Wreckless Eric (album)

Wreckless Eric is the debut album by English musician Wreckless Eric, released on 1 June 1978. It reached number 46 on the UK Albums Chart.[3]

Wreckless Eric
Studio album by Wreckless Eric
Released	1 June 1978
Recorded	1977–78
Studio	Bar Snack Studios
Genre	Pub rock power pop punk rock
Length	38:31
Label	Stiff
Producer	Barry Farmer Larry Wallis Ian Dury Nick Lowe
Wreckless Eric chronology
Wreckless Eric (1978) The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric (1978)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Record Collector	[2]

Release

A 10" version of the LP was issued on both brown and purple vinyl in the United Kingdom. These versions omitted the tracks "Whole Wide World" and "Telephoning Home". The full-length version of the LP was also issued on green vinyl in Germany.

It was reissued on CD for a limited time in 1994 by Disky Communications and included three bonus tracks: the "Whole Wide World" single B-side "Semaphore Signals" and two versions of Devo's "Be Stiff", a song that many artists on the Stiff Records label had covered as a promotional vehicle.

According to Eric's website, most versions of Wreckless Eric feature speeded-up versions of the tracks, in which the songs are a semitone higher than recorded.[4] Some of these versions have also appeared on various compilations throughout the years.

In a 1995 interview with Peter Doggett (found on the limited edition Rykodisc release An Overview Disc), former Stiff Records labelmate Elvis Costello mentions that, due to their unusual vocal styles, Stiff had originally envisioned a split LP between himself and Eric, with each artist taking one side of the record.

Track listing

All songs written by Wreckless Eric, except where noted.

1. "Reconnez Cherie" – 3:15
2. "Rags and Tatters" – 1:28
3. "Waxworks" – 2:46
4. "Telephoning Home" – 3:59
5. "Grown Ups" – 2:54
6. "Whole Wide World" – 2:52
7. "Rough Kids" (Ian Dury, Russell Hardy) – 2:02
8. "Personal Hygiene" – 2:42
9. "Brain Thieves" – 3:48
10. "There Isn't Anything Else" – 2:35

1994 reissue bonus tracks

11. "Semaphore Signals" – 2:57
12. "Be Stiff" (version 1) (Gerald Casale, Bob Lewis) – 3:35
13. "Be Stiff" (version 2) (Casale, Lewis) – 3:35

Personnel

• Wreckless Eric – vocals, guitars, drums
• Barry Payne – bass guitar
• Charlie Hart – Vox organ; accordion on "Reconnez Cherie", Farfisa organ on "Telephoning Home", piano on "Rough Kids"
• David Lutton – drums
• Davey Payne – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

Additional musicians

• Steve Currie – bass guitar on "Telephoning Home"
• John Glyn – tenor saxophone on "Telephoning Home"
• Nick Lowe – bass guitar and guitars on "Whole Wide World"
• Steve Goulding – drums on "Whole Wide World"
• Larry Wallis – guitar on "There Isn't Anything Else"
• The Lillettes – backing vocals on "Personal Hygiene"

Production

• Barry Farmer – production
• Larry Wallis – production
• Ian Dury – production
• Nick Lowe – production
• Chas Herington – engineering, recording

Charts

Chart (1978)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[5]	46

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wreckless Eric – Wreckless Eric". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
2. Elliott, Mark (May 2017). "Wreckless Eric – Wreckless Eric". Record Collector. No. 466. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 611. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
4. Wreckless Eric. "The Daily Mississippian". wrecklesseric.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
5. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 November 2020.

External links

• Wreckless Eric at Discogs (list of releases)