Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Alan Wilder has released solo material as Recoil since 1986. A keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, and producer, Wilder was a key member of Depeche Mode for well over a decade, throughout the band's most successful years. At first, Recoil was a platform for lengthy, experimental, and electronic-oriented pieces, but Wilder later gravitated toward shorter, more dramatic tracks – typically around six minutes in length – that often incorporated spoken word artists and guest vocalists, as well as inspiration from blues, gospel, dub, film music, and hip-hop. Stylistically, Wilder's output was difficult to pigeonhole, though the slow, wrenching nature of much of his output since 1992's Bloodline evoked comparisons to the likes of Massive Attack and Moby – when, in fact, those acts owed much to Wilder's work with Depeche Mode.

A late-'70s job as a tape op and occasional session keyboardist at London's DJM Studios led Wilder to membership in a series of short-lived bands, including Dragons, Dafne & the Tenderspots, Real to Real, and the Hitmen. Most notably, Wilder played on the Korgis' 1979 number 13 U.K. hit "If I Had You." Wilder's brief journeyman stint ended after he noticed a Melody Maker ad from an "established band" seeking a synthesizer player. After two auditions, he joined that band – Depeche Mode – effectively replacing the departed Vince Clarke. Initially, Wilder was on board for touring purposes. Studio-wise, he didn't make his debut until the January 1983 single Get the Balance Right!, which featured an instrumental B-side he composed with the band's Martin Gore. That song, "The Great Outdoors!," was used as introduction music to some of the band's performances on a tour for A Broken Frame (Depeche Mode's second album, recorded with neither Clarke nor Wilder).

Wilder's creative involvement coincided with the band's development of a darker, more complex sound, as well as a gradual increase in popularity. Beginning with 1983's Construction Time, each Wilder-era Depeche Mode studio album went either gold or platinum in multiple countries. 1990's Violator, a triple-platinum release in the U.S. alone, was most popular of all. On June 1, 1995, following the release of Songs of Faith and Devotion and a grueling tour, Wilder announced his split from the band. This naturally allowed him to concentrate on Recoil, a project that had been sporadically active since the mid-'80s.

Like Depeche Mode, Wilder's Recoil was signed to Daniel Miller's Mute label. The first Recoil release was 1986's 1+2, a 33-minute release consisting of two sparse and winding electronic tracks. Hydrology, a three-track release anchored by another pair of lengthy, suite-like pieces, followed in 1988. The CD version added 1+2 in its entirety. Released in the wake of Violator, 1992's Bloodline featured vocals from Moby, Diamanda Galas, Curve's Toni Halliday and, returning the favor for producing his band Nitzer Ebb's Ebbhead, Douglas McCarthy. Bukka White was sampled for one of the more affecting tracks, "Electro Blues for Bukka White." Unsound Methods, the first post-Depeche Mode release, came in 1997. Along with a return from McCarthy, several new vocalists were added to the mix, including spoken word artist Maggie Estep and former Miranda Sex Garden member Hepzibah Sessa (to whom Wilder was married).

The following decade brought two Recoil albums. 2000's Liquid was Wilder's most intense release to date and a refinement of the '90s albums. 2007's relatively atmospheric Subhuman, however, reduced the number of vocalists to two: blues musician Joe Richardson (who also provided guitar and harmonica) and singer/songwriter Carla Trevaskis. An anthology, Selected, followed in 2010, along with a 52-city Recoil tour described as an art installation rather than a standard series of performances. Wilder subsequently remixed Depeche Mode's "In Chains," put together the Blu-Ray Recoil release A Strange Hour in Budapest, and served as executive producer of The Spirit of Talk Talk, a two-disc tribute to the synth pop and post-rock pioneers. Two appearances were featured on the 2012 release: "Dum Dum Girl" (featuring Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond) and "Inheritance" (with Linton Kwesi Johnson and Paul Marshall).

Biography by Andy Kellman, Allmusic.com

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Alan Wilder's first solo outing as Recoil is far from the techno-industrial releases that marked his later work. 1 + 2 was released in 1986 as a 12" EP, a collage of stop-start samples, including a vocal snippet of the Mode's David Gahan. This CD takes that EP, then adds three rather more interesting instrumentals, which vary from Philip Glass-esque piano scales and synth doodles that shimmer with light ("Grain") to more Glass-esque synthesizer scales that burst into pulsing, sequenced electronica ("Stone," "The Sermon"). Some listeners will find the tracks overlong, others will want to get lost in the sound.

