Have recently rediscovered this great mod/punk/pop group - any fans?

This is probably my favorite track of theirs:

part of my youth/teens and soundtrack of the times 77 -82 Turned down a chance to see them in 82 (I think) ....thought they would go on forever.Eton rifles is a favourite.
Weller made some good solo albums as well.
sc uk

One of the best ever.

Weller was and is still a mastermind.

Last years Hammersmith show were superb.

I was lucky to see them in Cleveland with the unlikely bill of Blue Oyster Cult/Be Bop Deluxe/The Jam in '78. They were a great band. So was BBD.

I have the two singles box-sets. Essential! I wish I had seen them in concert. I also liked The Style Council and still love most of the Paul Weller solo albums.

and they lyrics are great!!

In the city there's a thousand things I want to say to you
But whenever I approach you, you make me look a fool
I wanna say, I wanna tell you
About the young ideas
But you turn them into fears
In the city there's a thousand faces all shining bright
And those golden faces are under 25
They wanna say, they gonna tell ya
About the young idea
You better listen now you've said your bit-a

And I know what you're thinking
You still think I am crap
But you'd better listen man
Because the kids know where it's at

In the city there's a thousand men in uniforms
And I've heard they now have the right to kill a man
We wanna say, we gonna tell ya
About the young idea
And if it don't work, at least we still tried

In the city, in the city
In the city there's a thousand things I want to say to you

HUGE FAN.

Best albums:

All Mod Cons
Setting Sons
Sound Affects

Middling:

The Gift
In The City

Iffy:

This is the Modern World


Also of interest - Live albums: Dig the New Breed, Live Jam and The Jam at the BBC (try to get the limited 3 CD edition).

Snap -rarities/outtakes/B sides

Much - but not all - of their recorded output is on a 5 CD box set called Direction, Reaction, Creation.

John Weller - Paul Weller's dad and manager from the start of his career through to 2003 - died of emphysema last Wednesday. Great bloke.

I saw The Jam seven times. The first time was in 1979, and I saw two of their final gigs at Wembley Arena. Never saw a bad gig.

Doesn't get much better than this:

Woops!

Eton Rifles doesn't seem to work, but check out In The City! RAW!

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Big Al
Woops!

Eton Rifles doesn't seem to work, but check out In The City! RAW!

It works, you just have to double-click it.

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Edith Grove

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Big Al
Woops!

Eton Rifles doesn't seem to work, but check out In The City! RAW!

It works, you just have to double-click it.

Doh!

Great band. I regularly listen to a 'hit's collection she put out in the States: Compact Snap.

It's in somewhat chronologic order, and it's interesting to see their musical progression in just a few short years.

For me, they fall into the group of brilliant UK artists that were too British to make it in the States (that is not a personal put down of the UK..but a fault of US radio and record buying public). The Jam, Billy Bragg, Squeeze, and a host of others seemed to fit into that genre (Though Squeeze had a hit with 'Hourglass' it was not their best work).

I always really liked the Jam back in the early eighties when I first heard them.

Although I always wanted to get some recordings by them, I didn't until about 2 years ago, when I bought a "Best of" collection. I play that disc all the time, and unlike most other 'new wave' bands, their music has only gotten better over time. Great stuff!

The most overrated band ever.

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Captain Teague
The most overrated band ever.

Eh?

If anything, they're overlooked!

As buffalo7478 stated: they were one of the great British acts that didn't crack the States for whatever reason. The Small Faces, Squeeze, Stone Roses, Pulp, Manic Street Preachers... the list is endless.

Back to The Jam: you could also make the point that Wellers solo-career has overshadowed the group a little. As good as some of his post-Jam stuff is - Wild Wood, Sleepflower, You Do Something To Me, etc - it isn't, on the whole, as good as his material circa 77-82.

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Nikolai
John Weller - Paul Weller's dad and manager from the start of his career through to 2003 - died of emphysema last Wednesday. Great bloke.

hadn't heard that... I think that was the night he was scheduled to perform on Letterman.

