The Wild Swans

In early 1982 the Wild Swans issued ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ as the closing release on Liverpool’s influential Zoo label, sparking considerable interest. The track offered an emotive strain of buoyant pop driven by guitar and synthesizer textures, positioning the group for wider recognition on par with fellow Zoo alumni Echo And The Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes. Excessive volume during production, however, compromised sonic clarity and may have curtailed stronger commercial results. Shortly thereafter the quartet—Paul Simpson (vocals, ex-Teardrop Explodes), Jerry Kelly (guitar, ex-Systems), Gerard Quinn (keyboards) and Alan Wills (drums)—disbanded, though its core members later formed the moderately successful Lotus Eaters. Despite that dissolution, ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ attained cult status; after a well-received John Peel BBC Radio session in September 1986 the band reformed. Bringing Home The Ashes appeared in 1988. Together with its singles ‘Young Manhood’ and ‘Bible Dreams’, the album displayed the Wild Swans’ distinctive character without achieving lasting resonance. The more psychedelic-tinged Space Flower, produced by Ian Broudie, likewise failed to restore their momentum.