Paul Weller has confirmed that the first single to be released from his forthcoming double album 22 Dreams will be a collaboration with Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer.
“Echoes Round the Sun” will be released as a double A-side with “Have You Made Up Your Mind” on May 26.
“In songwriting terms, it’s the first Weller/Gallagher collaboration,” said Weller. “Noel came down to the studio with this loop he’d never been able to do anything with. He played the bass and the piano and then Gem played guitar on top. It’s a top tune.”
The double album, due for release on June 2, was recorded over the course of a year at Weller’s own Black Barn Studios.
Other collaborations on the album include the opening track, “Light Nights” with folk guitarist, John McCusker,, Little Barrie, on “22 Dreams” and Graham Coxon, on “Black River”, which was originally the B-side to their previous collaboration, “This Old Town” released last year.
The album also features a spoken word track featuring ex-Stone Roses guitarist, Aziz Ibrahim.
“I had the lyrics in an old notebook. I’d written them seven or eight years ago. Then Aziz came down to the studio and we just did it. The fact that he’s Muslim obviously gives it another dimension.”
The full tracklisting for 22 Dreams is:
Disc One:
Light Nights
22 Dreams
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
Have You Made Up Your Mind
Empty Ring
Invisible
Song For Alice
Cold Moments
The Dark Pages of September Lead to the New Leaves of Spring
Black River
Why Walk When You Can Run
Disc Two:
Push it Along
A Dream Reprise
Echoes Round the Sun
One Bright Star
Lullaby Für Kinder
Where’er Ye Go
God
111
Sea Spray
Night Lights