Got worse at the end there.
special introductory
paragraph!
In The City
This Is The Modern World
All Mod Cons
Setting Sons
Sound Affects
The Gift
Beat Surrender EP
Greatest Hits
Dig The New Breed
The Ham were a late-70s British early punk
rock outfit that dabbled in mod clothing and culture, sounded about as punk as Elvis
Costello and got better as they went along. They make musical references to the Beatles,
Kinks, Who and others all throughout their work, but sometimes actually manage to
transcend their influences. Their leader Paul Weller had a voice a lot like Elvis
Costello's - kind of gruff and unpleasant. He had his moments though. Don't we all.
Don't we all have our moments. Don't we all. Mine do not include right now.
This is the band's only real "punk rock" release, chock
full of early-Clash-sounding basic 3-chord scruffy slappers, with some slower ugly
cabaret pop thrown in for the girls. And it's about as memorable as the five billion
other
punk rock albums that came out that year (like The Vibrators' debut, where every damn
song is one word repeated three times!!). The dude plays his rhythm guitar as if he's
trying to re-record Meet The Beatles and most likely he WAS! Just with slightly
faster drumbeats. As befits a band with no determination at all to escape its
influences, The Jam here offer complete ripoffs of "Everyday People," "I Wanna Be
Your Boyfriend" (complete with "ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo"!s), "Holidays In The Sun,"
basic Motown, unbelievably predictable early `60s rock and roll and probably lots of
other songs that you'll recognize from your father's childhood. Most of the tunes are
too
derivative to be emotionally resonant at all, and to be honest, I don't really know how
anybody could love a non-hardcore band whose singer sounds this unlikeably
unmusical - presumably all their fans were drunk. The guitarist sounds good when he
plays actual arpeggiated *notes* though, and some of the songs are a lot of fun in their
Beatlesque simplicity. The harmony vocals are also a nice addition when they show up
- the singer actually sounds okay when there are harmony vocals going on (to be fair, he
DOES hit all the notes - he just has a really hoarse, rough British voice). But not
until
the final track, the coooool dark "Bricks And Mortar," does the band showcase the
mature, diversified future towards which they weren't quite heading just yet because they
still weren't really very good at all.
And for what it's worth, "Into the Future" from the first Vibrators album is a seriously great song! Yeah, they were total phonies but they had a couple decent tunes.
Well I love "The Clash". And I love "The Who Sings My Generation". AND I
love this record. "Who knock-off blah blah blah, revivalists, blah
blah"...shut the fuck up and listen to the goddamn LP! It's "My Generation"
only, like, better. Less innovative, perhaps, but better. Faster, more
energetic. And in the place of two excruciating James Brown covers, killer
takes on "Slow Down" and the "Batman" theme. Yeah! Incidentally I must
mention that I think the sound of Bruce Foxton's bass on "Slow Down" is the
coolest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life.
And while "My Generation" had two all-time classics (the title song and
"Kids Are Alright") to this record's one ("In the City"), the other cuts are
so consistently good that the overall quality of the LP does not diminish in
the least. "Art School", "Takin' My Love", "I've Changed My Address", all
blistering with the most ebullient youthful energy of any punk rock record
ever made by anybody. Maybe not all the songs are so great, but they're
executed with such energy that it's impossible not to love them. The only
really bad moments on this record come when they try and slow things down a
little, because Paul Weller wasn't a consistently good enough songwriter yet
to handle it. And there's an exception even to this, and that's the
restrained yet still kick-ass "Bricks and Mortar".
And accuse The Jam of being knock-offs all you want, one original thing they
had going for them was Paul Weller's distinctive lead/rhythm-combined style.
Just listen to the opening licks of "In the City". Classic song from
start to finish, punk rock at its finest if you ask me. And a hell of a lot
more energetic, meaningful, and enduring than "Holidays in the Sun".
Never mind the fact that the musicianship on this album is better than that
of, like, ninety-nine percent of all punk albums, but not in like a
masturbatory, dinosaur rock kind of way. Just tight, taut, and roaring.
Rick Buckler was one of the best punk drummers ever, rivalled only by The
Buzzcocks' John Maher and The Chords' Buddy Ascott. His killer sense of
rhythm just drove practically every song in their discography.
And yeah Weller's voice was a little gruff at this stage (it's really
amazing when you compare this to the soulful vocal work-outs he'd undergo in
a few short years with the likes of "The Bitterest Pill"), but it all adds
to the program. One smart thing you did in your review (along with giving a
nod to "Bricks and Mortar") was singling out the harmony vocals on this
record. God knows Bruce Foxton couldn't sing lead if his life depended on
it, but when he did harmonies he sounded remarkably sharp and tuneful.
Strange phenomenon. And that's another thing...how many punk bands were
doing fucking vocal harmonies at this stage? The Buzzcocks were still in
their New Hormones years, The Undertones were hammering out covers in Derry
pubs...nobody, that's Who. Derivative my fat ass.
been listening to it again recently and with the passage of time it still stands out as one of the best albums ever, not just best debut albums, if only weller could get back to that style he wouldn't be the boring old fart we've all become. can't listen to his recent stuff, the angry teenager in me won't allow it.
foxton and buckler have never been given the credit for being the tightest rythmn section in the history of music, pure class,
live the jam could wipe the floor with any of their contemporaries, absolutely brilliant, weller may have been the driving force but without the other two he's just a sadd old git in his late 40's with a bad haircut, the is no edge to his music, the passion is gone, ok he was speaking as a young man in the late 70's early 80's but now he's a father with children the same age as he was and they face the same things that he wrote about then.
fuck off with the moon june crap, it's plain to see when the only jam song he now plays live is the insipid thats entertainment, give me a break!!!!!
Holy Christ are they fond of switching to minor chords
during the chorus. If I wanted to hear a band switch to minor chords during the chorus,
I'd listen to that song by Cheap Trick that goes "It's not easy baby/It's not that hard
to
tell." I sure as hell wouldn't listen to The Jam It Up Your Ass, that's for crying out
sure.
These songs are slower than the debut, more predictable than the debut and even more
reliant on early `60s chord sequences than the first album that The Jam put out,
entitled
Take A Shitty. The entire album is as lifeless and lacking in balls as a dead
woman. Like Angelina Jolie is gonna be in about a year and a half when Billy Bob's
career goes south and he beats her to death with a whiskey bottle, the abusive
egotistical
prick. Only the excellent poppy pep song "Life From A Window" shows any progression
at all. Not that ALL the others suck - "Tonight At Noon" is a very pretty little ballad
that breaks no new ground and it's hard to dislike "Standards" if you like "Can't
Explain"
at all (same guitar rhythm, slightly different chords!). But it's hard for an avid music
listener and enjoyer to ignore the dreary creative void exemplified by such meager
fillings as "Don't Tell Them You're Sane," "London Girl" and "In The Street Today,"
which they should be laughed out of the country for having the gall (bladder) to claim
they wrote. They even ruined "In The Midnight Hour"! How do you ruin a
three-chord song? I'll tell you one place you're NOT going to find the answer --- in
Britney Spears' brilliant, era-defining remake of the obscure Rolling Stones song
"Satisfaction." Which reminds me - whenever you hear her sing "I can't get no
satisfaction," don't you just want to find out where she lives, break in through the
sunroof
and say, "Fine. Fuck me, you pricktease-for-a-living"? Yes? That's all I needed to
hear. You're under arrest for cyberstalking and sexual harrassment. So get down on
your knees and polish my knob. No no, my DOORknob! (On my ass door.)
