Wake Up the Nation

Wake Up the Nation
Studio album by
Paul Weller
Released19 April 2010 (2010-04-19)
Recorded2009
StudioBlack Barn Studios, Woking, Surrey
GenreRock, Indie rock
LabelIsland (UK, EU)
Yep Roc (USA)
ProducerSimon Dine
Paul Weller chronology
Paul Weller – Deluxe Edition
(2009) 		Wake Up the Nation
(2010) 		Sonik Kicks
(2012)

Wake Up the Nation is the tenth studio album from Paul Weller and was released on 19 April 2010. It was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize. The albums was dedicated to "absent friends – John Weller, Pat Foxton and Robert Kirby".

It is the first of Weller's albums since 1982 to feature contributions from Bruce Foxton, formerly of The Jam. Weller told Mojo magazine: "We'd both lost loved ones and without getting too spiritual that was the spur of it. I spoke to him this time last year when his wife Pat was ill and that broke the ice, then I invited him down to Black Barn (studio). There was no big plan, it was easy, a laugh, and nice to see him and work together again. We just slipped back into it."[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[2]
Metacritic84/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. ClubB+[5]
The Daily Telegraph[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Independent[8]
Mojo[9]
NME8/10[10]
Pitchfork7.7/10[11]
Q[12]
Spin7/10[13]

Wake Up the Nation received great acclaim from most music critics. In Metro, John Lewis awarded the album 4 stars out of 5 and commented: "Since turning 50 two years ago, the Modfather seems to be making the most adventurous music of his career, astounding even the most Weller-phobic critics ... Most of the 16 tracks are short, sharp, clever and often wonderfully odd: check out bonkers music hall epic Trees, jazz waltz In Amsterdam or militaristic sound collage 7&3 Is The Strikers Name (an unlikely collaboration with My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields). Weller loyalists will be reassured by the copper-bottomed dad-rock staples, while Style Council fans will love Aim High, his finest blue-eyed soul ballad in ages."[14]

Track list

Deluxe edition CD 1/standard edition

All songs written by Paul Weller and Simon Dine.

  1. "Moonshine" – 2:09
  2. "Wake Up the Nation" – 2:19
  3. "No Tears to Cry" – 2:25
  4. "Fast Car / Slow Traffic" – 1:58
  5. "Andromeda" – 1:53
  6. "In Amsterdam" – 2:18
  7. "She Speaks" – 2:15
  8. "Find the Torch, Burn the Plans" – 3:09
  9. "Aim High" – 3:08
  10. "Trees" – 4:19
  11. "Grasp & Still Connect" – 2:16
  12. "Whatever Next" – 1:38
  13. "7&3 Is the Strikers Name" – 3:24
  14. "Up the Dosage" – 2:40
  15. "Pieces of Dream" [sic] – 2:26
  16. "Two Fat Ladies" – 2:39

Deluxe edition CD 2

  1. "Wake Up the Nation" (Zinc's Crack House remix) – 5:10
  2. "Fast Car / Slow Traffic" (Erland & Carnival Carnivalization) – 2:50
  3. "Grasp & Still Connect" (The Bees version) – 2:47
  4. "She Speaks" (Tunng remix) – 3:57
  5. "Andromeda" (Richard Hawley remix) – 3:51
  6. "In Amsterdam" (Noonday Underground remix) – 2:00
  7. "No Tears to Cry" (Leo Zero remix) 8:03
  8. "Find the Torch, Burn the Plans" (Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's remix)

Aim High / Pieces of a Dream – The Amorphous Androgynous Remix

  1. "Part 1: Aim High (Aim Higher)" – 5:57
  2. "Part 2: Pieces of a Dream (A Dream in Pieces)" – 5:27
  3. "Part 3: Aim High (The Higher Aim)" – 4:57
  4. "Part 4: Aim High (Like Water Needs a Flower)" – 5:05

Bonus tracks

  1. "Pieces of a Dream – original version" – 2:56
  2. "Grasp & Still Connect – original version" – 2:22

Personnel

  • Paul Weller
  • Hannah Andrews – backing vocals (3,5,9,10,13,14)
  • Bev Bevan – drums (1,2)
  • Mark Boxall – guitar (10)
  • Barrie Cadogan – guitar (1,16), bass guitar (16)
  • Clem Cattini – drums (3)
  • Steve Cradock – percussion (2), backing vocals (3), guitar (4,8,14), 12 string guitar (5), bass guitar (14), drums (14,15)
  • Andy Crofts – bass guitar (1), stylophone (8), guitar (11), backing vocals (15), string arrangement (9)
  • Rosie Danvers – cello (3,9,15)
  • Terry Edwards – saxophone (2), horns (11)
  • Bruce Foxton – bass guitar (4,7), backing vocals (4)
  • Charles Rees – drums (5,8,10,12,15), autoharp (12), guitar (15)
  • Laura Rees – backing vocals (3,13,14)
  • Sally Jackson – violin (3,9,15)
  • Jamie Johnson – bass guitar (15)
  • Andy Lewis – bass guitar (9), backing vocals (15)
  • Roger Nowell – synth guitar (5)
  • Emma Owens – viola (3,9,15)
  • Kerenza Peacock – violin (3,9,15)
  • Steve Pilgrim – drums (9,10,11), backing vocals (15)
  • Kevin Shields – guitar (7,13)
  • The Woking Gay Community Choir – backing vocals (8)

Charts

Chart performance for Wake Up the Nation
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 63
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 83
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 60
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 181
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 30
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21] 8
Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] 49
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[23] 29
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[24] 80
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 2

References

  1. ^ "She Speaks". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  2. ^ "Wake Up The Nation by Paul Weller reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Reviews for Wake Up The Nation by Paul Weller". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wake Up the Nation – Paul Weller". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  5. ^ Murray, Noel (11 May 2010). "Paul Weller: Wake Up The Nation". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  6. ^ Perry, Andrew (16 April 2010). "Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  7. ^ Petridis, Alexis (15 April 2010). "Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  8. ^ Gill, Andy (16 April 2010). "Album: Paul Weller, Wake Up the Nation (Island)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation". Mojo (198): 94. May 2010.
  10. ^ Wilkinson, Matt (16 April 2010). "Album Review: Paul Weller – 'Wake Up The Nation' (Island)". NME. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  11. ^ Klein, Joshua (10 May 2010). "Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  12. ^ "Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation". Q (286): 114. May 2010.
  13. ^ Wood, Mikael (24 May 2010). "Paul Weller, 'Wake Up the Nation' (Yep Roc)". Spin. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  14. ^ John Lewis Metro, 19 April 2010.
  15. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 298.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Paul Weller". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 August 2022.