13 Wonderful Will Songs: The Next Generation - Vol. 2

Featuring tracks by ABBA, Morrissey, the Chills, Hootie and the Blowfish, Haircut 100, and more

No, it wasn’t just a one-off: I’m already back with another installment of tunes that, if I’ve done my job well, includes at least a couple of tracks that you’ve either never heard before or maybe haven’t heard in awhile. Whichever case it may be, I hope it proves to be an enjoyable listening experience…or at least a tolerable one. (I mean, nobody’s perfect…)

1. ABBA, “Hey, Hey Helen”

Kicking off like a proper glam-rock stomper, I still find it funny that the first time I ever heard this ABBA song was when Lush covered it. To my knowledge, it was never a single, but given when it was originally released, it certainly could’ve been…and if it had been, I don’t doubt for a minute that it could’ve been a hit.

2. The Corn Dollies, “Forever Steven”

I first discovered this British band when their 1989 album Wrecked started to turn up in the cutout bins, along with basically every other title from Midnight Music. This was actually their very first single, released in 1987, and can be found on the band’s self-titled compilation of their early singles.

3. Morrissey, “Rebels Without Applause”

Yes, he’s become rather awful with his political views, but it’s not stopping me from enjoying his music, and this - his most recent single to date - is one of the best he’s put out in awhile. I continue to wait anxiously for his perpetually-delayed new album, since this song is ostensibly on it, although God only knows how long that wait will ultimately prove to be.

4. The Chills, “Dan Destiny and the Silver Dawn”

Inspired by the recent passing of Martin Phillipps, the band’s frontman and songwriter. Not terribly long after the release of the band’s college-rock breakthrough single, “Heavenly Pop Hit,” I found this early Chills album in a cutout bin, and I was in love with it from the moment I heard this opening track.

5. Jack Wild, “Apeman”

Obligatory cover song alert! If you grew up in the ‘70s, then perhaps you recognize this gentleman as the star of H.R. Pufnstuf, or if you grew up in the ‘60s, then you might recognize him as the star of Oliver! Whatever your point of reference, you still may be unaware that he also had a recording career, and during the course of that career, he released this Kinks kover.

After this, I’m also adding a bonus track, one that - despite not currently being available on Spotify - is actually the first of his songs that I ever heard, thanks to its inclusion on a wonderful Rhino Records compilation called Yesterday’s Heroes: ‘70s Teen Idols. It’s unbelievably bouncy and catchy. Hope you dig it.

6. Hootie and the Blowfish, “Silly Little Pop Song”

If you’re a subscriber to this newsletter, then I’m sure you’ve already seen - and maybe even read! - my interview with Mark Bryan, founding member and guitarist for Hootie and the Blowfish. I included this song within the piece, having mentioned that it was a track that I’d always wished had been released as a single, so if you didn’t take the time to listen to it then, here’s your big chance.

7. 54-40, “Baby Ran”

This was also inspired by my conversation with the aforementioned Mr. Bryan, since we talked about the origins of Hootie’s cover of 54-40’s “I Go Blind.” I have the 54-40 album in question, but I haven’t revisited it in awhile, but when he briefly sang a snippet of the song, I suddenly remembered how much I loved it, so…here it is.

8. Edwin, “Frances Dances”

Here’s another one of those songs where I can’t quite remember how I discovered it. Was it via a press release while I was writing for Q? Was it a recommendation from my daughter? Either way, it’s a great tune.

9. Haircut 100, “The Unloving Plum”

Never, ever would I have anticipated that we’d ever get new material from the original lineup of Haircut 100, but here we are, and here it is. I had a wonderful conversation with frontman Nick Heyward during my Q era, and I told him that if he ever decided the time was right to pen a memoir, I stand available to help him compile it. I stand by this statement, and now I’m doing so publicly.

10. Be Bop Deluxe, “Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus”

I freely admit that I haven’t dug nearly as deeply into the Be Bop Deluxe back catalog as I probably should have, but once I discovered this song, I definitely added it to my to-do list.

11. Block 33, “Eye of the Hurricane”

Now this one is definitely a song that I discovered during my Q era. Once I read that they were a mod revival band, I definitely wanted to check them out, and once I did, I very much liked what I heard.

12. Bernard Butler, “Camber Sands”

I’ve been a Suede fan since the very beginning - in fact, forgive me if I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, but I was actually in attendance for the band’s very first U.S. performance, at the old 9:30 Club in Washington, DC - so when Bernard Butler departed the ranks of the band, I continued to follow him as a solo artist. This was the first single from his latest album, and - as usual - it’s top-shelf stuff.

13. The Mighty WAH!, “Heart as Big as Liverpool”

I’ve been a fan of Pete Wylie for years - he’s another one who I was fortunate enough to interview for Q - but I have a particular soft spot for the song, since I bought the album while my wife and I were on our honeymoon in the UK in 2001. I’ll admit that I can’t recall if I actually bought it in Liverpool, but it hardly matters, since it was still very much bought on that trip. It came to mind for inclusion because my college bestie and her husband are currently in Liverpool, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, but as it happens, it’s also a perfectly epic way to wrap up this playlist.