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Big Al

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Captain Teague
The most overrated band ever.

Eh?

If anything, they're overlooked!

As buffalo7478 stated: they were one of the great British acts that didn't crack the States for whatever reason. The Small Faces, Squeeze, Stone Roses, Pulp, Manic Street Preachers... the list is endless.

Back to The Jam: you could also make the point that Wellers solo-career has overshadowed the group a little. As good as some of his post-Jam stuff is - Wild Wood, Sleepflower, You Do Something To Me, etc - it isn't, on the whole, as good as his material circa 77-82.

His most recent album - 22 Dreams - is easily one of his best. Up there with his solo debut, Wild Wood and the best four Jam albums. Highly recommended, if you don't have it. I went off him halfway through Stanley Road. Too much muso noodling, dull songs. Got worse on Stanley Road, Heliocentric and parts of Illumination. Improved drastically with the great covers album, Studio 150 and As Is Now.

Wouldn't say the solo stuff has overshadowed The Jam though. Go to any Weller gig and The Jam songs get the biggest cheers, while the solo songs are met with comparatively muted enthusiasm.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-04-26 20:43 by Nikolai.

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cc

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Nikolai
John Weller - Paul Weller's dad and manager from the start of his career through to 2003 - died of emphysema last Wednesday. Great bloke.

hadn't heard that... I think that was the night he was scheduled to perform on Letterman.

John had been ill for a while. He had a triple bypass in 2004 (when he stood down as manager) and then got emphysema. Paul Weller cancelled his New York show when he heard his dad hadn't got long. They were very very close.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-04-26 22:39 by Nikolai.

one of the greatest bands ever, probably as great as the Clash.

saw them in '79 (with Sam & Dave opening!!!!!), touring behind 'Setting Sons' (perfect album). they played "Going Underground"- i hadn't gotten the import 45 yet- and i was in tears; the musicianship was phenomenal- they were almost suffocatingly tight (i usually don't make a fetish over "tightness", but they also grovved and swung mightily, and at 150 mph! not easy to do!)

one of the 5 best gigs i've ever seen, i reckon.

Another classic

How come nobody's mentioned "That's Entertainment".....That's my favorite:

A police car and a screaming siren -
A pnuematic drill and ripped up concrete -
A baby waiting and stray dog howling -
The screech of brakes and lamplights blinking -
That's entertainment.

A smash of glass and the rumble of boots -
An electric train and a ripped up 'phone booth -
Paint splattered walls and the cry of a tomcat -
Lights going out and a kick in the balls -

That's entertainment.

Days of speed and slow time mondays -
Pissing down with rain on a boring wednesday -
Watching the news and not eating your tea -
A freezing cold flat and damp on the walls -

That's entertainment.

Waking up at 6 a.m. on a cool warm morning -
Opening the windows and breathing in petrol -
An amateur band rehearsing in a nearby yard -
Watching the tele and thinking about your holidays -

That's entertainment.
Waking up from bad dreams and smoking cigarettes -
Cuddling a warm girl and smelling stale perfume -
A hot summers' day and sticky black tarmac -
Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were faraway -

That's entertainment.

Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight -
Two lovers missing the tranquility of solitude -
Getting a cab and travelling on buses -
Reading the grafitti about slashed seat affairs -

That's entertainment.

Apricot with almond kernels ..... tastes gooood on soggy toast...






ROCKMAN

One of the best bands ever!
Down in the tubestation at midnight my favourite, well, the whole album "All Mods Cons" is F-ing great!

