Monkey Grip (Bill Wyman album)
| Monkey Grip | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 May 1974 | |||
| Recorded | November 1973 – February 1974 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant (Sausalito, California) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 37:05 | |||
| Label | Rolling Stones/Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Bill Wyman | |||
| Bill Wyman chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Monkey Grip | ||||
| ||||
Monkey Grip is the debut album by Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. It was released in 1974 by Rolling Stones Records.[1]
Although Wyman sings on every track on the album, he had only sung lead on one song in the Rolling Stones, the 1967 song "In Another Land".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
Allmusic |   [2] |
| Creem | D[3] |
| Džuboks | (Favorable)[4] |
Critical reception
In a retrospective review, AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five. They noted "I Wanna Get Me a Gun", "White Lightnin" and "I'll Pull You Thro" as the best songs on the album and hinted approval of Wyman's vocals, describing them as "loose and joy-filled". They also praised the album for avoiding the usual egotism of solo albums: "Though these types of albums can be self-absorbed affairs, Monkey Grip is meant to be a relaxed, unpretentious outlet for the compositions that would never see the light of day in Wyman's main band – and, as a credit to the bassist, it comes off exactly that way."[5]
Track listing
All tracks composed and arranged by Bill Wyman, except "What a Blow", co-written by Malcolm Rebenack.
| # | Track title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna Get Me a Gun" | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Crazy Woman" | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Pussy" | 2:10 |
| 4. | "Mighty Fine Time" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Monkey Grip Glue" | 4:56 |
| 6. | "What a Blow" | 5:22 |
| 7. | "White Lightnin'" | 2:42 |
| 8. | "I'll Pull You Thro'" | 4:23 |
| 9. | "It's a Wonder" | 5:30 |
| Bonus Tracks | ||
| 10. | "Wine and Wimmen" [Instrumental] | 3:42 |
| 11. | "It's Just a Matter of Time" | 3:03 |
| 12. | "If You've Got the Feelin'" | 3:39 |
| 13. | "Five Card Stud" | 3:47 |
| 14. | "Monkey Grip Glue" [Single Edit] | 3:18 |
| 15. | "What a Blow" [Single Edit] | 3:46 |
| 16. | "White Lightnin'" [Single Edit] | 2:44 |
| 17. | "Pussy" [Single Mix] | 2:11 |
Personnel
- Bill Wyman – vocals, bass guitar (1-5, 8, 9), acoustic guitar (3, 4, 7, 8), Jew's harp (3), acoustic piano (4), backing vocals (4), electric guitar (6)
- Dr. John – acoustic piano (1), organ (6), pedalboard (6)
- Duane Smith – acoustic piano (2, 8)
- Leon Russell – acoustic piano (4)
- William "Smitty" Smith – acoustic piano (5)
- Hubert Heard – organ (8, 9), acoustic piano (9)
- Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar (1, 2, 4-6, 9), 12-string guitar (7, 8)
- Joey Murcia – electric guitar (2)
- George Terry – slide guitar (2), electric guitar (8)
- Jackie Clark – electric guitar (3, 4, 8)
- John McEuen – banjo (3), dobro (7), mandolin (7)
- Lowell George – lead guitar (5)
- Dallas Taylor– drums
- Joe Lala – percussion (1-3, 5-9)
- Byron Berline – fiddle (3, 6)
- Peter Graves – trombone (3)
- George McCrae – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 8, 9)
- Gwen McCrae – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 8, 9)
- Betty Wright – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 8, 9)
- Abigale Haness – backing vocals (4)
Boneroo Horns (Tracks 1, 2, 4-6 & 8)
- Bill Wyman – horn arrangements
- Neal Bonsanti – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, English horn
- Mark Colby – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Peter Graves – trombone, euphonium, horn arrangements
- Ken Faulk – trumpet, flugelhorn
Production
- Bill Wyman – producer, arrangements
- Howard Albert – assistant production, engineer, mixing
- Ron Albert – assistant production, engineer, mixing
- Karl Richardson – mastering at Criteria Studios (Miami, Florida)
- Jimmy Wachtel – design, artwork
- Amanda Finch – design assistant, artwork assistant
- Bob Jenkins – photography
Charts
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 36 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 39 |
| United States (Billboard 200) | 99 |
Release information
10 May 1974 LP Atlantic COC 79100 (Inner Sleeve)- 10 May 1974 LP Atlantic COC 79100 0698 (Inner Sleeve) (Promo)
- 1974 LP (Quadra Disc) Atlantic QD 79100 (Inner Sleeve)
- 1974 MC Atlantic (Slide Box)
- 1974 8-Track Atlantic TP 79100
- March 1997 CD One Way Records OW 34520 046633452021
- 21 November 2006 CD Castle 02182-36266-2 021823626628 (Expanded Edition)
May 1974 LP Atlantic COC 79100 (Inner Sleeve)
15 May 1974 LP RSR COC 59102 (Inner Sleeve and Front Cover Labels)- 15 May 1974 LP RSR COC 59102 (Inner Sleeve) (Promo)
- 24 June 1996 CD Sequel Rec. NEM CD 846
July 1974 LP RSR/WEA COC 79100- July 1974 MC RSR/WEA M5S 79100
1974 LP RSR/Music Hall Records 50-14.122 (Inner Sleeve) (Serie Super Lujo Especial)
25 November 1995 CD Trattoria PSCR-5413 4988023032245- 25 November 1995 CD Trattoria PSCR-5413 / 381483 4988023032245 (Promo)
- 24 August 2005 CD Imperial TECI 24302 4988004097119 (Paper Sleeve)
21 November 2006 CD Castle CMRCD1362 5050749413628 (Expanded Edition)
References
- ^ Rolling Stones database 1974 at The Complete Works Website
- AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (September 1974). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Konjović, Slobodan. "Bill Wyman – Monkey Grip". Džuboks (in Serbian) (7 (second series)). Gornji Milanovac: Dečje novine: 22–23.
- AllMusic
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
