''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
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
.
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
Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...
's "
Be Stiff
"Be Stiff" is the third single by American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Stiff Records. The song was taken from the sessions for '' Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!'' (1978), produced by Brian Eno. Guitarist Bob Lewis wrote the mu ...
", a song that many artists on the
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007.
Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...
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. 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
Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
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.
#"Reconnez Cherie" – 3:15
#"Rags and Tatters" – 1:28
#"Waxworks" – 2:46
#"Telephoning Home" – 3:59
#"Grown Ups" – 2:54
#" Whole Wide World" – 2:52
#"Rough Kids" ( Ian Dury, Russell Hardy) – 2:02
#"Personal Hygiene" – 2:42
#"Brain Thieves" – 3:48
#"There Isn't Anything Else" – 2:35
1994 reissue bonus tracks
#
"Semaphore Signals" – 2:57
#"
Be Stiff
"Be Stiff" is the third single by American new wave band Devo, released in 1978 by Stiff Records. The song was taken from the sessions for '' Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!'' (1978), produced by Brian Eno. Guitarist Bob Lewis wrote the mu ...
" (version 1) (
Gerald Casale
Gerald Vincent "Jerry" Casale ( ) ( ''né'' Pizzute; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and bass player of the new wave band Devo, which released a top 20 hit in ...
*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
Steve Currie (19 May 1947 – 28 April 1981) was an English musician who was best known as the bass player and a long-term member of the English glam rock band T. Rex.
While working for the local Tax office, Currie played with local Grims ...
– bass guitar on "Telephoning Home"
*John Glyn – tenor saxophone on "Telephoning Home"
*
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Steve Goulding – drums on "Whole Wide World"
*
Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis (19 May 1949 – 19 September 2019) was an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.
Biography and career Early bands
In 1968, he formed a ban ...
– guitar on "There Isn't Anything Else"
*The Lillettes – backing vocals on "Personal Hygiene"
Production
*
Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis (19 May 1949 – 19 September 2019) was an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.
Biography and career Early bands
In 1968, he formed a ban ...
– production
*Nick Lowe – production on Whole Wide World
*Chas Herington – engineering, recording