chunk_id
stringlengths
3
9
chunk
stringlengths
1
100
33_2
seeing an early gig where they were performing as a three-piece. He was an integral member of the
33_3
band for 33 years. He was also the guitarist for the English alternative rock band All About Eve
33_4
from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1999 to 2002. He has also worked with Swedish progressive rock
33_5
band Anekdoten.
33_6
Early life
33_7
Willson-Piper was born in Stockport, Cheshire, on 7 May 1958 and grew up as a teenager in
33_8
Thingwall. He has a brother and an adopted sister. When he was 3 years old the family moved from
33_9
Compstall where his parents had a pub called The Commercial. Sometime around 1970, the family
33_10
moved to Birch Vale in Derbyshire, a small village between New Mills and Hayfield where his parents
33_11
took on another pub. They later moved back to Thingwall.
33_12
At 14 he was taught the guitar by his brother who was a member of a cabaret band. Willson-Piper
33_13
soon started his own band with school friends. After leaving school at 16, Willson-Piper had worked
33_14
various jobs. He soon travelled to mainland Europe busking outside train stations and working odd
33_15
jobs such as grape collecting.
33_16
He moved to Australia in April 1980. Willson-Piper went along to see an early performance of The
33_17
Church and was asked to join the band a few days before his 22nd birthday in May 1980.
33_18
The Church
33_19
On 6 May 1980, Willson-Piper joined The Church on guitar, vocals and bass guitar, alongside Steve
33_20
Kilbey, Peter Koppes and Nick Ward. Willson-Piper's sound was influenced by guitarists such as Tom
33_21
Verlaine and Bill Nelson.
33_22
Willson-Piper contributed to most of the Church's studio releases and was a member almost
33_23
continuously from 1980 to 2013. The only exception is the 1997 album Pharmakoi/Distance-Crunching
33_24
Honchos with Echo Units, which only featured Kilbey, Koppes and drummer Tim Powles and was released
33_25
as by "The Refo:mation".
33_26
In 2013, Kilbey announced on the band's Facebook page that former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug
33_27
had replaced Willson-Piper.
33_28
Solo career and Noctorum
33_29
Willson-Piper has maintained a steady solo output since the mid-1980s, releasing six solo studio
33_30
albums and three live solo albums.
33_31
Four of his albums are collaborations with long-time friend Andy 'Dare' Mason (who has produced and
33_32
played on Willson-Piper's solo releases) under the name Noctorum.
33_33
In September 2015, Willson-Piper's band Acres Of Space embarked on a tour of the United States.
33_34
During the spring and summer of 2016, Acres of Space toured the Eastern half of the United States.
33_35
In December 2016 / January 2017 Acres Of Space played four shows in Chile.
33_36
Marty and his wife have toured as an acoustic duo, playing shows in Uruguay, Argentina, the United
33_37
States, Germany and the UK.
33_38
In Deep Music Archive
33_39
Willson-Piper is an avid record collector. His music archive, the In Deep Music Archive (named
33_40
after Argent's 1973 album In Deep), is an eclectic collection of music in many forms. An historical
33_41
and contemporary library of various physical formats: vinyl, CD, cassette, reel to reel tape, 8
33_42
track, 78 rpm, VHS, DVD, Laser discs, reference books, encyclopedias, catalogues, biographies and
33_43
magazines. The archive's digital presence is the In Deep Music Archive website with regular posts
33_44
about both popular and more obscure artists included in the collection. Collected by Willson-Piper
33_45
over the past 50 years, the archive has grown into a collection through a life of scouring the
33_46
record stores around the world, but also through donations from friends, fans and record labels. It
33_47
currently holds an estimated 50,000 vinyl records and is located in Penzance, Cornwall, UK.
33_48
Side projects and collaborations (selection)
33_49
Willson-Piper appeared on the single "(Just like) Surf City" by James Griffin and the
33_50
Subterraneans in 1985.
33_51
He produced the 1987 album Blood Red Roses for the band Bell Jar.
33_52
Jules Shear's 1989 album The Third Party consist entirely of one acoustic guitar track, played by
33_53
Willson-Piper, and one vocal track by Shear.
