(With eternal thanks to Dearest Friend of the blog Cee for visual assistance with the physical media. And also many thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about my coverage of Trevor, such as Yes historian/critic Simon Barrow and Kevin Mulryne of Yes Music Podcast. I truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read the blog and also provide engagement via links and other comments on social media. And also many many thanks to The Man himself for conversing with me about this album and its' associated era.)
* ~ * ~ *
Way back in 2016 when I first began working on an essay regarding Trevor's third solo album Wolf, my working title was "Perfectly Imperfect" and I find I still feel that way about this album. It's really good in some aspects, but in others the problems/weaknesses which Trevor had experienced during the making of Face To Face were still lurking in the background. But I can understand why Trevor considers it the best of his Chrysalis releases. It has a unique sound to it in some ways, which I would attribute to the different methodology he utilized. Playing and singing with other people in real time lends a particular immediacy to the end result. In other words: he recorded an album just like most everyone else recorded an album at that time. Put the talent in the studio and surround him/her with a strong supporting cast, pick the best songs, roll tape and go for broke, then polish and refine as needed.
My opinion has evolved even from that previous point, I would say, as this is how I originally opined:
Of the three albums which Trevor released in his post-Rabbitt and London-era career, Wolf (1981) is generally considered the best of the lot. It's not an opinion I completely agree with, but I would say I agree with Trevor that it was a better representation of the techniques he was using in that era. Even so I would say, again, it errs on the side of merely presenting him as a guitar hero/pub rocker kind of musician when we all know he's so much more, and it seems to have hindered him in terms of breaking through to a larger audience.But there is one thing which makes Wolf a stronger album and his name is Simon Phillips. You never realize how important the drummer is until you've got a drummer who can kick your ass six ways from Sunday, as they say.
* ~ * ~ *
 |
| In his native (at the time) habitat: Trevor at Konk Studios. |
Wolf appeared to have two releases: sometime in the second half of 1980 in the UK and Europe (and also Japan) though 1981 is the correct year of release for the US (which is also supported by an article I'll mention later); although of the multiple copies I own, one of them is a UK pressing with a 1981 copyright, so it's a bit confusing. The album was recorded in 1980 at a facility Trevor was already familiar with: Konk Studios in London's Crouch End.
As he's stated in various interviews, the 1979 tour of the UK Trevor undertook as a special guest of fellow guitarist Steve Hillage was a transformative experience for him, the return to live performance providing a reminder of more immediate rewards gained outside of the hermetic studio environment. Trevor described it thus in a 2004 interview:
I think I found myself again. I toured Face to Face and opened for Steve Hillage who was the nicest guy in the world. It was great to be on the road with him. It was all about the music and we got on very well. At the time, the punk explosion in England was massive and appeared to be obliterating everything in its path with regards to people having ears at radio stations. I think after that tour, I realized there’s still room. It’s not like people are going to stop doing what they’re doing unless they have a large bolt through their nose. So, I really started to work with a lot of passion when writing Wolf. It was really enjoyable and I got some fantastic musicians to play on it.Even interviews of the time were referencing Trevor's new direction, such as his profile in the May 1980 issue of Guitar World.
He's currently at work on a third solo LP and plans a US tour this summer. Trevor continues to experiment with production techniques and playing styles, believing that they go hand-in-hand. "A concept I'm particularly fond of now is trying to capture a strong, live feel in the studio. I've tried it with Wild Horses and myself to varying degrees. I find playing and producing evolve on parallel tracks - a process I plan to continue because one seems to help the other so much."In an interview he gave to Sylvie Simmons (writing for Kerrang!) in early 1981, Trevor reiterated his goals for the recording: "I went into Wolf deciding to make an album that was more passionate, more alive, more down to earth."
* ~ * ~ *
Either Trevor made a few edits to his original liner notes for Wolf from the 2002 reissue or they were included in their original unedited form for this release - the additions are in bold. It does have one part I am confused about.
I'm kind of sorry that they never benefited from later record sales that would occur with my releases for the Geffen record label.
Uh...the ones that didn't actually happen because you were dropped from the label? I'm assuming what he really means is either the YesWest records (on ATCO) or Can't Look Away, which was released on Elektra. Unless he was speaking of albums which he was expecting to record, even as it never came to pass.
