The Wildhearts: 10 Tracks You Need To Call Yourself A Fan
The best tracks from one of Britain's all-time great rock bands.
This month, the best British rock band of the last 25 years, The Wildhearts, go on tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their second album p.h.u.q. The band will play the 1995 classic in full, and the shows promise to push fans to the edge of delirium.
But for people who have never been exposed to the majesty of The Wildhearts, this list is a handy introduction to your new favourite band.
Hang on a second though. We’ve set ourselves some arbitrary rules, because let’s be honest, it’s impossible to pare a back catalogue as good as The Wildhearts’ down to just ten tracks without some kind of system in place.
So, here they are. Firstly, only one song from each original studio album or EP is allowed. So this immediately excludes 2008’s covers’ album Stop Us If You’ve Heard This One Before, Vol. 1. The list also counts 1992’s Don’t Be Happy… Just Worry and Mondo Akimbo a-Go-Go (of which the former incorporated the latter) as one release, as it also does with their most recent record ¡Chutzpah!, and its accompanying mini EP ¡Chutzpah! Jnr.
Secondly, The Wildhearts have a vast and incredible array of b-sides, and many would argue that an album of them from between about 1993 to 1996 would probably be the band’s finest. With this in mind, we allow two b-sides, culled from their 18 single releases. And let us tell you, choosing just two was a hard slog...
10. It’s All Up To Me
It’s All Up To Me is taken from the band’s fifth studio album, and their first in six years, 2003’s The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed. Having taken a four year hiatus, frontman Ginger decided to reform the Earth Vs… era line-up of the band for some live dates in 2001.
Though the usual Wildhearts difficulties surfaced on that tour, things went well enough for the band to decide to record new material. Unfortunately bassist Danny McCormack was admitted to rehab just before the band entered the studio so Ginger ended up playing all the bass parts on the record.
Despite this upheaval, The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed is probably their most straight-forward and accessible album, packed full of pop melodies and no excess fat.
It even features backing vocals from a newly famous Justin Hawkins, and The Wildhearts played a huge part in The Darkness’ rise to fame. The Darkness supported them on early tours and Ginger was a champion of the band from their very first days.
Hawkins and co did not forget this, inviting The Wildhearts to support them on a European tour after they had become cock rock superstars.