But damn inconsistent, that's for sure. Fucking Bruce Foxton!! Great
bassist, great backing vocalist, great dresser, TERRIBLE TERRIBLE
songwriter. Paul Weller, so the story goes, found himself a girl and lost
interest in the group and Bruce picked up the slack. We the listeners are
rewarded with "Don't Tell Them You're Sane" (what?) and "London Traffic".
Actually, "London Traffic" is pretty damn catchy, and features a sharp,
mod/Beatles-esque guitar kick, but Bruce Foxton sure as fuck can't carry a
tune, and he can't even get his awful lyrics to rhyme, for fuck's sake. I
mean, Christ, how fucking hard is it to RHYME?! As long as your songs
rhyme, people will go up to you and say, "Wow, your songs are so brilliant,
they touch me in such a deep and personal way, blah blah blah". But Bruce
had no lyrical talent whatsoever. And really, can you get a more pedestrian
subject than literally "London Traffic"?p>
I really don't like "Tonight at Noon" or "In the Midnight Hour" (the worst
cover in a discography absolutely saturated with covers) either, but the
rest of the LP is passable enough. "Life from a Window" is pretty cool, and
it's good to see The Jam begin to truly branch out stylistically, although
the lyrics could get cringeworthy now and again. "Grey sky...want to paint
it blue..." Jesus Christ, shut up!p>
There are two more truly great songs in addition to the singles, however.
"In the Street, Today" pumps along with that great surf bassline at 100 mph,
just a great barbed wire blast. And maybe the best song on the LP, "I Need
You (For Someone)", a great sixties-style pop song with cool Foxton
harmonies and smart lyrics. This song alone, even amongst the mediocre
dross in which it finds itself surrounded, is enough to make even casual
listeners realize that The Jam were going to be something special.
THis mark Scam.s enterprise, specially they steal the bass
line are To are some person's way artistic peak (Didn.t we have the Nice time from
Taxman.?) The That.s truly creativity and I hope they very quick make it again. This belt
sounds completely maturely in this, proposes song is quite different and fully collection
which realizes. Without punk, less silence uncommunicatively sound early 60s wannabe-
isms: Compared with is colorful, melody and arrangement. Mr. the Clean wire style is
intense. upbeat happy Billy hunting. Prettily classically picks Fly. A bomb 2 strings
garages stomp in Wardour street. -- ---- This is outstanding pop/rock album makings. It
look like < b>Some Girls come besides the same year production are very clean and
are full, you.d never guesses, but their can.t unfortunately delivers it from begending
to
the inn. Why all does Beatles imply? I already mentioned To are Taxman (Didn.t we
have one Nice Taxman?) It.s too badly has one components completely rips from She
loves you (??). The English sound likely meaning is the sequel i loves her to And Ross.
And had the way too many these shift correlation small string is Beatles does behind way
chorus thingies when the rock-and-roll heart still beat (in the Cleveland. Detroit! UHH!
Rock-and-roll heart!) And is worst all, pesters their cover. The David watt sound likely
completely is ripped, is not from Beatles, but from pesters! I mean, songwriting in that
first song is so ray Davies? ~? ~? ~? ~? ~this is one is truly low 8, while convenient
says
one. One wrong measure, Paulo WELLER, with it.s SEVENSVILLE next time ROUND.
I.m accusingly aims at you, Paulo Weller! And my finger.s a-wagglin. Back and forth!
Waggledy-waggledy-doooooooooooooooooooooooooooocOoooooooooooo
Oooooooooooooooooo!
(Note: If you think this review looks like I translated it into Chinese and then back into English, that's because you're a racist.
I always write like this.)
(Especially "~? ~? ~? ~?" I'm constantly saying that in real life.)
Whatever, it's still a damn good LP. Of course it's propelled mostly by the
single sides "'A' Bomb in Wardour Street" and "Down in the Tube Station at
Midnight", but there are other really fantastic songs, too, like "To Be
Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time?)" and "It's Too Bad".
But again I'm pretty ambivalent about it. Not so much because it's bad but
just because it's not to my taste. I put on "English Rose", an acoustic sea
shanty, and think to myself, "Wow, what a brilliant song. Paul Weller's
shown remarkable growth as a pop songwriter. Hmmm. Can't wait 'til the
opening chords for 'A' Bomb kick in."
And the cover of "David Watts"! OK, first of all, much of it is sung by
Bruce, which can't be a good thing, plus they flub the lyrics. ("He is a
pure and noble creed"?) But I guess it's passable, even though it sounds
less energetic than the original, and this is supposed to be a punk rock
group.
Yeah, there's something about this record I just can't put my finger on.
Not "rock" enough maybe, not "punk" enough maybe. Maybe it's just the
production. I mean songs like "Fly" don't really do anything for me. So
while most critics, especially British ones and those who aren't big fans of
the rest of The Jam's work, like a certain vulgar young cretin who shall
remain nameless, rate this as The Jam's finest moment, I put it somewhere in
the middle. Still, with a group like The Jam, that's hardly an insult, and
the songs are consistently awesome..."Mr. Clean", "Billy Hunt", the title
track, wow. But again the best songs are unquestionably the two single
sides. And they're already on "Compact Snap!".
A wingless teemed-a ego, few schwa, und deeps fool
buffo's-a ye' fool bun's, mostly, eh' fool sweetening' too some-a De-a Chem. und eh'
spayed timeline homey Chaffs W-w-queens (owed' gooey foam de-a tensest' stanchion,
oh, baby, odd but - petite-a. W-w-weight Odon! Gag me mitt a pitchfork! ), walk,
"Chaffs. Feet hit's, man, Mama! Nitwit! Gag may mitt uh SPOOOOON! Feet be-a de-an
epee uh De-a Chem.? Eh' doesn't say-an undone' specie boot deem ET ewe." Und hoes
response-a, few schwa, und w-w-remember' deeps be-a poem hoes w-w-response-a, man,
W-w-wench, wake, vow, sun's doesn't get ewe peess-feewwed. He-a says time-a, few
schwa, "Schemed, walk, vow, dot's coos' we're-a bee sweetening' too punk w-w-wick fu'
yews. De-a Chem. fool some-a greet fey fu' mainstream socket's too 'espooh'eeence-a
punk w-w-wick fu' de-a foots teemed-a. Feet it is, walk, Mama! Nitwit! Oh, vow! Siege
Hew!" In ode' food's, walk, it's
homey, man, happy, mostly, bweetpuppy, man, bouncy, few schwa, wood Sweetish
goatee skweenkwe-a-skwunkwe-a. Feet hit's, oh, baby, Mama! Nitwit! Gag may mitt uh
SPOOOOON! Feed face harmonies. Dees embosom fool put-upon wick tweedy, few
schwa, and dough. Dewy ewtewneteefe-a weeks De-a W-w-wepwecements
food is-a credited feed peeuneewin' schu'twy - yet spondee' some-a HEWW uh wet weeks
de-a wete-a-70s und iewwy'80s funk uh De-a Keens. Inchuyebwe-a und mewudeec, oh,
baby, yet wee-wee sooffffeween' in de-a "oo'eeginewity" department. Dewey-a ewe-a
fey tutu many geneses "nudes't''em" goatee muddies on hawed-a. Feet hit's, wake,
Mama! Nitwit! Oh, vow! Siege Hew! Boot they're-a preyed sun's dawned edeqooetewy
und pwuffesseeunewwy, few schwa, und feed smooch energetic "fee-a menu deeps. W-
w-weight on! Oh, vow! Siege Hew! . W-w-weight on! Gag may mitt uh pitchfork! .