Another change is that he lists most of the musicians who took part in the recording, which I do think is a nice acknowledgment of the session power he had surrounding him.
The other observation I find interesting is this:
My 1979 release Face To Face had not reached expectations for Chrysalis. In spite of this they wanted another album, which showed a lot of belief on their part.
That could well be true, but it could also be true that Trevor had a three-album deal with Chrysalis and so why wouldn't he deliver the last record? If he were to be dropped, it would have likely occurred after the release of his first album. And it's not like either of the prior releases performed well overall. But he was earning them money as a producer as well, so I find it unlikely that they considered Trevor an abject failure in any way. And there's also the consideration of Trevor likely spending more money to make Wolf than the previous album, given the number of people involved with the project and the fact that it was recorded at a studio not affiliated with either Chrysalis or Blue Chip Music. It would appear that they were behind this project and Trevor's determination to create something new and exciting. Or, they were simply letting contractual obligations run their course.
The new CD booklet also features photos from The Making of Wolf which means it's the nicest of all those from a aesthetic perspective, but several shots (including the back cover photo) are printed with that annoying red filter. How is that even a good idea?! But there are no credits included, presumably because all the credits are listed in the bonus Making of booklet instead. And sure, that's fine for someone who buys the boxset, but what about someone who just wants a copy of that album?
The new CD booklet also features photos from The Making of Wolf which means it's the nicest of all those from a aesthetic perspective, but several shots (including the back cover photo) are printed with that annoying red filter. How is that even a good idea?! But there are no credits included, presumably because all the credits are listed in the bonus Making of booklet instead. And sure, that's fine for someone who buys the boxset, but what about someone who just wants a copy of that album?
So now let's turn to the original press release...which was the actual source of that moniker Trevor has often cited: the godfather of Heavy Metal. It is pretty hilarious when you think about it. But Wolf is a hard rock album for the most part, so this positioning into a new identity makes sense even if it's not entirely fitting in terms of Trevor's instincts and abilities. It does, as did the previous press release for Face To Face, own up to Trevor's past in South Africa (although of course the context is not apologetic but rather expository). There's still a bit of sticking to the established narrative concerning his arrival in London, but overall it's far more factual than previous documents.
Here's an interesting detail concerning Trevor's public performances of the previous year:
The second album, Face To Face, consolidated Trevor's reputation and a spell on the road, culminating in a headline appearance at The Venue, won some enthusiastic support as well as rave reviews.The Venue, a nightclub in Central London, had been in operation for about a year prior to Trevor's showcase date, which took place on November 29th, 1979 (a Thursday, which is one of the prime spots on a club's schedule).
On the other hand, years ago I found this scan which appears to provide evidence of Trevor being considered for other tours - and apparently this show in Brussels did go off, but with Trevor as the opener? Well no, because on that night Trevor was playing with Steve at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. I asked Trevor about additional gigging when I interviewed him recently and he said no, he didn't do any other touring in the London years. Long-time fans are also aware of Trevor taking the stage with Wild Horses just a couple days after his showcase gig. But it is interesting to consider how and why Trevor ended up on this advertisement nonetheless.
The press release goes on to quote Trevor regarding how his one-man band attitude evolved into considerations of utilizing an ensemble:
Working on the road with a band and then in the studio with Wild Horses made me feel that I wanted to work with other musicians myself. The first two albums were recorded with me playing everything except drums - maybe they missed that spark that comes with working with and bouncing ideas off other musicians.
Being in the studio with people like Jack Bruce, Manfred Mann and Simon Phillips really made a difference to my playing as well. It might sound corny to say that they inspired me but it's true.
It's entirely obvious to state that the people involved in the recording of Wolf are what sets the album apart in Trevor's discography, but I think it's important to consider the participants in terms of their connections to Trevor as well as the industry at large. And so now let us view the...
