A new box set will offer fans a deep dive into longtime Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman’s solo career. Bill Wyman Treasury is a seven-CD, 107-track collection that will be released on November 28.
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The box set features Wyman’s six solo studio albums, as well as a variety of bonus tracks, including demos, single mixes, and single edits. The albums are Wyman’s 1974 solo debut, Monkey Grip; Stone Alone (1976); Bill Wyman (1982); Stuff (1992); Back to Basics (2015); and Drive My Car (2024).
Treasury’s seventh CD contains 12 previously unreleased demo recordings dating from various periods Bill’s career. The box set will come packaged with a booklet featuring photos from Wyman’s personal archive and a new interview in which Bill reflects on his solo career. The interview was conducted by U.K. broadcaster and author Paul Sexton, who has spoken with the legendary musician many times since the late 1980s.
News of the Treasury box set comes in advance of Wyman’s 89th birthday, which is on October 24. The collection can be pre-ordered now. An exclusive version is available that comes with a print signed by Bill.
Here’s a brief look at the six albums featured in the box set:
Monkey Grip
Monkey Grip was released in May 1974 on Rolling Stones Records. The album, which was produced by Wyman, featured contributions from an impressive list of guest musicians. They included Little Feat’s Lowell George, Dr. John, Leon Russell, Danny Kortchmar, Dallas Taylor, George McCrae, and Nicky Hopkins.
The album peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard 200 and No. 39 on the U.K. chart.
Stone Alone
Stone Alone was released in February 1976, also on Rolling Stones Records. The album also was produced by Wyman and featured a similarly star-studded cast of contributors.
Among them were Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Joe Walsh, Van Morrison, Bob Welch, Dr. John, Al Kooper, Hopkins, John McFee of the Doobie Brothers, Taylor, Kortchmar, and members of the Pointer Sisters.
Bill Wyman
The Bill Wyman album was released in March 1982. It included Wyman’s first solo hit, the tongue-in-cheek “(Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star,” which reached No. 14 on U.K. singles chart.
Guest musicians on the album included the Stray Cats’ Brian Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom, guitarist Chris Rea, King Crimson multi-instrumentalist Mel Collins, and Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks.
Stuff
Stuff was released in 1992 and originally was only available in Japan. It included contributions from longtime Rolling Stones touring keyboardist Chuck Leavell and longtime Elton John percussionist Ray Cooper.
Back to Basics
Back to Basics was released in June 2015. Among the musicians featured on the album were ex-Dire Straits keyboardist Guy Fletcher and one-time Pretenders and Paul McCartney touring guitarist Robbie McIntosh.
Fletcher co-produced Back to Basics with Wyman.
Drive My Car
Drive My Car, Wyman’s latest studio album, arrived in August 2024. The album featured several interesting cover songs, including Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain,” Taj Mahal’s “Light Rain,” and the late John Prine’s “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody.”
Drive My Car included contributions from Fletcher, McIntosh, and frequent Eric Clapton touring guitarist Andy Fairweather-Low.
Fletcher produced the album.
(Photo by Jordi Vidal/Redferns)
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