Chapter 63: Whole Wide World (September 1979 - August 1980)

September - October 1979

Small Faces, late 1970s (exact year taken unknown). Rick Wills is on the center-right.

DAVID GILMOUR: "We didn't know what to do next after doing Wish You Were Here. Roger had left Pink Floyd, and it almost seemed like it was the end for the group. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Nick was good friends with Robert Wyatt, and he insisted that we carry on despite Roger's departure. At the time, I was working with Rog on his biggest project to date, The Wall, and the Floyd was on a bit of an indefinite hiatus. I talked to Rick about it, and he agreed. But first, we had to find a new bassist." (2006)

The answer had come to Pink Floyd in the form of David Gilmour's good friend Rick Wills, who was a member of the reformed Small Faces, but had recently split up due to poor reviews and sales of their albums Playmates and 78 in the Shade. Wills had been asked to join Foreigner on bass guitar, but he declined due to his commitments with Pink Floyd. In addition, they were joined by Snowy White as their backing guitarist, reprising his role from the controversial In the Flesh Tour. Along with Robert Wyatt on percussion and additional vocals, the revamped Pink Floyd went into the studio that September to record their first post-Waters album.

RICK WRIGHT: "David and I each wrote some new material throughout 1978 and 1979, but it wasn't until the sessions for Mihalis that we actually recorded them. Nick also brought forth some material he'd written with jazz musician Carla Bley, and gave them to Robert to sing. The sessions went by very quickly, probably the most fun, healthy and relaxed that we had in a while. It really felt like a band effort again." (1995)

30 November 1979

Pink Floyd - Mihalis

Released: 30 November 1979

Recorded: September - October 1979

Producer: Pink Floyd

Track listing[1]

Side A

Mihalis

Against the Odds

Siam

Cat Cruise

So Far Away

Side B

Mediterranean C

Short and Sweet

Deafinitely

Summer Elegy

I'm a Mineralist

Prior to the release of Milhalis, Pink Floyd's situation was bad from an economic standpoint, and they were under a contractual obligation to release another album under Harvest Records, as was Roger Waters. Not only that, Gilmour, Wright and Mason were under constant pressure from being asked by fans, the press and fellow musicians as to why Waters had left the band. "You should ask him, not us!" they would usually reply, wanting to worry about other things, especially Wright, whose marriage with Juliette was falling apart, eventually divorcing in 1982.

The first album by the revamped Pink Floyd, Mihalis, finally came out at the end of November, topping the charts in the United Kingdom, and reaching #3 in the United States. It was preceded that same month with a non-album single, a cover of Unicorn's "There's No Way Out of Here" (whom Gilmour had produced for), which was a surprising success in the United Kingdom and Europe. It was later followed up by the album single "So Far Away"/"Against the Odds" (#4 UK, #11 US) in December. The album received positive reviews from critics, many of whom cited that the sound was different from what Pink Floyd had produced prior, mainly due to the jazz influences from Mason and Wright's songwriting as well as the presence of Carla Bley and Wyatt.

Half of Mihalis was instrumental, with "Against the Odds" being sung by Rick Wright, and David Gilmour ("So Far Away", "Short and Sweet") and Robert Wyatt ("Siam", "I'm a Mineralist") each singing two songs. With renewed energy, Pink Floyd looked set to continue for a long time despite the absence of founding member Roger Waters.

28 March 1980

Genesis - Duke

Released: 28 March 1980

Recorded: November - December 1979

Producer: Genesis and David Hentschel

Track listing[2]

Side A

Duke (Chapters 1-3)

Man of Our Times

Misunderstanding

Heathaze

Side B

Alone Tonight

Cul-de-Sac

Don't Let It Show

Duke (Chapters 4-6)

Duke marked the first album by Genesis as a trio, consisting of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Kim Beacon. Phil Collins, the previous drummer, had left the group on amicable terms to play with the Who following Keith Moon's death, and had taken up residence in Vancouver, Canada to try and fix his marriage with Andrea Bertorelli. Sadly, this would end up in divorce the following year, and it would be four years before Collins re-married.

TONY BANKS: "Mike, Kim and I were feeling quite refreshed after putting out solo albums in 1979, establishing ourselves as solo artists outside of Genesis. But of course, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." (2007)

Each member of the band contributed two songs; Banks brought forth "Heathaze" and "Cul-de-Sac", Rutherford "Man of Our Times" and "Alone Tonight", and Beacon "Don't Let It Show" as well as a co-write with Collins, "Misunderstanding". All three members brought forth ideas for the 28-minute epic "Duke", and it was originally going to take up the entirety of the first side while the second side would be entirely self-contained tracks; however, that felt too similar to Rutherford's Smallcreep's Day, which also had the same arrangement. Instead, it was split in half to bookend the album, beginning with chapters one through three and ending with chapters four through six, the latter portion of which included the hit "Turn It On Again".

