The Wind in the Willows (band)

The Wind in the Willows was an American psych folk band, best known for being the first band of Blondie co-founder, Debbie Harry.^[1][2] The group took its name from British writer Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, a classic of children's literature.^[3]

The band's only album, the self-titled The Wind in the Willows (1968, Capitol Records LP2956),^[4] grazed the charts at #195. The band broke up shortly after failing to achieve commercial success or critical acclaim. The following year Artie Kornfeld, the producer of the album, went on to be the music producer of the Woodstock festival in 1969.^[5][6] Debbie Harry went on to join The Stillettoes in 1973^[7] and other bands until subsequently achieving success fronting the new wave band Blondie, which she co-founded in 1974 with guitarist Chris Stein.

Wind in the Willows recorded a second album in 1969, which was never released. The tapes are with Paul’s second wife Alice Anne. According to Cathay Che's biography on Harry, it has never surfaced, but Harry was said to have contributed more vocals than on the first album, as well as writing lyrics for a track entitled "Buried Treasure" on the second album.^[8] Another track from the second album, "A Quite Respectable Older Lady", was released by Wayne Kirby in 2022.^[9]

The Wind In The Willows

Vinyl

During 1968 the vinyl album was released in "Unipak" gatefold format in the U.S. (Capitol Records, SKAO-2956).^[10] The vinyl LP was also released in the UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Germany.^[11]

Compact disc

During 1993 in the UK the album was released in mono on compact disc by Drop Out Records.^[12]

The album was digitally remastered and released on compact disc in the UK by Edsel Records in on 8 March 2000.^[13]

On 6 March 2007 the original vinyl album was reissued on compact disc,^[14] without being remastered,^[15] by the Fallout Record label in the UK.

Track listing

Side One

1. "Moments Spent" (Paul Klein, Stephen De Phillips) 2:56
2. "Uptown Girl" (Paul Klein, Art Petzal) 2:55
3. "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (Don Everly) 3:12
4. "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died" (Roger Miller) 2:15
5. "There Is But One Truth, Daddy" (Paul Klein) 8:18

Side Two

1. "The Friendly Lion" (Paul Klein, Wayne Kirby) 3:18
2. "Park Avenue Blues" (Paul Klein, Stephen De Phillips) 3:45
3. "Djini Judy" (Paul Klein, Wayne Kirby) 2:40
4. "Little People" (Paul Klein, Wayne Kirby) 4:04
5. "She's Fantastic and She's Yours" (Paul Klein, Peter Brittain, Fred Ruvola) 3:43
6. "Wheel of Changes" (Paul Klein, Peter Brittain) 4:30

Singles

Two singles were released:

• Moments Spent (2:55) / Uptown Girl (2:55)

This single was released in the United States, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Brazil, Australia, and Japan.

• Moments Spent (2:54) / Friendly Lion (3:17)

This single was released in the UK and West Germany.

Worldwide Discography

http://www.45cat.com/artist/wind-in-the-willows

Musicians

• Wayne Kirby – vocals, double bass, piano, harpsichord, organ, vibes
• Deborah Harry – vocals, Acoustic Guitar, tamboura, tambourine, finger cymbals
• Ida Andrews – flute, bassoon, piccolo, chimes, vocals
• Peter Brittain – lead guitar, vocals
• Paul Klein – vocals, guitar
• Anton Carysforth – drums
• Steve "Marvello" DePhillips – bass, vocals
• Freddy – spiritual advisor

Assisting breezes:

• Peter C. Leeds – bell tree, "pourer"
• Artie Kornfeld – hairy drums, bongos, "bird", a very big bass drum, "toast-er"

Production

• Producer – Artie Kornfeld
• String arrangements – Wayne Kirby
• Engineer – Brooks Arthur
• Recorded at Century Sound, NYC
• Manager – Peter C. Leeds
• Cover design – Howard Bernstein

References

1. Telegraph – Glastonbury 2014: Hip, hip Harry.
2. Discogs – Wind In The Willows, The (images).
3. Last.fm – the Wind in the Willows.
4. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum – Blondie.
5. "Jewish Music businessmen". Jewish Biography. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
6. Barbara Maranzani (2013). "Remembering Richie Havens: Ten Things You May Not Know About Woodstock — History in the Headlines". history.com. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
7. archive.blondie.net: Blondie Gig List.
8. Che, Cathay (1999). Deborah Harry: Platinum Blonde. André Deutsch Ltd.
9. YouTube.com: Wayne Kirby and Debbie "Blondie" Harry - "A Quite Respectable Older Lady".
10. Discogs – The Wind in the Willows – 1968 vinyl-LP, Capitol Records (SKAO 2956) US.
11. Discogs – The Wind in the Willows – (discography).
12. Discogs – The Wind in the Willows – 1993 mono CD, Drop Out Records (DOCD 1985) UK.
13. allmusic – The Wind in the Willows – 2000-03-08th remastered CD, Edsel Records {EDCD 642} UK.
14. allmusic – The Wind in the Willows – 2007-03-06th – The Wind in the Willows – 2007 reissued CD, Fallout (FOCD2035) UK.
15. Discogs – The Wind in the Willows – 2007 reissued CD, Fallout (FOCD2035) UK.