Bill Wyman & the Rhythm Kings
Struttin' Our Stuff

Excluding Brian Jones, the first of the Stones to embark on a solo career is Bill Wyman in 1974, with "Monkey Grip" (as the more informed will know, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards debut, respectively, in 1985 and 1988): the bassist is therefore the first to stand out in the new, fascinating dimension of "Stone Alone," which is also the title of his 1976 album, as well as his own very interesting autobiography published (amid inevitable scandal, given the revelations it contained) in 1997.

Our man recounts: "I needed to shed the Stone's clothes. The Stones could represent Keith's entire life, but not mine". "I liked the music; I didn't like the lifestyle of the other members of the group"; statements like these reveal a certainly more introverted and reserved personality compared to that of the Glimmer Twins, worthy of a "side-man" who for years has played a marginal role within the band, in some ways akin to that of Charlie Watts.

Marginal role in terms of image, indeed, considering that Bill's importance in defining that legendary sound is anything but negligible, and it has its roots in an encyclopedic knowledge of Electric Blues, Rhythm & Blues as well as Boogie and more canonical Rock'n'Roll (Wyman is a manic collector of these genres). Bill's bass style (characteristic even in his particular approach to the instrument, given his habit of playing notes at the neck height) was school-making between the Sixties and Seventies and is still appreciated today for its variety and pleasantness of timbre, a timbre very incisive and "percussive", but also melodic to the right extent (qualities not always frequent among Rock bassists).

Unfortunately (but I'm afraid old Bill wouldn't agree with this "unfortunately" of mine) the partnership with Jagger and friends has now ended for almost two decades, ever since, on February 6, 1993, ours gave an interview to "London Tonight News" in which he officially declared a divorce that had long been in the air. Not an early retirement, however, since Wyman (born William George Perks, class of 1936) intended anything but to withdraw from the musical scene.

Besides rediscovering his unusual passion for archaeology and closely following a renowned restaurant chain on which he had invested a fortune (the chain's name is a whole program: "Steaky Fingers"), Bill continued (and still continues) to pursue his solo career, which includes small gems of Rock'n'Roll creativity and the rediscovery of Blues roots, as evident in the splendid "Willie & The Poor Boys," a title (borrowed from the Creedence) of a 1985 album in which the bassist was accompanied by a combo and exceptional guests like Jimmy Page, and where he revisited a slew of classics on his own terms (including "Baby Please Don't Go" and the berryana "You Never Can Tell").

In 1997, the tireless Bill, however, embarked on a new fascinating project, that of the Rhythm Kings, with whom he still tours around Europe and America: a formation more open and variable than ever, which over the years has seen the participation of distinguished friends such as ex-Procol Harum Gary Brooker, a legend of early British R&B of the caliber of Georgie Fame, and the great but little-known to the general public, Albert Lee (Eric Clapton enthusiasts will know who I'm talking about), along with longtime collaborator Terry Taylor.

"Struttin' Our Stuff" is the first chapter of the project, a vibrant and very tasty album in all its folds, where the roots, the bassist's musical "background," are best highlighted, not the usual "rehashed soup" you might expect but a wonderful page of sincere Rock-Blues (with high doses of Swing and Soul), furthermore enhanced by the quality of the aces involved in the studio sessions. Just take a look at the liner notes: there's pianist Max Middleton (already with Jeff Beck), there's His Majesty Eric Clapton (listen to his solo in "Melody"), there's Peter Frampton, and there's even a luxury rediscovery, Paul Carrack, a vocalist some will remember having accompanied, in the Eighties, Mike Rutherford in Mike & The Mechanics.

Bill's taste, his competence, and his musical culture are also demonstrated by the particular choice of repertoire, halfway between classic and modern, past and present: thus, it happens that in the lineup, alongside well-known tracks like "Tobacco Road" and "Green River" (who knows what John Fogerty thought when listening to this rustic version), beautiful originals coexist, and especially a gem (the already mentioned "Melody") from a less-known page of the Stones' repertoire, that "Black & Blue" of 1976 which many—rightly—consider among the lowest points of an entire discography; from the same album came the Funk of "Hot Stuff", to which Wyman ironically refers in the captivating "Stuff."

Every now and then the bassist makes an appearance with his intriguing vocality (very suited to the genres proposed and in some ways similar to that of Keith Richards, albeit with a greater preference for low tones), often accompanied by the vocalist Beverley Skeete; the arrangements strike, sumptuous, lively, "old style," and vaguely "New-Orleanian" that the ensemble, though not bound to a fixed formation, is able to create: all while respecting an overall coherence, so as to ensure a pleasant and never monotonous listening experience, moreover facilitated by respecting the traditional "mileage" of an old Long Playing (today, as we know, records are too long, but the forty-four minutes of "Struttin' Our Stuff" fly by with pleasure, without unnecessary refinements or prolixity: for the most part, they are two or three-minute songs).

It is a four-star album, and the rest of the production of the Rhythm Kings is on the same level, starting from the must-have bootlegs, fun encyclopedias of the most genuine Rock'n'Roll (live Wyman often likes to perform pieces like "Mystery Train," "Good Golly Miss Molly," and also an obscure Blues, already part of the Stones' repertoire, to which he is particularly attached: "Down Home Girl"). The Stones' most Blues soul is certainly not to be found in certain slick productions by Mick Jagger, but in albums like this one: not easy to find, certainly, but the listening will repay all your dedication. A prized piece that cannot be missed in the personal discography of "fanatics" of the genre.