The Lost Pandas fell apart in 1984 when guitarist Michael Duane (later of dustDevils) was sacked, and Panda's drummer Jaz Rigby followed in protest. Gedge and the Pandas' bass player, Keith Gregory, decided to continue the band, renaming it The Wedding Present.
Gedge wanted to use the name "The Wedding Present" in honour of one of his favourite bands,The Birthday Party.
Gedge and Gregory recruited an old schoolmate of Gedge's, Peter Solowka, to play guitar and auditioned a string of drummers, including Mike Bedford, with whom they recorded a demo tape, before settling on Shaun Charman. The country's clubs and bars were toured as the band prepared for the recording of their first, self-financed single.
After some consideration, "Go Out and Get 'Em, Boy!" was chosen over early favourite "Will You Be Up There?". The A-side features drumming by hired hand Julian Sowa with Charman on its B-side. The single was released on the band's own Reception Records label with distribution through Red Rhino. Although Reception was only intended to be a vehicle for the release of their own material, it also released a number of singles by This Poison! and Cud.
Two more singles followed that did well on the independent charts and the band was spotted by veteran BBC radio DJ John Peel, who immediately started championing them and invited them to do a radio session, starting a long collaboration.
By the time the band started work on their debut album, a number of independent and major record companies showed interest, but the band declined all offers and decided to keep releasing their material themselves. The album was released in 1987 and titled George Best after the well-known Northern Irish football player. Disagreement on production values with the record's producer, Chris Allison, led to the product being remixed by the band and their engineer, Steve Lyon. The larger part of these conflicts seemed to lie with the personal and musical incompatibility of Allison and Charman.
Upon its release, the album was critically acclaimed and the band were soon lumped in with some of their peers as the 'shambling' or C86 scene, a categorization that they vehemently declined (although they were featured on the original C86 compilation). Musically, the album featured fast-paced rhythm guitar attacks; lyrically, apart from a few tentative excursions into social critique ("All This and More") and politics ("All About Eve"), Gedge's main concerns (which would become his trademark) were love, lust, heartbreak and revenge. Soon after the release of George Best, the early singles and radio sessions were compiled and released as Tommy (1985-1987).
With the departure of Charman very early on in 1988, Simon Smith took up the drum stool and follow up album, 1989's Bizarro was again popular with the music weeklies.
When Solowka, who has Ukrainian roots, started fooling around with a Ukrainian folk tune during one of their many Peel sessions, the idea arose to devote some of their radio time to recording their versions of Ukrainian and Russian folk song, encouraged by Peel. To this end, two guest musicians were invited, singer/violin player Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, and three Peel sessions were recorded with Gedge temporarily limiting himself to playing rhythm guitar and arranging the songs.
The band planned on releasing eight cuts from the Ukrainian sessions on a 10" LP and an initial batch was pressed when Red Rhino went into receivership. Rather than trying to find a new distribution company, the band decided to fold their Reception label altogether and sign with a regular record company: RCA. Solowka, Liggins, and Remeynes later split from the band to concentrate on the Ukrainian material as the band The Ukrainians.
Seamonsters is the third studio album by English rock band The Wedding Present. It was recorded in ten days in 1991 by American producer Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Albini had previously recorded two EPs with the group, Brassneck and 3 Songs and, like those records, Seamonsters has a rougher, harsher overall sound than the group's earlier two albums.
Solowka was replaced by Paul Dorrington and the band in 1992 released a single every month, and each of these songs charted before being released as compilations of both the A and B-sides. Each of these 12 singles hit the UK Top 40 and the band tied Elvis Presley's record of most Top 40 singles in the span of a year.
Following a quiet 1993 in which Gregory left and was replaced by Darren Belk, they followed up their record-breaking 1992 year with a new LP in 1994 called "Watusi". Following this, Dorrington left, Belk moved to guitar and they temporarily became a 3-piece before Jayne Lockey arrived. A mini LP, helpfully called "Mini" drove up early '96 shortly before "Saturnalia" zoomed in Summer '96 (along with the addition of new guitarist Simon Cleave after Belk's depature).
Following a gig in January 1997, Gedge decided to rest the Wedding Present name and started performing as Cinerama however while recording a new Cinerama album in 2004 he decided to resurrect the name the Wedding Present.
The first Wedding Present single in 7 years was released in November 2004 followed by an album in February 2005. This line-up was Gedge, Cleave, bassist Terry de Castro and drummer Kari Paavola. Paavola declined to tour and subsequently left replaced by Simon Pearson and then Graeme Ramsey. Simon Cleave left early 2006 but rejoined in 2009. His 3 year void was filled by guitarist Christopher McConville.
In more musical chairs, guitarist Cleave departed again later in 2009 due to ill health. The vacant guitar position was actually snabbed by the drummer, Ramsay, who was replaced on the drum stool by Charlie Layton (who had previously served for a very short time in 2006). Following this in Summer 2010, long-serving bassist, Terry de Castro, also vacated to be replaced by Pepe le Moko. A year later, in late 2011, after the recording of the band's 8th studio album, Valentina, Ramsay departed to be replaced by (ex-The Young Playthings and The Pipettes), Patrick Alexander.
The band emerged in February 2013 with yet another new line-up after the sacking of le Moko and Alexander - bassist Jen Schwartz (from Me of a Kind) and guitarist Geoff Maddock (from Goldenhorse).