Musicae Personae
Trevor Rabin: guitars, bass, keyboards, lead and backing vocals (the Alpha Wolf)
Simon Phillips: drums (well-known session player and touring drummer)
Jack Bruce: bass (one-third of Cream, solo artist, and one of the most esteemed bassists/singers in rock n'roll history)
Mo Foster: fretless bass on "Heard You Cry Wolf" (well-known session player)
Manfred Mann: keyboards (one of the most well-known musicians to come out of South Africa, leader of the Earth Band; Trevor produced their 1980 album Chance)
John "Rabbit" Bundrick: keyboards (well-known session/touring musician and long-running sideman with The Who)
Chris Thompson: backing vocals (lead vocalist for Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
Stevie Lange: backing vocals (then-wife of producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and session singer/solo artist; Trevor worked with her numerous times in the South Africa and London years)
Noel McCalla: backing vocals (former lead singer of UK-based band Moon and vocalist with Sniff 'n' The Tears; Trevor produced his 1979 solo album Night Time Emotion)
Ray Davies: Associate Producer (co-owner of Konk Studios, songwriting/vocalist mastermind of The Kinks and lyricist for "Long Island").
Of this last participant it is noted:
Wolf was co-produced by chief Kink Ray Davies, who also seems to have rung some changes albeit fairly subtle ones: "He was a great influence, helping me to take a more detached view of my own work. The album is rawer and less orchestrated - simpler, but I think more effective."
I would opine that perhaps strangely enough, this cast of characters actually had the effect of making the album sound far more unified than any of his others, which may have been a determined and premeditated choice, or perhaps an expression of the atmosphere created by the sessions themselves. But it's a wonderful thing to now have a view into their labors courtesy of The Making of Wolf booklet in the boxset. It provides evidence of general bonhomie, hard work, near exhaustion, and Trevor at the center of it all as he always ensures he is, the auteur of his creative destiny.
* ~ * ~ *
As I noted, the year of Wolf changed everything which had been previously established in terms of Trevor's career. But there were some pieces of the past remaining which were causing a sort of cognitive dissonance in terms of how he was attempting to present himself to the listening/record-buying public. Here's a guy who plays a mean guitar and writes and sings a catchy tune, but is also a multi-faceted self-sustaining industry with seeming ambitions beyond being simply a solo act and yet desperately wants to orient himself squarely in the rock n'roll game. Write, record, rehearse, tour...and maybe when all that's done then play and produce some sessions too.
But then there's things like this...and remember, it's not 1977 anymore. On the other hand, that jacket? Amazing.
Appearing in UK teen magazine Oh Boy!, June 1980.
(courtesy of The Groovy Archives)
(courtesy of The Groovy Archives)
I'm thinking of that axiom any publicity is good publicity, and Trevor was certainly still in demand as That (Slightly) Obscure Object of Desire; long-time fans are aware this would never really change for the next twenty years or so. It appears Trevor did not object to such things quite so much as he might have us believe. And I think it's perfectly okay for Trevor to play to all his strengths (as an attractive person who is also an amazing musician). But there's no apparent consensus in the collective zeitgeist...yet. I find it interesting that Trevor achieves more of a cohesion of image in a band setting rather than as a solo artist.
In the aforementioned Kerrang! interview, the end of the era seemed to have occurred rather suddenly, with Trevor stating that he was dropped by both Chrysalis and Blue Chip Music just as the album was due to be released. And according to this same article, Wolf was not initially released in the US, but that would occur later in 1981. And thus the window of opportunity he might have used to break through in that market - possibly aided by an opening slot on Van Halen's touring schedule - was lost.
Trevor's parting of the ways with Blue Chip is something I find very surprising because it always seemed to me that Matt Mann formed the company for the purpose of showcasing Trevor and advancing his career overseas. Mann possessed the utmost respect for Trevor's talent (just a year prior Mann referred to Trevor as "the best producer") and after all, Trevor had been incredibly successful in South Africa as the head of a musical powerhouse of various projects, and RPM reaped the associated rewards. Trevor characterized the change of heart as "(they) seemed not exactly to get on with me" and I can't help but wonder if it had more to do with Trevor meeting David Geffen (their introduction was brokered by Manfred Mann). When I attended Trevor's in-store appearance in 2012 he related the story of having dinner with Geffen in London and being amazed by his first encounter with a true industry mogul. It must have seemed such an incredibly exciting opportunity...despite Geffen (both the company and its' titular executive) desiring a situation for Trevor he was ultimately unable to accept.
