Escape from Rubbish Island

Escape from Rubbish Island is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Wonder Stuff. It was released on 27 September 2004, through IRL. The band broke up in 1994; they reformed in 2000 and played shows sporadically over the next few years. Frontman Miles Hunt began making drum loops in his home studio, and had his flatmate former Radical Dance Faction member Mark McCarthy to add bass over them. An argument between Hunt and bandmate Martin Gilks resulted in the latter leaving, followed by violinist Martin Bell soon after. Hunt continued working on an album, recording at Vada Studios in 2004 with Matt Terry producing. The album saw a return to the band's rock sound of their early albums.

Escape from Rubbish Island
Studio album by
the Wonder Stuff
Released27 September 2004
Recorded2004
StudioVada
GenreRock
Length37:49
LabelIRL
ProducerMatt Terry
The Wonder Stuff chronology
Construction for the Modern Idiot
(1993)		 Escape from Rubbish Island
(2004)		 Suspended by Stars
(2006)
Singles from Escape from Rubbish Island
  1. "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight"
    Released: 4 January 2005
  2. "Bile Chant"/"Escape from Rubbish Island"
    Released: 21 February 2005

Escape from Rubbish Island received generally favourable reviews from critics, some of whom commented on Hunt's lyrics. "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" reached number 95 in the UK Singles Chart. "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" was released as the lead single in January 2005, followed the next month by the second single, a joint release of "Bile Chant" and "Escape from Rubbish Island". To promote the album, the band embarked on tours of the United Kingdom and the United States. The US release of the album, which was done to coincide with the tour in that territory, featured alternate mixes and additional guitar parts.

Background and production

Between 1988 and 1993, the Wonder Stuff released four studio albums, before breaking up in June 1994. Frontman Miles Hunt performed as a solo artist briefly, before forming Vent 414; the other members of the band, guitarist Malcolm Treece, bassist Paul Clifford, and drummer Martin Gilks, formed Weknowwhereyoulive. The Wonder Stuff, with the addition of former violinist/banjo player Martin Bell, and new members Stuart Quinell and Pete Whittaker, reunited for a show in 2000, initially as a one-off. Due to demand, the single gig was expanded into five, and the band continued to tour infrequently over the next few years.[1] Hunt wrote new songs in a home studio that he had built in London with Radical Dance Faction member Mark McCarthy, who played bass, in 2003.[2][3]

The pair had been sharing a flat with a friend, and Hunt had bought a computer and recording software. In an attempt to learn the software, Hunt would loop drums beats, and asked McCarthy to play over them. Inspired by McCarthy's playing ability, Hunt began adding guitar parts. Over the next two months, Hunt saw an album's worth of material forming; he was aware that it would be different from his previous two solo releases Hairy on the Inside (1999) and The Miles Hunt Club (2002). Around this time, the Wonder Stuff's original manager Les Johnson introduced Hunt to Matt Terry, a producer that owned his own studio in Stratford-upon-Avon.[2] Terry was friends Johnson's son Luke, who was a drummer in Amen, and had known Hunt since he was five.[2][4] Johnson, who lived in California, was visiting his parents; Hunt said he would pay for Johnson's flight back if he could delay it a week and help record drums for him, which Johnson agree to.[4]

While was this occurring, Hunt and McCarthy were making frequent visits to Stratford where Hunt's manager David Jaymes was forming his own label, IRL. Hunt showed them early versions of songs he was working on, which the label was ecstatic about releasing. By December 2003, Gilks left the Wonder Stuff over an argument between Hunt and Gilks; soon afterwards, Bell left as well. Hunt didn't take Bell and Gilks seriously as the pair had threatened to leave on prior occasions, and it wasn't until early 2004, when Gilks asked Hunt to remove his gear from a lock-up, that Hunt took notice of the situation. In spite of this, Hunt focused on finishing the album he had been working with McCarthy on.[2] Recording was held at Vada Studios in 2004, with Terry as the producer, and James Edwards as engineer. Paul Tipler mixed the recordings at Gravity Shack Studios in London, before the album was mastered by Kevin Grainger at Wired Masters.[5]

Composition

Escape from Rubbish Island was a return to the straight-forward rock sound of the band's earlier albums, especially their debut album The Eight Legged Groove Machine (1988).[4][6] Hunt said the title was "a statement about the way Britain’s gone over the last ten years. Politically, socially, musically, it’s just very backward looking."[4] Contrasting their third studio album Construction for the Modern Idiot (1993), which was about growing up, Escape from Rubbish Island tackled escapism and divorce.[6] Edwards added addition guitars, while Terry provided additional backing vocals; Hunt's uncle Bill contributed organ.[5]

Hunt wrote the majority of the tracks, except for "Bile Chant" (written by Hunt, McCarthy, and Republica member Jonny Male), "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" (written by Hunt, McCarthy, and Male), "Another Comic Tragedy" (written by Hunt and Male), and "Head Count" (written by Hunt and McCarthy).[5] The opening track "Escape from Rubbish Island" sees Hunt lambasting modern England, before talking introspectively, and is followed by "Bile Chant", which features flamenco guitarwork.[7][8] "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" recalled the sound of Construction for the Modern Idiot, and is followed by "Another Tragic Comedy", which tackles the topic of relationships.[6][9] "Head Count" is a goth-esque track that incorporates an organ; "One Step at a Time" uses elements of funk.[6][7][8] The closing track "Love's Ltd" has Celtic flourishes, and whistling from Geoffrey Kelly.[6][7]

