Quireboys will release their new album, Wardour Street, on 13 September 2024 via Cadiz Music. Spike has told us that the album is dedicated to Guy Bailey, the band co-founder, best friend, and man who was “rock ‘n’ roll personified.” Quireboys are joined by Luke Morley from Thunder on guitar, who also produced the album.
A new single, Raining Whiskey, will be out on 24 May, which features the vocals of Scottish singer and songwriting legend Frankie Miller.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Spike told us, “Frankie Miller is the singer’s singer, and the songwriter’s songwriter. Just ask Sir Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Joe Walsh. The list is endless, even Ray Charles had a hit with one of his songs.
“I first met Frankie at the Brit awards in 1993, the year The Faces performed with Bill Wyman on bass. It was both an honour and a shock when Frankie came up to me and congratulated me on the Quireboy’s success. As we got talking, we hit it off straight away.”
In 2014, Spike released 100% Pure Frankie Miller, an album of Frankie’s songs reimagined by Spike and mutual friends Luke Morley, Simon Kirke, Ian Hunter, Andy Fraser, Bonnie Tyler, Ronnie Wood, Mark Stanway, Tyla and Pallas.
“There were enough songs to last a lifetime,” Spike said, “and I put my heart and soul into listening to them all. It was an incredible journey into how he wrote songs and how a chorus could become a verse, and then that chorus becomes a bridge into another melody under the same chords.
“How not to over sing, when to over sing, but most of all, write from your heart, from the first person. But also how to write in the third person. So hard to explain.
“And now, years later, going through the new songs I’d written for the new Quireboys album Wardour Street with Luke Morley, he asked whatever happened to the song Raining Whiskey.
“I told him I’d never released it, and the recording was still sitting in Rockfield Studios. We got the tapes from our very good friend Nick Brine, who’s mixed the new album. We’ve rerecorded it in a rock ‘n’ roll style we believe the Quireboys fans will love.
“Obviously, the first person to hear the new version of Raining Whiskey was Frankie Miller. He loves it and urged us to release it as a single
“So, it is my honour to present the new single by the Quireboys, featuring Frankie Miller, Raining Whiskey.”
The flipside of the single features Jeeze Louise, released earlier this year and showcasing the Quireboys at their bar room brawling, rock ‘n’ roll best, displaying to the world exactly how it should be done and what to expect from their forthcoming album.
“This album has been both heartbreaking and amazing to make,” Spike says. “I know Guy Bailey will be proud of the record, especially having Luke Morley playing guitar and for me to be singing with his favourite vocalist, Frankie Miller. This is for you. I love you, Guy X”.
Quireboys – Wardour Street – is available to pre-order from here.