In the aforementioned Kerrang! interview, the end of the era seemed to have occurred rather suddenly, with Trevor stating that he was dropped by both Chrysalis and Blue Chip Music just as the album was due to be released. And according to this same article, Wolf was not initially released in the US, but that would occur later in 1981. And thus the window of opportunity he might have used to break through in that market - possibly aided by an opening slot on Van Halen's touring schedule - was lost.
Trevor's parting of the ways with Blue Chip is something I find very surprising because it always seemed to me that Matt Mann formed the company for the purpose of showcasing Trevor and advancing his career overseas. Mann possessed the utmost respect for Trevor's talent (just a year prior Mann referred to Trevor as "the best producer") and after all, Trevor had been incredibly successful in South Africa as the head of a musical powerhouse of various projects, and RPM reaped the associated rewards. Trevor characterized the change of heart as "(they) seemed not exactly to get on with me" and I can't help but wonder if it had more to do with Trevor meeting David Geffen (their introduction was brokered by Manfred Mann). When I attended Trevor's in-store appearance in 2012 he related the story of having dinner with Geffen in London and being amazed by his first encounter with a true industry mogul. It must have seemed such an incredibly exciting opportunity...despite Geffen (both the company and its' titular executive) desiring a situation for Trevor he was ultimately unable to accept.
* ~ * ~ *
Before I begin my track-by-track commentary, I would like to state I think it's rather shameful that the packaging and the disc itself contain two errors in the song titles, especially when you examine the metadata for the disc - the information is correct. There's really no excuse for this, in my opinion.
Side One
"Open Ended"
I'm not sure if this is the best opener for the album, although I understand why Trevor decided to put it up top. The title is kind of a pun for the listening experience, if you think about it. The intro is rather dramatic, but I don't know if the rest of the song quite lives up to that. However, given the extended metaphor of a guitar serving as the primary obsession of a musician's life, I'm really proud of Trevor for taking his own shot at the theme. And that bridge coming out of the chorus is everything good for sure.
I'm not sure if this is the best opener for the album, although I understand why Trevor decided to put it up top. The title is kind of a pun for the listening experience, if you think about it. The intro is rather dramatic, but I don't know if the rest of the song quite lives up to that. However, given the extended metaphor of a guitar serving as the primary obsession of a musician's life, I'm really proud of Trevor for taking his own shot at the theme. And that bridge coming out of the chorus is everything good for sure.
"Heard You Cry Wolf"
This song is my favorite of the album and I've previously discussed why in my "Five from five" essay, but it continues to come down to: strong lyrics + great riff and melody + great arrangement and performances (especially that ride-out solo) + just the right amount of production = a truly great track and Trevor knew it too (as I assume that's why he chose to perform it on the '89 club tour). In terms of singing, especially, Trevor is at his most nuanced and melodic here. And Mo Foster is superb on the fretless bass.
In a retrospective review of the album published in 2000, Malcolm Dome (who recently interviewed Trevor for PROG) equally waxed rhapsodic on this one, calling it "breathtaking" and "an epic sweep of AOR heaven, there have been few better tracks of this type ever written or recorded."
In a retrospective review of the album published in 2000, Malcolm Dome (who recently interviewed Trevor for PROG) equally waxed rhapsodic on this one, calling it "breathtaking" and "an epic sweep of AOR heaven, there have been few better tracks of this type ever written or recorded."
"Do Ya Do Ya Want Me"
Fun fact: if you look up "filler" in some edition of the dictionary you will encounter this song used as example. Okay, not really but honestly that's exactly what it is. I find that the music is rather paint-by-numbers as well. Before embarking upon numerous listening sessions for these reviews I will admit I haven't willingly listened to this track in years.
"Stop Turn"
I consider this song a precursor of sorts to "Hold On" except that it's a mid-tempo bluesy kind of thing, but it has that same "stroll" in the chorus, like there's a similar chord progression and arrangement. I don't expect most to agree, but once you hear it, you can't unhear it. I like this song even as I find Trevor's vocal to be a little strident in spots, like he's singing over the chorus rather than with it. I think this works better as a lover's lament than "Pain" does.
