Facts and Stats: this is Pete Williams’ debut solo album released in 2012.
Williams had an early spell in punk band the Negatives, playing at a hundred miles an hour. This angry punk exertion was relatively short lived, as was his apprenticeship as a foundryman – working with brass, of the non-musical kind – and patternmaker (engineering) in an Oldham factory; instead he joined the first line-up of Dexys Midnight Runners as bass player, and was part of the team to record debut Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (1980) with its number one single “Geno”. After extensive touring of the album Williams left with some of his compatriots to form The Bureau, a new wave soul group who had a number five hit in Australia with “Only for Sheep” (1981). Unfortunately the band quietly came to an end, with WEA failing to release their self-titled album in the UK (it was later released in 2005).
Williams moved on to form These Tender Virtues, an art rock band with Williams as vocalist, “hoofer”, raconteur and front-man, from time to time also known as The Vicars of Vaudeville or The Dickensian Nutters. They delivered a mini LP The Continuing Saga…(1985) and toured extensively in Britain.
In 2003 Williams and Kevin Rowland (Dexys) reconnected, leading to a renewed relationship; Williams became Rowland’s co-conspirator sharing singing duties alongside him, staring with a critically acclaimed tour of the UK and Europe in 2003 titled “To Stop The Burning”, then later followed by album One Day I’m Going to Soar (2012).
At some point during these later years a fortuitous meeting occurred on a canal towpath with bassist Al Gare and drummer Dean Beresford. They formed Basehart (now the name of Williams’ label), then bolstered the line up with pianist Danny McCormack, trombonist Paul Taylor and the Tender Virtue keyboard player Fred Skidmore to deliver some live shows. A 2004 three track EP “Black” evidences the early work made up of the title track, “Trust Me” and “Said I’d be the 1” with Williams backed by Skidmore, McCormack, Beresford and Gare plus Paul Taylor (trombone).
In 2012 Williams dropped the band name, and his debut as a solo act, featuring the Basehart musicans, was finally released.
What The Critics Thought: On or around its release, the critics were critics were rightfully impressed. Phil Mongredien of the Observer (29 July 2012) said that the “warm, engaging songs” suggested he should have released a solo album sooner. Simon Price for The Independent (28 July 2012) said that there was an “inevitable Dexys flavour as well as adding up to an eminently likeable record in its own right”. Tony Clayton-Lea for the Irish Times (22 June 2012) noted: “As albums go, this is really quite good”.
What We Think: “Reconsider This””, Williams convincingly exclaims on the soaring opening track, and he takes flight like a British Jacques Brel. It is a notable debut, all eleven songs written by Williams and performed with multi-instrumentalist flair; across the album he plays guitar, bass, ukulele, harmonica, clarinet and banjo.
The warm confidence on record may have been assisted by the band’s shared history and individual expertise. “Are You Listening”, with a ragtime feel of clarinet and trombone, lightly considers advice given from father to son (get a job!) from the perspective of now also being a father. “Said I’d Be The One” benefits from a sense of community through Gare’s double bass, backing vocals by Jim Hickman and Mike Timm and trombone by Taylor. There are regular flourishes of character; more trombone on the jaunty “Questions”, Williams’ whistle at the end of “Trust Me” and Skidmore’s ghetto whistle on “Suddenly Shattered”. Richard Hawley also steps in to add some Duane Eddy guitars on the whirling dervish of “Black” as well as playing on the sweeping poetic romance of “Soon I’ll Be There”.
There are further Brel exclamations on dramatic love songs “Little One” and “Heart Beats” – “I’d do anything for you” he declares on the latter – and the full volume of a disintegrating relationship on “Until We Empty This Bottle”. The comparison to Dexys by critics was easy but the album undoubtedly demonstrated that Williams was, and is, his own person with a distinct vision and voice.
Label: Basehart Recordings
Release Date: 06 JAN 2012
Poetic Justice 
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