Bill Wyman 1: Monkey Grip

As frustrated as Brian Jones was when Mick and Keith took over the songwriting and subsequent benefits in the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman remained more so. Only one of his songs made it to an actual album, and while it was also released as a single, that was as far as he got. So with the strength of the Rolling Stones Records label behind him, Bill took advantage of the opportunity to make solo albums—the only Stone to do so for another ten years.

Monkey Grip was recorded with the help of some famous friends—mostly Danny Kortchmar—plus members of Manassas, Lowell George, and Dr. John. The latter two certainly helped give a New Orleans vibe to the proceedings, despite being recorded mostly in California with assistance by engineers usually based in Florida. The other Stones were conspicuous in their absence.

The nicest thing we can say about Bill’s voice is that at least it was better than Ron Wood’s, but on “I Wanna Get Me A Gun” he sounds a little like John Cale, while the lyrical content could be connected to John Entwistle. “Crazy Woman” isn’t as developed, but basically covers the same theme from another angle. A Nitty Gritty Dirt Band banjo drives “Pussy”, a bluegrass rewrite of a nursery rhyme with horns, and while he seems to have his lady troubles figured out on “Mighty Fine”, “Monkey Grip Glue” is a too-long extened advertising jingle for a product that will stick to mean mistreaters.

He puts on his creepy Cale voice again for “What A Blow”, which meanders to a fake fade and back again. “White Lightnin’” is an ode to moonshine, which suitably Appalachian touches. “I’ll Pull You Thro’” has enough stank in the music and suggestions in the lyrics to almost be a Stones contender; it’s the only track here we can hear Mick possibly singing. “It’s A Wonder” lopes around for five minutes, and now we hear a vocal resemblance to Joey Molland.

There’s nothing really wrong with Monkey Grip, except that it’s not very exciting. For his sake it would have been nice if this meant he got the solo thing out of his system, but it didn’t. Meanwhile, the strength of his name didn’t give it much of a push, and it would only be revived in the digital era by budget and/or independent labels. (The bonus tracks on the eventual gushing reissue included three outtakes—two of which were little more than jams, though “It’s Just A Matter Of Time” is better than most of the album—plus four single mixes, and a song that would be rerecorded for his next outing.)

Bill Wyman Monkey Grip (1974)—2½
2006 Bill Wyman Solo Collection Edition: same as 1974, plus 8 extra tracks