Will of the People – Paul Weller – new triple-album of B-sides, rarities and remixes revealed…

A few whispers of something new coming and a bit of an Amazon leak earlier this Summer only seem to have helped with the buzz and excitement of a new Paul Weller album before the year is out.
Hot on the heels of a bunch of vinyl re-issues with 22 Dreams and Modern Classics comes a follow up to fan favourite Fly on The Wall, with official news now revealed of Will of the People and a confirmed release date of 28th October 2022.

Cast your mind back to the autumn of 2003, the original 3LP & 3CD collection came off the back of Paul’s sixth solo studio album Illumination and brought together a wealth of solo recordings that stretched back to 1991. Personal highlights included The Loved, A Year Late, Black Sheep Boy, Bang-Bang and the Lynch Mob Bonus Beats’ remix of Kosmos. The B-sides, 12” EP tracks, single remixes and ‘live’ recordings featured all had one thing in common, namely that they hadn’t been included on any of his hugely successful solo albums. Furthermore, in many instances, they’d become highly sought after as the original 7”, 10”, 12” and CD singles and promo’s that first aired them were fetching significant sums from fans and collectors.
This was pre-digital downloads by the way.

Will Of The People brings us a similar mix of rarities, this time spanning the period 2002 to 2021, including Mother Ethiopia, Devotion, Cosmic Fringes (Pet Shop Boys Remix) and Birthday (released and deleted on the day of Paul McCartney’s 70th birthday).
Like its predecessor not only does it make for some great listening but it’s a superb way to hear all those hard to get solo tracks that haven’t been featured on an album before.
I’m sure there will be some tracks that you’d have loved to have seen included but given that this collection has been compiled by Paul Weller himself , it’s difficult to argue with what’s included and Paul has provided artwork ideas and sketches for the design.
The release includes sleeve notes from writer and broadcaster John Wilson (Podcast 63 guest!)

Released 28th October. Pre-order here: https://paulweller.lnk.to/WOTP

Confirmed Track-listing (and added info from me)

I should add that I have made some assumptions on the versions of these songs and will update the page as more becomes clear on the countdown to release day.

The Piper (The Attic single B-Side, also featured on a limited 3000 edition 12″ Dragonfly EP with cover artwork by Sir Peter Blake)
Into the Sea (Bonus on Fat Pop Deluxe) – F**king stunning by the way. Should have been on the main LP.
Big Brass Buttons (22 Dreams deluxe / All I Wanna Do single B-side)
Super Lekker Stoned – Richard Fearless mix (B-side to the single Here’s the Good News)
Saturns Pattern – Young Fathers remix (Saturns Peaks EP)
Let Me In (Demo) – Original PW version of the song that he gave to Olly Murs which ended up as a co-write on Olly’s album Never Been Better.
I Spy (Digital B-side to the single Going My Way from Saturns Pattern)
Oranges and Rosewater (B-side to the single From the Floorboards Up)
Praise If You Wanna ( Saturns Pattern LP – Japan version )
Mother Ethiopia Part 1 (Stand-alone 12″ from 2017 – hear more about this with Steve Trigg on Podcast 47)
We Got a Lot (Dragonfly 12″ EP / When Your Garden’s Overgrown single)
I’ll Think of Something (Deluxe version of On Sunset with Steve Cradock on 12-string acoustic guitar, Ben Gordelier on percussion and PW on vocals, acoustic guitar, piano and mellotron.
Devotion (Dragonfly 12″ EP / Deluxe Sonik Kicks LP) – I’ve assumed it’s that version and not the one from the film United which featured the stunning original version in it’s closing credits.
Sun Goes (7″ / Digital B-side to the single Saturns Pattern – features Andy Crofts, Ben Gordelier and Simon Tong on electric guitar.
Alone (B-Side of Japanese release of Come On Let’s Go single / EP)
Lay Down Your Weary Burden (Dragonfly 12″ EP / When Your Garden’s Overgrown single B-side – written by Paul and Steve Cradock.
The Olde Original (Released to celebrate Record Store Day in 2013, the 7″ featured this and Flame Out!)
Pure Sound (Bonus on Fat Pop Deluxe – Paul playing bass, acoustic and electric guitars, wurlitzer, auto harp and mellotron, Tom Heel provides backing vocals and wurlitzer and Ben Gordelier is on drums.
Landslide ( B-Side Brand New Toy 7″ single – limited to 750 as a 2014 Record Story Day release)
Dusk Til Dawn (Saturns Pattern Deluxe LP)
The Ballad of Jimmy McCabe (Jawbone Soundtrack LP – I’ve assumed this is the original btw but could be the 100 Club Sky TV version with Steve Pilgrim)
Rip the Pages Up – Vocal Version (22 Dreams Deluxe LP)
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (B-Side of Find The Torch, Burn The Plans single) – I’ve assumed this is the one with Lauren Pritchard.
Golden Leaves (B-Side of Japanese release of Come On Let’s Go single / EP)
Birthday (2012 single for Paul McCartney’s 70th – released and deleted on same day)
Serafina (Bonus on Fat Pop Deluxe – Paul, Steve Cradock, Kotono Sato on violin, Katy Cox on cello, Antonia Pagulatos on violin, Stella Page on viola. String arrangement by Hannah Peel)
I Work in the Clouds ( Saturns Pattern LP – Japan version ) – not sure why but we only get a 30″ snippet on WOTP.
Portal to the Past (Dragonfly 12″ EP / That Dangerous Age single)
Hopper – White Label remix (A Kind Revolution deluxe) – check out my chat with Tom Doyle here.
Cosmic Fringes – Pet Shop Boys remix (Stand-alone 12″ Fat Pop Remix EP released in July 2021)
Alpha (A Kind Revolution deluxe with Paul on Mellotron, Vocoder, Guitar, Harmonica and Handclaps – this also had an official video release – see below)

Whoosh EP

In addition to Will of the People, comes the announcement that ‘Whoosh‘ the new digital EP is available to stream now! It features four unreleased tracks including an alt version of what became Woo Se Mama on the A Kind Revolution album and a demo written by Paul and Noel Gallagher for The Monkees last album.
Listen here: PaulWeller.lnk.to/whooshep or check out the YouTube links below…

Videos for Will of the People tracks