1980: Paul Simpson-vocals, Jerry Kelly-guitar, Ged Quinn-keyboards, Jim Weston-bass/Justin Stavely-drums. 1981: Paul Simpson-vocals, Jerry Kelly-guitar, Ged Quinn-keyboards, Rolo McGuinty/Phil Lucking-bass, Alan Wills-drums.
1985-87: Paul Simpson-vocals, Jerry Kelly-guitar, Ged Quinn/Joseph Fearon-bass, Alan Wills-drums.
1988-90: Paul Simpson-vocals, Joseph Fearon-bass (plus guest musicians)
2007-Present- Paul Simpson-vocals/bass, Ged Quinn-keyboards, Mike Mooney-guitar, Ricky Rene Maymi-bass/electric 12 string guitar, drums Steve Beswick.
Where Are They Now?
Original Swans drummer Justin Stavely ran a vintage clothing shop in London’s Covent Garden for several years before relocating to Australia.
Original Swans bassist Jim Weston died in 1984 as a result of being hit by a speeding motorcycle at Marble Arch in London.
Gerard Quinn's paintings are in prestigious private art collections all over the world. Ged lives quietly on his farm in Cornwall but has been coaxed away from his rural idyll to play piano once more for The Wild Swans.
Jeremy (Jem) Kelly lives and works in Hove. He is a lecturer in theatre studies and continues to make music with Peter Coyle under the name The Lotus Eaters.
The Wild Swan’s drummer Alan Wills is now managing director of Liverpool’s Deltasonic Records, home to Candie Payne, The Rascals, The Coral and The Zutons.
Bass player Joe Fearon works as in-house record producer for Deltasonic.
Rolo McGinty – bass player on The Revolutionary Spirit is once more gigging and making records with his band The Woodentops.
Mystery man musician Phil Lucking surfaces in Liverpool from time to time but no one really seems to know where he goes or what he does.
Paul Simpson, one of the most gifted and underrated artists of the Liverpool
Scene, began his musical career alongside Julian Cope in The Teardrop Explodes, providing the band with their name and sharing writing credits on
their first two singles.
He formed The Wild Swans in 1980, first recruiting James Weston (bass) and Justin Stavely (drums) ex-Teardrop Ged Quinn (keyboards) and ex-Systems Jerry Kelly (guitar). A year later, with Rolo McGinty now guesting on bass and Bunnyman Pete DeFreitas replacing Stavely on drums, they released the classic single The Revolutionary Spirit on Liverpool's Zoo label. When the song was included on the CD retrospective of the label's output, Bill Drummond singled it out as the best track Zoo ever produced (Drummond later went on to form The KLF).
The original Wild Swans recorded two sessions for the BBC, including one of those chosen by John Peel to begin the Strange Fruit releases several years later, and did a few live shows which included supporting The Teardrop Explodes during the infamous "Club Zoo" in Liverpool during March 1981. This was immediately followed by a full UK tour supporting Echo and The Bunnymen.
The band split in 1982 but reformed in 1986 with new member Joseph Fearon on bass. The group recorded a new Radio 1 session for long-time supporter Janice Long before signing a 2 album deal with Seymour Stein's legendary Sire Records. The first album, "Bringing Home The Ashes", was recorded in 1987 and, after Kelly's departure, Simpson and Fearon recorded "Space Flower" in 1989.
The early Zoo and BBC material was issued on Renascent Records' 2003 release "Incandescent" and the 2 Sire albums are now available on Korova/Rhino Records in a 2CD set under the title of "Magnitude".
Occultation Recordings released English Electric Lightning b/w The Coldest Winter In A Hundred Years, the first new Wild Swans single in over 20 years, as a limited edition on 10" vinyl in early 2009 and copies remain available at http://www.occultation.co.uk/Shop/shopfront.html.
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Occultation will be releasing the band's next single, Liquid Mercury, this time on 7" vinyl in November 2009 and more details will be available soon. Work on the band's third album, "The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years" is also well underway.
