The Test Drive: Marty Willson-Piper – Hanging Out In Heaven

After an almost two-decade-long wait for a vinyl release, the wait is over. The fifth solo album from legendary guitarist/singer/songwriter Marty Willson-Piper will get a very public release this Record Store Day (Saturday, April 13, 2019). Originally having no single released when the album dropped in 2000, I can honestly say that you could guess which songs would be singles and most likely be right.  ‘Hanging Out In Heaven’ has a flow to it that allows the listener to leave the album on and just let it play. The tracks individually stand on their own yet compliment each other like chapters in a story.

Now, in addition to the vinyl release, we get two bonus tracks in the form of ‘Queen in her Jeans’ and ‘Dressed Up as You’ (which we have put at the beginning of the playlist in full form even though they are at the end of the album) which are reserved for the vinyl only release. These two new tracks add as a bookend to the already diverse track lineup that shows, in my opinion, how Marty Willson-Piper is a musician in the truest sense of the word.  Seamlessly shifting from alt-country to guitar rock to postmodern there are little hints of his past incarnations of previous bands and collaborations which lend credence to both Marty’s contributions to those bands as well as gives you a good idea of what can happen when he stands on his own. For this reason alone, ‘Hanging Out In Heaven’ deserves a vinyl release.

As of Saturday, April 13, ‘Hanging Out In Heaven’ can be found at RSD-participating record stores. This RSD edition is limited to 1,000 copies. While this album is available via stores and streaming platforms like Spotify, only the vinyl edition includes these two exclusive bonus tracks.

About Marty Willson-Piper & ‘Hanging Out In Heaven’
At last, the fifth solo album ‘Hanging Out In Heaven’ by Marty Willson-Piper (The Church, All About Eve) will be released on vinyl for the first time ever. An exclusive release for Record Store Day 2019, this record will be issued on blue-tinged vinyl as a heavy-weight gatefold double LP via Schoolkids Records and includes two bonus tracks ‘Queen In Her Jeans’ and ‘Dressed Up As You’.

It’s been a long wait for this vinyl edition of one of Marty’s seminal albums. Originally released in 2000 via San Francisco’s Heyday Records, the intention was always to release it on vinyl. 19 years later, it’s finally happening.

“At last, my fifth solo album, Hanging Out In Heaven, will be released through Schoolkids Records on Record Store Day. It’s been a long wait for one of my most well-received records. The album has new artwork and comes on blue double vinyl with two extra tracks. Recorded in sessions in L.A. and Sweden with the two added songs recorded in London, the album contains some of the most emotional and poignant songs I ever wrote,” says Marty Willson-Piper.

This album from Marty Willson-Piper follows up the success of last year’s Record Store Day vinyl release of ‘Spirit Level’ also via Schoolkids Records, which was originally released in 1992.

Marty Willson-Piper has been writing and performing internationally for over 35 years. He is best known as a long-time member of Australian psychedelic rock band The Church, who he was with from its inception through to 2013. He joined All About Eve in the ’90s, releasing two studio albums and several live albums with them.

@mwillsonpiper [rotatingtweets screen_name=’mwillsonpiper’]

He is also lead singer and lyricist with Swedish band MOAT, a touring member of Swedish Prog legends Anekdoten, and half of the duo Noctorum with producer Dare Mason. Since the mid-1980s, Willson-Piper has maintained a steady solo output, releasing six solo studio albums and three live solo albums to date. He has also co-written music with many artists, including Grace Slick, Aimee Mann, Susannah Hoffs, and Linda Perry.

Marty Willson-Piper’s most recent album is ‘The Afterlife’ by his duo Noctorum in mid-February on CD and vinyl, also through Schoolkids Records. This successfully crowdfunded, this album has charted in four separate Billboard charts in the first week after release.

LINKS:
https://martywillson-piper.com
https://www.facebook.com/marty.willsonpiper
https://www.instagram.com/mwpindeepmusicarchive
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdErmBx2NQI7_lOdwqgepQ/videos
https://twitter.com/mwillsonpiper
https://soundcloud.com/martywillsonpiper
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FuGPMSRvk95Wrx8GcVUR7?si=4feBZDNeQEa9cOOn8M4IYg
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/marty-willson-piper/4300532