33_54
Willson-Piper played on several tracks on Tom Verlaine's 1990 album The Wonder, but is uncredited.
33_55
He spent two stints as guitarist for UK rock group All About Eve, playing on their 1991 album
33_56
Touched By Jesus, 1992's Ultraviolet, Fairy Light Nights 1 & 2, Live and Electric at the Union
33_57
Chapel in 2001 as well as their Live In Bonn 1991 DVD. He was also in the offshoot band "Seeing
33_58
Stars".
33_59
With Aimee Mann he co-wrote the song "Could've Been Anyone" and appeared on Mann's first album,
33_60
1993's Whatever.
33_61
He wrote "The Sensual Hour" and "Sticks And Stones" in 1994 for The Infidels.
33_62
He was the co-writer of the song "Battersea" for All About Eve singer Julianne Regan's side
33_63
project Mice in 1996, as well as appearing on the tracks "Miss World" and "Dark Place".
33_64
He played lead guitar on Scratch's 1996 song "We Got Fooled Again".
33_65
He was a co-writer of the song "Knock Me Out" on 4NonBlondes singer Linda Perry's 1996 album In
33_66
Flight. The song appears on The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack.
33_67
He wrote and produced three tracks (and played on two) for Brix Smith's 1997 album Happy
33_68
Unbirthday, as well as co-writing and singing on most of the tracks on her 2007 album Neurotica.
33_69
He worked with David Gedge's Cinerama on their first album, 1998's Va Va Voom, and plays on seven
33_70
tracks.
33_71
He produced seven tracks on album Elvis, Halleluja and Hurrah (1998) for Håkan Ahlström, as well
33_72
as playing on five of them.
33_73
He produced Justin Clayton's 1999 album Limb and guests on the track "Shallow World".
33_74
For Swedish act Moderna Män, Willson-Piper produced, recorded and mixed their 2000 album, Entré.
33_75
In 2003 Willson-Piper recorded the song "Motorcycle" with Australian band Urban Folk Collective
33_76
for their album Black Rabbit.
33_77
In 2004 Willson-Piper featured on the tracks "Who Knew the World Would End" and "All Your Kingdom"
33_78
on Edward Roger's album Sunday Fables and again in 2008 on the follow up You Haven't Been Where
33_79
I've Been, on the tracks "Graveyard Voices" and "What Happened To Manfred What Happened To Jane".
33_80
Willson-Piper plays guitar on the Duncan Brown version of "Alfred Bell" and bass on "Wounded
33_81
Conversation" on Edward Rogers’ 2017 album TV Generation, co-writing the track "Listen To Me".
33_82
He contributed guitar solos to Rob Dickinson's single "Oceans" (2005) and The Gronk's "Touch the
33_83
Sun" (2008).
33_84
In 2005, Willson-Piper joined veteran Australian band The Saints to record an album Nothing Is
33_85
Straight In My House, as well as co-writing the track "Passing Strange". Willson-Piper also joined
33_86
the band for the following tour. However, in the summer of 2005, Willson-Piper famously left The
33_87
Saints on the night before a big concert. This resulted in The Saints having to play at Download
33_88
festival the next day (and the rest of their 2005 summer tour) without their lead guitarist. At
33_89
first this did stress out The Saints somewhat. But soon after, they realized that they were
33_90
actually better off without him. That following year The Saints continued to tour in Europe,
33_91
Canada, The USA and Australia as a power trio and recorded their next album without Willson-Piper.
33_92
In 2006 Willson-Piper performed on the tracks "Martha's Harbour" and "Circle" on the White Rose
33_93
Transmission album Bewitched And Bewildered.
33_94
Willson-Piper recorded the duet "Beatles and Stones" with Norwegian singer Marte Heggelund in
33_95
2008, for her album Treason.
33_96
In 2014 Willson-Piper was part of French band Sweet Gum Tree, recording the album The Snakes You
33_97
Charm and the Wolves You Tame as well as joining the band for their subsequent tour.
33_98
He makes a guest appearance on Swedish progressive rock band Anekdoten's album entitled Until All
33_99
The Ghosts Are Gone, released April 2015, and has since joined the band, playing gigs in Japan,
33_100
Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, France and Armenia.
33_101
Personal life