UK indie rock band The Woodentops were among the first to cross-over to the dance in the late Eighties. they released a slew of singles and 12 inches and only two full-length studio albums in their heyday: Giant and Woodenfoot Cops on the Highway. Those two albums are the backbone of the new 3CD retrospective box set 'Before During After' Remixes Remasters & Rarities 1982-1992, with a disc dedicated to each album filled out with contemporary remixes and live versions. The third one is filled with rarities caters to the fans who have been looking for these odds and ends for years.
Founder member and resident songwriter Rolo McGinty personally oversaw the baking of the original master tapes, a tricky process with pristine results. The Woodentops didn't fit in anywhere a the time. With a bit of The B-52s and Talking Heads and healthy dose of Devo they paved the way for bands who got far more famous in their wake, most notably the Happy Mondays. They were quite popular on the UK and really big in the club scene of Ibiza, the Balearic isle that became ground zero for Euro dance in the mid-Eighties - the 12 remixes got snatched up by pioneering DJ's.
With 'Before During After' Remixes Remasters & Rarities 1982-1992 you get nearly fours of smart acoustic guitar driven indie rock slowly incorporating their signature Hypnobeat into their sound. This is a box set that is worthy of their cult status. The band reformed in 2006, playing the odd live date here and there. They have announced that they will tour in June.
'Before During After' Remixes Remasters & Rarities 1982-1992 is released in the Totem Series by One Little Indian. All purchases made through the One Little Indian store come with a 7" record sized collectors booklet which features an in-depth interview with The Woodentops frontman Rolo McGinty produced exclusively for this release. Release date: May 27.
CD1:- Get It On
- Good Thing
- Give It Time
- Love Train
- Hear Me James
- Love Affair With Everyday Living
- So Good Today
- Shout
- History
- Travelling Man
- Last Time
- Everything Breaks
- I Want Your Love
- Good Thing remix
- Travelling Man Remix
- Love Affair with Everyday Living (Adrian Sherwood remix)
- Why Why Why (Adrian Sherwood remix)
- Give It Time (Adrian Sherwood remix)
- Maybe It Won’t Last
- They Can Say What They Want
- You Make Me Feel
- Wheels Turning
- Stop This Car
- Heaven
- What You Give Out
- Tuesday Wednesday
- In A Dream
- Stop This Car (Ian Tregoning/Rolo Remix)
- Wheels Turning (Adrian Sherwood remix)
- In A Dream (Glastonbury 87)
- Keep A Knockin’ (Adrian Sherwood mix)
- Surely (rough mix)
- Pleasure
- You Could Be Happy
- Umeboshi Plum
- Plenty
- Have You Seen The Lights
- Move Me
- Well Well Well
- It Will Come
- Do It Anyway
- Steady Steady
- Plutonium Rock
- Get It On Live (Glastonbury 1987)
- Why Why Why (Balearic Re-Edit)
- Give It Time (Arthur Baker Dub)
- Tainted World (Kid Batchelor Rub)
- I’d Love You Again
- Children Of Today
- Conehead
- Don’t
- Everybody