Duke was Genesis' first #1 album in the United Kingdom, and it also ranked very highly in the United States at #4. Likewise, "Turn It On Again ('Duke' Chapter 4)"/"Evidence of Autumn" (8 March, #1 UK, #23 US) and "Misunderstanding"/"Open Door" (10 May, #7 UK, #4 US) were also big hits. Critical reception was also very positive, with many even saying it was their greatest album since Selling England by the Pound, possibly of the Beacon era of Genesis. The tour to support the album in the United Kingdom and North America from April to June was also hugely successful, with tickets selling out within hours.

9 May 1980

Roger Waters and the Bleeding Hearts Band - The Wall

Released: 9 May 1980

Recorded: December 1978 - January 1980

Producer: Roger Waters and Bob Ezrin

Track listing[3]

Side A

When the Tigers Broke Free

In the Flesh? (Behind These Cold Eyes)

The Thin Ice

Another Brick in the Wall (Reminiscing)

Goodbye Blue Sky

The Happiest Days of Our Lives

Another Brick in the Wall (Education)

Mother

Side B

Welcome to the Machine

Young Lust

One of My Turns

Don't Leave Me Now

What Shall We Do Now?

Another Brick in the Wall (Drugs)

Goodbye Cruel World

Side C

Hey You

Is There Anybody Out There?

Nobody Home

Vera

Bring the Boys Back Home

The Final Cut

Comfortably Numb

Side D

Who's Sorry Now?

In the Flesh (Isn't This Where We Came In?)

Run Like Hell

Waiting for the Worms

Stop

The Trial by Puppet

Outside the Wall (It's Never Too Late)

ROGER WATERS: "I was in a bad way after Syd died in that bus accident in Germany. Couple that with the [In the] Flesh Tour and leaving Pink Floyd, I felt distanced from everyone, even the rest of the band. That was why I ended up leaving, and I haven't looked back since. The Wall was inspired by all the shit I'd been through since I was a child." (1999)

With the help of producer Bob Ezrin, known for his work with Alice Cooper, Kiss and Peter Gabriel, Roger Waters set to work on his first solo album, tentatively titled Bricks in The Wall (the Bricks portion was later discarded). Along with Ezrin on keyboards and piano, Waters also brought in Gilmour on guitar and vocals (the latter even contributed an unfinished song that would eventually become "Comfortably Numb", as well as several other lyrical contributions and vocals to some songs), and Jeff Porcaro from Toto on drums. With the band assembled, recording had begun back in December 1978, and would last all the way into January 1980.

DAVID GILMOUR: "It was kind of relieving that Roger had left the band; Hitch Hiking felt more like a solo album than a Pink Floyd album, and had he stayed on, his obsession with concept albums would've dominated our sound, leaving me and Rick in the dust. Still, he would get pretty irritable if we didn't play to his liking, the nadir being which we got into an argument and I told him, 'Were you even like this when Syd was still alive? His death's had an impact on you, you know.' In hindsight, I wish I hadn't said that, and Roger got so angry that he told me to get out. I almost thought he take a guitar and shove it where the sun don't shine." (2006)

In his isolation from Waters following that outburst, Gilmour would record Mihalis with the rest of Pink Floyd, and a few days after the sessions had been completed, he received a phone call from Waters. "You were right, Dave," he said over the phone. "I've been nothing but a complete dick to everyone since Syd's death, and I can't apologize enough for my behavior." Gilmour apologized as well for the argument, and shortly afterward, he returned to the sessions for The Wall.

A live concert of The Wall, climaxing with the wall being knocked down, 1980.

ROGER WATERS: "David and the rest of Floyd put out Mihalis that November, and I was surprised that they were able to record and album, much less release it, and they were in a crisis that was a little bit worse than I was. I hadn't heard the album when it first came out, but when I finally got the chance to do so, I was impressed with what they had done. Maybe a few songs that I felt a bit iffy about, but still. I was glad that they were able to get out of this crisis, and they for me too." (2006)

The Wall was finally released on 9 May 1980, a little over five months since Pink Floyd's Mihalis. It had been preceded earlier that year with "Another Brick in the Wall (Education)" in January, which hit #1 in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and "Run Like Hell" in April. The third and final single, "Comfortably Numb", was later released in June. The Wall was a rock opera showing the struggles of a rock star by the name of Floyd Pinkerton, based upon Waters himself as well as Syd Barrett, building a metaphorical wall around himself, eventually isolating himself altogether from society.

Waters' debut solo album had received a mixed critical reception upon release, peaking at #10 in the United States but stalling out at #2 in the United Kingdom, but over time, reviews became mostly positive, even ending up at #87 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list in 2003. Waters would later go on tour for The Wall, performing the album in its entirety and featuring elaborate theatrical effects. Pink Floyd, meanwhile, had also gone on their Mihalis Tour, even featuring Unicorn and Robert Wyatt as opening acts.

27 June 1980

Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu

Released: 27 June 1980

Recorded: 1979-1980

Producer: John Farrar and Jeff Lynne (track 4 only)

Track listing[4]

Side A

Magic

You Made Me Love You

Suddenly [w/ Cliff Richard]

Xanadu [w/ Electric Light Orchestra]

Side B

Suspended in Time

Dancin' [w/ The Tubes]

Fool Country

Whenever You're Away From Me [w/ Gene Kelly]

Xanadu was the latest Apple Films project, being directed by Robert Greenwald and starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and Michael Beck. One of the Nine Muses of Olympus, Terpsichore, returns to Earth after a mural of the Muses is brought to life, and taking the identity Kira, she falls in love with a failing freelance artist named Sonny Malone, whose drawing had hit the mural after being thrown into the wind. Some roller-skating antics and musical moments ensure whenever possible.

