He left the Stones twelve years ago, and despite Keith feelings, he remains (and will always be) the "Silent Stone". You don't hear or see about him for a while, and then he re-surfaces from his family and hobbies daily life, plenty of goodies to deliver. Oh Boy, Bill Wyman did it again. After disappearing for a bit, following his "farewell" Rhythm Kings tour (but he'll be on the road from October onwards, don't worry), he's now ready to hit the streets with a handful of new releases. To be totally honest, it has to be said they'll award satisfaction more to the collectors, than to the general public, but they're absolutely worth mentioning.

In Japan, the three solo album by the man himself have been recently reissued in an exclusive mini cd lp replica sleeve version. "Monkey Grip" is TECI-24300, and features two bonus tracks ("Wine And Women II" and "It's Just A Matter Of Time". "Stone Alone" is TECI-24301 (with "Can't Put Your Picture Down" and "Love Is Such A Wonderful Thing" as bonuses). "Bill Wyman" has "Lost Galaxy" as the only bonus and comes as TECI-24302. If you already own the "Compendium" 2cd set, these extra tracks are already in your collection, but here is the package that makes the difference (all of the cd's, as you can see, have an obi). If collecting is your thing, be aware that these three releases come also in a promotional "Monkey Grip" box, and one of them has a promo obi. Good hunt...

Then, London based "Classic Pictures" Label has just put out what true Wyman fans were waiting since a long time. It's the DVD edition of "Digital Dreams", 1983 Bill's movie, featuring himself, James Coburn (Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Our Man Flint) and Richard O' Brien (The Rocky Horror Show). Starring are also Astrid and Stephen Wyman, as Sir Patrick Moore and Charlie Watts too.

What is this film about? Here you go, from the "Classic Pictures" website: Rolling Stone’, Bill Wyman crosses the fine line between dreams and reality, when his passion for documenting his life on computer, is seen as an obsession for those around him. A rich, full tapestry of the life and times of Bill Wyman through which are woven whimsical fantasy sequences, historical slices of his career with the world’s greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band ever, The Rolling Stones, and intimate psycho-dramatic glimpses behind the public mask of this superstar. A full length-feature containing music, drama, comedy, fantasy, historical content featuring an all star cast.

The DVD goes under the title "Digital Daydreams", because the package doesn't feature only the film, but also some bonus stuff, including interviews and footage from the "making of". Have fun! To know more, follow this http://www.classicpictures.co.uk/product.php?ALBUM_ID=240&" title="http://www.classicpictures.co.uk/product.php?ALBUM_ID=240&" target="_blank"http://www.classicpictures.co...;ALBUM_TYPE=DVD

To end this Wyman parade, you've got to know that Castle Music (the midline label for the Sanctuary Group) is about to release (on 3rd october) "Stoned Alone - The Solo Anthology 1974-2001". This two disc set spans over Bill's career, starting from solo days (with a selection of tracks from the three previously mentioned albums) to the "Willie And The Poor Boys" and "Rhythm Kings" projects.

Here's the tracklisting, from Castle website:

Disc 1 - A STONE ALONE, 1974-82

• I Wanna Get Me A Gun
  
• Pussy
  
• Mighty Fine Time
  
• Monkey Grip Glue
  
• What A Blow
  
• White Lightnin'
  
• It's A Wonder
  
• A Quarter To Three
  
• Gimme Just One Chance
  
• Soul Satisfying
  
• Feet
  
• If You Wanna Be Happy
  
• What's The Point
  
• Ride on Baby
  
• A New Fashion
  
• Nuclear Reactions
  
• Jump Up
  
• Come Back Suzanne
  
• Rio De Janeiro
  
• Girls
  
• (Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star

Disc 2 - POOR BOYS AND RHYTHM KINGS, 1985-2001

• Willie And The Poor Boys - Baby Please Don't Go
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - These Arms Of Mine
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - Let's Talk It Over
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - High School Confidential
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - Stagger Lee
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - Land Of A Thousand Dances
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Melody
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Melody
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Stuff (Can't Get Enough)
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Green River
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Let The Good Times Roll
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Mystery Train
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Anyway the Wind Blows
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Mojo Boogie
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Days Like These
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Mood Swing
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Hole In the Wall
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Daydream
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Love Letters
  
• The Rhythm Kings - The Joint Is Jumping
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Rollin' And Stumblin'
  
• +hidden bonus track, with Professor Stanley Unwin

Once again, the hidden track will made the day for collectors, but this could be a nice addition to your collection too, if you're starting from zero on Wyman. That's it right now. Ciao, Chris