ENJOY THE MELODIC SUNSHINE
(2000)
Poptones mc5015cd
Album 3. Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine, is actually a compilation. It's made up of 9 songs from Panorama, 3 songs from Deliverance and 3 new songs. I decided the 3 Deliverance songs, which were originally just demos, needed re-recorded to bring them sonically in line with the Panorama songs. I kept the arrangements pretty much the same.
The compilation was the idea of Alan McGee. Panorama was less than 5 months old when I signed to Poptones and Alan felt that I needed to add something to help give the album a new lease of life. Panorama had already been reviewed in its original form and it might have been difficult to market the record in exactly the same format. So I wrote three new songs and came up with a new album title.
Of the new songs, "Sometime", is the most interesting. It's made up of bits from three songs I'd already written but didn't like. However, each song had a part that I did like, so I decided to put all three good parts together and turn them into one song. "Melanie", was a song I'd had lying around half finished for about two years. It was originally called "Melody" but on a taxi journey home from the studio one night, the radio DJ played the song "Brand New Key" by Melanie (Safka). When I got home, I grabbed my guitar and finished the song, immediately changing the title to "Melanie." The next day, I played the song to Stephen at the studio and he came up with a slightly different melody for part of the verse which added to my original. The third new song, "Morning Sun", was an homage to the Beach Boys and a tribute to my wife.
There were five singles released from the album and four of them charted; "The Loser" (limited 7" vinyl), "Melanie" (99), "Baby, You're So Free" (76), "Revolution (In The Summertime?)" (35) and "The Pain Inside" (36). The album went on to sell 78,000 copies in the UK and over 100,000 worldwide.
The new album title was originally going to be "Aural Sunshine" but I changed it at the last minute. I'm glad I did because I believe "Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine", is the perfect description of the music on the record.
New band members, Mark Brown and James Clifford got to play on two of the songs on this album. The re-recorded version of "Baby, You're So Free" and new song "Melanie". Gary Cuthbert played guitar on "Glastonbury Revisited" (as he had done on the original version from Deliverance). It was a nice way for them to become a little part of the music.
ENJOY THE MELODIC SUNSHINE
01. Brothers Gather Round.
02. The Gun Isn't Loaded.
03. Glastonbury Revisited.
04. Baby, You're So Free.
05 Value Of Life.
06. Revolution (In The Summertime?).
07. Have You Heard The News Today?
08. Sometime.
09. Melanie.
10. The Pain Inside.
11. The Charm.
12. The Loser.
13. You've Got Me.
14. Emily Darling.
15. Morning Sun.
All songs written by Daniel Wylie except;
Brothers Gather Round; Words by Daniel Wylie. Music by Daniel Wylie and Gary Cuthbert.
Glastonbury Revisited; Words by Daniel Wylie. Music by Daniel Wylie and Gary Cuthbert.
Melanie; Words by Daniel Wylie. Music by Daniel Wylie and Stephen Fleming.
Recorded at C# Sharp Studios, Glasgow.
Engineered and mixed by Stephen Fleming and Daniel Wylie.
Produced by Daniel Wylie.

PANORAMA

(2000)

