Mark Wirtz: Dreaming Through Six Decades – The Definitive Anthology
French-born writer, producer, and recording artist Mark Wirtz is best remembered for his never completed ‘Teenage Opera’ project, undertaken with vocalist Keith West, and cited by many, including The Who’s Pete Townshend, as the inspiration for rock operas, as well as his production of the eponymous album by psychedelic rock legends Tomorrow, which included future Yes guitarist Steve Howe and rock luminaries John “Junior” Wood and John (Twink) Alder on bass and drums, with vocals by the previously mentioned West.
In a career spanning nearly six decades, split between the UK and the USA, Wirtz was a part of innumerable releases by many artists, including himself. Stephen Wilson has compiled the definitive overview of Wirtz’s body of work in a new five-disc, 131-track box set issued on Cherry Red Records.
Disc one opens with both sides of Wirtz’s earliest release, a single issued under one of his many pseudonyms, ‘Bubble Pop’ b/w ‘Hold It!’ credited to Mark Rogers and The Marksmen. Released in 1963 on the Parlophone label, Wirtz’s 1963-1967 efforts are represented by work with artists such as Sheila & Jenny, The Soul Brothers, Jan Panter, a female vocalist from Trinidad best known as Katie Kissoon (a session vocalist for Elton John, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and The Pet Shop Boys among others), represented here by four sides recorded as Peanut, and Wirtz’s own combo Mood Mosaic. In 1967, Wirtz joined EMI as an in-house producer at Abbey Road Studios. An early highlight of this period is a single by vocalist Caroline Munro, utilizing a backing band consisting of the members of Cream (Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton), as well as Steve Howe. An important inclusion is Keith West’s single ‘On A Saturday,’ penned by Wirtz, and issued as West’s third and final single, sadly the sole non-charting member of the trio. Unquestionably, of historical importance from this period is his work on Tomorrow’s eponymous 1967 LP, documented here by four tracks: the group’s two single a-sides, ‘My White Bicycle’ and ‘Revolution,’ along with two album cuts, ‘The Incredible Journey Of Timothy Chase’ and a more than credible cover of The Beatles’ classic ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’ with all four tracks presented in mono mixes. Also included are two German language releases credited to Keith West and Wirtz, one ‘Shy Boy,’ which was later released by Brinsley Schwarz precursor band Kippington Lodge, featuring future Brinsley Schwarz and Nick Lowe. The disc closes with a Wirtz interview regarding Tomorrow.
Disc two opens with three tracks from the ambitious ‘Teenage Opera’ endeavor, another of the set’s historical highlights, beginning with the Wirtz-penned and sung ‘(He’s Our Dear Old) Weatherman,’ which was issued as a 1968 single in Europe. Sadly, it failed to chart there and did not see a U.S. release. The Wirtz/West-penned ‘Excerpt From A Teenage Opera’ was West’s biggest hit, reaching #2 in the UK and his only tune to approach the US Hot 100, bubbling under at #109. EMI treated the tune as a novelty and refused to approve a full album unless there was a second hit. His follow-up 45, ‘Sam (from A Teenage Opera),’ proved to be West’s second and final UK hit, but stalled at #38, thus ending any chance of Wirtz’s rock opera achieving fruition. These tracks proved the undoing of Tomorrow, with the band being billed as Keith West and Tomorrow due to the success of West’s singles, and ‘My White Bicycle’ only charting in the Netherlands. As a result, the band splintered. Twink and Wood, with help from Nicky Hopkins on piano and Clem Cattini on drums, cut a single as The Aquarian Age, ‘10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box,’ but there were no further recordings as Twink became the drummer in Pretty Things. Two cuts with Wirtz’s future wife Ross Hannaman, under the moniker The Sweetshop, often mistaken as part of ‘Teenage Opera,’ are followed by three Kippington Lodge cuts, including an English language version of ‘Shy Boy.’ Further highlights include two sides recorded with UK vocalist Samantha Jones and six issued by Zion De Gallier, born Douglas Robert Ord, who, under the alternative pseudonym of Dane Stephens, was lead vocalist of The Fairies. Among the De Gallier sides is the Wirtz composition which serves as the title track to this box set. Also of note are the Wirtz originals ‘What Goes Up Must Come Down’ b/w ‘Slowly, Slowly, Quick, Quick, Slowly,’ fine slabs of pub rock credited to Wirtz combo Cellophane Mop.
