Pete Wylie

Peter James Wylie (born 22 March 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of the band variously known as Wah!, Wah! Heat, Shambeko! Say Wah!, JF Wah!, The Mighty Wah! and Wah! The Mongrel.

Career Early bands Wylie was born on 22 March 1958 in Liverpool. He began his career in 1977 with lead vocalist Ian McCulloch and bassist Julian Cope, with whom he formed the band Crucial Three, which lasted from May to June the same year. Later that year, he performed as a member of the short-lived punk band Mystery Girls, who gave only one performance, supporting Sham 69 at Eric's Club in November 1977, and was composed of Pete Burns and Julian Cope. In December 1977, he joined The Spitfire Boys, who dissolved the same month. Wylie and two of the band, Pete Griffiths and Peter Clarke, formed the same month The Nova Mob, alongside Julian Cope. The band lasted until May 1978. In August, he joined established local band Crash Course (December 1977 – January 1979), on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, after seeing them supporting Big in Japan at the matinee of their farewell show at Eric's Club on 26 August. The revised Crash Course made their first live appearance at Manchester University on 13 October.

On 22 December 1978, a professional recording of the band performing at Eric's (a gig which included Echo and the Bunnymen as support act) was made for a live EP, to be released on the club's own label, and to follow the Pink Military EP which had also been recorded there. Crash Course disbanded in late January 1979 and the record wasn't pressed (the tape subsequently lost). Also in January 1979, the band had recorded three tracks at Liverpool's MVCU demo studios: "Someone Different" (with which The Glass Torpedoes had a minor hit in mid-1979), "The Tears of a Clown" (the Smokey Robinson song), and "Look Now". Shortly after the band's demise, the three MVCU demo tracks were broadcast, in their unmixed form, on BBC radio's Phil Ross programme. One of the last compositions to be rehearsed by Crash Course was the semi instrumental "Heart Surgery". A version of this later appeared on the Glass Torpedoes EP.

Wah!

Active from 1979, Wylie and company garnered critical acclaim throughout 1980 for the singles "Better Scream" and "Seven Minutes to Midnight" (both as Wah! Heat), the latter being single of the week in the NME, Sounds and Melody Maker during spring 1980, as well as the 1981 Warner Bros. album Nah = Poo! – The Art of Bluff (as Wah!). Their biggest hit single was "The Story of the Blues", which was released in late 1982; it reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.

For several years, Wylie expressed interest in releasing another record, as he had not made any "this century". In the autumn of 2017, Wylie released his first album of the 2010s, entitled Pete Sounds. It was made with donations via PledgeMusic, and then released on his own label.

Personal life Wylie has a daughter, Mersey, who is a singer and musical director. Her mother is Australian.

Discography

Studio albums Year Information Chart positionsUK 1981 Nah=Poo – The Art of Bluff (as Wah!) Label: Eternal 33 1982 The Maverick Years 1980–81 (as Wah!) Label: Wonderful World of Wah! — 1984 A Word to the Wise Guy (as The Mighty Wah!) Label: Beggars Banquet 28 1987 Sinful Label: Siren Records — 1991 Infamy! or How I Didn't Get Where I Am Today (as Pete Wylie & Wah! The Mongrel) Label: Siren Records — 2000 Songs of Strength and Heartbreak (as The Mighty Wah!) Label: Castle Music — 2017 Pete Sounds! (as Pete Wylie) Label: Pete Sounds + Vision — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums The Way We Wah! (Eternal, 1984) The Handy Wah! Whole : Songs from the Repertwah! : The Maverick Years 2000 (Castle Music, 2000)

Extended plays The Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit Records, 1987) (Recorded 22 August 1984) Heart as Big as Liverpool (When! Recordings, 2000)

Singles Year Title Chart positionsUK IRL AUS US Club Play 1979 "Better Scream" (as Wah! Heat)———— 1980"Seven Minutes to Midnight....To Be Continued" (as Wah! Heat)———— 1981 "Forget the Down!" (as Wah!)———— "Somesay" (as Wah!)———— 1982 "Remember" (as Shambeko! Say Wah!)———— "The Story of the Blues (Part One)" (as Wah!) 35—— 1983 "Hope (I Wish You'd Believe Me)" (as Wah!) 3718—— 1984 "Come Back (The Story of the Reds)" (as The Mighty Wah!) 2019—— "Weekends (How Come We Always End Up Here?) – The Recut!!!" (as The Mighty Wah!)———— 1986 "Sinful!" (as Pete Wylie and the Oedipus Wrecks)13136926 "Diamond Girl" 57——— 1987 "If I Love You" 76——— "FourElevenFortyFour"79——— 1990 "Imperfect list" (Big Hard Excellent Fish) (written by Wylie/uncredited) ———— "It's Grim Up North" (Justified Ancients of Mu Mu feat. Pete Wylie) (limited edition grey vinyl release) ———— 1991 "Sinful! (Scary Jiggin' with Doctor Love)" (Pete Wylie and The Farm)28——— "Long Tall Scally" ———— "Don't Lose Your Dreams" ———— 1998 "Heart as Big as Liverpool" ("Half as Big as Liverpool" radio edit / 1 track promo) ———— "Loverboy" (1 track promo) ————2000 "Songs" (6 track promo) ———— "Sing All the Saddest Songs" (1 track promo) ———— 2010 "Disneyland Forever" (Live @ The Zanzibar 2007 / free download) ———— "The Milkyway Is Our Playground" (Freebass feat. Pete Wylie / Two Worlds Collide EP) ———— 2011 "Silver and Gold" (1983 Peel Session version / free download) ———— 2013 "The Day That Margaret Thatcher Dies!" ———— "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.