Wet Wet Wet

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Wet Wet Wet
Origin	Glasgow
Country	Scotland
Years active	1986-present
Genres	Pop music
Labels	Polygram
Members	Marti Pellow Tommy Cunningham Graeme Clark Neil Mitchell
Past members	Angus Cameron

Wet Wet Wet are a successful Scottish pop band of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is comprised of Marti Pellow (vocals), Tommy Cunningham (drums, vocals), Graeme Clark (bass, vocals) and Neil Mitchell (keyboards, vocals).

1 1980s
2 1990s
3 New millennium
4 Discography
5 Trivia
6 External links

[edit] 1980s

The Wets (as they are sometimes known) were formed in Clydebank, Scotland, in 1982. They took their name from the Scritti Politti song, "Gettin, havin' and holdin'".

After getting a record deal with PolyGram in 1985, the band had their first hit two years later with their debut single "Wishing I Was Lucky", which reached number six in the UK singles chart. That year, the band released their debut album, Popped In Souled Out, which also became a hit and produced three more hit singles, namely "Sweet Little Mystery", "Temptation", and "Angel Eyes". They also supported Lionel Richie on his UK tour.

In 1988, the Wets scored their first Number 1 hit with a cover version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" (article on the Wets' version of the song here), recorded for the charity ChildLine. Another Beatles song, "She's Leaving Home", was equally-billed on the flip side, performed by Billy Bragg. In the same year, an album - entitled The Memphis Sessions - was released from their spell in the USA prior to hitting the big time.

The following year the band released their third album, Holding Back the River, which was also a success and produced the hit single "Sweet Surrender". The album was well-received, relying more on strings and other classical arrangements. At the end of 1989, Pellow appeared on the Band Aid II charity single.

[edit] 1990s

In 1992, the band released a fourth studio album, entitled High on the Happy Side, which spawned the Number 1 hit single "Goodnight Girl" - the only self-penned chart-topping single they have had to date. The song proved something of a saviour, as the previous two releases from the album had failed in the singles charts, although the album sold well. In total, five singles were released from it. The following day saw the release of a special-edition album, Cloak & Dagger.

In 1994, Wet Wet Wet had their biggest hit, a cover version of the Troggs single "Love Is All Around" (article on the Wets' version of the song here), which was a huge international success, and spent fifteen weeks atop the British charts. Only Pellow's insistence on its deletion (he was bored of its chart domination and overheard people complaining about it) prevented the song from possibly equalling and breaking the record for the longest-standing Number 1 single, held by Bryan Adams.

The song was used on the soundtrack to the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. In the official UK best-selling singles list issued in 2002, it was placed 11th. The song also featured on the 1995 album Picture This, their sixth, which also spawned the hit single "Julia Says", although much of the album (although well-received by critics), would ultimately live in the shadow of "Love Is All Around".

During the rest of the 1990s the band maintained a strong UK following, although success in the singles charts became more sporadic. Their seventh and, to-date, last studio album, 1997's 10, celebrated the group's decade at the top.

A year later, after a tour in support of 10, things turned sour when Pellow quit the band and went into rehab to battle a debilitating heroin addiction, while Cunningham resigned acrimoniously.

[edit] New millennium

Pellow succeeded in kicking his habit, and returned to the public eye in 2001 with solo album Smile. In March 2004, the band cautiously reformed in order to work on an eighth album. A single entitled "All I Want" was released in November 2004 from the band's second Greatest Hits, released a week later. They undertook a successful tour of the UK the following month.

In 2005, Wet Wet Wet played at the Summer Weekender festival in England, and were one of the headline acts at Live 8 Edinburgh.

In October 2006, Clark posted on the band's website that the album that was rumoured to be released in 2004 is due out at the end of 2006 or early in 2007.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

1. Popped In Souled Out (September 28, 1987)	2. The Memphis Sessions (November 9, 1988)	3. Holding Back the River (October 30, 1989)	4. High on the Happy Side (January 27, 1992)
5. Cloak & Dagger (January 28, 1992)	6. Picture This (April 10, 1995)	7. 10 (March 3, 1997) #13 US; #1 UK

[edit] Live albums

1. Wet Wet Wet: Live
(December 1, 1990)

2. Live at the Royal Albert Hall
(May 17, 1993)

[edit] Compilations

1. End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits
(November 8, 1993)

2. The Greatest Hits
(November 8, 2004)

[edit] Trivia

For the free covers album Cloak & Dagger the five were billed as fake veteran act Maggie Pie & The Imposters.

[edit] External links

Wet Wet Wet

Marti Pellow - Tommy Cunningham - Graeme Clark - Neil Mitchell - Angus Cameron

Other musicians: Graeme Duffin

Discography

Studio albums: Popped In Souled Out - The Memphis Sessions - Holding Back the River - High on the Happy Side - Cloak & Dagger - Picture This - 10