Wizzard Brew

Wizzard Brew is the debut album by rock group Wizzard, released in 1973 on EMI's Harvest label. It reached a peak of No. 29 in the UK Albums Chart.[2] In the United States, it was released by United Artists Records as Wizzard's Brew (with a different cover photo) but failed to chart there.

Wizzard Brew
Studio album by
Wizzard
Released1973
2006 Re-Issue
Recorded1972-1973
StudioPhonogram Studios and EMI Studios, London
Genre
Length40:31
LabelHarvest
ProducerRoy Wood
Wizzard chronology
Wizzard Brew
(1973)		 Introducing Eddy and the Falcons
(1974)
Alternative cover
US alternative cover

In 2003, Mojo magazine ranked it number 18 on its list of the "Top 50 Eccentric Albums".[3]

Release

The original release included an insert with song lyrics on one side and photos of the band members on the other.[4] It was reissued on CD in 1999 but was soon deleted. An expanded remastered edition, which includes all the A-sides and B-sides of the group's first four singles from 1972–1973 as bonus tracks, was released on CD in November 2006.

Wizzard Brew is a very eccentric album, starting with a typical heavy glam rock song lasting 4:36 on the first track, but then moving to an eclectic mixture of all sorts of sound lasting a marathon 13:30 on the second track, which includes jazz elements and a long period of duelling saxophones. The third track, lasting a short 2:08, is a sergeant major style military march, before then moving on to fast paced rock and roll on the fourth and fifth tracks, with the fifth track reminiscent of Elvis Presley sound. The sixth track, lasting 9:10, slows the pace down and mixes rock, pop melody, classical music and a verse of "Abide with Me" as the final lyrics.

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, felt that Roy Wood differentiated between the accessibility of Wizzard's singles and the "real art" of Wizzard Brew.[1]

Wood frequently used ring modulation to give the instruments a harsh, distorted sound. Critical and popular reaction was mixed.

Track listing

All songs written by Roy Wood, except where noted

  1. "You Can Dance Your Rock 'n' Roll" – 4:36
  2. "Meet Me at the Jailhouse" – 13:30
  3. "Jolly Cup of Tea" – 2:08
  4. "Buffalo Station - Get On Down to Memphis" – 7:30
  5. "Gotta Crush (About You)" – 3:37
  6. "Wear a Fast Gun" – 9:10[1]

2006 bonus tracks
  1. "Ball Park Incident" ('A') - 3:42
  2. "The Carlsberg Special (Pianos Demolished Phone 021 373 4472)" (Bill Hunt) ('B') - 4:16
  3. "See My Baby Jive" ('A') - 5:01
  4. "Bend Over Beethoven" - (Hugh McDowell) ('B') - 4:42
  5. "Angel Fingers" ('A') - 4:39
  6. "You Got the Jump on Me" - (Rick Price) ('B') - 6:28
  7. "Rob Roy's Nightmare (A Bit More H.A.)" - (Mike Burney) ('B') - 3:47
  8. "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" ('A') - 4:48

iTunes bonus track
  1. "Meet Me at the Jailhouse" (US Insert) - 0:47
    • Included as a hidden track after "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" on the CD reissues.

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 50
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) 29

References
  1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Wizzard Brew - Wizzard, Wizzo Band : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 608. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Mojo - 100 greatest singles of all time". Muzieklijstjes.nl. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. Wizzard-Brew/image (Media notes) – via Discogs.
  5. "Wizzard Brew - Wizzard, Wizzo Band : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 342. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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