Mustard (album)

Mustard is the second solo album by English musician Roy Wood, released in December 1975 by Jet Records. The album was recorded at De Lane Lea Studios and Phonogram Studios, although a dispute at one of the studios delayed the release of the album. Produced and entirely performed by Wood, who also designed the album artwork, Mustard was a departure from his previous solo album Boulders (1973), with a more ambitious approach and denser, more layered production, again mixing a number of musical styles. Annie Haslam and Phil Everly contributed guest vocals to the album, while Wood's influences on the record included the Andrew Sisters, the Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin. Upon release, the album was a commercial failure, failing to chart in the United Kingdom or United States, likewise the singles "Look Thru' the Eyes of the Fool" and "Any Old Time Will Do", reflecting Wood's declining popularity. However, contemporary reviews were generally positive, highlighting the album's ambitious sound. Retrospective reception has also been favourable, and today the album considered by some critics to be one of the highlights of Wood's career. Edsel Records re released the album on CD in 1999 with numerous bonus tracks, followed in 2019 with a further CD release by Esoteric Recordings.

In 1973, Roy Wood released his debut solo album Boulders, on which he performed virtually every instrument, and achieved hits with his band Wizzard, including the UK number one singles "See My Baby Jive" and "Angel Fingers". He also released the eccentric, rock and roll inspired Wizzard albums Wizzard Brew (1973) and Introducing Eddy and the Falcons (1974) in this period,

When writing material for the album, Wood explained he would consider the instrumentation he desired to use on specific songs and then "just build it up track by track and see how it goes". In a contemporary interview, he said he worked better under pressure, and would finish writing tracks in the studio. The only other contributors to the album were vocalists Annie Haslam, who appears on "The Rain Came Down on Everything", and Phil Everly, who appears on "Get On Down Home". The later had been influential on Wood, who had previously recreated the sound of Everly's group the Everly Brothers during part of the "Rock Medley" on Boulders. The album was completed in 1975 in time for release in the Christmas market, where Wood had fared well previously. In the main body of the song, Wood sings in different imitative vocal styles, exemplifying how the musician switches between his natural singing voice and others throughout the album.

All songs written by Roy Wood.