THE WOODENTOPS
''GRANULAR TALES''
MARCH 4 2013
47:01
1 /A Little More Time
Rolo McGinty/4:23
2 /A Pact
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:44
3 /Conversations
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:33
4 /Smokin'
Rolo McGinty/3:08
5 /Third Floor Rooftop High
Rolo McGinty/3:59
6 /I'm Delighted
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/4:08
7 /Stay Out of the Light
Rolo McGinty/4:01
8 /Every Step of the Way
Rolo McGinty/3:47
9 /Off to War
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:29
10 /Take Me Through the Night
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:13
11 /What Was Taken I Don't Want Back
Rolo McGinty / Mike Nielsen/3:41
12 /Because of You
Rolo McGinty/5:55
Paul Ashby /Drums
Frank de Freitas /Bass
Simon Mawby /Guitar (Electric)
Rolo McGinty /Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals
Mike Nielsen /Producer
Aine O'Keeffe /Keyboards
Richard Thomas /Piano
REVIEW
By Mark Deming
It's been a bit more than a quarter century since the Woodentops last released an album, and 2014's Granular Tales doesn't suggest the reunited band has tried to make an album that would convince us nothing has changed since Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway dropped in 1988. This edition of the Woodentops -- in which original members Rolo McGinty (vocals), Simon Mawby (guitar), and Frank de Freitas (bass) are joined by drummer Paul Ashby, pianist Richard Thomas, and keyboardist Aine O'Keeffe -- lacks a bit of the youthful energy of their heyday, with slower tempos and melodies that sound more contemplative than their work of the '80s, and Granular Tales reveals significantly less of the acoustic undertow they delivered on their touchstone album, 1986's Giant. But the steady pulse and frequent percussive bursts that dominate these songs certainly hark back to the Woodentops' beat-crazy glory days, and also provide a bridge to the dance music that's been a major part of McGinty's post-Woodentops résumé. Granular Tales is the work of an older and more cautious band, but one that hasn't forgotten how to wind up and make its songs hop, and tunes like "A Pact," "Third Floor Rooftop High," and "Stay Out of the Light" could certainly fill up a dancefloor if given the chance (while "Every Step of the Way" and "A Little More Time" suggest a live band approaching the rudiments of electronic dance music, and with genuine success). And Mawby's guitar fits beautifully into these insistent arrangements. Granular Tales is a pleasant surprise -- an album that acknowledges the Woodentops' frantic glory days while offering them a way to move into the 21st century gracefully, and demonstrates how dance music can mature while still getting the party started; this doesn't exactly pick up where the Woodentops left off, but certainly finds them just where they want and need to be.
BIOGRAPHY
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Taking punk's D.I.Y. ideals and applying them to stripped-down acoustic pop, the Woodentops achieved a great deal of critical success in the short time they were together. Formed in the early '80s in Northhampton, England, the group consisted of Rolo McGinty (vocals, guitar), Frank de Freitas (bass), Simon Mawby (guitar), Benny Staples (drums), and Alice Thompson (keyboards). The band released its debut single, "Plenty," on Food Records; the record led to a contract with Rough Trade. Throughout 1985, the Woodentops released a series of singles, all written by McGinty, that began to attract an audience in the U.K. The group released its acclaimed debut album, Giant, in 1986. The following year, the Woodentops began experimenting with their sound, adding tougher guitars and electronics as McGinty became increasingly interesting in dance music. These changes were particularly evident in their live show, as shown by their 1987 live recording, Hypno Beat Live, recording during the group's American tour. (The tour also introduced new keyboard player Anne Stephenson, formerly of the Communards, who replaced Thompson.) Featuring the contributions of professional studio musicians Bernie Worrell and Doug Wimbish, among others, 1988's Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway continued the group's experimentations with rhythmic and sonic textures. 
While the Woodentops scored a minor radio hit in Los Angeles with "Stop This Car" and they developed a sizable following in Japan, extensive touring in 1991 and 1992 failed to widen their fan base, and at the end of 1992, the Woodentops broke up. Rolo McGinty worked in electronic music and sang with Gary Lucas' group Gods & Monsters, while Simon Mawby was briefly a member of the group House of Love. In 2006, McGinty assembled a new lineup of the Woodentops for a reunion tour; joining original members McGinty, Mawby, and de Freitas were drummer Paul Ashby, pianist Richard Thomas, and keyboardist Aine O'Keeffe. The Woodentops played live periodically over the next several years, and in 2014 they returned with their first new album in over 25 years, Granular Tales.