W-w-weight on! Gag me mitt a SPOOOOON! No, few schwa, seweeuooswy. W-w-
weight on! Gag may mitt uh SPOOOOON! . W-w-weight on! Oh, vow! Siege Hew!
"Faces dot ye' ken's hate-a it. CEN'T. KEN'T. W-w-weight on! Gag may mitt uh
pitchfork! Woos, oh, baby, dew's nut some-a seen' we-a bed-less sung on hewed-a.
Feet hit's, oh, baby, Mama! Nitwit! Oh, vow! Siege Hew! A bunch uh Okay-TO-
MIDDWING-IH-NOT-BED songs, few schwa, boot nudes' "It's Tutu Bed" too' "Sounds
Swum De-a Street" (tofu SHITTESTICEWWY Socked songs foam pwefeeuoos Chem.
embosoms). Es fu' muffin' funfest, man, dye aren't w-w-wee-wee. Sweep meshes flu!
Siege Hew! Gag may mitt uh pitchfork! Dees be-a de-a seem-a meowed-a, man, w-w-
wino uh bedew fwefu'-stetes as de-a west ozone-a peens, few schwa, fee wins, mostly,
footed w-w-decode' dews, man, songs uh fewer' degrees und styles -poem feed foe'
ixtweu'deenewiwy wife' songs. "Peewee-a Hew" und ad demon west tofu songs ewe-a
new und dew timeline hewed dough, mostly, fu' sockeye nostalgic w-w-wee suns.
Yahoo's see-a, man, eh' fool sweetening' tide de-a ode' dye fewer-a hunger' enwound in
mesh' apartment. Su foam deeps pent on, oh, baby, eh' guts' a ewes associate-a deeps
embosom feed hunger' enwound in mesh' apartment. It's specie moments weeks deeps
dot meek-a beet smooch UN impotent indecent' uh dues-a specie teems, oh, baby, de-a
teems sun's specie dot ye' fonts' knife' too wise-a deem swum you' bunk uh muumuus.
Ahhhh, Hell! A bunch of damn Jive-Talking Swedish Chef Valley Girl Deep South
Elmer Fudds with German Accents got a-hold of my review, and then ran it through a
Spell-Check! What do you mean, you don't find my hilarious "filter" humor as funny
as I do? Oh alright pissy, here's what I really wrote: A longass time ago, and this
was before you were born, I was listening to some The Jam and I said to my friend Jeff
Robins (older guy from the radio station, odd bird - petite!), "Jeff. What is the appeal
of
The Jam? I don't see anything special about them at all." And his response, and
remember this is just his response, Rich, so don't get all piss-filled. He says to me,
"Well, that's because you've been listening to punk rock for years. The Jam were a great
way for mainstream people to experience punk rock for the first time." In other words,
it's friendly, happy, britpoppy, bouncy, loud British guitar skrinkle-skrankle. With
vocal
harmonies. This album was post-punk rock already, though. Early alternative like
The Replacements would be credited with pioneering shortly - yet sounding a HELL of a
lot like the late-70s and early'80s work of The Kinks. Enjoyable and melodic, yet really
suffering in the "originality" department. There are way too many generic "nothing to
`em" guitar melodies on here. But they're played so darned adequately and
professionally, and with such energetic "we mean this!!! No, seriously!!" vocal s that
you can't hate it. CAN'T. CAN'T! Plus, there's not a single bad song on here. A bunch
of OKAY-TO-MIDDLING-EH-NOT-BAD songs, but nothing "It's Too Bad" or
"Sounds From The Street" (two SHITTASTICALLY SUCKBADDY songs from
previous Jam albums). As for moving forward, they aren't really. This is the same
mature, rainbow of musical flavor-states as the last one - pianos, violins, flutey
recorder
deals, songs of varying degrees and styles - just with fewer extraordinarily clever
songs.
"Private Hell" and the last two songs are near and dear to my heart though, for personal
nostalgic reasons. You see, I was listening to them the other day while hanging around
in
my apartment. So from this point on, I will always associate this album with hanging
around in my apartment. It's special moments like this that make music such an
important indicator of those special times, the times so special that you want never to
erase them from your bank of memoirs.
I've enjoyed The Jam's music since I first bought Setting Sons when it originally got released. I know there are some very average moments in The Jam's catalogue, but when
they're good, they crap all over ANY so-called American 'punk/new wave' band! Period!
The lyrics capture the essence of how the social/class system held back the youth of a nation and expresses the anger and apathy that caused. Weller was the Ray Davies of the
late seventies, well until Ray remembered how to write great lyrics again (spurred on by the punk movement to do so, I believe).
Trouble is the Yanks didn't get UK punk or it's background and gripes about society. US Society is a bit too 'middle class' to fully understand such concerns, unless Daddy
takes their T-bird away.
An example of this is Talking Heads, described as a 'new wave' band by most music journos. Well thanks for nothing. Were they a joke band? Pretentious
pseudo-intellectualism at best, mediocre elevator music mostly.
Only The Ramones got the UK scene, and that's why when people talk about the glory years of punk the only US groups who'll get a mention (outside the US where music
does actually exist) are Joey and the lads, plus Patti Smith and the Dead Kennedys.
Even Australia had punk bands (Radio Birdman, The Saints) who were true to the ethos.
The Jam were up there with the best of them, Pistols / Damned / Stranglers / Clash / etc, so that alone makes many of your comments in these reviews absolute rubbish!
Anyway, I've been reading the reviews on Pringles' site for over 3 years now and I definitely plan to continue! Hey, he's managed to boil my blood with this one and for that
shaking of my apathy, I thank him :-)
Keep up the great site man, all the best.
Even die-hard Jam fans will tell you...The Jam had a proclivity to include
at least a couple songs' worth of filler on every damn album they did. But
this was the sole exception. Not one vinyl groove is wasted on an
extraneous note.
