, 2003)
- Coupled With (2004)
Bootlegs
The band have always had a permissive attitude to fans making bootleg recordings of their live shows, as long as nobody tries to profit financially from them. There are therefore many unofficial live recordings which are traded amongst fans.
There are also a number of bootlegs of various studio recordings.
- Angel Biscuits is a series of bootleg CD-R..'s containing MP3 files of rare material from The Wildhearts. These unofficial bootlegs were sold at cost price by a fan of the band, with the blessing of Ginger and the band.
- Shitty Fuckin..' Stupid Tracks was a bootleg recording mainly distributed in cassette format containing a collection of unreleased, unfinished studio tracks recorded in 1996. This material was later included on the album Landmines & Pantomimes, against the wishes of the band.
Other releases
In 2002 the Jason Ringenberg album ..'All Over Creation..' featured a song co-written by Ginger and Jason called ..' One Less Heartache..'. This was recorded in 2001 with the Wildhearts lineup of Ginger, CJ, Danny and Stidi acting as Jason..'s backing band.
The band of the same lineup has also recorded a version of "Wild Zero" by Japanese band Guitar Wolf which appears on "i Love Guitar Wolf Very Much" - a tribute to Guitar Wolf.
Related bands/side projects
The band members have all been in other bands and projects,
- Danny McCormack formed The Yo-Yos and The Chasers. Confusingly an early (1998) form of the Yo-Yos was also known as The Chasers. The Yo-Yos have been resurrected in 2005 featuring Danny McCormack and Ex-Wildheart (?) Stidi on drums.
- CJ and Willie Dowling were members of Honeycrack in the later 1990s. CJ has been a member of the Tattooed Love Boys before joining the Wildhearts, and is now a member of the V-Autos.
- Willie Dowling was the founder member of The Grip, and is now recording and touring with Jackdaw4, previously known as The Celebrity Squares. He also founded the Sugar Plum Fairies, and released one album under this moniker. As well as these bands, he works frequently with Midge Ure from Ultravox and has written numerous TV themes and incidental music used in commercials and television programmes.
- Ritch Battersby was in Grand Theft Audio, and briefly joined Ginger in Silver Ginger 5 plus joined Ginger, Random Jon Poole and Willie Dowling for Ginger..'s 40th Birthday Party (17/12/04)
- Random Jon Poole was a former member of Cardiacs and is now in a band called The God Damn Whores.
Trivia
- The only Wildhearts song not to feature Ginger was an early version of The Song Formally Known As, featuring Ritch on lead vocals, which was recorded in Ginger..'s absence. The song was later re-recorded by the full band and released as a b-side to the Anthem single.
Cover versions
- Pump It Up by Elvis Costello. This song was performed live many times in the Earth Vs era. The recorded version of the song was first released to radio stations as an unlabelled CD, and DJs were left to guess the identity of the band. Since the style of the recording was heavily distorted, very much like the album Endless Nameless recorded at the same sessions, few guessed the true identity of the band, with one DJ believing it to be Ministry! The song was available on a free CD with Q magazine in 1997, and on the Japanese version of Endless Nameless.
- The recorded version of the song My Baby Is A Headfuck on the Earth Vs album features an interlude with the guitar riff from the Beatles..' Day Tripper. When performing this song live the band often replace this interlude with a short excerpt from another cover versions, which have included...
- The theme from the 1980s sit-com Cheers - Where Everybody Knows Your Name features as a b-side to the single Top Of The World. This was played repeatedly by Chris Moyles on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
- White Lies by Jason and The Scorchers - played live at most gigs in 1997 and a studio version appeared as a b-side to the Anthem single.
- The Wildhearts played 1000 Miles From Me by Danny McCormack..'s other band The Yo-Yos on their tour of Japan in 1998. Danny sang lead vocals.
- Time to Let You Go originally by Enuff Z..'Nuff appeared as a b-side to the Anthem single.
- Lost Highway originally by Hank Williams appeared as a b-side to the Anthem single.
- So Good To Be Back Home originally by The Tourists appeared as a b-side to the Anthem single.
- He..'s A Whore originally by Cheap Trick appeared as a b-side to the Urge single - the Wildhearts version sounding more similar to that recorded by Big Black than to the original.
- Heroin on Endless Nameless is a cover of the Dogs D..'Amour track Heroine with slightly altered lyrics.
- In 2001 the band recorded a version of Jimmie Rodgers..' Last Blue Yodel with Jason Ringenberg. This has not yet been released.
Meanings behind songs
- ..And The Bullshit Goes On ( a b-side to Caffiene Bomb) was originally about one night stands, and was called ..'Just Stay..'. After an argument with a record company executive, Ginger rewrote the lyrics entirely to complain about the record company..'s attitude towards the band. Apparently no-one at East West records realised the meaning behind the new lyrics, despite Ginger cheekily including the line ..'it..'s just different words, in the same old fucking song..'! The original version appeared on an Angel Biscuits bootleg CD-R.
- Arguably the fans..' favourite Wildhearts song is 29 x The Pain (derived from Hsker D..'s song 59 Times the Pain), which is about the uplifting effect music has on a fan and is an homage to Ginger..'s influences, namechecking The Replacements, Hsker D, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Stars, Big Black, the Queen album Sheer Heart Attack, Cheap Trick, The Clash album London Calling, Jason And The Scorchers, Stiff Little Fingers, Blue yster Cult, Kiss, Heart, The Damned, Stiff Little Fingers, Kurt Cobain, ....amongst others... The song was re-recorded in 1996 with the line about Kurt Cobain replaced with a reference to Richey James Edwards.
- Jonesing For Jones (on P.H.U.Q.) is about the similarities between coming off drugs and splitting up with a girlfriend.
- Turning American is about people, particularly successful musicians who do not stick to their roots. It was not written as an Anti-American statement as some listeners incorrectly assumed.
- Nita Nitro (on P.H.U.Q.), Ginger uses the line Locos Tambien..He spotted it in an early 90..'s comic book called ..' Love and Rockets..', which apparently is a Spanish phrase meaning "crazy also".
- V-day (on P.H.U.Q.). is all about the day that all of the shit makes sense. V could stand for ..'vagrant..' when you..'re down, or ..'Viagra..' when you..'re up.
- Everlone is about people pretending to be miserable in order to seem ..'deep..', or fit into a current musical trend of cultivating misery for profit, while some people have legitimate mental health problems, that they would gladly exchange for a normal, happy life.
- Cold Patootie Tango (on P.H.U.Q.) is when sex goes bad.
- Nexus Icon is about musical icons. Icons seem to follow a pattern, a mother complex, massive insecurity problems and the belief that their audience loves them as much as they themselves do. It is a comment on the ..'conveyor belt..' attitude and mentality of the music business, and its unfortunate victims.