About me: Artist/Musician - Liverpool England. Frontman and founder of The Wild Swans and Skyray. Successfully battling demons since 1981.
Back from the dead and currently engaged in writing, rehearsing and recording a new Wild Swans album.
The Wild Swans epic six-minute 10 inch vinyl single - English Electric Lightning/The Coldest Winter For 100 Years comes in a limited-edition of just 900 copies worldwide. With sleeve art by the bands keyboard player and renowned fine artist Ged Quinn, each copy comes hand number-stamped and copies ordered direct from Occultation come signed by Paul. Sleeve features full colour label art and inner sleeve with the lyrics to both songs.
info@Occultation.co.uk
*English Electric Lightning/The Coldest Winter For a Hundred Years is released to record shops on May 18th and is available now as a download from occultation.co.uk. and on i-tunes and most download sites.
After an absence of 20 years, Liverpool post-punk legends The Wild Swans are back with an epic new single. You can’t fake authenticity and as you might expect from the creators of the astonishing Revolutionary Spirit, English Electric Lightning is an breathtaking tour de-force; 5-minutes 56 seconds of coruscating Blakean incandescence. By their works shall ye know them.
The very best of British.
'Worth the wait? Hell yes. Its kinda like meeting an old girlfriend that you've not seen for years and rarely thought about, but now you realise that you've always loved them and always will. English electric Lightning is a worthy successor to Revolutionary Spirit and finds Paul simpson in fine fettle, positive and forceful-not a bit like a man haunted by his past. More like a young turk about to take on the world. But no matter how good that song is its the b-side which will stop you in your tracks. Basically its a seven and a half minute spoken word epic about the winter of 1980/81 when paul shared a flat with Pete De Frietas. He tells a fantastic story, a glowing tribute to the Bunnymen drummer and to a life less ordinary. But I can't really do it justice here. You must hear it. Its a thing of rare beauty'. - Graham Ennis - When Skies Are Grey.com
'The World has moved on since The Wild Swans' last output. But its comforting to know that Paul Simpson's band have hardly changed a bit. The hymn-like melody and gothic vocals evoke fond fond memories of classic single, Revolutionary Spirit, while clever lyrical juxtapositions hammer home this harsh lament for modern Britain. Another classic. Welcome back.' Alan O'Hare - Liverpool.com
‘English Electric Lightning’ has much in common with the Wild Swans of ‘Revolutionary Spirit’, and, with its honeyed, rippling guitars and Quinn’s soaring, majestic keyboards, a similar sense of super melodiousness and timelessness. Simpson’s half jaded, half nostalgic lyrics, an evocation of his 60s/70s childhood and a six minute summary of British social history since the Second World War , however, are a lot less abstract than much of what he has written before, and this and an increased use of backing harmonies take the Wild Swans in a new direction. -John Clarkson - Pennyblackmusic.com
(Rodney Street -£8 per week circa 1981)
STOP PRESS: For your delectation...
The Wild Swans' pastoral summer evenings at Static on July 23rd and 24th will be enhanced by the addition of the delightful Rebecca Joy Sharp. From Glasgow with love.
www.myspace.com/rebeccajoysharp
Wild Swans feature and Interview with Paul by John Clarkson -(http://www.pennyblackmusic.com)
NEW WILD SWANS OFFICIAL SITE -http://www.thewildswans.co.uk (created and maintained by Russ Sanders)
http://www.paul-simpson.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/thewildswans
http://www.skyray.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/skyrayofficial
The long deleted Skyray albums Tranquilliser and Mind Lagoons plus the Ice Rink Music e.p. now available to download from the shop at http://www.paul-simpson.co.uk
cindy - we'll need to compare passports - lots of travelling goin on with this show - our demographic is a sure pointer to the magnitude of the mighty wild swans.
I'm pretty much set for my adventure in Liverpool - just got my passport yesterday. Looking forward to your show on the 24th, I know it's going to be great. See you in a couple weeks! Cindy
Just scanned through your books and it was very exciting to see J.K Huysmans, most people just give me strange looks when i start talking about the little yellow book from Dorian Grey and then they glaze over, oh well love mark and the rest of the remodel chaps
The extremely elegant eighth issue of Your Heart Out is a special edition called The Historical Romance. It was inspired by seeing a film about the jazz singer Jackie Paris, which prompted all sorts of thoughts about fate and fortune.
The Historical Romance is a bit of an odyssey that takes in Jackie Cain & Roy Kral, Billy Vera & Judy Clay, Red Krayola & Clinic, Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin, Freda Payne & Pennies From Heaven, plus much, much more ...
Please tell the world that it can be downloaded for free from our library over at:
What in the world is happening? What in the world could this be? I'm on the verge of an awakening A new kind of strength for me
I feel a force I've never felt before I don't want to fight it anymore Feelings so strong can't be ignored I burst out - I'm transformed
Rising up, shaking it off The yesterday dreary Graceful and strong, No more forlorn Today's a jubilee Don't be surprised This change is my design
I feel a force I've never felt before I don't want to fight it anymore Feelings so strong can't be ignored I burst out - I'm transformed
I feel a force I've never felt before I can't hold it down I've just got to soar And laugh in the face that is vulture law I burst out, I'm transformed
I feel a force I've never felt before I don't want to fight it anymore Feelings so strong can't be ignored I burst out - I'm transformed
I feel a force I've never felt before I can't hold it down I've just got to soar And laugh in the face that is vulture law I burst out - I'm transformed I burst right out - Into a swan I burst out into a swan
Yes please, Mr Simpson! This page has one of the best galleries I've seen, you know. Now I'm going to go get my hands on some more Wild Swans recordings.
I snagged a ticket for the Wild Swans July 24 show in Liverpool - also got a great deal on Priceline for round-trip airfare and hotel room - looking forward to it, this will be my first trip outside of the US. Now I got to go get my passport!
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