PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Former Little Angels frontman and Wayward Sons vocalist/guitarist Toby Jepson is set to release a retrospective remastered compilation of his solo work this March. Comprising of 16 songs taken from various releases between 2002 to 2013, ‘Viewfinder’ includes four previously unreleased bonus tracks.
“This is a selection of my solo songs that I hope you enjoy for what they are; moments in time when I was on a journey that ultimately brought them into being.” – Toby Jepson
Toby Jepson talks about the story behind the making of ‘Viewfinder’ and the songs featured on the album:
The ‘Viewfinder’ compilation album is set for general reease on the 12th March 2021.
More information: https://www.tobyjepsonofficial.com
ABOUT VIEWFINDER:
“I suppose I’ve written a few songs…
I’ve never actually counted, but it’s certainly heading towards several hundred.
I lose count.
So many start out as simple scratchy ideas that don’t get beyond the ‘home demo’ stage or more often than not, don’t get beyond my phone recorder these days.
Modern technology has really improved my ability to realise an idea from the moment of inspiration too, at least, a fleshed-out rough draft that gives the observer a good ‘idea’ in a basically coherent fashion of what it represents. Often, however, that’s where I leave them. I tend to only choose to ‘finish’ a song when there is a real demand for it or the song itself won’t let me be.
Back in the day when I was cut free from my mooring and adrift in a sea of the unknown somewhere south of ‘what do I do next?’, I began to write and write and write. It became an obsession and often I was wildly splashing around in an ocean of my subconscious coupled with fear and self-loathing, endlessly looking for an answer to the question of ‘why the actual fuck am I doing this’ by straying off my familiar beaten path I had gambolled along for so long. The results were very mixed, some projects bore fruit that was sweeter than I could have hoped for such as the ‘Ignorance is bliss’ period, but a lot of it was more like overripe grapes left too long on the vine.
This is the eternal torment of the songwriter in my estimation; there is a yearning need that is hard to ignore, to explore, reinvent, challenge, be playful, dismiss and discover often all at the same time and more often at the expense of progress and often happiness. I am, however, still fascinated and drawn to the desire to understand, to poke and sift, to peer behind and look from below. To view the world from a slightly different perspective.
To find a view…
Now before I come over as a maudlin fool attempting to sate a clawing need for sympathy, I really don’t mean it like that. It’s all part of growth as an artist, and one thing I’ve realised about myself is that I’ve never stopped growing and desiring growth as an artist.
Between the period I delivered ‘Ignorance’ and starting to work on Wayward Sons, I wrote, recorded and released several EP’ and one album. But that’s not the whole of the story, I spent what now seems like an extraordinary amount of time writing, developing and home demoing a huge amount of material that never made a release.
My close friend and official archivist, Nigel Crooks, has feverishly hunted the globe for ‘legendary’ songs that I have supposedly written and somehow recorded – most of which when presented – I have no recollection of doing either! It’s become a bit of a joke really, as Nige will often send me a message saying ‘do you remember….’ stating a song title and accompanying the request with audio that he’s managed to drag from one ancient format or another. It really is quite astounding that this continues to take place – even to this day!
Now, I don’t mean this as a brag, it’s not said to celebrate my prolific tendencies, far from it, as an awful lot of my output is, frankly, rubbish so it really says more about my state of mind and utter obsession than anything else. Sadly I’ve had to accept this approach, as it shows no signs of abating.
This compilation you now hold in your mitts is a snapshot of my solo work from the time described above. Some of the songs are serious recordings and some are nothing more than demo’s I created on various home setups ranging from digital 8 track ADAT and rubbish mics, right through to pro-tools and ‘class A’ outboard equipment. But believe me, the gear really has so little to do with the finished product as a rubbish song recorded really well is still a rubbish song.
This is something I’ve had to contend with ever since I took the first steps into teaching myself how to record. The truth is, I’m disinterested in the technology to the point where I get bored of trying to understand it, what IS important is the content of the songs and how it communicates that idea.
