I don't either -- totally agree they were new mods -- Weller reminds me much more of early/mid Pete Townsend thematically more than any other musician. I think what I meant more is that some regarded Weller as a poseur, and he wasn't that in the least IMO.“Fake punk”?
Interesting. I never regarded them as punk at all. They came out of that period but the clue is in the title as far as I’m concerned.They were pioneers of the new mod scene.
The Clash were far nearer to punk, but I wouldn’t regard them as punk either. I don’t know, maybe they were. Makes you question what was punk.
Punk to me was a rejection of how overblown music had become. Believe me, i idolised the likes of Yes, but I totally get the rejection of musical elitism.
These bands and countless like them cut through the bullshit and brought it back to basics.
The trouble is, like all trends, it developed its own brands of bullshit.
Bands like The Jam, The Stranglers, The Clash all had something about them. They could play and ultimately had something to say. They evolved out of that era and progressed.
Punk rejected all before it. It threw the baby out with the bath water.
Rory Gallagher was reported to have gone to see The Pistols in America at the end of the seventies and it inspired him to strip back to a three piece.
Do you think Jonny or Sid would have had time for Rory’s brand of honesty though. I really doubt it. Punk could be blinkered.
Anyway. I digress. I dont regard The Jam as punk. They may have held some of the movements ideals in esteem but they were better than that short lived trend by some distance.
As usual -- stealing my thunder -- Foxton was going to be/may still be my focus for precisely that reason. He's the driving force that allows Weller to focus on getting his observations-later-social-commentary across -- almost another singer first/music second band, but not really because the guitar can crunch some and the chord progression matters. Always felt The Jam could do with a second guitar. Instead, over time, the style changed and the energy slowed and instrumentation diversified. I think that's why I liked Setting Sons -- it was a nice mix of old club Jam but showed some experimentation/growth/expansion too, plus has some good -- very good -- melodies.A lot of my write up on this will revolve around Foxton's basslines which were imo completely integral to The Jam's success. I get where Foggy's coming from re. Weller not being a particularly hooky writer in terms of his melodies but then he didn't need to be because often the bassline provided that. Just as an example off this album, think about Down In The Tube Station without that baseline.
Funeral mate.Hope it is for golf.
This is an amazing review! Kudos.Lots of words sorry
It's hard in retrospect to listen to The Jam. Lots of other bands sound like The Jam and The Jam sound like a lot of other bands. I spent a lot time trying to figure out what the songs reminded me of. Even what other The Jam songs these songs sound like.
What sets The Jam apart is the bass playing of Bruce Foxton closely followed by the lyrics of Paul Weller. Wellers delivery is a little one note and this is an area where the bands that rip of The Jam do better. However if you take away Wellers words they are an infinitely worse band and the songs generally are of a very high quality. I really enjoyed this album.
The worst song isn't even their song. David Watts isn't a very good Kinks song and The Jam don't improve it. Frustratingly though it's the song that gets stuck in your head which supports Foggys assertion that Weller can't write hooks.
All Mod Cons is a nice opener and foreshadows musically and lyrically how the rest of the album will go. It ends too soon though. To Be Someone tells the story of the prodigal son if he didn't return home and parts of it will be recycled later in The Jam's careers.
Mr Clean has a super annoying guitar riff and a bitter and jealous reverse snobbery class thing but it appears to be a popular song so maybe it's just me. I don't know if the contrast with David Watts is deliberate and juxtaposes the positivity of the 1960's with the realities of 1970's Britain. If neither of these songs existed I wouldn't mourn their loss.
English Rose sounds like an Oasis B-Side and is fine with a nice subtle key change. In The Crowd sounds like a thousand other songs but is my favourite as it derails into a psychedelic rock out which really really sounds like something else I can't put my finger on and until I remember what it is I'll just describe as ending like a Stone Roses song if funk hasn't been invented. In the olden days of LP's this would have been a great way to close Side A (I think it's an Oasis song that this ending reminds me of).
Side B starts pretty week. Billy Hunt is cockney rhyming slang for childish and immature. Foxtons bass line almost saves it but doesn't quite. It's Too Bad really really really really wants to be a Beatles song. This section reminds me of the pastiches they'd do on Horrible Histories. It's all very on the nose.
Fly sounds like if Nick Drake and The Who had tried to invent teleportation and in their experiments had got their genetics mixed up. I want to hate this song because it never really manages to be coherent but it's definitely growing on me.
The Place I Love suffers from having Paul Weller sing it. I imagine Gaz Coombes likes this song and would deliver it better. A Bomb In Wardour Street demonstrates where Weller is great and not so great in equal measure. He's trying hard though.