Review by Ted Mills, Allmusic.com

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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With Violator the smash hit it was, and Depeche Mode coming off a huge burst in popularity and attention, Alan Wilder's solo project was never in a better position to get wider notice for itself in turn. Bloodline didn't produce an "Enjoy the Silence," but in many ways, this was and remains Wilder's most distinct Recoil album: a sharp combination of his ear for arrangements and notable guest singer turns. Wilder's production skills became even more influential with time. Electro-clash was a decade off, but Nine Inch Nails' own breakthrough was just around the corner, and the combination of pulsing energy and cold, brutal punch was perfectly evident throughout Bloodline. The two strictly solo tracks on the album, "The Defector" and "Freeze" are both strong and cinematic examples of Wilder's ear for propulsive atmospherics come to life, metallic percussion, and shimmering string synths put together just so. But Wilder wisely played off collaborative energy here as with his time in Depeche, and it's a stellar collection of singers he draws together. Semi-protégé band Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthy handles the vocals on a dramatic, bombastic rip through Alex Harvey's "Faith Healer." It's one of the best covers ever of that song. Meanwhile, Toni Halliday took time off from Curve to sing two songs, and her cool slink unsurprisingly suits "Edge to Life" and the title track perfectly. Intriguingly, Moby, then still riding his initial exposure due to "Go," raps (!) on "Curse," but even more intriguing is what Moby clearly took as inspiration for his own work elsewhere on the album. On "Electro Blues for Bukka White," Wilder chops up and reworks the titular singer to create a strange, unsettled tension between White's soulful roots vocals and Wilder's looming dread mixed with sudden, soaring beauty. It may not have been as pop-friendly as Play, but Moby clearly hadn't forgotten Wilder's earlier effort when his own mainstream splash happened.

Review by Ned Raggett, Allmusic.com

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As the first Recoil album since Alan Wilder's departure from Depeche Mode, some may have suspected that Unsound Methods would be the first Recoil album with commercial aspirations. After all, Wilder might have wanted to ensure a steady paycheck since he was no longer with the group. They needn't have worried – Unsound Methods is Recoil's most ambitious, adventurous record to date. Throughout the album, Wilder is exploring new soundscapes, developing cinematic collages of sound that rely equally on ambient textures, subtle electronic rhythms, strings,l and cavernous dub effects. Over this impressionistic music, Wilder has drafted a number of guest vocalists, including former Nitzer Ebb singer Douglas McCarthy, former Miranda Sex Garden vocalist Hepzibah Sessa, gospel singer Hildia Campbell, and New York-based author/poet/performance artist Maggie Estep, who all contribute appropriately haunting, evocative performances. The end result is a record that is darkly provocative and resonant, an album that establishes Wilder as a more viable artist than the latter-day Depeche Mode.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic.com

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On Liquid, Alan Wilder furthers his exploration of the lush, moody, and often haunting arrangements found on 1997's Unsound Methods. The unique blend of intricate electronic programming, crashing drums, and swirling strings found over the course of the album's ten tracks is injected with a dose of explosive energy and emotion by a collection of guest vocalists and lyricists. On board this time are Diamanda Galás, Nicole Blackman, Samantha Coerbell, Rosa M. Torras, Reto Buhle, and the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet. Liquid is also a very personal affair for Wilder. While he and a friend were driving through the Scottish countryside in 1994, a Tornado Bomber crashed in front of their car, killing the pilot. Shaken at what he had just witnessed, Wilder began to wonder what must have gone through the pilot's mind during those last few seconds before impact. Wilder's fourth full-length release as Recoil and second since parting with Depeche Mode, Liquid is a concept album that serves as a look into the mind of a warped and jaded man who's life is flashing in front of his eyes. With "Black Box (Pt.1)" and "Black Box (Pt.2)" serving as the album's bookends, the tracks in between reveal a life full of violence, sex, drug abuse, and remorse. Adding to Liquid's intense and cinematic tone are the lyrics contributed by Wilder's roster of guest artists. On "Want," Nicole Blackman adds "I want to keep you alive so there is always the possibility of murder later." She returns on "Breath Control" to confess to a sordid tale of autoerotic asphyxiation. One of Liquid's highlights, and perhaps the album's most accessible track, is "Jezebel." Reminiscent of the songs from Moby's Play, "Jezebel" is a brooding electro-gospel arrangement that features the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet singing traditional lyrics about sin and salvation. With the release of Unsound Methods, it was evident that Wilder was more interested in pushing artistic boundaries than searching for commercial success. With Liquid, he manages to distance himself from the mainstream even further, but he does so without isolating casual observers. Taking listeners through a roller coaster of powerful emotions, Liquid is proof that Wilder is still full of fresh ideas.

Review by Don Kline, Allmusic.com

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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After a six-year hiatus, former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder revived his Recoil project with the full-length Subhuman, a dreary album of dark soundscapes and a blues singer. Taking his "Electro Blues for Bukka White" track off 1992's Bloodline and blowing it up into a loose concept album, Wilder has hired Texas blues man Joe Richardson to contribute lyrics, guitar, and his swampy vocals to the album. The opening "Prey" is the grand meeting between Richardson's creeping blues and Recoil's creepy electronics, while the satisfying "5000 Years" finds Wilder acting as Richardson's producer until he dissolves the tune into noise and sound collage. The rest of their output sounds like a clever soundtrack searching for a moody movie, which is just to say it's both convincing and forgettable. The other track of note is the dreamy "Allelujah" which finds guest vocalist Carla Trevaskis speaking in ethereal tongues and sounding quite a bit like a Kate Bush sample. There's heaviness to the rest of the album that ponderously plods until numbness sets in, plus a collage in the booklet that perfectly illustrates Subhuman's big problem. In the collage, an antique picture of families frolicking at the beach is combined with an atom bomb exploding overhead, and then two showroom dummies are haphazardly planted in the foreground. Subhuman is equally hackneyed and entry-level postmodern, but like the collage, it's skillfully polished and best suited for lovers of dark, incongruous genre blending.

Review by David Jeffries, Allmusic.com

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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Recoil (Alan Wilder) - Albums & Singles Collection 1988-2008 (12CD + DVD9) [Re-Up]

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