So I’ve tried to concentrate on that approach which is why some of the stuff contained in this compilation, sounds below the expected level of aural delight most would expect and have got used to hearing. The other factor is cost. Often I was simply working on material with a view to getting someone else to use it, or just for the fun of it, so a need to be ‘polished’ was even in question.
Other times I was restricted by circumstances and had to make do, so quite often, recording came out suffered because of those constraints. This has long been a deep frustration of mine, but the alternative – releasing nothing and disappearing from view – wasn’t an option for me, despite many so-called ‘advisors’ recommending I give up for the same reasons. Thanks, guys!
So there you are, an explanation of how and why I have so many songs, so many releases and so many near misses.
I hope you like the selection I have made, I’m sure some of you will be demanding ‘why have you left so and so off the running order?’.
Well, all I can say is I have my reasons.
I have also included four previously unreleased tracks from my (Nigel’s) archive and they are only four of 20 or so songs that have been sat in the wings for a very long time. This selection again holds reasons ‘why’ but I’d rather you just enjoyed them for what they are, moments in time when I was on that journey that ultimately brought them into being.
Many thanks for being interested in my obsession, and I hope it helps illustrate some of the reasons why I am, as the title suggests, a ‘viewfinder’.
Tobe.”
Viewfinder Tracklist:
1. Better off dead
2. Unwind
2. Back in the day
4. Dear Mama
5. When will we learn
6. Viewfinder
7. Forgiveness
8. Happy ever after
9. Motivated
10. Raising my own hell
11. Four letter word
12. Twisted Rhapsody
13. Crush (original version)
14. Weight of the world
15. The Chosen one
16. Just no way to stop from loving you
Bonus tracks
1. Little Bird
2. Overwhelming me
3. Losing side
4. Picking up the pieces
ABOUT TOBY JEPSON:
Toby Jepson found fame as the frontman/singer/songwriter in British rock band Little Angels who achieved significant success in the UK, Europe and Japan between 1989 and 1995. Signed to Polydor Records, they clocked up 10 UK Top 40 hits, and a number 1 album with the band’s final studio album ‘Jam’ in 1993, followed by a farewell sell-out show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1994.
Between 2007 and 2017 Toby fronted Eddie Clarke’s (Motörhead) vehicle Fastway across the globe, sang for Scottish rock band GUN. and then once again on a global scale fronting Dio’s Disciples – a band made up of the late great Ronnie James Dio’s last line up.
As a producer, Toby’s production credits include working with Macclesfield rock act The Virginmarys on their critically acclaimed debut album ‘King Of Conflict’, this, in turn, led on to working as a producer/arranger for many acts including Saxon, Fastway, and The Answer, as well as being the principal writer/arranger/producer for UK rock act Toseland.
Toby has also written and co-written songs for and with a vast array of artists including Katie Melua, Dan Reed, Russ Ballard, Biff Byford, Hugh Cornwell, Matt Sorum, Giuliano and Dante Gizzi, James Lomenzo, Brian Tiche, and Jim Vallance.
Toby’s new band Wayward Sons have been hailed as one of the key bands at the forefront of the U.K. hard rock scene. Their debut album ‘Ghosts Of Yet To Come’ was voted Number Eight by Planet Rock Radio’s listeners in 2017’s Top 20. Great Music Stories listener’s voted them ‘Live Band Of The Year’. Wayward Sons also went on to be voted Planet Rock’s ‘BEST NEW BAND’ in the station’s ROCKS Awards 2018. Wayward Sons latest album ‘The Truth Ain’t What It Used To Be’ is out now via Frontiers Music Srl.
His continued work as a mentor to bands saw Toby co-found Lightning In A Bottle with Rob Town (Stampede Press/Panic Cell), a music management consultation agency, in 2018, and recently he launched his own film production company, Big Bad Films.
In 2019 Toby was presented with the prestigious Legend award by Hard Rock Hell at the HRH Awards.
In 2020 Planet Rock announced that Toby Jepson would be joining the radio station as a full-time presenter.