Raft 002

Album 2. Panorama, was a more focussed album. Again, it was recorded at C # Sharp studios but this time it was recorded in one go, over three months of mostly studio downtime and mostly at night (and early hours of the morning). Like on Deliverance, the songs were mostly culled from over 200 songs I'd written over the previous 12 years. Some songs, like "Revolution (In The Summertime?)", "Have You Heard The News Today?" and "Value Of Life", were 12 years old and had been left over from my time with The Thieves, while songs like "The Loser", "You've Got Me", "To Be Someone"and "The Pain Inside", were brand new songs I'd just witten.
This album is significant because at the end of the sessions, I invited Stephen Fleming (who had played guitar on a few songs on Deliverance) to be a part of Cosmic Rough Riders. I didn't have any money to pay him for his work on the record, so I made him co-member of the band and gave him equal share of my songwriting on the album (although he only actually co-wrote one song). Giving away half of the songwriting credit to Mr. Fleming, is something I've regretted ever since and rates as one of the worst mistakes I've ever made.
This album led to CRR being signed to Poptones by Alan McGee and Joe Foster.
Panorama (and Deliverance) sleeve designer, David Wells, had been in a band with McGee and had gone to the same school. He sent a copy of the album to McGee. At around the same time, we were offered a management deal. Our new manager also knew McGee and in a chance meeting with him, we were mentioned. Alan hadn't listened to the album yet but on his return to London, he listened to it. He declared an interest in signing CRR and asked to see us live. But unknown to him, CRR wasn't a band. It was my solo project that had just recently turned into a duo.
A band was put together quickly, using Stephen's friends, just because they were free at the time and we didn't have time to audition people. Alan turned up to see us at a private gig in Glasgow's Nice N Sleazy and offered to sign us on the spot. The problem for me was that he wanted to sign the whole band (that wasn't actually a band).
At the age of 40, and after waiting on such an opportunity for many years, I had a decision to make. Either refuse the deal or sign as a band with a bunch of people who didn't play on my records and whom I didn't know. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so CRR signed as a band to Poptones.
The following people appear on at least one song on this album; Daniel Wylie, Stephen Tyler, Stephen Fleming, George Dunnachie, Andrew Phillips, Jimmy Stirling and Harriet Glover.
PANORAMA
01. Revolution (In The Summertime?).
02. Have You Heard The News Today?
03. Brothers Gather Round.
04. The Gun Isn't Loaded.
05. Value Of Life.
06. You've Got Me.
07. Afterglow.
08. The Pain Inside.
09. The Charm.
10. I Call Her Name.
11. The Loser.
12. Can't Get Any Closer.
13. To Be Someone.
14. Back Home Again.
All songs written by Daniel Wylie except;
Brothers Gather Round; Words by Daniel Wylie. Music by Daniel Wylie and Gary Cuthbert.
I Call Her Name; Words and Music by Daniel Wylie and Stephen Fleming.
Recorded at C# Sharp Studios, Glasgow.
Engineered and mixed by Stephen Fleming and Daniel Wylie.
Produced by Daniel Wylie.

DELIVERANCE

(1999)

Raft 001

Album 1. It's a collection of demos recorded over three years at C# Sharp Studios in Castlemilk, Glasgow and Riverside Studios in Busby, just outside of Glasgow. C# Sharp was a community based, urban aid funded project. I compiled the best of my demos into this album and with the help of a grant I aquired from John Ferry at the local Castlemilk Arts Office, I was able to press an initial 500 cds.

I did all the promo for the album myself and managed to secure great reviews in magazine's like Mojo, Rock 'N' Reel and Uncut. The reviews for the album were positive and led to the 500 cds selling out within weeks of release. I pressed up another 500 and again, they sold out quickly.

Cosmic Rough Riders was a name I came up with after reading a magazine story about Gram Parsons. In the article, it was stated that Parsons wanted to make Cosmic American Music. As someone who'd been brought up listening to mostly American music, particularly Country, I felt it was an ideal description of the music I wanted to make. The music I heard in my head. The Rough Riders part of the name came about after I spotted a poster in a shop window in Victoria Road, Glasgow, advertising Lee Rough Rider Jeans. The poster featured a girl wearing cut off shorts. I suppose I was drawn to it because I was looking at her legs. I put the two together and came up with Cosmic Rough Riders.

The album title came directly from the movie, "Deliverance". My original plan was to release three Cosmic Rough Riders albums. "Deliverance", "Panorama" and "Walkabout", after my initials, Daniel Patrick Wylie. Then I would retire the name and move on to another project. That plan got sidetracked when Alan McGee came calling.

The following people appear on at least one song on this album; Daniel Wylie, Johnny Cameron, George Dunnachie, Andrew Phillips, Stephen Fleming, Brian Costello, Rab Higgins, Gary Cuthbert and Stefano Jaconelli.

DELIVERANCE

01. Ungrateful. *

02. Rape Seed Children. *

03. Patience. *

04. What's Your Sign?

05. Country Life.

06. Still A Mother's Son.

07. Baby, You're So Free.

08. Emily Darling.

09. Brand New Car. *

10. Here Comes My Train. *

11. Lady In The Lake.

12. Glastonbury Revisited.

13. Garden Of Eden.

14. New Day Dawning.

All songs written by Daniel Wylie except;

Gastonbury Revisited; Words by Daniel Wylie. Music by Daniel Wylie and Gary Cuthbert.

Still A Mother's Son; Words and music by Daniel Wylie and Gary Cuthbert.

Recorded at C Sharp Studios and *Riverside Studios.

Engineers; *Johnny Cameron, Andrew Phillips and George Dunnachie.

Produced by Daniel Wylie.

Welcome to my blog. Click on DANIEL WYLIE AND COSMIC ROUGH RIDERS (above) to find out more.

Hi, my name is Daniel Wylie and I am the founding member of the band Cosmic Rough Riders. I will be using this blog to tell the true history of the band. I will also be giving away free downloads of demos and album tracks from Cosmic Rough Riders and from my solo career.

More later when I work out what I'm doing and how to work this blog properly.

Daniel.