Phil Wainman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Phil Wainman is a British record producer and songwriter, primarily active in the 1970s. He is noted for his work with Sweet, XTC, Mud, and the Bay City Rollers. His greatest chart success, however, was the production of "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats, written by Bob Geldof and arranged by Fiachra Trench.
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[edit] Career
In 1964 Wainman was working the European cabaret circuit with a band called The High Grades. He returned to the UK and joined The Paramounts in 1965 for a short period.[1] The Paramounts had had a minor UK hit with a cover of The Coasters', "Poison Ivy", but Wainman does not appear on this track.
Wainman was originally a drummer with a session band named The Quotations.[2] He released two drum-themed beat/pop singles, 1966's, "Hear Me A Drummer Man" and 1968's "Going, Going Gone" / "Hey Paradiddle".
He and pianist Harold Spiro later wrote The Yardbirds "Little Games" single, which was produced by Mickie Most. Wainman was working as a music publisher and songwriter when he was introduced to Middlesex-based pop group The Sweetshop. Liking what he heard he produced the band's first single 'Slow Motion' which was released in July 1968. The band shortened its name to The Sweet just prior to the single hitting the shops. The track did nothing and he and The Sweet went their separate ways.
Fast-forward to 1970 and Wainman was, inter alia, playing in a studio group called Butterscotch who were enjoying chart success with a track called 'Don't You Know'. He was approached by members of the nearly destitute Sweet, who begged him for a 'hit'. Wainman, by that time, had made the acquaintance of a new songwriting duo, Londoner Nicky Chinn and expatriate Australian Mike Chapman who were looking for an outlet for their bubblegum brand of pop. The three parties came together and went on to forge a partnership lasting four years and producing many world-wide hits, not only for The Sweet (Funny Funny, Co-Co, Poppa Joe, Little Willy, Wig Wam Bam, Blockbuster (number one in the UK for five weeks from January 1973), Hell Raiser, The Ballroom Blitz and Teenage Rampage) but a host of other artistes. Funny Funny was recorded in London again written by Chinn and Chapman. However, in 1974 Wainman left The Sweet and Chinn-Chapman to their own devices and he branched out on his own.
Wainman co-wrote and produced "Give a Little Love" for the Bay City Rollers, a UK number one in 1975. He also produced "Bye Bye Baby", another UK chart-topper the same year which, ironically, held off Sweet's first ever self-written and produced hit "Fox On The Run" from the coveted number one slot. In addition record producer credits exist for the albums, Bay City Rollers, Wouldn't You Like It? and Once Upon a Star.
When punk arrived he worked with Generation X, but it wasn't an experience he remembers with any affection: 'Billy Idol kept on saying, "Do you think I'm going to make it?" I said, "Well, you're absolutely bloody talentless, but you look great."'[3]
The last major hit Wainman worked on was Adrian Gurvitz's 1981 single called "Classic". "And then I had an incident at home, where I got home one night at five o' clock in the morning, after I had been working, and there were six police cars in my driveway. You know the feeling when your heart jumps into your mouth? Well, my wife had been bound and gagged and [after that] I just figured if I had to risk my family's security because I'm in the studio - do I have to have an armed guard minding my family while I work? - so I just kind of gave up producing... I dropped out. But not because I wanted to, but because I felt I had to".