Release

A financial backer of IRL proposed to Hunt that he should release the album under the Wonder Stuff name. After realising that he had put into the album the same effort that he had with the previous Wonder Stuff albums, he decided to put it out under the name.[2] Hunt invited Treece to join him and McCarthy on tour; Johnson was unable to secure a work permit, and was only able to play a few dates, before being replaced by former Love in Reverse member Andres Karu, who had drummed for Hunt previously on The Miles Hunt Club.[2][3][4] According to Hunt, the ex-members took over the band's website, criticizing the new line-up as "nothing but Miles Hunt and a bunch of his mates going out playing Wonder Stuff songs. To which I could only ask ‘isn’t that what it always had been?’"[2] Escape from Rubbish Island was released on 27 September 2004, through IRL.[10][11]

Following this, the band toured the United Kingdom until mid October.[12] "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" was released as a single on 11 October 2004, with "Apple of My Eye" and "Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart" as extra tracks.[11][13] "Bile Chant" and "Escape from Rubbish Island" were released as a joint single on 21 February 2005, with remixes of both songs as extra tracks.[14] On 1 March 2005, a music video for "Escape from Rubbish Island" was posted online.[15] The band was invited to tour the United States by touring agent Marc Geiger, who ran a label that was interested in releasing the album in that territory. Escape from Rubbish Island was released in there in March 2005; as Hunt was unhappy with some of the original mixes, he alter a few of them and had Treece add new guitar parts to some of the tracks.[2] Later in the month, the band played a handful of UK shows.[16] In April and May 2005, the band embarked on a tour of the US.[17]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Chart AttackMixed[9]
PopMattersFavourable[6]
Stylus MagazineB-[8]

Escape from Rubbish Island was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer John D. Luerssen wrote that the album "may not match" the quality of their third studio album Never Loved Elvis (1991), however, "it boasts some superb songs in the band's unique indie folk/rock style heightened by Hunt's sorely-needed, wry observations." He added that the album "may be littered with a couple of disposable songs ... but with irresistibly melodic, attitudinal numbers like "Back to Work" and "Another Comic Tragedy," the Wonder Stuff still manage to say it all with their moniker."[7]

Stylus Magazine's Bjorn Randolph highlighted Hunt's lyrics: "He's clearly got a hard case of the older/wisers, and the gleeful misanthropy of the classic Stuffies has been replaced with a wistful air, filled with regrets, coulda-beens and shoulda-beens."[8] Patrick Schabe of PopMatters found Hunt's lyrics to be "as wry and bitter and sneering as ever," however, the music is "missing a piece of the formula that made up the old, familiar Wonder Stuff."[6] Chart Attack writer David Missio said noted that a few people "will enjoy Escape From Rubbish Island’s Bon Jovi/John Mellencamp sound," though the "brash lyrics" makes it fall "much too flat to be a successful comeback album."[9]

"Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight" reached number 95 in the UK Singles Chart.[18]

Track listing

All songs written by Miles Hunt, except where noted.[5]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Escape from Rubbish Island" 3:32
2."Bile Chant"
  • Miles Hunt
  • Mark McCarthy
  • Jonny Male
2:53
3."Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight"
  • Hunt
  • McCarthy
  • Male
3:49
4."Another Comic Tragedy"
  • Hunt
  • Male
3:21
5."Was I Meant to Be Sorry?" 3:39
6."Head Count"
  • Hunt
  • McCarthy
4:05
7."You Don't Know Who..." 4:33
8."Back to Work" 3:31
9."One Step at a Time" 4:03
10."Love's Ltd" 4:23
Total length:37:49

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[5]

References
  1. Deming, Mark. "The Wonder Stuff | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. Etheridge, Loz (28 November 2016). "A Bunch Of Fives: a retrospective with The Wonder Stuff's Miles Hunt - Part One, Escape from Rubbish Island". God Is in the TV. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. Righi, Len. "Snoop Dogg is the leader of this pack". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  4. Gourlay, Don. "The Wonder Stuff - Back With A Vengeance..." Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  5. Escape from Rubbish Island (booklet). The Wonder Stuff. IRL. 2004. IRL020.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Schabe, Patrick (17 April 2005). "The Wonder Stuff: Escape from Rubbish Island". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  7. Luerssen, John D. "Escape from Rubbish Island - The Wonder Stuff | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. Randolph, Bjorn (4 August 2005). "The Wonder Stuff - Escape from Rubbish Island - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. Missio, David (22 March 2005). "CD Releases: Queens Of The Stone Age, Choke, Bloc Party, Moby And More!!!". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. "Escape from Rubbish Island - The Wonder Stuff | Release Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  11. "Welcome to The Wonder Stuff's official website". The Wonder Stuff. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  12. "Live Dates". The Wonder Stuff. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  13. "Better Get Ready for a Fist Fight - The Wonder Stuff | Release Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  14. "Bile Chant Escape from Rubbish Island - The Wonder Stuff | Release Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  15. "Promo Video". The Wonder Stuff. Archived from the original on 11 April 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  16. "Live Dates". The Wonder Stuff. Archived from the original on 7 February 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  17. "Live Dates". The Wonder Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 December 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  18. "Wonder Stuff | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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