Monkey Grip (Bill Wyman album)

Last updated

Monkey Grip
BillWymanMonkeyGripExpandedEditionFront.jpg
Studio album by
Released10 May 1974
RecordedNovember 1973 – February 1974
Studio Record Plant (Sausalito, California)
Genre Rock
Length37:05
Label Rolling Stones/Atlantic
Producer Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman chronology
Monkey Grip
(1974)
Stone Alone
(1976)
Singles from Monkey Grip
  1. "White Lightnin'"
    Released: May 1974
  2. "Monkey Grip Glue"
    Released: June 1974

Monkey Grip is the debut album by Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. It was released in 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. [1]

Contents

Although Wyman sings on every track on the album, he had only sung lead on one song in the Rolling Stones, the 1967 song "In Another Land".

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Creem D [3]
Džuboks (Favorable) [4]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five. They noted "I Wanna Get Me a Gun", "White Lightnin" and "I'll Pull You Thro" as the best songs on the album and hinted approval of Wyman's vocals, describing them as "loose and joy-filled". They also praised the album for avoiding the usual egotism of solo albums: "Though these types of albums can be self-absorbed affairs, Monkey Grip is meant to be a relaxed, unpretentious outlet for the compositions that would never see the light of day in Wyman's main band – and, as a credit to the bassist, it comes off exactly that way." [5]

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Bill Wyman, except "What a Blow", co-written by Malcolm Rebenack.

#Track titleLength
1."I Wanna Get Me a Gun"4:57
2."Crazy Woman"2:41
3."Pussy"2:10
4."Mighty Fine Time"3:36
5."Monkey Grip Glue"4:56
6."What a Blow"5:22
7."White Lightnin'"2:42
8."I'll Pull You Thro'"4:23
9."It's a Wonder"5:30
Bonus Tracks
10."Wine and Wimmen" [Instrumental]3:42
11."It's Just a Matter of Time"3:03
12."If You've Got the Feelin'"3:39
13."Five Card Stud"3:47
14."Monkey Grip Glue" [Single Edit]3:18
15."What a Blow" [Single Edit]3:46
16."White Lightnin'" [Single Edit]2:44
17."Pussy" [Single Mix]2:11

Personnel

Boneroo Horns (Tracks 1, 2, 4-6 & 8)

Production

Charts

Chart (1974)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 36
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)39
United States (Billboard 200)99

Release information

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References

  1. Rolling Stones database 1974 at The Complete Works Website
  2. Kurutz, Steve. Monkey Grip at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  3. Christgau, Robert (September 1974). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem . Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  4. Konjović, Slobodan. "Bill Wyman – Monkey Grip". Džuboks (in Serbian). Gornji Milanovac: Dečje novine (7 (second series)): 22–23.
  5. Kurutz, Steve. Monkey Grip at AllMusic
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 344. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.