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
Take Me!
The Wedding Present Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the things you said last night
Did they mean nothing
Or were they filled with hidden clues
And can you really have stayed till three
Orange slices and that Fall LP
I feel so lonely when I get back from seeing you
I can feel myself begin to change
It's like a panic
And a rushing sound in my head
A huge weight pressing on my chest
And now I spend hours trying to look my best
But I still meet you the day before I wash my hair
Oh won't you put that down and take me, I'm yours
When will we have this chance again
Oh please just put that down and take me, I'm yours
We might never have this chance again
That must've been a knowing look
Oh when you moved to pass your friend his book
And oh that feeling
When your hand returns to mine
I think I might as well stay out here
Oh but, can't you kiss me just once properly
Well of course I mean it! I think about you all the time
Oh won't you put that down and take me, I'm yours
When will we have this chance again
Oh please just put that down and take me, I'm yours
We might never have romance again
Warm hands and the things you say
You get lovelier every day
Warm hands and the things you say
You get lovelier every day
The Wedding Present’s “Take Me” is a song about overthinking and romantic anxiety. The song opens with the singer questioning the true meaning of the things their lover said the night before. It’s unclear if their lover meant what they said or if they had hidden clues in their words. The singer is plagued by loneliness after spending time with their lover and is distracted by the mere mention of their name. They spend hours trying to look their best in preparation for seeing their lover, but still feel nervous and insecure around them.
The chorus is a plea to their lover to make a move and seize the moment, to put down whatever distractions they have and take the singer. There’s a sense of desperation to the lyrics, a fear of missing out on a chance for romance. The verses that follow detail the physical and emotional sensations the singer experiences when they’re with their lover. The touch of their hand, the things they say, and the way they look all make the singer feel more and more in love with them.
“Take Me” is a relatable song about love and the anxieties that can come with it. The lyrics capture the feeling of being constantly unsure of whether or not your actions and words are being interpreted correctly by the person you’re in love with. The song’s upbeat and energetic guitar-driven sound contrasts with the insecurity and vulnerability expressed in the lyrics, creating an interesting dynamic.
Line by Line Meaning
I've spent all day trying to decide
I've been dwelling on the things you said last night and trying to interpret their true meaning.
About the things you said last night
I'm trying to make sense of the words you said to me when we were together.
Did they mean nothing
I'm questioning whether your words held any real significance or if they were just empty statements.
Or were they filled with hidden clues
I'm wondering if your words contained hidden messages or hints about your feelings for me.
And can you really have stayed till three
I'm skeptical about whether you actually spent until 3am with me or if I just imagined it.
Orange slices and that Fall LP
I remember the small details of our time together like sharing a snack and listening to music.
I feel so lonely when I get back from seeing you
I feel sad and alone when we part after spending time together.
And when someone brings up your name
When I hear someone mention your name, it triggers certain emotions in me.
I can feel myself begin to change
I feel my mood and demeanor shift when someone mentions you.
It's like a panic
I feel a sense of fear or anxiety when your name is brought up.
And a rushing sound in my head
I feel a sudden burst of thoughts and emotions when I'm reminded of you.
A huge weight pressing on my chest
I feel a heavy burden or pressure when I think about my feelings for you.
And now I spend hours trying to look my best
I put a lot of effort into my appearance when I know I'll be seeing you.
But I still meet you the day before I wash my hair
Even though I want to look my best for you, I still prioritize seeing you over my own personal hygiene rituals.
Oh won't you put that down and take me, I'm yours
I want to be close to you and have you take me into your arms.
When will we have this chance again
I don't know when we'll have another opportunity like this.
Oh please just put that down and take me, I'm yours
I want you to put aside whatever you're doing and give me your full attention because I want to be with you.
We might never have this chance again
I'm aware that time is limited and I fear we may never be able to be together again.
That must've been a knowing look
I interpreted the way you looked at me as a sign that you understood how I was feeling.
Oh when you moved to pass your friend his book
I was struck by the way you interacted with your friend when you handed him a book.
And oh that feeling
The way I feel when I'm with you is indescribable, but it's incredibly powerful.
When your hand returns to mine
I feel relieved and loved when you hold my hand.
I think I might as well stay out here
I'm tempted to stay outside and wait for you, even though it's not practical or rational.
Oh but, can't you kiss me just once properly
I long for a romantic and meaningful kiss from you.
Well of course I mean it! I think about you all the time
I'm being earnest when I express my feelings for you, and I think about you constantly.
Warm hands and the things you say
I love the feeling of your warm hands and the way you express yourself.
You get lovelier every day
I'm constantly falling more and more in love with you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID GEDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joey Peroni
Over nine minutes of pure brilliance..there's a moment when the guitars seem to take you to a different planet.
Herbert Richard
Totally! This is a staggering work of art. So fucking pleasant it all but surpasses belief.
pluise
And they play this live.
friautz
Always loved this track. Even when they're not a psychedelic band, falling into these guitars is a psychedelic experience and you hope it never ends...
I'm a Wedding Present fan since Shatner.
Steve Roden
released 30 years ago today - still a stone cold classic! wonderful!
Herbert Richard
Complete fucking insanity! This is joy and what music if for. Take a less than ideal situation and make something beautiful of it.
Jim
Great job on the remastering you seperated the whole thing fantastically and widened it beautifully. You could hear the melodic parts of the guitars a lot better. They were always melodic the melodies were a bit subtle and hidden at times behind the driving rhythm guitars but melodic none the less. Thanks for doing it just had one of the greatest 9 minutes of my life :-)
ludwigfeuerbach
disagree. Great song, but sounds hollow and metallic now.
Steeve Daw
Since I FIRST heard it,all those years ago... The only song I would want played at my funeral... THANKYOU Dave.. "The boy Gedge".. And,the best band I've ever seen live,in a tiny place.. 2 foot from a small stage..(before,they were setting up,he came over,bought me a pint.. I really,truly,couldn't speak... I didn't think that really happened!!)
Herbert Richard
Fucking agreed! This is staggering brilliance. Best sounding track on Y/T.