Start to finish, just great. After the somewhat coddling production of "All
Mod Cons", this record just gets great ballsy rock production. And that
doesn't mean that there's no room for ambition: there's the recorder line on
"Wasteland", the Kinks-esque multi-movement pop "Little Boy Soldiers", even
the all-string arrangement of Bruce Foxton's shining moment as a songwriter,
"Smithers-Jones". (Bruce could always write a good hook, but the man
finally learned how to rhyme, and write about things other than tabloids and
traffic jams, and he let Paul sing on it. Good choice.) But everything is
done with such fire that it just blows the listener away.
Can't say it enough. Every song on here is great. Musically, lyrically,
whatever. Weller was really on to something here with his "concept" album.
Few rockers are willing to touch the too wussy subject of male
relationships, but Weller does so with both heartfelt sincerity and bitter
incision. Hell it's a lot more cogent than a double LP about a blind kid
who becomes a pinball genius, now isn't it?
Oh, those snappy pop sensibilities. I love "Girl on the Phone", which has
all the pop kick of "All Mod Cons" combined with a killer production. And
their much-maligned cover of "Heat Wave" consistently blows me away. It's
the best cover they ever did, bar none. Just great, joyous release to it
after a terribly bitter album about housewives on valium and kids in war and
parents dying of cancer.
This album has received some criticism for its thin melodies, which may be
true. The production definitely emphasizes power. So it's a fair point.
That "Judas Priest" comment is a little too close to the truth about
"Private Hell", too. And much as I love "Smithers-Jones", I think I still
prefer the power trio version that appeared on the B-side to "When You're
Young" some time before this LP was first released. So it's not quite a
perfect album...but damn close.
Must mention the bonus tracks that accompany the CD release of this
record...OK, first of all, "Going Underground" is there, which as far as I
and many other Jam fans are concerned is their absolute pinnacle, and was
their first British #1. Then there's, like, eight more bonus tracks,
including all-time classics like "Dreams of Children" and "Strange Town",
the full-on rock version of "Smithers-Jones" and the gorgeous mod-pop B-side
"See Saw". From the period of "Strange Town", which preceded this LP, to
"Going Underground", which followed it, The Jam could do no wrong, and cut
nary a single song short of utmost brilliance.
The US is too 'middle class' to understand these concerns? What
concerns, youth rebellion? Seriously, if the Clash isn't rich-kids
rebellion music, i don't know what is. Not that that's a bad
thing---London Calling is one of my favorite albums ever.
Oh, and take back what you said about the Talking Heads! They're way
better than The Jam anyway...
You know that Steve Martin song "King Tut"? That's
what this whole album is. HA! I fooled you there for a second! No no, come on.
Can you imagine the lawsuits? With bass guitar to diefer and cool guitar interplay, this
baby doll starts off impersonating a really really good album for three astonishingly
well-
written songs before inevitably running out of steam (whoo whoo!) and turning into
absolute El Shito Mexican Food with "Start!," which marks like the fifteenth time
they've stolen the "Taxman" bass line and thought I wouldn't notice. After that, you get
some jackass boringballs ballad about a guy in a corner shop who wishes he could have
an exciting job in a factory while - get this - this is so fucking ironic - it turns out
that
the guy in the factory wishes he had a great job like the guy in the corner shop!!!! Oh
folks, this is Paul Simon-style storytelling here! With a little twist - unexpected
little
jingle-jangle - that makes the whole song worthwhile. Oh hell, did I say
"worthwhile"? I of course meant "worthpile(sofshitonmydick)". I'll say this for the
weak middle (it gets really powerful at the end again, with the fantastic bouncy-ass
catchy "Music For The Last Couple" and dark, eerie, intelligent, ringingly cool guitar
tune "Scrape Away") - the songs aren't generic `60s retreads. They just feature melodies
and riffs that for some reason don't shake me by the coathanger. Especially "Dream
Time," which I classified in my notes as "another song - whoopee." Adding to that, I
will remark that it is one of several Jam songs where the rhythm guitar accents the
second
and fourth beats instead of first and third. What does this mean? Why, it sounds more
like The Beatles, that's what it means! The day this band gets a record contract is the
day
I slice my peter off and give it to Ralph Nader to shove up his ass for safety. Oh
hell.
Yeah, "Man in the Cornershop" is good stuff, as is "That's Entertainment",
although I must admit I'm partial to the punchier "Snap!" version. You
know, where they actually let Rick Buckler play. It's so raw and caustic it
makes the LP version seem tame. The coolest tracks here are the sub-2:00
pop bursts, "Boy About Town" and "But I'm Different Now". All the other
tracks have cool moments, too, however. Dig the chorus on "Set the House
Ablaze".
The Jam buck years of precedent by making the single perhaps the worst track
on the album. I never understood the fuss about "Start!". Beyond being
such a blatant "Taxman" rip-off that it's hard to get past that fact alone,
it's really just an unspectacular song, save the "Never ever see you--see
you, see you..." bridge. And the instrumental seems pretty pointless.
I mean, the high points of this album are really freakin' high and the low
points really aren't that low at all, so it's truly better than well over
ninety-nine percent of all rock and roll albums ever made. But while it's
not too far behind, I still don't think it matches up with "Setting Sons" or
"In the City".
Thanks for the shitty gift, "Preesh." I can't make a
connection with The Jam. I feel no friendliness in their music. I even somehow learned
to make a connection with Rod Stewart, and he only has like two good albums! But The
Jam? Just not there. Same with Elvis Costello - I just can't "connect" on a listener's
level. I don't feel like The Jam are "my band," nor would I ever want them to be.
That's
me though. I'd appreciate you telling me how you feel so close to them, if you're a
fan. As for this record, it's DiFfErEnT! ThEy'Ve AdDeD dAnCe BeAtS aNd FuNkY
dIsCo BaSs To SoNgS like "Precious" and likely others. Maybe not. But lots of horns!
Check out "The Planner's Dream Gone Wrong!" Horns all over that one! And it's got a
Caribbean feel! And I fuckin hate it so much I cut that section of the CD out with a
scissor and taped the two other pieces together with a little piece of The Ramones'
Animal Boy album! Apparently most critics dislike this album. For once,
I'm proud to be part of this esteemed group. This album, like every other Jam album, is
full of Brit-pop whimsy, minor keys, ripoffs of "Heat Wave" and stuff that sounds like
what the early Who records would have sounded like if Declan MacManus' parents had
done the Bouncy Plunger 15 years earlier. It reminds me of a little joke I haven't made
up yet, but will as I write it What do you call Paul Weller when you chop him up into
little pieces and cook him with fried okra? Meaty Okre!
But let's pretend we travel to an alternate universe where "The Gift"
doesn't contain "Precious", "The Planner's Dream Gone Wrong", or
"Trans-Global Express". Then I'd say it's a damn great album, and I don't
want to leave this alternate universe 'cause I have in my hands what just
might be the greatest record of all time.
