Wreckless Eric by Wreckless Eric

Wreckless Eric is the debut album by Wreckless Eric, released on 1 June 1978. It reached number 46 on the UK Albums Chart.A 10" version of the LP was issued on both brown and purple vinyl in the UK. These versions omitted the tracks "Whole Wide World" and "Telephoning Home." The full-length version of the LP was also issued on green vinyl in Germany. It was reissued on CD for a limited time in 1994 by Disky Communications and included three bonus tracks: the "Whole Wide World" single B-side "Semaphore Signals" and two versions of Devo's "Be Stiff," a song that many artists on the Stiff Records label had covered as a promotional vehicle. According to Eric's website, most versions of this LP feature speeded-up versions of the tracks, in which the songs are a semitone higher than recorded. Some of these versions have also appeared on various compilations throughout the years. In a 1995 interview with Peter Doggett (found on the limited edition Rykodisc release An Overview Disc), former Stiff Records label-mate Elvis Costello mentions that, due to their unusual vocal styles, Stiff had originally envisioned a split LP between himself and Eric, with each artist taking one side of the record.