Disc three begins with six tracks from Wirtz’s band The Matchmakers, featuring Wirtz on vocals, Richard Barnes on bass, and Roger McKew on guitar, four tracks lifted from the group’s classic 1970 pop rock LP ‘Bubble Gum A Gogo,’ supplemented by single sides ‘Goody Goody Goody’ and ‘Wooly Wooly Watsgong.’ Next up are six tracks from Wirtz’s solo album, written with then-partner Maria Feldham, ‘Philwit And Pegasus,’ which Wirtz described as his attempt to make ‘a movie on record.’ Nine tracks from Wirtz’s 1970s output, after relocating to Los Angeles, follow, two from his 1973 ‘Hothouse Smiles’ album and the remaining seven from the ‘Balloon’ LP, which he issued the same year. The disc is completed by two demos from the ‘Philwit And Pegasus’ period.
Disc four consists of Wirtz’s two 1968 albums, ‘Fantastic Teenage Fair’ and ‘Come Back And Shake Me Up,’ appearing in their entirety for the first time in more than fifty-five years. ‘Fantastic Teenage Fair’ is a mix of four Wirtz originals with eight covers. Wirtz does a fine job on his interpretations of three Beatles tunes, with ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da,’ joined by ‘Fool On The Hill’ and ‘Hey Jude.’ Melodic takes on The Association’s ‘Never My Love’ and Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs. Robinson’ are joined by upbeat versions of Los Bravos’ ‘Black Is Black’ and The Bob Crewe Generation’s ‘Music To Watch Girls By,’ making for an interesting and pleasant listen. ‘Come Back And Shake Me Up’ likewise mixes Wirtz originals with hits of the day, a popular approach at the time. Of particular note are the inclusions of ‘Theme From ‘A Teenage Opera,” which had appeared as the b-side of ‘Excerpt From A Teenage Opera,’ and the album’s title track, both penned by Wirtz. The covers included are an eclectic mix, including Tommy Roe’s ‘Dizzy,’ The Fifth Dimension’s ‘Aquarius,’ The Beach Boys’ ‘I Can Hear Music,’ and an interesting take on Paul Anka’s ‘My Way.’ Again, Wirtz’s song selection works well, resulting in another pleasant listen, although neither LP lent itself to commercial success.
Disc five consists of outtakes, demos, curios, and remixes. The disc opens with a solo piano recital of ‘Sam.’ Two acetates of ‘in the works’ versions of ‘Grocer Jack’ give the listener insight into Wirtz’s method of song construction, as do home demos of ‘Feelin’ Better,’ ‘Let,’ and ‘I Need To Fall In Love.’ Remixes of tracks from the ‘Philwit And Pegasus’ album, The Aquarian Age, and Zion De Gallier tracks by set compiler Stephen Wilson offer interesting alternatives to the released versions. Wilson has also included additional Wirtz interviews for historical purposes. Throughout the box set, the time, as well as the tender loving care of Wilson, is obvious. The creative and eclectic elements of Wirtz’s body of work lend themselves especially well to this approach. Kudos to Wilson for bringing new life to Wirtz’s catalog while maintaining the integrity of the original recordings.
‘Dream, Dream, Dream: The Anthology’ comes in a clamshell box, with each of its five discs housed in cardboard mini-LP sleeves. The set includes a lavishly illustrated forty-page booklet, with complete track annotations and sleeve notes by Wilson, along with interview excerpts from Nick Black. The box set’s 131 tracks have a run time well over six hours. Wirtz’s music sounds better than ever thanks to the mastering and remastering job of Pete Maher. This set will appeal to fans of 1960s and 1970s pop music in particular, but is much more far-reaching thanks to its eclectic blend. With hand-printed lyrics to ‘Grocer Jack’ and a Mark Wirtz pin as added bonuses, this set comes very highly recommended.
Kevin Rathert
Mark Wirtz ‘Dream, Dream, Dream: The Anthology’ (Cherry Red Records, 2024)
