"Somewhere in another time, there was another group of brothers with one being a genius and trying to make his masterpiece..."
In 1965 The Feel Flows released their very successful record 'Let The Summer Never End', but the band was in turmoil. Their main songwriter and DeFacto leader Bryan Wilcox was severely depressed, feeling both that he had fully explored the realm of surf rock and had become bored, as well as being shaken in his confidence by his cousin and sometimes co-songwriter, Frank Passion. This had caused Bryan to remove himself from touring with the group and had caused a huge rift between himself and Frank who Bryan saw as being unsupportive of Bryan's desire to grow and experiment.
With a new touring bass player added to the group so they could tour to support their 1965 album, Bryan stayed back in California and started working on new music without his group. Contacting his poet friend, Barry Asher, the two started writing the core of what would be the Feel Flows 1966 groundbreaking album, Zoo Noise.
The 1965 tour ended up being somewhat of a disaster with news outlets and fans lamenting the absence of Bryan, to which Frank took personally and acted out constantly to the press, their fans, and the band themselves. This led the remaining Wilcox brothers to decide that when they returned to California, they would expel Frank from
the group.
And while this was a good move in the short term, in the long run it caused a whole new set of problems.
After returning to California and firing Frank, the other Wilcox brothers returned to the studio to see what Bryan had been working on and were over the moon. While Bryan had been using studio musicians to help him demo the material, when his brothers returned work began anew, with them playing their usual instruments and singing the vocal arrangements.
It was at this point that Bryan gathered the studio musicians again to embellish what the group had recorded, and after about 6 months of writing and recording, The Feel Flows had their most unique and experimental album yet, and it was ready to release to the public.
The United States were a bit slower to acclimate to this new direction of the band, and where their albums had usually hit No.1 on release previously, the album peaked at no. 4 in the US. But the UK was a completely different matter. With the success of the singles off the album in the UK, the album shot straight to no. 1 and was lauded by the UK critics and luminaries of the UK music scene. This included bands like Proud Mary, The Hoppin Grasshoppers, and maybe their most diehard fans, the Dodos.
Of the album, Samuel McHaclameny was quoted as saying, "Well they've done it, haven't they. It's a near perfect album, and the song 'The Heavens Gave Me You' may be the best pop song written to this point. It's really fired us (The Dodos) up, and we're itching to get back in the studio and try and beat them at their own game. It's a friendly rivalry and that though. We love those lads. Joeseph and I went to their London shows last year, and it was great, although we wished Bryan had been there. We went backstage after the show and hung out. Great guys, those, except that Frank character. Right bastard that one. Anyway, this album is a real achievement, and to think Bryan co-produced it with our old man, TWG. Well, it's quite an achievement!"
With a new touring bass player added to the group so they could tour to support their 1965 album, Bryan stayed back in California and started working on new music without his group. Contacting his poet friend, Barry Asher, the two started writing the core of what would be the Feel Flows 1966 groundbreaking album, Zoo Noise.
The 1965 tour ended up being somewhat of a disaster with news outlets and fans lamenting the absence of Bryan, to which Frank took personally and acted out constantly to the press, their fans, and the band themselves. This led the remaining Wilcox brothers to decide that when they returned to California, they would expel Frank from
And while this was a good move in the short term, in the long run it caused a whole new set of problems.
After returning to California and firing Frank, the other Wilcox brothers returned to the studio to see what Bryan had been working on and were over the moon. While Bryan had been using studio musicians to help him demo the material, when his brothers returned work began anew, with them playing their usual instruments and singing the vocal arrangements.
It was at this point that Bryan gathered the studio musicians again to embellish what the group had recorded, and after about 6 months of writing and recording, The Feel Flows had their most unique and experimental album yet, and it was ready to release to the public.
The United States were a bit slower to acclimate to this new direction of the band, and where their albums had usually hit No.1 on release previously, the album peaked at no. 4 in the US. But the UK was a completely different matter. With the success of the singles off the album in the UK, the album shot straight to no. 1 and was lauded by the UK critics and luminaries of the UK music scene. This included bands like Proud Mary, The Hoppin Grasshoppers, and maybe their most diehard fans, the Dodos.
Of the album, Samuel McHaclameny was quoted as saying, "Well they've done it, haven't they. It's a near perfect album, and the song 'The Heavens Gave Me You' may be the best pop song written to this point. It's really fired us (The Dodos) up, and we're itching to get back in the studio and try and beat them at their own game. It's a friendly rivalry and that though. We love those lads. Joeseph and I went to their London shows last year, and it was great, although we wished Bryan had been there. We went backstage after the show and hung out. Great guys, those, except that Frank character. Right bastard that one. Anyway, this album is a real achievement, and to think Bryan co-produced it with our old man, TWG. Well, it's quite an achievement!"
Released by
Gramaphone Records
January 20, 2025
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