Wreckless Eric : biography
Wreckless Eric (born Eric Goulden, 18 May 1954, Newhaven, East Sussex, England) is an English rock and roll/new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in Mojo magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.Mojo (October 2001) – 100 Punk Scorchers , Issue 95, London; It was also acclaimed as one of the "top 40 singles of the alternative era 1975–2000". After some years living in France with his wife and co-performer, singer-songwriter Amy Rigby, Goulden moved with her to the United States in 2011. As of November 2011 they live in upstate New York, and continue to tour together.
End of Stiff days
Eric became increasingly unhappy with Stiff Records’ business ideas and promotion. The label forced Eric to work with songwriting teams and hired backing bands. By 1980, shortly after the release of Big Smash!, he decided to leave Stiff and record music at his home studio. While Eric may have left the music business and the public eye, he has continued writing songs and performing consistently at underground clubs and bars. Throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s Eric has released albums on numerous independent record labels.
Discography
Albums
As Wreckless Eric
- Wreckless Eric (March 1978: Stiff Records, SEEZ 6) No. 46 UK Albums Chart
- The Wonderful World of Wreckless Eric (October 1978: Stiff, SEEZ 9)
- The Whole Wide World (December 1979) [compilation album] US release
- Big Smash! (February 1980: Stiff, SEEZ 21) [double compilation album] No. 30 UK
- The Donovan of Trash (1991)
- Almost a Jubilee: 25 Years at the BBC (with Gaps) (2003)
- Bungalow Hi (2004)
With Captains of Industry
- Roomful of Monkeys (1984)
With The Len Bright Combo
- The Len Bright Combo Presents… (1985)
- Combo Time (1986)
(The two Len Bright Combo albums were re-released on a single CD on Eric’s Southern Domestic label in 2004).
With Le Beat Group Electrique
- Le Beat Group Electrique (1989)
- At the Shop (1990)
With Hitsville House Band
- 12 o’Clock Stereo (1996)
As Eric Goulden
- Karaoke (1997)
With Amy Rigby
- Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby (2008)
- Two-Way Family Favourites (2010)
- A Working Museum (2012)
Various artists compilation album appearances
- A Bunch of Stiff Records (1977)
- Stiffs Live (1978: Stiff Records, GET 1) No. 28 UK Albums Chart
- Heroes & Cowards (1978)
- Can’t Start Dancing (1978)
- "Whole Wide World" featured on the That Summer! compilation album (June 1979) UK No. 36
- The Last Compilation Album (1980)
- The Stiff Records Box Set (1991)
- DiY 3: Teenage Kicks – UK Pop I (1976–79) (1993)
- Stranger Than Fiction Soundtrack (2006)
- The Sandinista! Project (2007)
Singles
Band name / Release date | ‘A’ side | ‘B’ side | Label | Catalogue Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wreckless Eric: August 1977 | "(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World" | "Semaphore Signals" | Stiff | BUY 16 |
Wreckless Eric: February 1978 | "Reconnez Cherie" | "Rags And Tatters" | Stiff | BUY 25 |
Wreckless Eric: October 1978 | "Take The K.A.S.H." | "Girlfriend" | Stiff | BUY 34 |
Wreckless Eric: December 1978 | "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" | "I Wish It Would Rain" | Stiff | BUY 40 |
Wreckless Eric: October 1979 | "Hit And Miss Judy" | "Let’s Go To The Pictures" | Stiff | BUY 49 |
Wreckless Eric: January 1980 | "A Popsong" | "Reconnez Cherie" | Stiff | BUY 64 |
Wreckless Eric: March 1980 | "Broken Doll" | "I Need A Situation" | Stiff | BUYIT 75 |
Captains of Industry: November 1984 | "Lifeline" | "A Girl In A Million" | Go! Discs Records | GOD 6 |
Len Bright Combo: April 1986 | "Someone Must’ve Nailed Us Together" | "Mona" | Empire | LEN 1 |
Wreckless Eric: October 1989 | "It’s A Sick World" | "Reconnez Cherie" | New Rose | NEW 100 |
Wreckless Eric: May 1990 | "Haunted House" | "Depression (version Francaise)" | New Rose | NEW 136 |
Wreckless Eric: December 1990 | "Yuletide Forty-Five" | Kelt | ||
Wreckless Eric: February 1993 | "Joe Meek" | "Tell Me I’m The Only One" | Hangman | SFTRI 226 |
The Hitsville House Band: 1996 | "The Girl with the Wandering Eye" | "Palace Of Tears" / "Laurence Of Arabia On Ice" | Humbug | |
Wreckless Eric: 2002 | "Sweet Jane" | "Continuity Girl" | Vibroscope | |
Wreckless Eric: 2007 | "Whole Wide World 4 England" | "Wayne Rooney’s Foot" | Firerce Panda |