‘Dizzy’: the moment Vic Reeves teamed up with The Wonder Stuff to recreate a classic
There were many reasons why The Wonder Stuff, the Stourbridge quartet, attracted such a dedicated following after they burst onto the scene with their 1988 debut album, The Eight Legged Groove Machine. Blending a grebo edge with frontman Miles Hunt’s undoubted knack for writing punchy tracks, following in the tradition of John Lennon at his most sneering, the band created a unique sound like no other.
Notably, The Wonder Stuff would gradually develop their sound, moving from the straight-up alternative rock of their early days to a folk-influenced sound that utilised the fiddle, accordion and banjo. This gradual shift in style would also see Hunt grow more introspective than he’d ever been before, no doubt influenced by the sudden death of former bassist Rob Jones in 1993.
Although this more profound predilection developed as the result of tragedy, for the most part, Hunt’s ironic form of humour would remain, with this one of the highlights of his work. For instance, the album that boasts arguably the band’s most personal moments, ‘On The Ropes’, is 1993’s Construction for the Modern Idiot. The ironic title proved that Hunt, who had earlier penned lyrics such as “Astley in the noose / He hasn’t got a use” and “I didn’t like you very much when I met you / And now I like you even less”, hadn’t gone anywhere. Naturally, he’d just matured.
With the band’s penchant for comedy so prominent, it made sense that they should cross paths with two of England’s most revered comedians, the masters of the surreal, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Making their name on the live circuit as well as on the short-lived Channel 4 series Vic Reeves Big Night Out between 1990 and 1991, Reeves and Mortimer became such a success that they would go on to create the influential panel show Shooting Stars and have careers that are still very much valued today.
When British surrealism enjoyed a boom in 1991, The Wonder Stuff and Vic Reeves converged to recreate Tommy Roe’s 1969 hit ‘Dizzy’. Featuring lead vocals from Reeves, it remains one of the more unbelievable points in the comedian’s career, with his hilarious crooning backed by Hunt. It was such a success that the song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for two weeks.
Remarkably, their version took the ridiculous spirit of the original to another level by adding another key change to the 11 that already existed. The hit also arrived with a memorable music video which saw Reeves and The Wonder Stuff perform on stage with a row of microwaves and washing machines instead of amps – a visual pun on the then-ubiquitous Whirpool brand. The clips also features Bob Mortimer in a background role, playing the tambourine and singing vocals alongside Hunt.
A marvellous collaboration of the type that does not exist anymore, the world could do with loosening up again.