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight sounds like The Jam doing a cover of a Jam song. It's flipping brilliant. Foxton is destroying his bass. Plucking it so hard that it sounds like he's slapping it and then tastefully throwing in some harmonics without missing a step. That this nearly wasn't on the album is criminal and I wonder how much Going Underground was written in response to Paul Weller's hesitation to include this on the album. Maybe I'm over thinking it. In any event the bass is incredible and Weller is rushing things in his delivery which I think some of the other songs could use.
The more I write and think about this album the more I actually love it and the ending track kind of encapsulates how I've felt about this whole album. It all sounds like other songs but the other songs it sounds like are also really good.
8 out of 10 because it sounds great and but loses marks for David Watts and Billy Hunt. I've had it on repeat for the last three hours
Great, well thought out review. Even if I won't be agreeing with most of it :)Lots of words sorry
It's hard in retrospect to listen to The Jam. Lots of other bands sound like The Jam and The Jam sound like a lot of other bands. I spent a lot time trying to figure out what the songs reminded me of. Even what other The Jam songs these songs sound like.
What sets The Jam apart is the bass playing of Bruce Foxton closely followed by the lyrics of Paul Weller. Wellers delivery is a little one note and this is an area where the bands that rip of The Jam do better. However if you take away Wellers words they are an infinitely worse band and the songs generally are of a very high quality. I really enjoyed this album.
The worst song isn't even their song. David Watts isn't a very good Kinks song and The Jam don't improve it. Frustratingly though it's the song that gets stuck in your head which supports Foggys assertion that Weller can't write hooks.
All Mod Cons is a nice opener and foreshadows musically and lyrically how the rest of the album will go. It ends too soon though. To Be Someone tells the story of the prodigal son if he didn't return home and parts of it will be recycled later in The Jam's careers.
Mr Clean has a super annoying guitar riff and a bitter and jealous reverse snobbery class thing but it appears to be a popular song so maybe it's just me. I don't know if the contrast with David Watts is deliberate and juxtaposes the positivity of the 1960's with the realities of 1970's Britain. If neither of these songs existed I wouldn't mourn their loss.
English Rose sounds like an Oasis B-Side and is fine with a nice subtle key change. In The Crowd sounds like a thousand other songs but is my favourite as it derails into a psychedelic rock out which really really sounds like something else I can't put my finger on and until I remember what it is I'll just describe as ending like a Stone Roses song if funk hasn't been invented. In the olden days of LP's this would have been a great way to close Side A (I think it's an Oasis song that this ending reminds me of).
Side B starts pretty week. Billy Hunt is cockney rhyming slang for childish and immature. Foxtons bass line almost saves it but doesn't quite. It's Too Bad really really really really wants to be a Beatles song. This section reminds me of the pastiches they'd do on Horrible Histories. It's all very on the nose.
Fly sounds like if Nick Drake and The Who had tried to invent teleportation and in their experiments had got their genetics mixed up. I want to hate this song because it never really manages to be coherent but it's definitely growing on me.
The Place I Love suffers from having Paul Weller sing it. I imagine Gaz Coombes likes this song and would deliver it better. A Bomb In Wardour Street demonstrates where Weller is great and not so great in equal measure. He's trying hard though.
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight sounds like The Jam doing a cover of a Jam song. It's flipping brilliant. Foxton is destroying his bass. Plucking it so hard that it sounds like he's slapping it and then tastefully throwing in some harmonics without missing a step. That this nearly wasn't on the album is criminal and I wonder how much Going Underground was written in response to Paul Weller's hesitation to include this on the album. Maybe I'm over thinking it. In any event the bass is incredible and Weller is rushing things in his delivery which I think some of the other songs could use.
The more I write and think about this album the more I actually love it and the ending track kind of encapsulates how I've felt about this whole album. It all sounds like other songs but the other songs it sounds like are also really good.
8 out of 10 because it sounds great and but loses marks for David Watts and Billy Hunt. I've had it on repeat for the last three hours
Jumped onto YouTube and there are a couple of live versions. I don't like the studio version because it's just a thrash and lacks dynamics. However when they commit to the thrash it does sound better. Maybe it's the piano I hateThis is an amazing review! Kudos.
I like David Watts as a song personally — but I think it’s because the first version I ever heard was a Kinks live version, where the Davies’ are shredding the guitars and the pace is sped up compared to the studio version.
You're bang on with "Billy Hunt" though, an absolutely terrible song.
I look forward to being offended by your opinionGreat, well thought out review. Even if I won't be agreeing with most of it :)
You're bang on with "Billy Hunt" though, an absolutely terrible song.