"Lost In Love"
This track is rockin' for sure but those lyrics...I just...oh, Trevor. I tend to skip this one as well. I love to write reviews but I'm not having a good time right now. Side One could have been so much better if not for the filler. That synth freak-out at the end is a bit much, though. I know Trevor didn't discover synthesizers in 1980, but he sure acts like he did.
Side Two
"Looking For A Lady - (Wolfman)"
There's been discussion and debate over the years regarding: "Did Van Halen steal the intro to 'Hot For Teacher' from this song?!" and I asked Trevor about it in my recent interview with him and the answer is, apparently: "Yes they did." All these years later it amounts to trivia of a kind because one of those songs is a Classic Rock chestnut and the other...well, it's rather obscure, except to us die-hards, that is. But I like it - it's well-crafted and the lyrics are humorously saucy, and Trevor's singing really fits the mood and the key this time (finally). On an album which rocks pretty darn hard, this track has great swagger and energy, proving an excellent use of his power trio. And I believe that's Manfred Mann on keys, punctuating it all quite nicely.
There's been discussion and debate over the years regarding: "Did Van Halen steal the intro to 'Hot For Teacher' from this song?!" and I asked Trevor about it in my recent interview with him and the answer is, apparently: "Yes they did." All these years later it amounts to trivia of a kind because one of those songs is a Classic Rock chestnut and the other...well, it's rather obscure, except to us die-hards, that is. But I like it - it's well-crafted and the lyrics are humorously saucy, and Trevor's singing really fits the mood and the key this time (finally). On an album which rocks pretty darn hard, this track has great swagger and energy, proving an excellent use of his power trio. And I believe that's Manfred Mann on keys, punctuating it all quite nicely.
"Pain"
I know fellow Rabinites will understand exactly what I'm referring to when I say that one of the most unintentionally hilarious interview segments with Trevor is the 1988 Japanese interview where he's backstage at the Pacific Ampitheatre, looking somewhat dead-eyed and dead-tired as he responds to questions, and in the background for some reason they're playing..."Pain."
I always laugh at that, I can't help it.
This is a better ballad than "You" but it's in more of a rock vein. The lyrics are still...struggling...but everything else saves it from being wholly terrible. Stevie Lange is the MVP here, I would say.
"Take Me To A Party "
I previously stated that "Candy's Bar" is the most English song Trevor wrote, but this would also qualify except that it's a bluesy rollicking slab of Good Times. It fits the mood of its subject perfectly and that's primarily why it's so good. It already sounds like a party, never mind being a demand to actually locate a knees-up to crash. These are some of the best lyrics Trevor has ever come up with, just in terms of a rock song which is about wanting to do anything but deal with mundane everyday bullshit. My favorite lines are: I pour down the Lucozade and I clean up my face, roll into the bedroom, get ready for the alien race. It's a perfect summation of recovering from the post-bacchanal blues, as it were. This is a song where the backing vocals are an especially important element and they all sound wonderful.
"She's Easy"
I have previously written about this song in my Halloween Special entry, but Dear Reader I am proclaiming to you now that I unironically love this song. There, I said it. Because it friggin' rocks, y'all. I don't care that it's about a succubus wanting to do all the things that succubi do and this guy, whoever he is, feels compelled to perform a public service by warning everybody about her. Said strange and amusing lyrics (well, if you consider Trevor is essentially kink-shaming a demon of all things) are set to an absolute burner of a track in every way. It's like the music is a bewitching hellion of sorts as well, having its way with your ears and your immortal soul. Am I seduced? You betcha!
"Long Island"
Ray Davies' lyrics are very much in keeping with his usual wry observations and overall acumen as one of the songwriting voices of his generation. It's a droll and yet also charming portrait of longing to return to a summer romance. The music is catchy in its' way but not necessarily the most artful of Trevor's offerings even within the context of the album itself. It's rather a happenstance pairing, I would say, but I enjoy this song except that I feel Trevor is straining against his new(er) range again. Though I really love Noel McCalla's backing vocals on the chorus.
