Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. The band is composed of Graeme Clark (bass, vocals), Tommy Cunningham (drums, vocals), Neil Mitchell (keyboards, piano, vocals) and, since 2018, lead vocalist and former Liberty X singer Kevin Simm, who replaced founding member Marti Pellow after he left during the previous year. A fifth, unofficial member, Graeme Duffin (lead guitar, vocals), has been with them since 1983. The band were named Best British Newcomer at the 1988 Brit Awards.
They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs’ 1960s hit “Love Is All Around”, which was used on the soundtrack to the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was a huge international success and spent 15 weeks atop the British charts. One week before potentially equalling the record for the most consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK singles chart, held by Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, it dropped to number two.
End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits is the first compilation album released by Scottish pop rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 8 November 1993, the album serves as a comprehensive collection of the band’s single discography, featuring all sixteen singles released between 1987 and 1993, plus two brand new songs — “Shed a Tear” and “Cold Cold Heart” — which were recorded by Nile Rodgers at The Hit Factory in New York City, where the album’s artwork was also shot. Both went on to be released as a singles.
The album peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. An accompanying VHS video, containing the band’s fifteen music videos to date, was released three days after the album on 11 November. In 1994, following the release of the band’s biggest hit to date, “Love Is All Around”, the album was re-released containing the aforementioned song as a bonus track. Subsequently, the album re-entered the UK Albums Chart, this time peaking at No. 1. A US-only version of the album, Part One, was released on 26 July 1994, peaking at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. (wikipedia)
From the time Wet Wet Wet’s debut was released in 1987 to the time this best-of compilation was released in 1993, the band managed to become one of the biggest-selling acts in British chart history; and that was before the release of “Love Is All Around.” End of Part One brings together Wet Wet Wet’s hits from the late ’80s and early ’90s and is a good overview of the band’s early catalog of work.
Ranging from blue-eyed soul to radio-friendly pop, the disc catalogs the band’s evolution, although it also serves to show some of the limitations of the band, most noticeably Marti Pellow’s charismatic but limited vocal delivery. For casual fans, this is all the Wet Wet Wet you’ll ever need, as End of Part One contains the best of their recordings without too much of the album fill. Apart from their biggest single, “Love Is All Around,” there was nothing from the last few years of their existence that matched the quality of the songs collected here. (by Jonathan Lewis)
Personnel:
Graeme Clark (bass, guitar, background vocals)
Tommy Cunningham (drums, percussion, background vocals)
Graeme Duffin (guitar, background vocals)
Neil Mitchell (keyboards)
Marti Pellow (vocals)
Tracklist:
01. Wishing I Was Lucky (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 3.52
02. Sweet Little Mystery (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 3.42
03. Angel Eyes (single version) (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.29
04. Temptation” (edited version) (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 3:58
05. With A Little Help From My Friends (Lennon/McCartney) 2.37
06. Sweet Surrender” (7″ version) (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.22
07. Broke Away” (7″ version) (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 3.58
08. Hold Back The River (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.43
o9. Stay With Me Heartache (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.08
10. This Time (Mitchell/Adams Jr.) 4.13
11. Make It Tonight (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.03
12. Put The Light On (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 3.56
13. Goodnight Girl (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 3.38
14. More Than Love (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.20
15. Lip Service (7″ version) 4.27
16. Blue For You” (live) (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 5.15
17. Shed A Tear (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.38
18. Cold Cold Heart (Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow) 4.12
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19. “Love Is All Around (Presley) 3.56
The official website:
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