"P.H.U.Q." is the 2nd studio album by British metal artists, the Wildhearts. It was released in 1995 on east west Records and produced by Mark Dodson & Simon Efemey. The line-up for the album was Ginger (vocals/guitar), Danny McCormack (bass), Ritch Battersby (drums) and Willie Dowling (keyboards).

With the addition of drummer Ritch Battersby, replacing Stidi on the drum stool, the Wildhearts followed up their 1993 debut studio album with "P.H.U.Q." to much acclaim. It definitely saw the band reach the dizzy heights of the best of its career and the album reached no.6 in the UK album charts, spawning two singles, "I Wanna Go Where the People Go" and "Just in Lust", reaching 16 and 28 respectively in the UK singles charts.

The album's opener, "I Wanna Go Where the People Go" punches in with a heavy beat and a sing-along chorus; one which gets the crowd going at live gigs even today, and is clearly the stand-out song on the album.

Ginger's style of writing music has always been diverse and you find yourself jumping from one extreme to the other on "P.H.U.Q.", with the slow tempo, ballad-esque "Jonesing For Jones" sitting in the middle of the album, to be followed by the almost thrash-toned "Woah S**t, You Got Through", with its distorted guitars and vocals.

Other gems on the album include "Caprice", which is a power-based harmonious song with a monster chorus which you'll be singing along to after the first listen. "In Lilly's Garden" is the most underrated song on the album. The style is very reminiscent of the Beatles and you can almost imagine John Lennon singing the lyrics which begin "Honesty will set you free but individuality is wonderland". Ginger always said he wanted to release it as a single but the record company decided against it and released "Just in Lust" instead.

The album's ending song "Getting It" has a hidden track at the end, which is always sung by the crowd at the end of every Wildhearts gig. The band leaves the stage, the crowd sings "Don't worry 'bout me, don't worry 'bout me. I'll be alright, don't worry 'bout me." over and over again; something you can still hear for minutes after you leave the venue as the song continues in the streets.

In summary, this is my favourite Wildhearts album for many reasons. I saw the band live in a few places around the country on this tour and met a lot of new friends doing so. But the album itself is really good, it's pop/rock, it's heavy metal, and it's everything else inbetween. Don't just take my word for it, this is an album you need to own.

1. I Wanna Go Where the People Go
2. V-Day
3. Just in Lust
4. Baby Strange
5. Nita Nitro
6. Jonesing For Jones
7. Woah S**t, You Got Through
8. Cold Patootie Tango
9. Caprice
10. Be My Drug
11. Naivety Play
12. In Lilly's Garden
13. Getting It

My rating: 9/10