REVIEW: Wet Wet Wet, Part One (London)
- by Bob Gajarsky
To call Wet Wet Wet an "alternative" act is only appropriate if one thinks alternative means "no pop hits". In that case, Wet Wet Wet qualifies in the United States; 10 of the 12 tracks on the greatest hits compilation Part One have never even remotely cracked the American pop charts.
However, it appears that Wet Wet Wet has made a breakthrough in the U.S. with their cover of the Troggs' "Love Is All Around", which also appears in the movie Four Weddings and A Funeral. The song, which has already spent 11 weeks at number one in the United Kingdom, has all the makings of a big hit here - familiar tune, soundtrack publicity and an adult contemporary edge which seems to be sweeping the nation.
In fact, that's the best way to classify the Scottish band which has notched up 12 U.K. top 20 hits - adult contemporary. Not quite as commercial as Michael Bolton, but a sound which is a bit safer than Crowded House or Aztec Camera.
The best track on the collection is definitely the 1987 single, "Wishing I Was Lucky". The poppy beat has an irresistible hook - a personal favorite of this reviewer upon its issue 7 years ago, and still a favorite today.
One noticable omission from the U.S. compilation is the band's cover of the Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends". The single, which went to #1 in the U.K., was backed by Billy Bragg's "She's Leaving Home" as part of a British charity compilation album Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father.
Wet Wet Wet don't break any ground with their music. But for fans of either adult contemporary music or bands such as Crowded House and Aztec Camera, Part One is a good way to catch up with a band overlooked in the United States.