* ~ * ~ *
There's no bonus material included on this disc, and as usual I take issue with that as well. At the very least, since needledrops and bootlegs form a portion of this boxset's contents, then we also could have had the original album mix of "Take Me To A Party" - good-quality vinyl copies of Wolf are very easily obtainable on the secondary market. So I consider that omission a definite failure. The differences are rather obvious between the two versions - there are more guitar overdubs and a thicker, more gritty kind of mix, compared with the clarity you get on the vocals in the verses on the original.
But also, since Live in Boston had to be split up due to length, with two tracks ending up as bonus content on Can't Look Away, why not put "Heard You Cry Wolf" on this disc as an extra? Doesn't that make sense? Every other studio album has bonus content (even if, in the case of Face To Face, it's not actually there) so this comes off to me as laziness or a lack of vision.
I've compared the available audio (meaning: whatever flat-transfer source has been used for the CD releases over the years) with the original album pressing and also the 2002 remaster and the 2020 remaster, and I will say that the new remastering sounds somewhat better, but the true issue lies with the source itself. In an interview from 2011, Trevor revealed that the original multitracks for Wolf had later been recorded over, so they no longer exist. Sadly that means we can't have a remixed/remastered edition of this album like we might for other albums (not that I expect it to happen, but it appears Trevor did have the idea to do this for Wolf at some point). But since the flat-transfer source being used for any reissue is at least a generation removed from the multitracks, there's only so good it can sound overall. And that's a shame for an album he does retain a certain amount of regard for. I will say that I still consider a first edition vinyl pressing the best way to experience Wolf, but if you only had the new remastering to go by, then it's probably the best from a digital perspective.
So let's talk about that vicious cover...
This ad for the album looks better than the actual cover, in my estimation, because you don't get that immediate sense of...how shall I put this...taxidermy. And I wouldn't necessarily fault Peter Wagg (the same guy who designed the UK packaging for Face To Face) except that I don't understand how any of the people involved, Trevor included, could have thought that there was anything...uh...visceral about a stuffed wolf, which it most obviously is. The framing for the image itself, the eerie atmosphere of the background, is wholly appropriate, as is Geoff Halpin's lettering for the title, meant to approximate clawmarks. It probably would have cost more to commission an illustration of a snarling wolf but I think that would have been far more effective. Dealing with the original scheme - and this probably goes against everything they teach you in Graphic Design 101 - I would have made the opposite choice for the images on front and back: the cover somewhat cropped and rendered in dramatic monochrome gradients with the title still in red, and the photo of Trevor and his canine companion in color. I will say only in this case, the cover image used for the Changes disc is an improvement. There continues to be something endearingly hilarious about the back cover photo (although it's also a deliberately comedic subversion of the purported menace of the front cover). Dog lover that he is, it's not difficult to imagine some version of Trevor looking for a lady with his best friend in tow, but on the other hand it appears he's lurking about in what we can reasonably assume are derelict structures? Now that's just...creepy.
"What do you mean it's not called Woof? That's a great title!"
So let's talk about that vicious cover...
This ad for the album looks better than the actual cover, in my estimation, because you don't get that immediate sense of...how shall I put this...taxidermy. And I wouldn't necessarily fault Peter Wagg (the same guy who designed the UK packaging for Face To Face) except that I don't understand how any of the people involved, Trevor included, could have thought that there was anything...uh...visceral about a stuffed wolf, which it most obviously is. The framing for the image itself, the eerie atmosphere of the background, is wholly appropriate, as is Geoff Halpin's lettering for the title, meant to approximate clawmarks. It probably would have cost more to commission an illustration of a snarling wolf but I think that would have been far more effective. Dealing with the original scheme - and this probably goes against everything they teach you in Graphic Design 101 - I would have made the opposite choice for the images on front and back: the cover somewhat cropped and rendered in dramatic monochrome gradients with the title still in red, and the photo of Trevor and his canine companion in color. I will say only in this case, the cover image used for the Changes disc is an improvement. There continues to be something endearingly hilarious about the back cover photo (although it's also a deliberately comedic subversion of the purported menace of the front cover). Dog lover that he is, it's not difficult to imagine some version of Trevor looking for a lady with his best friend in tow, but on the other hand it appears he's lurking about in what we can reasonably assume are derelict structures? Now that's just...creepy.
"What do you mean it's not called Woof? That's a great title!"