OK, I'm exaggerating a tad, but you get the idea. Really, "The Gift" is
certainly The Jam's most underrated work; it's solely because the Brit-funk
sound has aged about as gracefully as the Olsen twins that the low points
sound really, really, really low.
BUT we get "Happy Together", one of the catchiest little numbers in a
catalog riddled with catchy little numbers. Then there's "Ghosts", just a
haunting, stripped-down ballad that may well be the best song The Jam never
released as a single. And of course "Town Called Malice", the energetic
Motown stomper, worldwide hit and the best song on the album. And the other
songs (aside from the three aforementioned) aren't too shabby, either.
Bruce Foxton's instrumental work-out "Circus" features the best lyrics he
ever wrote (ha!...OK, OK, "Smithers-Jones" was great, that's for sure),
"Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" is catchy in the "Penny Lane" sort of way,
with the requisite sharp social observations to boot. Really this album
ain't so bad. If they had replaced the three main offenders with some
non-LP songs from this era, say, I don't know, "Funeral Pyre", "Absolute
Beginners", "Tales from the Riverbank", "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to
Swallow)", "Beat Surrender", or even their great cover of "Move On Up", then
we really would have had the best LP in history. As it is I guess it really
is somewhere in the middle of The Jam's albums, as it features some of the
all-time lowest moments in The Jam's catalog (alongside "This Is the Modern
World"), but still it's damn underrated, and thanks to the better tracks,
I'd never be caught without it.
I read elsewhere on this page that someone suggested that the Jam are a good "starter" punk band for people who either aren't into punk or haven't gotten into it yet. I, at the tender age of 13 in 1982, fell into the latter category. I had a friend as a youngster who seemed to get into all of the cool stuff first - for example, The Clash, the Pretenders 1st album, Dead Kennedys, and the "Start!" 45 RPM single by the Jam. I didn't notice nor care that "Start!" sounds an awful lot like "Taxman" - it was just an extremely crisp, high energy song. It was a while before I became a punk/hardcore fan (blame the Pistols for that one, followed soon by the 1st Suicidal Tendencies record), but by that time I was already a huge fan of the Jam, and had amassed pretty much all their albums.
So why did I like them right away? Because I already liked the Kinks and the Who, and the Jam pretty much was a modern-day update of that sound. No, they weren't innovative, nor were they great musicians. But Paul Weller was a huge fan of that classic sound, as was I... so his stuff really kinda spoke to me. Gave me more of what I wanted to hear after my copy of "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" was finished.
Concerning your ratings of these albums, I could probably agree with the "Modern World" album rating. Definitely their weakest album by far. And although it contains "Start!", the "Sound Affects" album has too many boring songs on it - Side Two for example (though the great ones on Side One are REALLY great). But "The Gift"? I love that one! Maybe the big echoey Motown/Spector kind of production puts you off (especially on the less substantial songs, like "Trans Global Express", which is ALL sound), but this still has plenty of tune-heavy, intelligent songs on it... as many as "All Mod Cons" I might argue (AMC is my fave by the way). "Happy Together", "Ghosts", "Precious", "5 O'Clock Hero", and "Town Called Malice" are all among my favorite Jam songs.
So Jam it up yer keister, Prindleton! YOU'RE WRONG!! Urinalysis is FREEDOM!!
Being the devil's advocate (a part time gig, but it pays the bills), I guess in all seriousness I can see why you don't really dig the Jam. A) You don't like Weller's voice; B) You were exposed to them too late in your musical tastes' development; C) You don't like Bread; and D) They borrow (or as detractors say, steal) riffs and styles from other artists.
Hmmm.. re-reading (D) above has made me reconsider... maybe they DID suck. Aw to hell with it, I love em anyway.
It's no secret that I love The Jam. I love Paul Weller's full angelic 8-octave vocal range, the completely unique new form of music they play that is unlike any other ever heard (it's almost as if they had NO influences!) and best of all, I love their whole "mod" image which, in an unprecedented move in rock and roll history, unified the British band with mid-60s American r'n'b! So imagine how excited I was when I ran across this record in a pile of human shit and filth lying on the side of the road! I excitedly took it home, fumigated the lice off of it and rested it on the turnplayer to enjoy the latest sounds from "The Only Band That Matters." Carrying forth with their tradition of playing "Three Chords And The Truth," The Jam right from the getgo make it clear that they "really mean it, maaaaan" with the poppy piano/horn jump-and-jive excellence of the title track. Not resting on their laurels, and making it worth the price of admission, they follow it up with "Shopping," a Beatle-esque take on smoky jazzy coolness with a Beck-like flute solo of Radiohead/White Stripes proportion! As the record is flipped over, one is confronted with the naked truth of dilettance. Namely, covers of three mid-60s American r'n'b tunes! First up is Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up," next is the Chi-Lites scorcher "Stoned Out Of My Mind" and finally that dead guy's "War (What Is It Good For)." And talk about putting a positive white spin on the devil's race music! Ooo la la, The Jam make it clear that Adolf Hitler had the right idea! No no, I meant "vegetarianism."
Hay! I'm a seven-year-old and Mark Prindle told me to review this cd because he doesnt felll good and i listened to it and its a big piece of poop. THea Jams sux. They suck
my peter. Nothing sounds good. The singer sings ugly and the music is boring and lame and stupid. Id rather cut off my balls and rub them all over my face than listen to this
CD by the Jams. I thin kthey are the worst band ever but some of the songs are okay if you like crap. Greatest Hits? MOre like Greatest BEEP!s if you ask me! My dad is
a baker and I have a dog named Tim. I listened to this after The Beatels and it was like they were trying to be the beatles but like if the beatles were three turds and a weiner. I
also like Limp Biskit my sister likes the backstreet boys but shes president of the itty bitty titty committee. I just read some of Mark Prindle's CD reviews. Is he seven
too?
In response to your puerile, vituperative lambasting of The Jam, I have but
one thing to say to you: nah nah nah nah naaaaaah, you like fucking
Everclear.
Yours sincerely,
Jay Banerjee
But I must object in the strongest terms to your equation of Paul Weller with one Elvis Costello -- aka Duncan McManus, MacManus? McClannis?...whatever the fuck appears on his birth certificate. You know who I'm talking about.
Granted, both of the artistes in question possess a voice rougher than Number Ten sandpaper. And with an attitude you can cut with a knife, I pity the waiter for the abuse doled out by either of them on the morning after the night before. But that is where the similarity ends.
For a truly meaningful comparison, let us first dispense with the albums: The Jam and Elvis Costellos's respective catalogues both contain more 'filler' than an Oscar Meyer hot dog. But as a proud possessor of Elvis Costello's greatest hits CD, an unsurpassed collection of pop songs as polished and refined as finely cut diamonds, I defy anyone willing to challenge my contention that the best songs of Elvis C. kick Paul Weller's sorry, guitar-chord-plagiarizing ass from here to Chelsea. Elvis vs. the Jam? Ask yourself the question: Would Diana Krall sleep with Paul Weller??? Well, would she????
