Magical reappearance of Wizzard’s long lost album
Brum music legend Roy Wood’s ‘last attempt to retain some sort of sanity’ went ‘over the heads’ of his record company bosses in the 1970s and was shelved. DAVE FREAK reports
French Perfume, and ballad Take My Hand. Looking back, it’s that eccentricity which Roy believed was the album’s downfall.
“I think the record company didn’t release it is because they found it difficult to put it into a category, and it sort of went over their heads a little bit.”
Roy described the eight-song LP as “really a solo album” as he wrote, arranged and produced all the tracks, as well as playing multiple instruments, although several Wizzard associates, including bassist Rick Price and brass players Nick Pentelow and Mike Burney, did contribute.
“This was the sound of me growing up from being a pop singer to experimenting, arranging the horns parts and using jazz themes,” said Roy.
“The album was probably a last attempt to retain some sort of sanity,
Roy Wood trying to grow up, and not carry on indefinitely being just another pop group.”
Jet did test the water with a single, Indiana Rainbow. It flopped. But that didn’t stop Roy, as he officially disbanded Wizzard to form the Wizzo Band, and later Roy Wood’s Helicopters and Roy Wood’s Army, as well as collaborate with such acts as retro rockers Darts, psych’ band Doctor And The Medics, and even The Wombles.
Although the odd unreleased track occasionally cropped up on illegal bootlegs, the shelved collection was essentially forgotten. That was until 1999 when reissue label Demon discovered some mysterious tapes while researching re-releases of Roy’s solo album, Mustard, and Wizzard’s Introducing Eddy and The Falcons. Contacting Roy, they soon released they’d stumbled upon Wizzard’s lost third album, which they belated issued as Main Street in 2000 to widespread acclaim.
Speaking at the time, Roy discussed his support for the project: “‘The original tapes were sold to someone else, and then passed to Demon who contacted me. I said I’d get involved as it was never released before.” Hearing the album for the first time in years, he added: “It was recorded on old equipment, so I wasn’t expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised!”
Sadly, the 2000 release was soon deleted, and Main Street has remained unavailable for the best part of 20 years. But now Esoteric Recordings have remastered the original eight tracks, plus the rare Human Cannonball – recorded during Main Street sessions in 1976. The collection also restores Roy’s colourful original artwork.
“I did design my solo album sleeves and some Wizzard stuff, including the artwork for Main Street, which I enjoyed doing as it gave me an opportunity to let out my artistic tendencies, and justify my going to college,” Roy joked, referring to his brief stint at Birmingham’s Moseley
Art College in the mid-1960s. Alongside Main Street, Esoteric are also reissuing 1974’s Introducing Eddy and The Falcons. Remastered and expanded, the album’s 10 tracks are bolstered by associated singles, including Rock’n’Roll Winter and Are You Ready To Rock – both Top 10 hits.
The appearance of Main Street in 2000, alongside Introducing Eddy… led to speculation that Wizzard might reform, rumours Roy was quick to address: “Wizzard are not getting back together or anything, it’s nothing like that, really.”
Twenty years on, the reissues will no doubt prompt similar queries, and no doubt the same response from
Roy who, as always, continues to do his own thing to this day...
Main Street by Roy Wood and Wizzard, and Wizzard’s Introducing Eddy and The Falcons are available on CD from August 28. For more details, see esotericrecordings.com
I HOPE it will answer a lot of concerns from people and help a lot of people all at once.
Since the TV shows, I had lots and lots of enquiries from owners wanting help with their pets. There’s just one of me and I could never reply to everyone, but the podcast is great. I can look at what people have sent in and work on answers to their problems.
A lot of them are quite common – pulling on a lead, barking all the time, aggressive behaviour. Once the podcasts go out they are there for a long time. With the “new normal” as well, it’s a terrible cliché, but people have been working from home and dogs have been popping up in the background on Zoom or barking. Dogs might start feeling separation anxiety as well now as people start to return to offices and work. Dogs are clever and they do pick up on body language. You can go out for a walk, come back and make a cup of tea and then sit at the desk and open the laptop and the dog looks at the laptop and goes ‘Ok, I’ll go for a nap.’
Lots of people now have lockdown puppies. What can they expect?
(LAUGHS) Dogs go through a teenage stage and a lot of people who bought a puppy at the start of lockdown will soon be discovering that.
They might have been really good as a puppy, but at five or six months old they will notice a change.
All the good things they have been doing, their dog suddenly goes ‘nah, not doing that any more’.
You say sit and it is ‘I don’t think so’. They are just rebellious and you just have to stick to your guns.
It’s a phase they go though, but they do come through it.
You’ve worked with more than 5,000 dogs and have helped a lot of celebrity owners. Any memorable moments?
DENISE VAN OUTEN and her partner Eddie appeared on Celebrity Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly and wanted help with French Bulldog Tilly. Tilly would get out and run off and there was a busy road outside and we knew we had to fix this. They kind of knew that they had spoiled her quite badly, and as soon as I walked into the house there was an oil painting of the French Bulldog dressed as a princess.
Denise was absolutely lovely over it and knew there was a problem, and that is what we have to do but there was a moment in the TV show when I just burst out laughing on camera.
You’re known as The Dogfather. When did you get your first dog?
MUM and dad both worked when I was growing up and had the view it was too much to have a dog and they didn’t have the time – as a lot of families find. Then, when I was older, I was too busy myself and I only got my first dog in my 40s.
I had two Rotties – Axel and Gordon. I went from no dogs to two juvenile Rottweilers. That’s why I started dog training. I threw myself into it and my hobby is now my work. Sadly Axel and Gordon are gone now, but I have Lily, who is a lovely Labrador Boxer Cross.
Denise Van Outen, her partner Eddy and their dog Tilly
Is Lily the best-trained dog in the world?
(LAUGHS) Lily was rehomed and I’ve known lots of dogs who pull on the lead, but she pulled on the lead like you wouldn’t believe. Lily could pull the 9.30am train to Euston in the morning.
When I first got her from the rehoming place I took her to some common land and thought ‘let’s pop out and I’ll walk her around on a lead for a bit’. I stopped and tried to close the tailgate and she nearly pulled my arm off. But I’m happy to report all is fine now.
What are your plans for the future?
I’M writing a book and I can’t wait to get shooting the new series of Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly again. When filming, you have the TV crew and the dog owners and it is all about how we can do this in a safe way. I’ve worked with dogs from Jersey to Aberdeenshire and
I want to stroke every dog I see, but I can’t do that now.
You have to think about even picking up a lead and handing it back to the owner. It might mean using two leads. But I’m lucky. I live in the Cotswolds now. I walk out my door and I’m in the countryside within minutes.
Talking Dogs with Graeme Hall, right, is available from Monday on Spotify, Acast, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.