Billy Childish built a long-running body of work around raw, unvarnished music that often traded technical polish for directness, yet the William Loveday Intention offered a fresh vehicle for revisiting his catalog through unexpected settings. Though still far from glossy, the project recast older songs via '60s-style blues-rock, Dylan-esque folk-rock, and vintage pop backdrops that sometimes incorporated strings and horns. The tighter ensemble playing and comparatively refined sonics produced gentler textures than Childish's signature outings, while his singing remained intensely felt, albeit more restrained, allowing his candid, autobiographical words to stand out sharply against the melodies. His opening releases under the William Loveday Intention banner arrived with 2020's The New and Improved Bob Dylan, an album-length set of Bob Dylan covers performed in the spirit of the songwriter's initial electric phase, followed in 2021 by the expansive, orchestral-leaning People Think They Know Me But They Don't Know Me and the robust blues-rock collection The Bearded Lady Also Sells the Candy Floss.
Around 2000 an acquaintance floated the notion of Childish touring with a modest orchestra, an idea he filed away until the COVID-19 pandemic halted other plans in 2020 and freed time for recording. He then reactivated the concept, intending to rework earlier material under the William Loveday Intention name, drawn from his great-grandfather's name that had briefly appeared on Childish's own birth certificate before correction to Steven Hamper. Leading the effort on vocals and guitar, he assembled a fluid lineup that included his wife J.W. Loveday on bass and vocals, David Tattersall on lead guitar, Jon Barker on organ, Jim Riley on harmonica, Richard Moore on violin, Tom Orley on trumpet, and Adolphus Havard on drums.
The first album, 2020's The New and Improved Bob Dylan, leaned fully into the Dylan repertoire with arrangements recalling Highway 61 Revisited. Before the year ended, two further LPs appeared: the richly arranged, pop-focused People Think They Know Me But They Don't Know Me and the gritty folk-rock statement Will There Ever Be a Day That You're Hung Like a Thief. Early 2021 brought the blues-driven The Bearded Lady Also Sells the Candy Floss and the British R&B-styled Blud Under the Bridge. To help listeners navigate the rapid succession of titles, Childish and Damaged Goods compiled four of the five albums (excluding The New and Improved Bob Dylan) into the box set The Dept. of Discontinued Lines.