I really liked the movie The Brood but this album is terrible. I could write better songs with two hands tied behind my back, two more parked behind the garage, three planted in the microwave, fourteen under the petunia, and one up my rear squeezing a poop hello. Here's some indication of Paul Weller's jaw-dropping lack of talent: Whenever I review a CD, I use the scientific method of awarding each song a "0" (if I hate it), a "-" (if it's okay), or a "1" if I like it. The first six songs on this 14-song CD received a sum of "000000." That's more Zeros than you'll find in Katie Holmes' address book! This is because The Jam wrote two types of songs: (1) happy bullshit and (2) absolutely no melody. Then they ripped out Elvis Costello's voicebox, ran it through a blender, and inserted it into their singer's throat. Finally they added the bass line to "Taxman" and SHAZAM! It's a shitty Jam album!
This one's live though, featuring four songs culled from All Mod Cons, three pulled from Sound Affects, one each jethro tulled from In The City, The Gift, This Is The Modern World and Setting Songs, and then a single, a B-side and an Eddie Floyd cover. Most of these songs are terrible. "Private Hell," "That's Entertainment," "Standards" and "In The Crowd" are great though. I assume some other band wrote them.
The album is compiled from several different concerts recorded throughout their short and fruitless career, demonstrating that apparently at some point while they were around, they toured with horn players! The sound quality varies but is always pretty strong, with loud crisp drums, audible bass, shitty vocals and terrible songs. You may get the feeling that I hate The Jam. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth (except the statement "I like The Jam even a little bit at all"). But see, the thing is -- it's not like I'm prejudiced against bands with no talent or ideas. If The Jam were any good, I'd love them! The problem is that their songs make me feel like I'm being slowly strangled to death, without even masturbating like that INXS guy. They are the aural equivalent of a piece of sandpaper floating around in a cloud of unbreathable black smog.
Here are just a few of the many bands that are better than The Jam: Aerosmith
AFI
Afghan Whigs, The
Alabama
Alice Cooper
Allman Brothers Band
Anthrax
Archies, The
Association, The
Backstreet Boys
The Band
Beach Boys, The
Beastie Boys
Billy Joel
Biohazard
Blink 182
Blondie
Blood, Sweat and Tears
Blue Cheer
The Blue Horizon Jazz Band
Bon Jovi
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Boston
Bowling For Soup
Box Tops
Buckinghams, The
Buffalo Springfield
Byrds, The
Canned Heat
Chic
Chicago
Chantays, The
CIV
Coasters, The
Contours, The
Corvus
Creedence Clearwater Revisited
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crystals, The
Darkest Hour
Death By Stereo
Deftones
Destiny's Child
Doors, The
Dream Theater
Dokken
Drifters, The
Eagles, The
Earth, Wind & Fire
Eels
E Street Band, The
Evanescence
Everly Brothers, The
Exodus
Fifth Dimension, The
Fleetwood Mac
Four Seasons, The
Four Tops, The
Frogg Café
Funkadelic
Grateful Dead
Green Jelly
Guns N Roses
Gwar
Hall & Oates
Hanson
Hold steady, the
Hoobastank
Iced Earth
Jackson Five, The
Jag Panzer
Jefferson Airplane
Jimi Hendrix Experience, The
The Juliana Theory
Kaleidoscope
Kingsmen, The
Kiss
Keel
Ko?n
Lemonheads, The
Letters To Cleo
Limp Bizkit
Linkin Park
Little Feat
Love
Love Affair
Lovin' Spoonful, The
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mamas and the Papas, The
Manowar
Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids
Mars Volta, The
Mastodon
MC5
Megadeth
Metallica
Monkees, The
Morbid Angel
Mothers of Invention
Nirvana
No Doubt
Norma Jean (band)
Offspring, The
Overkill
Pantera
Papa Roach
Parliaments, The
Pavement
Platters, The
Presidents of the United States of America
Public Enemy
Queensr˙che
Quiet Riott
Rage Against the Machine
Ramones, The
Rare Earth
The (Young) Rascals
Ratt
Red Hot Chili Peppers
R.E.M
Rivieras, The
Robert Cray Band, The
Run-DMC
SAMDAVE
Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
Sebadoh
Seeds, The
The Silver Apples
Simon & Garfunkel
Slaughter
Slayer
Slint
Slipknot
Sly & the Family Stone
Sugarland
Smashing Pumpkins, The
Sonics, The
Sonic Youth
Sonny & Cher
Sparklehorse
Steppenwolf
Stooges, The
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Stryper
Suicidal Tendencies
Suine Anget
Supremes, The
Surfaris, The
System of a Down
Talking Heads
Temptations, The
Television
Testament
Tiger Army
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tool
Tortoise
Toto
Trammps, The
Trashmen, The
Tubes, The
Type O Negative
United States of America, The
USER
Van Halen
Velvet Underground, The
Ventures, The
Vinnie Vincent Invasion
Walker Brothers, The
W.A.S.P.
Wilco
Winds of Change
Winger
ZZ Top
Action, The Amen Corner Animals, The Ash Athlete Bananarama Beatles, The Bee Gees, The (born in the Isle of Man ) Belle and Sebastian Billy Idol Birds, The Black Sabbath Blind Faith Blue Flame Bluesbreakers Blur Boo Radleys, The Budgie Cardiacs Cast Catatonia Charlatans, The Chemical Brothers, The Christie Chumbawamba Clash, The Clinic Coldplay Coral Creation, The Cream Culture Club Cure, The Darkness, The Dave Clark Five, The Deep Purple Def Leppard Del Amitri Depeche Mode Derek and the Dominos Dire Straits Divine Comedy Duran Duran Edison Lighthouse Elbow Electric Light Orchestra Embrace Emerson, Lake and Palmer The Enid Eric Burdon and the New Yardbirds Eurythmics Fairport Connection Fleetwood Mac Foundations, The Four Pennies, The Franz Ferdinand Freddie and the Dreamers Genesis Gerry and the Pacemakers Hawkwind Heaven 17 Herman's Hermits Hollies, The Honeycombs, The IQ Iron Maiden Jadis James Jamiroquai Jeff Beck Group Jesus & Mary Chain Jethro Tull Joy Division Ju Ju Babies Judas Priest Keane King Crimson Kubb Kula Shaker La's, The Kinks, The Led Zeppelin Levitation Lostprophets Madness Manfred Mann Manic Street Preachers Marillion Massive Attack Mike and the Mechanics Moody Blues, The Muse Music My Bloody Valentine New Order Oasis Ocean Colour Scene Pallas Paradise Lost Pendragon Pet Shop Boys Pink Floyd Placebo Pogues, The Police, The Portishead Primal Scream Procol Harum Prodigy, The Psychedelic Furs Pulp Queen Radiohead Rainbow Rolling Stones, The Roxy Music Searchers, The Sex Pistols Shadows, The Shed Seven Sleeper Starsailor Teenage Fanclub Small Faces, The Smiths, The Smoke, The
How does Paul Weller sleep at night knowing that he ruined Eddie Floyd's "Big Bird"? Have you ever heard that song? That's one of the greatest songs ever written, but you sure wouldn't know it from The Jam's piss-poor soulless idiot David Bowie failure version.. And what is it with the commercialization of Christmas these days? "Ho Ho Ho"? Now it's become "Pay Pay Pay!" Instead of "Peace On Earth, Good Will Toward Men," it's now "Expensive Presents On Earth, More Money Toward Men." Kris Kringle, what are you doing in Macy's instead of guiding your eight tiny reindeer across the nighttime sky? Santa Claus, what are you doing in Bloomingdale's when you should be silently creeping on the roof while sugarplums dance in my sleeping head? Chri$tma$, I rebuke you. Signed,
Therefore it is utter genius.
