Not so long ago, England was a global hub and pretty much all the world’s trade passed through its ports. It meant the country, and especially London, was exposed to lots of external influences and Woo (brothers Clive and Mark Ives) absorbed it all. Eccentrically English, but also worldly, their musical antennas picked up the various sounds that passed their south London home and filtered it through modern technology, the result being their wholly original debut album Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong. Adored by fans and critically-acclaimed, it largely flew under the radar, but this loving reissue via Independent Project Records (featuring a bonus mini-album) should garner it some long overdue mainstream attention.

One of the joys/terrors of living in London is that you are never far from other people, and subsequently Woo’s distinctly lo-fi sound came by happenstance. With neighbours who had a tendency to complain about their (home) studio, the brothers swapped electric guitars for acoustic, triangles and chimes for drums, whilst instruments such as flutes were fluttered rather than blown. As is often the case, constraints acted as a spur towards greater creativity, and proving that less is so often more, Woo formulated a sound all their very own. Released in 1982 and featuring tracks recorded over the preceding five years, Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong had little in common with the violent punch of punk and new wave that ruled the musical roost (except a desire to be unfettered by convention). While much music from 1982 sounds very much from that era, Woo’s debut album has a timelessness that makes in hard to place at any point in the last 45 years. In fact, the remaster on this reissue gives it a freshness that’ll ensure it will sound ground-breaking many years hence.

In today’s busy world how you listen to this album is down to you, yet it is best experienced like an old school long player; namely in one sitting to fully appreciate its ebb and flow and the journey it takes you on. And it is a journey, Woo’s musical exploration results in wide sonic vistas and evocative soundscapes in which it is quite possible to become lost. There was always a duality to Woo which found the lo-fi nestling next to the arresting, pessimism tinged with optimism, and sadness balanced by a life-affirming quality. However, these shifts are never startling, rather Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong is akin to white clouds passing in an azure sky with their form shapeshifting and the gentle breeze blowing elements of reggae (‘Wah Bass’), Indian drums (‘Wapping’), and klezmer (‘Razorblades’) in your direction, then being swept away but not before leaving an indelible mark on your memory.

It’s no secret that Woo became enamoured with the first synthesizer they ever brought (a Roland System 100, purchased in 1976) and the possibilities it opened up, especially the musical textures created by its sequencer. It feels as if a great deal of effort has been expended on creating just the right tone and timbre, making this an album that you not only listen to, but something you experience as the sounds therein alter your very physiology. While many of their peers were sullen young men in long, grey coats who painted their sound from shades of monochrome, Woo employ vibrant colours and splash the musical canvas with bold strokes. It’s an approach that made Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong three-dimensional and more indicative of the human condition and it is from here it gains much of its timelessness.

Ten tracks have been assembled (by Clive and Mark Ives) as a mini-album and are included as a bonus. Put together in the same spirit as Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong, it’s another realm to explore and like its parent album one listen (in fact, one lifetime) is not nearly enough to fully excavate its hidden treasures.

• Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong is released via Independent Project Records and is available now.

Track List:

1. Swingtime
2. Pokhara + C.H. Revisited
3. A Wave
4. The Cleaner
5. Wah Bass
6. The Attic
7. Razorblades
8. White And Whiter Still!
9. Wapping
10. Life In Shadows
11. The English Style Of Rowing
12. “Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong”

Bonus Mini-Album

13. Lovelorn
14. Ruby Ruby
15. Rosehips
16. Tibetan Trains
17. It’s Love – Reworked
18. Baa Lamb
19. Twinkle Toes
20. Dobbins Lost His Coconuts – Revisited
21. A Western Sunset
22. The Very End Of The Attic