All Mod Cons - The Jam
Thanks
@BlueHammer85 for this link, as I typically find these quite informative, especially as is the case this week.
After reading most of the reviews here this week, I think I'm in a unique category of one: I've never have heard any song from this album, much less have heard of this band. There, I've said it, and now that that is out of way, we know what that usually means when it comes to reviews. I remember what I was doing as a pre-teen in 1978, and it wasn't listening to this.
There are four distinct aspects of this album that stand out to me in not having any history that summarize my feelings on the songs:
1) the writing and the lyrics - first and foremost, this part required multiple (more than 3) non-distracted listens to really get some of the themes to this. "English Rose" was the first song that really stuck out to me, and might be my favourite here. Just beautifully written and performed, it really was arranged on the album in such a way to bridge the more faster band driven Mod tunes that were the staple. After that, "Down In The Tube Station at Midnight" was a perfectly written and performed closer too. The imagery conjured up in the song is one any listener can probably relate to, the storytelling in that song was top notch. Pull out the Queen, too many right wing meetings, the curry's gone cold, just really well done. "Fly" was another nice interlude track and a well crafted song.
2) the UK angle of the underdog band - The Kinks were one of my 70's bands too, more than the Who, but I was fans of both over the Clash and other punk bands at the time. "David Watts" was one song a buddy of mine would listen to off his Kinks album and I was introduced to the genius of Ray Davies. The Jam do a good version of this, even if I still prefer the original. Accompanying songs such as "To Be Someone (Didn't We Have A Nice Time)" and "In The Crowd" were all songs of yearning and expressed a desire to be more than they were, and all honestly written, going back to point 1. I can see why this band and Paul Weller are considered UK icons - they present honest lyrics and a straightforward rock approach, and they certainly sound like nothing I remember hearing from their time. More like that 60's Mods vibe they are trying to capture, just a decade later.
3) the Bass - as
@Coatigan and others have noted, it really is pronounced and certainly carries more than a few songs. I'd argue Bruce Foxton is the unsung hero of the group, but others can correct me if he's gotten his due amoungst the true fans who 'get it'. The bass shines throughout, but in particular on "All Mod Cons", more than a few songs I've mentioned, and "Mr. Clean".
4) the sound effects - certainly inspired by other bands that effectively used them (The Who in
Quadrophenia in particular), I thought they really did a great job of adding this at the start of "English Rose" and "Down In The Tube Station at Midnight".
I can see how this band would be revered and popular in the UK, and yes, it's a shame it took me this many years to finally hear of them, but... I like what I heard, and hope to hear more. I've been binging on Biffy and Idlewild from the Playlist thread after some recent discussions there along with other new releases - always hard to fit it all in.
For me, this would be a 6.5 not having the context or memories, but given the strong appreciation for the lyrics and the UK impact, I'm giving it a
7.5/10 overall. I'm glad to see this album in particular has brought out some new postings from fans who have a much better context than myself. It's helpful for those like myself without the background on this selection.