The film was released on 8 August, several weeks following the release of the soundtrack featuring Olivia Newton-John's vocal performances, which would go on to help the film break even at the box office (about $41 million) despite the negative reception from critics. In later years, however, the film would gain cult following, and the soundtrack (#2 UK, #4 US) remained one of the best things about Xanadu. Twenty years later, Jeff Lynne would re-record the title track, even calling it his favorite song that he had ever written.

1 August 1980

Electric Light Orchestra - All Over the World

Released: 1 August 1980

Recorded: 1972-1980

Producer: Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood (tracks 1-5)

Track listing[5]

Side A

Baby, I Apologize

Everyone's Born to Die

Poor Boy (The Greenwood)

Dark City

One Summer Dream

Surrender

The Quick and the Daft

Latitude 88 North

Side B

Little Town Flirt

I'm Alive

Don't Walk Away

All Over the World

The Fall

Drum Dreams

Initially, the Electric Light Orchestra was going to put out an extended play featuring the songs they had performed for Xanadu, but upon remembering various outtakes recorded throughout 1972 to 1979 that never made it onto the albums or the compilation Light Years, Jeff Lynne decided instead upon another compilation album. Although All Over the World (#7 UK, #30 US) did not chart as highly as Xanadu did, it still holds up as a fine collection of outtakes, concluding with the five songs recorded for the film.

Summary of single releases from Xanadu

• "Magic" / "Fool Country" by Olivia Newton-John - 23 May 1980 (#30 UK, #1 US)
• "I'm Alive" / "Drum Dreams" by Electric Light Orchestra - 24 May 1980 (#11 UK, #6 US)
• "Xanadu" (with Electric Light Orchestra) / "Whenever You're Away from Me" (with Gene Kelly) by Olivia Newton-John - 6 June 1980 (#1 UK, #2 US)
• "All Over the World" / "The Fall" by Electric Light Orchestra - 2 August 1980 (#3 UK, #5 US)
• "Suddenly" (with Cliff Richard) / "You Made Me Love You" by Olivia Newton John - 24 October 1980 (#11 UK, #18 US)
• "Don't Walk Away" / "Little Town Flirt" by Electric Light Orchestra - 22 November 1980 (#16 UK)

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from David Gilmour's 1978 eponymous album, Rick Wright's Wet Dream and Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports. In addition, Snowy White played guitar on Wright's debut album, Rick Wills on bass guitar for Gilmour's, and Robert Wyatt for Mason's, further explaining why Pink Floyd became a sextet.
2. All tracks are sourced from OTL's Duke, excluding "Don't Let It Show" from Kim Beacon's Talking to Myself. As usual, all songs are sung by Beacon, barring the instrumental "Duke's End". In addition, "Duke" in its entirety is this universe's equivalent to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by utilizing the bookend technique for the album. Chapters 1-3 consist of "Behind the Lines", "Duchess" and "Guide Vocal", while Chapters 4-6 consist of "Turn It On Again", "Duke's Travels" and "Duke's End".
3. A fuller guide as to how I edited the album together can be found here.
4. All tracks are sourced from the Xanadu soundtrack along with two Olivia-Newton John B-sides. "Fool Country" is the B-side to "Magic" in the United States, and "You Made Me Love You" is the B-side to "Suddenly".
5. For Side A, the tracks are sourced from ELO 2, On the Third Day, Eldorado, Face the Music, A New World Record and Out of the Blue. For Side B, all tracks are sourced from the Xanadu soundtrack excluding "Little Town Flirt", sourced from Discovery. "Drum Dreams" is a non-album B-side to "I'm Alive" and "All Over the World".

Author's Comments

Finally, we leave the 70s behind and move into the 80s, which means that Strawberry Peppers is now forty years behind from today! And we got to that point in less than two years since starting in January 2019. Wow!

Pink Floyd continuing without Roger Waters is an interesting concept to explore for sure, and luckily for us, there's enough solo material by David Gilmour, Rick Wright and even from Nick Mason (assuming they also invited Robert Wyatt to join) to go down that rabbit hole. I've taken some influence from Mass' seemingly discontinued So You Think You Can Tell timeline and a bit from Auran's Gummaumma (though it's not as prominent as it was before) for that portion of the chapter.

Not much to say with Genesis here; things happen as they did, only with Phil Collins gone and with Kim Beacon as a member. Though as the 80s progress, their albums become better received and they can be easily separated from Phil's solo career. Similarly, ELO will continue past the 80s and into the 90s, even though I intend to finish the first draft at 1985. (Side note: I apologize if the covers for both Xanadu and All Over the World are a bit crap; it was the best I could do.)

There's only three more chapters in the 1978-1980 portion of Phase Three to go; after that is the 1981-1983 portion, which I've yet to fully map out. Hopefully I will by the end of the year.