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Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby CD:
Un vecchio leone della gloriosa scuderia Stiff, torna con un nuovo lavoro…Rock,Pop,Psychedelic,Oldish Love them!!!

That Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby is the near-equal to anything this hard-partying Stiffmate created back in the seventies (other great lesser-knowns from that era: “Semaphore Signals,” “Hit And Miss Judy” and “Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.)”) can in part be attributed to his collaborator, new wife Amy Rigby. No small deal as singer-songwriter herself (check out her ’96 debut Diary of a Mod Housewife than follow on through the next five releases), the onetime New York rocker has an affinity for sweetly cynical girl pop. In terms of musical strategies, it’s hard to imagine a more compatible couple.The duo’s first full-blown release together is a fairly low-key production – just husband & wife messin’ around a studio in France. A lot of the tracks carry on the garagey sound both artists have mined so effectively in the past: lots of mid-tempo rockers pushed forward by suitably edgy guitar and proto-psychedelic keyboards. “-BlogCritics.org.

“4 stars. With Wreckless Eric back on Stiff Records for the first time in 30 years, it was easy for various listeners to say he was back on form as well. Ha! He never lost form. Indeed, the chain of albums that divides Big Smash! way back when, from Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby today, represents one of the most startling adroit voyages in modern rock, as the occasionally novelty minded auteur behind “Waxworks,” “Personal Hygiene,” and “Pop Song” developed such a weary eye for modern nonsense that civilization itself should have hung its head in shame. Blessed with a tongue so tart you could serve it for dessert, Eric long ago established himself among the most important songwriters of his generation and, sharing the spotlight with a conspirator who seems just as brusque as he is, he maintains that proud status here. Songs are divided unequally between the pair, Rigby writes five, Eric two, and the partnership meets for three more. But every one hovers around the same darkened corners of discomfort and damage. The result is a masterpiece, and a master class in what songwriting is really all about. Songs.”-AMG.
01. Here Comes My Ship
02. Astrovan
03. Another Drive-In Saturday
04. First Mate Rigby
05. Men in Sandals
06. The Downside of Being a Fuck-Up
07. A Taste of the Keys
08. “Trotters”
09. Please Be Nice to Her
10. Round
11. I Still Miss Someone

Biography:
Wreckless Eric gained notoriety as part of Stiff Records’ highly eccentric roster of punk and new wave artists during the late ’70s. With his whiny, slurred cockney voice, Eric couldn’t carry a tune, but that didn’t prevent him from being an enjoyable, if limited, rock & roller. With his early Stiff singles “Whole Wide World,” “Semaphore Signals,” and “Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.),” Eric bashed out a series of ragged, chaotic, three-chord punk-pop singles driven by his pent-up energy and a knack for melodic pop hooks. Wreckless Eric never had a big pop hit, but his engaging sense of humor and fondness for simple rock & roll helped make him a cult figure who continued to have a following into the ’90s.

Born Eric Goulden in Newhaven, Sussex, England, Wreckless Eric became interested in music through the pub rock scene of the mid-’70s. Once punk emerged in the late ’70s, he became attracted to its amateurish sense of freedom, and his music soon reflected his fascination with the music. Stiff Records signed him in 1977 and had Nick Lowe produce Eric’s debut single, “Whole Wide World”/”Semaphore Singles.” In addition to producing the record, Lowe played most of the instruments on the single. “Whole Wide World” received positive reviews and became a moderate hit in the punk underground, but what made Wreckless Eric infamous were his performances on the Live Stiffs package tours. On both of the Live Stiff tours, Eric earned headlines in the U.K. press for his ridiculous drunken antics, which occurred as frequently on-stage as they did behind the scenes. His 1978 eponymous debut had the same boozy sense of charm, but his second album, The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric (1979), demonstrated a previously unknown musical versatility. However, the album didn’t receive much attention after its release, primarily because Stiff was concentrating their efforts on Ian Dury and Madness, as well as a variety of half-baked marketing schemes. Wreckless Eric fashioned his third album, Big Smash, as a commercial breakthrough, but the record was poorly received and neglected by Stiff, prompting him to quit the music industry in the early ’80s.

After spending several years in retirement, Wreckless Eric returned to music in 1985 with Captains of Industry, a group he formed with several former members of Ian Dury’s Blockheads. The group released a record called A Roomful of Monkeys on Go! Discs before disbanding. The following year, Eric formed the Len Bright Combo with bassist Russ Wilkins and drummer Bruce Brand, who had both played with the Milkshakes. The Len Bright Combo released two albums in 1986 before disbanding. Shortly after the group’s breakup, Eric moved to France, where he released Le Beat Group Electrique in 1989. By the early ’80s, Wreckless Eric had developed a more subdued pop direction which was often compared to that of Jonathan Richman. Throughout the ’90s, he released records and performed in France, occasionally venturing to England and other parts of Europe. ~ (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide)

Biography:
Singer/songwriter Amy Rigby first surfaced during the early 1980s as a member of the New York City-based cowpunk outfit the Last Roundup, later earning cult success with the postmodern girl group the Shams. The former wife of ex-dBs drummer Will Rigby, she made her solo debut in 1996 with Diary of a Mod Housewife, a record widely acclaimed for its vivid portraits of life as a thirtysomething single mother and its smart assimilation of pop, country and folk sounds; Middlescence followed two years later; and The Sugar Tree was issued in fall 2000. The 18 Again anthology was released in 2002, collecting the best singles and album tracks from her first three records and putting them onto one CD. Her 2003 release, Til the Wheels Fall Off, reflected some of the flavor of her newly adopted hometown, Nashville, with guest appearances by Nashville musicians Todd Snider, Ken Coomer, Duane Jarvis, Dave Jacques and Rick Plant. Rigby headed back to her old stomping grounds of New York City to record 2005’s Little Fugitive, which features guest shots from Big Apple admirers Lenny Kaye and Dennis Diken. ~ (Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide)

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