Fuck the Jam, Pete Townshend wrote all their songs in 1965.
I will say that The Jam's live albums are somewhat redundant and erratic. I
think all the live stuff you could ever want is on The Complete Jam DVD,
which also has some hilariously crotchety interviews and a collection of
promo videos. I realize that item probably isn't high on your wish list,
but could I coax you if I told you that the video for "The Bitterest Pill"
will afford you a whole new arsenal of Jam insults for you to disseminate
throughout your site, as you've already begun to do on The Undertones and
XTC pages? "I was moved and inspired by Weller's touching performance to
shove this SHITASTICALLY SUCKBADDY pee-vee-pee up the ass of the local
vicar, which ruptured his sphincter! That makes me vicar now, thank you
Paul Weller for performing fellatio with your shitfuckally abysmal foray
into thespian hardcore. You can't spell fellatio without 'fella', or 'Tio',
which is the name of my Puerto Rican uncle who molested me at age six. I
was twenty-four at the time."
And what are you doing having even heard of The Enid over there in your
American backwater. Do you realize you've included them twice? Does this
make them twice as good as The Jam?
An ex girlfriend of mine liked Robert John Godfrey. She used to say one
of his songs was about her. I can't really remember it now, but I think
it probably went on for over an hour and didn't have any words. It was
deathly boring anyway - which on reflection was almost certainly what
she meant. I used to like her, back around the time when I also liked
the Enid. It's a shame you haven't got around to reviewing them. I would
really enjoy the prospect of Robert John 'Pretentious' Godfrey being
destroyed by your biting wit and savage satire. He of course deserves
it, unlike Paul Weller who is in fact God, or at least a close relative
of His.
For some reason I feel like a jerk for pointing this
out, but "In The City" came out several months before
"Holidays In The Sun." So the ripoff would be the
other way round.
Although Your basic comments as regards to this album being revivalist, etc
etc are pretty accurate, and I wouldn't disagree with them, I think you have
missed the point of the Jam completely.... The Jam although they evolved from
punk, developed quickly especially after their first two albums. Okay, so
they took lots of different 60's influences and meshed them together, but
Paul weller as a songwriter is s generation apart- In England he's seen as
the Modfather, the songwriter of his generation; without the Jam, Oasis and a
million other "britpop" bands would have never existed. His anger is geniune
unlike a lot of other punk bands at the time; Weller came from a proper
working class background unlike members of the Clash, Pistols, Stranglers,
Wire et al and his anger is far more geniune than say the political posturing
of say the Clash (as much as I hold the Clash in ultra high respects)- I
think you're looking at the Jam from a far too American perspective- you
don't see things from the outside.
Rather more energy than tunes here. Too bad all I can remember is "In the City" and their cover of the "Batman" theme. A very shoddy debut, really, the first two albums were scarcely anything but filler, filler, filler. 5/10. Weller's voice is most definitely scraggly, ugly, and annoying here, but now that he's, you know, old, he sounds really good...
OK, Prindle, let's get this straight...you hate "In the City" because it
rips off "Holidays in the Sun"--except it DOESN'T, since this came out
months earlier--and yet you have nothing but approbation for the likes of,
say, The Clash's self-titled debut? The LP that kicks off with the most
shamelessly blatant "Can't Explain" knock-off of all time?
One of the first Lps I ever bought and worth every penny. So there are some naff moments but generally this is a tight, loud, complete album. Some of their other albums had better quality songs but did not always hang together well as albums - Sound affects always seems a mess to me whilst Setting sons is a lot tighter. On this album slow down, away from the numbers and in the city as well as Bricks and Mortar are all top A1 cracking tracks. The Jam were like a number of other groups - they used the impetus of punk to get famous but unlike the dross put out by Squeeze and the Police, the Jam put out good stuff which did not really compromise their original stance. Lets also remember that a lot of the punk rock starts had played in pub rock bands (Ian Dury, Joe Strummer and .... I've just realised these two are dead.......
bought this album as a 15yr old on the day of lizzies silver jubilee, only good thing about royalty was we got the day off school.
There isn't much to say about an album like this. It's like 31 minutes long, with no songs that really stand out, and the whole think is over in the blink of an eye. No crappy songs, but the album is pretty monotonous. It kind of reminds me of the first Black Keys album. My personal favorite is "Sounds from the Street."
Yeah, this LP is the worst of their career. Like "The Gift", however, it's
also tremendously underrated. The title track is a classic, and "All Around
the World"--which at least appeared on the US version of the album--is a mod
anthem on par with anything The Who ever did. OK, maybe the shouts of
"Youth explosion!" are a bit callow and na‹ve, but they're delivered with
such sincerity and fire that they're hard to resist. Plus it's a damn
catchy tune. And the title track, too, ventures a little into that same
clich‚d sloganeering, but also boasts some very trenchant sentiments: "All
my life it's been the same, I've learned to live by hate and pain, it's my
inspiration drive."
Everybody loves to take a shit on this album, and you seem to be one of those people. It was easy for me to see that this was actually a step forwards rather than backwards for the Jam. The songs on here actually have tunes, and have a lot more going for them rather than just being three chord headbangers. My favorites here are "The Modern World," "In the Midnight Hour," "Here Comes the Weekend," "London Girl," "In the Street Today" and "London Traffic."
I, like Prindle do not understand the appeal of the Jam except for in the singles territory. Buy the Best of the Jam or one of those Jam singles collections and feel the power
of their skritchy Rickenbacker Guitar, It's damn good and better than any of their albums. I don't like All Mod Cons that much except for the last two tracks. Down in the
Tube and A Bomb are two of my fav songs ever but the rest is just middling power pop.
For the average
British music critic (and I consider myself to be a very different music
critic in that I don't listen to shit music) All mod cons would be their
finest hour. For the first time they have a sound of their own rather than a
mix of derivativeness - (despite the fact that I still rate the first two
albums highly) but its full of winners- Down At the tube station at midnight
is one of the Finest songs ever- It encapsulates the bleak feeling of late
70's London in a tube station like no song has ever done, before or after.