For more information please visit www.scopitones.co.uk
My Favorite Dress
The Wedding Present Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know how you both feel,
The hurt can rule the head,
Jealousy is an essential part of love,
The heart in here bellow,
And the emptiness above,
There's always something left behind,
Nevermind,
Oh nevermind,
The tender caress as love brings out the man
I can't still be drunk at five
Oh, I guess I still can
Slowly your beauty is eaten away
Buy the sense of someone else
In the blanket where we lay
There's always something left behind
There's always something left behind
Maybe next time
Uneaten meals
A lonely star
A welcome ride in a neighbors car
A long walk home
In the pouring rain
I fell asleep when you never came
Some rare delight in Manchester town
It took six hours before you let me down
To see it all in a drunken kiss
A strangers hand on my favorite dress
That was my favorite dress you know
That was my favorite dress
The Wedding Present's song My Favourite Dress is a melancholic summary of a failed relationship. The singer is aware that some things don't need to be articulated, that there's a level of understanding between them. While jealousy is an essential part of love, the singer recognizes that it can cloud one's judgment. The heart is burdened with pain while the mind is confused, creating an empty vacuum.
The song's mood of distress is maintained by numerous images of what was once good and what is now lost. There are always mementos left behind after a relationship, which can translate as either good or bad memories. The singer reflects on the tender caress that the lover provided, allowing him to unleash his true self, but such tends to dull with time. The image of the beauty being eaten away by someone else's insights is evidence enough that the affection had faded.
The song speaks of the small things that one cherishes in every relationship. The uneaten meals, a lonely star, a walk in the rain, etc., all make up the essence of what one once had. However, this context fell away, making the singer feel deserted, and it took a stranger to make him realize what he had lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes these words don't have to be said,
The unsaid feelings can sometimes speak louder than words
I know how you both feel,
I understand the emotions you both have
The hurt can rule the head,
The pain can cloud one's judgment
Jealousy is an essential part of love,
Feeling envious is a normal component of being in love
The heart in here below,
The emotions within one's heart
And the emptiness above,
The feeling of being alone and empty
There's always something left behind,
There's always a residual effect of a situation
Nevermind,
Forget about it
The tender caress as love brings out the man
Love can bring out the true nature of a man
I can't still be drunk at five
I cannot continue to indulge in alcohol at five in the morning
Oh, I guess I still can
But I still am, regardless
Slowly your beauty is eaten away
Your physical appearance is gradually diminishing
Buy the sense of someone else
Due to someone else's influence
In the blanket where we lay
In the place where we once shared intimacy
Maybe next time
Perhaps in the future
Uneaten meals
Food left untouched
A lonely star
A single shining celestial body
A welcome ride in a neighbors car
A friendly gesture from a neighbor to provide transportation
A long walk home
A journey back home filled with lengthy moments
In the pouring rain
Amidst a heavy rainstorm
I fell asleep when you never came
I drifted into slumber while waiting for you to arrive
Some rare delight in Manchester town
A special moment in a place called Manchester
It took six hours before you let me down
After six hours had passed, you failed me
To see it all in a drunken kiss
To realize everything in a moment of intoxication
A strangers hand on my favorite dress
A stranger touched my cherished attire
That was my favorite dress you know
That outfit held sentimental value
Lyrics © Sentric Music
Written by: DAVID GEDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-zb2bp4in9b
Sometimes these words just don't have to be said
I know how you both feel
The heart can rule the head.
Jealousy is an essential part of love,
The hurt in here below:
And the emptiness above.
There's always something left behind,
There's always something left behind,
Nevermind,
Oh nevermind,
The tender caress as love brings out the man
I can't still be drunk at five
Oh, I guess I surely can
Slowly your beauty is eaten away
By the scent of someone else
In the blankets where we lay.
There's always something left behind
There's always something left behind
Maybe next time
Uneaten meals
A lonely star
A welcome ride in a neighbor's car
A long walk home
In the pouring rain
I fell asleep when you never came
Some rare delight in Manchester town
It took six hours before you let me down
To see it all in a drunken kiss
A stranger's hand on my favorite dress
oh
That was my favorite dress you know
That was my favorite dress
@slint69
Sometimes these words just don't have to be said
I know how you both feel, the heart can rule the head
Jealousy is an essential part of love
The hurting here below and the emptiness above
There's always something left behind
Never mind
The tender caresses that bring out the man
I can't still be drunk at five
Oh, I guess I surely can
Slowly your beauty is eaten away
By the scent of someone else in the blanket where we lay
There's always something left behind
Maybe next time
Uneaten meals
A lonely star
A welcome ride in a neighbor's car
A long walk home
The pouring rain
I fell asleep when you never came
Some rare delight in Manchester town
It took six hours before you let me down
To see it all in a drunken kiss
A stranger's hand on my favourite dress
That was my favourite dress, you know
That was my favourite dress
@mickbrown638
This was played at my brother's funeral this week. I'm simoultaneosly typing and weeping.
@pop-so1qj
🙏
@casualagent7250
A fine tune to die for 😔
@Thothschild
Fam. There's Always Something Left Behind... in this case, You. Rejoice. Homey is Home... and You headed there.❤
@johnwilberforce7237
Dear kids,
THIS is how you do it.
Love, John x
@lavsmate
Just about the best advice ever... Great comment mate
@herbertrichard614
Gedde is God.
@lindseymckirdy1830
Told my kids that all the time
at least now at 18 and 19 they are starting to ‘get‘ Dave
@discosecret6363
Please no, the last thing we need is a thousand pale clones of this incomparable band. Let the kids do their “thing”, we’ll always have this.
@tommiatkins3443
Absolutely impossible not to shred a air guitar to this. Was doing that at 18 , im doing it at 48.