Wild Wood

Wild Wood is the second solo studio album by Paul Weller, released in September 1993. It made it to number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and contained four UK hits: "Wild Wood", which reached number 14 on the UK charts, "Sunflower", which reached number 16, "The Weaver" which reached number 18 as "The Weaver EP" and "Hung Up", which reached number 11.

The original 1993 UK and European CD included 15 tracks. When issued in the US, and reissued in the UK in 1994, a 16th track was added. A two-disc deluxe edition was released on 22 October 2007.

The title track, "Wild Wood", was released as a single in 1993, with "Ends of the Earth" as the B-side. It reached no. 14 on the UK charts in September 1993.

Critical reception
Wild Wood was released to enthusiastic reviews from critics. In Melody Maker, Taylor Parkes raved that "Wild Wood is, on its own sweet terms, a triumph", while in Select, Adam Higginbotham called it "the album that his solo debut should have been" and "an album of good pop songs to some; to others, a reassuring sign that the man is back on track". Paul Moody also offered qualified praise in NME, deeming it "not the absolute tour de force we may have hoped for", but nonetheless "three-quarters of the way to marking a complete rebirth." Rolling Stone's Tom Sinclair wrote that Wild Wood "gives retrochic an unexpected twist" and found it "charmingly anomalous, a smart, left-field stroke capable of transporting the listener to a dimly remembered land of pop delights." Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly noted the album's "intricate" music, describing it as a cross between "the gruff-punk charge" of Weller's band the Jam and "the refinement and musicality" of his later band the Style Council.

In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine lauded Wild Wood as Weller's "first true masterwork since ending the Jam", further crediting it with helping to "kick off the trad rock that dominated British music during the '90s." Record Collector's Lois Wilson said that the record, in addition to its "lyrical and musical depth", exhibited Weller's "renewed belief in his guitar playing", and "marked a critical and commercial rebirth" for Weller. Paul Moody reappraised the album more effusively in Uncut in 2007, writing that the album's "nostalgic mood hit a nerve with both lapsed Jam fans and young upstarts Blur and Oasis", and that "it's Weller's unshakeable self-belief which marks Wild Wood out as a landmark in British rock. Within a year of its release... grunge would be over, Britpop would be in full swing, and fears of rock's demise dismissed as a bad dream."

In 2000, Q placed Wild Wood at number 77 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever". Wild Wood was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Uncut rated "Wild Wood" as Weller's ninth best ever song and the best of his solo career, with the Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke praising it as a "very easy, kicking-back sort of song".

Personnel

 * Paul Weller – guitars, vocals (on all except 4, 8, 11), Mellotron (1, 2, 13, 14), Minimoog (1, 4, 11), piano (2, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14), Hammond organ (2, 5, 6, 14), bass (2, 5, 14), percussion and handclaps (2, 14), blues harp (6, 9), electric piano and percussion (6), strings (7)
 * Marco Nelson – bass (1, 3, 4, 6, 9–11, 13, 15), backing vocals (6)
 * Steve White – drums (1–6, 9–11, 13–16), percussion (1, 4, 8, 11)
 * Jacko Peake – horns (2, 4, 9, 11, 14), flute (2, 14)
 * Brendan Lynch – percussion and handclaps (2, 14), Minimoog (3, 9, 13), Mellotron (3, 13), Stylophone (7)
 * Max Beesley – percussion and handclaps (2, 14), backing vocals (6), Wurlitzer (15)
 * Helen Turner – organ (3)
 * Dr Robert – guitars (6, 7)
 * Dee C. Lee – backing vocals (9, 13, 15)
 * David Liddle – lead guitar (9)
 * Mick Talbot – Hammond organ (9)
 * Steve Cradock – electric guitar (10)
 * Simon Fowler – backing vocals (10)
 * Yolanda Charles – bass (16)