English Rose is a slow burning ballad which is one of those songs which
sticks out in the mind upon first time of listening. You may need to listen
to this album several times to appreciate it fully, but you might also need
to be British as well....
"All Mod Cons", huh? I don't know about this record. One thing I have to
say is that the production sounds a bit dated, more so than perhaps any
other Jam record, even "The Gift". Just the guitars get so whiny now and
then. It's weird.
I don't love this album. Even though I do see why people consider this as the definitive jam album, I personally don't. Even though it is more diverse and interesting than "This is the Modern World," I don't really find it to be a better album song wise. A couple of songs are pretty lame, like "Billy Hunt," "Mr. Clean" and the over sappy "English Rose." But then again, there are some terrific songs like "In the Crowd," "The Place I Love," "It's Too Bad" and "Fly." The rest of the songs are pretty good too, and while it is a pretty good album, it's definitely not the Jams finest moment.
Hello,
"A" Bomb on Warbout Street is superb, and their cover of "David Watts" is sprited. "In the Crowd" has a nice psychedelic jam at the conclusion. Oasis was influenced by this underrated group.
After reading this, and all the other, reviews of The Jam's releases, I'm grateful I actually have all the album's prior to this and don't have to rely on reading the above gibberish
as any sort of intelligent commentary.
"Private Hell" is the best Judas Priest song ever recorded.
Sharp of you, Prindle, to point this out as one of the first post-punk
records, along with the likes of "London Calling". And while not as
ambitious and certainly not as recognized, at least here in the States, as
"London Calling", this too is an all-time classic, unquestionably The Jam's
finest hour.
What's up with that first reader comment? What the hell is this guy
talking about? Ok, first of all, the Brits did not invent punk. They
certainly had a part in it, but they didn't solely invent it. In fact,
I'm pretty sure most people would argue that the Americans did. What
happened to The Stooges, Television, and The New York Dolls on your
list?
Again, another great Art Rock album, 4 whatever that's worth 2 U. "Private Hell," "Thick as Thieves," "Strange Town," "Little Boy Soldiers," "Wasteland," "Smithers-Jones" (w/ big orchestra, like the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" & w/ the same ironic impact), "Burning Sky," they're all great. Paul Weller shoulda finished his plan 2 make a science-fiction concept album about 1979 Britain.
No mention of 'thats entertainment'? One of the best
songs ever written? No? I guess i like this album a
whole lot more than you do. This is my favourite Jam
album, no contest. Well, All Mod Cons is ok too, you
know? But, this is irresistable, yet you resist?
Arrrghhhh!
You must have been going thru some really shitty girlfriend problems at
the time you listened to this album, that girl fucked up your senses. I
bet you didn`t even like pizza or bugs bunny. Must have been one hell of
a woman, how else to explain you so casually dissing one of the greatest
albums ever???? The Jams one masterpiece is on par with anything in the
decade. " Thats Entertainment" is a song that once heard will never ever
be forgotten by anybody in his/her proper frame of mind. "Boy about town"
"Monday" "Pretty Green" , All of them present a band stretching it`s
horizons, and successfully matching it`s ambition. That Bitch did you
wrong.
I'm inclined to agree with the above Michael...what were you going through when you wrote this? I wouldn't call Sound Affects one of the best albums of all-time, but it's the
Jam's best album. Lyrically and musically, it's diverse and exciting, and all of it holds my interest, whereas most of the Jam's other albums tend to meander once you move past
the five best tracks or so. At least you noted how great "Scrape Away" is...and I don't like "Start!" much either. But how could you not mention the brilliantly paranoid and
harsh "Set the House Ablaze"? Or "That's Entertainment"? The ethereal "Monday"? And what about the incredibly catchy raving "But I'm Different Now"? Really, Prindle.
Good record, this. Got some problems, though. Most records do, really.
I'm not a big fan of psychedelia altogether, and I'm not sure how well it
becomes The Jam. 'Cause there's a hell of a lot of it on this record. Not,
like, TOO much, but enough to make the songs drag a little longer than they
should, enough to bury the vocals at the bottom of the production. All too
often you can't even make out the words, save on the choruses.
OK, everyone seems to think this is proto-Style Council dreck and should be
carried upstreet downstreet upstreet downstreet 'til someone picks it up and
puts it in the bin.
I must say that although we seem to agree a lot in terms of musical taste, I just can't see eye to eye with you when it comes to the Jam. I've loved this band since my early teens (and I'm not even British), and with a couple of exceptions, I really like everything they've put out. I'm glad you can at least accept that some people feel this way, and I'll try to explain my point of view.
Dear Mr. Prindle,
To put my comments in context, let me start by noting that I am in full agreement with your opinion of da Jam. If anything, I think you were overly generous in your assessment -- left to my own devices, I would knock a few red dots off each and every one of the albums tailor-made for angry, drunken undergraduates by a self-professed 'working class hero' who didn't work....and didn't have any class for that matter.
A Guy Who Wants to Have Sex with Santa Claus
This is the single snottiest review you hath ever penned.
Thanks for mentioning The Tom Robinson Band on your site! I thought I was
the only one who was into them!
I see you mentioned the Super Furry Animals. You really should get around to reviewing THAT band, oh man... talk about the 21st Century Beatles... not doing what the Beatles done but creating music like the Beatles did in their later period, naturally melding together disparate genres by wholly doing what suits the songs, with loads of electronica and Beach Boys harmonies thrown in. I reckon you'd love 'em.
OK, this review is fucking hilarious. But hilariously heartbreaking, dammit
Prindle. By the way in your cut-and-paste haste I think you messed up
around "Wire (US) (Australia)". Clearly that should read "Wire X (US) X
(Australia)", right? And "SAMDAVE" should probably read "Sam & Dave",
unless they're that hip new robot group I've been hearing about. And
Vicious White Kids (Sid Vicious and some other guys) had I think one song,
"Belsen Was a Gas", and it's pretty much of the quality you'd expect from a
guy who couldn't sing, play, write, or live past age 21. Sure The Jam
ripped off The Beatles, The Who, and many others, but how many artists did
those guys rip off, and how many bands on your list ripped off The Jam? The
Sex Pistols, who ripped off the bassline of "In the City" for "Holidays in
the Sun". And...OK, I can't find Green Day in your list, but still my point
remains. Some critics play the "unoriginality" card as cop-out
rationalization for not liking a band, but it's just an excuse contrived
after the fact. Bottom line, you either like a band or you don't. I like
(love) The Jam, you clearly don't. Should this ever come to battle, England
and I will kick your Yank arse. (Ha ha! It's funny, 'cause in England,
they don't say "ass", they say "arse", and "Yank" isn't something you do
behind locked doors at age 13, it's what they call Americans!)
I think Quiet Riot is taking things a little too far.
Who are "The" Black Sabbath? Are you referring to the band who used to
be fronted by "The" Ozzy Osbourne?
Don't get stuck in a JAM! Click here to buy CDs by The JAM and get yourself out of a JAM! To really JAM, click on the CD covers to access JAMMIN'LY low used cd prices!