DOWN IN THE TUBESTATION AT MIDNIGHT
(Paul Weller)

The Jam - 1978


The distant echo of faraway voices boarding faraway trains
To take them home to the ones that they love and who love them forever
The glazed dirty steps, repeat my own and reflect my thoughts
Cold and uninviting, partially naked
Except for toffee wrappers and this morning's papers
Mr. Jones got run down
Headlines of death and sorrow, they tell of tomorrow
Madmen on the rampage

And I'm down in the tube station at midnight

I fumble for change, and pull out the Queen
Smiling, beguiling
I put in the money and pull out a plum
Behind me......
Whispers in the shadows, gruff blazing voices
Hating, waiting
"Hey boy" they shout, "have you got any money ?"
And I said "I've a little money and a take away curry, I'm on my way home to my wife.
She'll be lining up the cutlery,you know she's expecting me
Polishing the glasses and pulling out the cork"

I'm down in the tube station at midnight

I first felt a fist, and then a kick
I could now smell their breath.
They smelt of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs
And too many right wing meetings
My life swam around me
It took a look and drowned me in its own existence
The smell of brown leather
It blended in with the weather
It filled my eyes, ears, nose and mouth
It blocked all my senses
Couldn't see, hear, speak any longer

And I'm down in the tube station at midnight
I said I was down in the tube station at midnight

The last thing that I saw
As I lay there on the floor
Was "Jesus Saves" painted by an atheist nutter
And a British Rail poster read "Have an Awayday, a cheap holiday, Do it today!"
I glanced back on my life, and thought about my wife
Because they took the keys, and she'll think it's me

And I'm down in the tube station at midnight
The wine will be flat and the curry's gone cold

I'm down in the tube station at midnight
Don't want to go down in a tube station at midnight
Don't want to go down in a tube station at midnight

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Muppet HiFi
one of the greatest bands ever, probably as great as the Clash.

saw them in '79 (with Sam & Dave opening!!!!!), touring behind 'Setting Sons' (perfect album). they played "Going Underground"- i hadn't gotten the import 45 yet- and i was in tears; the musicianship was phenomenal- they were almost suffocatingly tight (i usually don't make a fetish over "tightness", but they also grovved and swung mightily, and at 150 mph! not easy to do!)

one of the 5 best gigs i've ever seen, i reckon.

So you saw them in the US, I take it?

Go see Paul Weller live if you can. Usually plays a smallish venue with great ticket prices. Absolutely blows the roof of. Great, great gig.

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ablett
Go see Paul Weller live if you can. Usually plays a smallish venue with great ticket prices. Absolutely blows the roof of. Great, great gig.

I saw him at the O2 recently. I had my doubts about him playing the venue, but it was storming.

I saw him at Swindon Oasis centre. Tightly packed hall and he rocked. The place errupted when he played the Jam stuff but it was all innovative, fresh and played with passion!

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ablett
I saw him at Swindon Oasis centre. Tightly packed hall and he rocked. The place errupted when he played the Jam stuff but it was all innovative, fresh and played with passion!

A mate of mine saw him there and said the same thing. I love 22 Dreams. A classic.

Its is superb. But then I've liked most of the solo stuff. As is now is great.

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Nikolai

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Muppet HiFi
one of the greatest bands ever, probably as great as the Clash.

saw them in '79 (with Sam & Dave opening!!!!!), touring behind 'Setting Sons' (perfect album). they played "Going Underground"- i hadn't gotten the import 45 yet- and i was in tears; the musicianship was phenomenal- they were almost suffocatingly tight (i usually don't make a fetish over "tightness", but they also grovved and swung mightily, and at 150 mph! not easy to do!)

one of the 5 best gigs i've ever seen, i reckon.

So you saw them in the US, I take it?

yup. can't recall the date, i'd have to check my ticket stub.

St. Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul Civic Center.

one thing i'm eternally greatful for the Jam and the Clash doing, and that's playing arena's or theaters in the US rather than clubs, as i was a wee 15 year old in '79 when i first saw those two bands.

as you can imagine, those two were hugely inspiring to a young person, and i might not have been able to get into a club then. also, those bands had a sound that was big and dramatic enough to fill a larger venue, and they had the stage presence to fill a big stage, so the gigs were pretty awe-inspiring and cinematic.