''GRANULAR TALES''
MARCH 4 2013
47:01
1 /A Little More Time
Rolo McGinty/4:23
2 /A Pact
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:44
3 /Conversations
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:33
4 /Smokin'
Rolo McGinty/3:08
5 /Third Floor Rooftop High
Rolo McGinty/3:59
6 /I'm Delighted
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/4:08
7 /Stay Out of the Light
Rolo McGinty/4:01
8 /Every Step of the Way
Rolo McGinty/3:47
9 /Off to War
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:29
10 /Take Me Through the Night
Rolo McGinty / Richard Thomas/3:13
11 /What Was Taken I Don't Want Back
Rolo McGinty / Mike Nielsen/3:41
12 /Because of You
Rolo McGinty/5:55
Paul Ashby /Drums
Frank de Freitas /Bass
Simon Mawby /Guitar (Electric)
Rolo McGinty /Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals
Mike Nielsen /Producer
Aine O'Keeffe /Keyboards
Richard Thomas /Piano
REVIEW
By Mark Deming
It's been a bit more than a quarter century since the Woodentops last released an album, and 2014's Granular Tales doesn't suggest the reunited band has tried to make an album that would convince us nothing has changed since Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway dropped in 1988. This edition of the Woodentops -- in which original members Rolo McGinty (vocals), Simon Mawby (guitar), and Frank de Freitas (bass) are joined by drummer Paul Ashby, pianist Richard Thomas, and keyboardist Aine O'Keeffe -- lacks a bit of the youthful energy of their heyday, with slower tempos and melodies that sound more contemplative than their work of the '80s, and Granular Tales reveals significantly less of the acoustic undertow they delivered on their touchstone album, 1986's Giant. But the steady pulse and frequent percussive bursts that dominate these songs certainly hark back to the Woodentops' beat-crazy glory days, and also provide a bridge to the dance music that's been a major part of McGinty's post-Woodentops résumé. Granular Tales is the work of an older and more cautious band, but one that hasn't forgotten how to wind up and make its songs hop, and tunes like "A Pact," "Third Floor Rooftop High," and "Stay Out of the Light" could certainly fill up a dancefloor if given the chance (while "Every Step of the Way" and "A Little More Time" suggest a live band approaching the rudiments of electronic dance music, and with genuine success). And Mawby's guitar fits beautifully into these insistent arrangements. Granular Tales is a pleasant surprise -- an album that acknowledges the Woodentops' frantic glory days while offering them a way to move into the 21st century gracefully, and demonstrates how dance music can mature while still getting the party started; this doesn't exactly pick up where the Woodentops left off, but certainly finds them just where they want and need to be.
BIOGRAPHY
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Taking punk's D.I.Y. ideals and applying them to stripped-down acoustic pop, the Woodentops achieved a great deal of critical success in the short time they were together. Formed in the early '80s in Northhampton, England, the group consisted of Rolo McGinty (vocals, guitar), Frank de Freitas (bass), Simon Mawby (guitar), Benny Staples (drums), and Alice Thompson (keyboards). The band released its debut single, "Plenty," on Food Records; the record led to a contract with Rough Trade. Throughout 1985, the Woodentops released a series of singles, all written by McGinty, that began to attract an audience in the U.K. The group released its acclaimed debut album, Giant, in 1986. The following year, the Woodentops began experimenting with their sound, adding tougher guitars and electronics as McGinty became increasingly interesting in dance music. These changes were particularly evident in their live show, as shown by their 1987 live recording, Hypno Beat Live, recording during the group's American tour. (The tour also introduced new keyboard player Anne Stephenson, formerly of the Communards, who replaced Thompson.) Featuring the contributions of professional studio musicians Bernie Worrell and Doug Wimbish, among others, 1988's Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway continued the group's experimentations with rhythmic and sonic textures.
While the Woodentops scored a minor radio hit in Los Angeles with "Stop This Car" and they developed a sizable following in Japan, extensive touring in 1991 and 1992 failed to widen their fan base, and at the end of 1992, the Woodentops broke up. Rolo McGinty worked in electronic music and sang with Gary Lucas' group Gods & Monsters, while Simon Mawby was briefly a member of the group House of Love. In 2006, McGinty assembled a new lineup of the Woodentops for a reunion tour; joining original members McGinty, Mawby, and de Freitas were drummer Paul Ashby, pianist Richard Thomas, and keyboardist Aine O'Keeffe. The Woodentops played live periodically over the next several years, and in 2014 they returned with their first new album in over 25 years, Granular Tales.
