Britain's Wil Malone has led an impressive and long-lasting career from his early days as a member of '60s psychedelic groups like Orange Bicycle and Fickle Pickle on through his prolific work as a producer and arranger for widely varied acts including Roger Daltrey, Black Sabbath, Todd Rundgren, and Iron Maiden. Malone experienced a career revival in the '90s when his distinctive string arrangements adorned hits like Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" and the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony." Since then, he has continued to amass hundreds of credits across pop and rock with artists ranging from Peter Gabriel and Depeche Mode to Sia, Kylie Minogue, and Gianna Nannini. Additionally, Malone has composed for film and television, conducted major symphonies, and served as a multi-instrumentalist on countless recordings. In 2023, the compilation Old Feet, New Socks celebrated his early work in British music with three discs' worth of psych-pop rarities and collectible tracks recorded between 1965 and 1972. Born July 29, 1942 in Hornsey, North London, Wilson Malone started his career amid the capital's thriving mid-'60s music scene, playing in Robb Storme's group that later became Orange Bicycle. A multi-instrumentalist and singer with an emerging talent for production, Malone became attached to a small late-'60s psych-pop scene centered around Morgan Sound Studios in Willesden, Northwest London. In addition to his work with Storme's various groups, Malone was a member of bands like Fickle Pickle, Barnaby Rudge, and the trio Bobak, Jons, Malone. He also released an eponymous 1970 solo album that later become a highly collectible cult classic. By the early '70s, Malone had largely shifted away from playing in bands and begun his career as a producer, orchestral arranger, and composer. He scored the London Symphony Orchestra's version of the Who's Tommy, then worked with Roger Daltrey in the same year. He also composed and recorded the soundtrack for the 1972 U.K. horror classic Death Line. From the start, Malone established himself as a prolific and seemingly tireless collaborator, working on singles and albums for artists like Black Sabbath, Rick Wakeman, Cliff Richard, Ronnie Charles, and many more. Comfortable in a range of styles, he began the '80s by producing Iron Maiden's debut album, then worked throughout the decade with Gerry Rafferty, Adam and the Ants, and Bonnie Tyler. Heading into the '90s, Malone's career enjoyed a resurgence, thanks in part to his involvement with trip-hop collective Massive Attack. Robert "3D" Del Naja had worked with Malone a few years prior on Neneh Cherry's "Manchild" single and hired him to arrange the strings for Massive Attack's 1991 acclaimed breakout single, "Unfinished Sympathy." Following the song's success, Malone became a go-to arranger in British pop music, working with Seal, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, Prefab Sprout, Depeche Mode, and many others. In 1995, the Verve hired him to arrange the strings on "Bittersweet Symphony," a song they had based on Andrew Oldham's orchestral version of the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time." With Malone's strident arrangement front and center, "Bittersweet Symphony" became a massive hit and one of the defining songs of the Britpop era. He remained busy heading into the new millennium, working with pop acts like Des'ree, Kylie Minogue, and Dido. Malone also forged a relationship with Italian star Gianna Nannini, with whom he collaborated on numerous albums. Malone's work in the 21st century has been typically diverse and prodigious. He has applied his versatile touch to pop, rock, electronica, R&B, and country songs, racking up a huge amount of industry credits with little fanfare and a workmanlike humility. Amid jobs with more contemporary acts like Olly Murs, Birdy, and London Grammar, his early work as an artist has been reissued a handful of times, and his production and arrangement work has appeared on various compilations. A comprehensive anthology of his late-'60s and early-'70s psych-pop recordings titled Old Feet New Socks: The Many Faces Of Wil Malone 1965-1972 was released in 2023. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi

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Wil Malone

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