Paul Weller is Paul Weller's first solo album, released in 1992.

After disbanding The Style Council

The Style Council

The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...

 and leaving label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 Polydor in 1989, Weller formed The Paul Weller Movement in 1990, releasing a single, Into Tomorrow, on his own Freedom High record label, in October 1991. Its success - reaching #36 in the UK chart - led to Weller being offered a new record deal with Go! Discs, and the resulting album was released on September 1st, 1992, reaching #8 on the UK album chart.

Before the UK-edition of the album, it had already been released in Japan on April 29th, 1992. The track listing differs from subsequent releases, and the running order is altered. The track New Thing (a different recording of Here's A New Thing from the Into Tomorrow single) was replaced by The Strange Museum on all other versions. Until 2009 New Thing was unique to this release.

In addition to Into Tomorrow, included on the album, two further singles were released from the album - Uh Huh Oh Yeh, on August 15th, 1992, reaching #18, and Above The Clouds on October 10th, 1992, reaching #47.

The album represents something of a return to Weller's 'roots', with Into Tomorrow and Uh Huh Oh Yeh in particular being heavily influenced by 60s R&B, whilst the album as a whole retained some of the funk influences displayed by The Style Council, particularly on I Didn't Mean To Hurt You and Remember How We Started. Tellingly, however, the political leanings of The Style Council are - explicitly at least - abandoned, the lyrical themes visited on the album being much more personal.

A Deluxe Edition of the album was released on October 26, 2009 and reached #88 in the UK Album Chart.

Track Listing Original Japanese Issue

All songs written by Paul Weller

1. "Uh Huh Oh Yeh" - 3:12
2. "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" - 3:28
3. "Bull-Rush" - 4:44
4. "Remember How We Started" - 3:44
5. "Above the Clouds" - 3:50
6. "Round and Round" - 4:52
7. "Clues" - 4:24
8. "Into Tomorrow" - 3:30
9. "Amongst Butterflies" - 2:34
10. "Bitterness Rising" - 4:28
11. "New Thing" - 3:31
12. "Kosmos" - 11:55

Track Listing UK issue

All songs written by Paul Weller except where noted

1. "Uh Huh Oh Yeh" – 3:13
2. "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" – 3:27
3. "Bull-Rush" – 4:43
4. "Round and Round" – 4:25
5. "Remember How We Started" – 3:44
6. "Above the Clouds" – 4:13
7. "Clues" – 4:24
8. "Into Tomorrow" – 3:07
9. "Amongst Butterflies" – 3:13
10. "The Strange Museum" – 3:17 (Weller, Mick Talbot
    Mick Talbot
    Michael 'Mick' Talbot is a British keyboardist. He played with the late 1970s mod revivalists The Merton Parkas; Dexys Midnight Runners; The Bureau, and later with Paul Weller in The Style Council....
    
    )
11. "Bitterness Rising" – 3:53
12. "Kosmos" – 11:57

Disc: 1

1. Uh Huh Oh Yeh
2. I Didn't Mean To Hurt You
3. Bull-Rush
4. Round And Round
5. Remember How We Started
6. Above The Clouds
7. Clues
8. Into Tomorrow
9. Amongst Butterflies
10. The Strange Museum
11. Bitterness Rising
12. Kosmos
13. Here's A New Thing (b-side)
14. That Spiritual Feeling (b-side)
15. Into Tomorrow (demo) (b-side)
16. Arrival Time (b-side)
17. Fly On The Wall (b-side)
18. Always There To Fool You (b-side)
19. Everything Has A Price To Pay (b-side)

Disc: 2

1. All Year Round (b-side)
2. Feelin' Alright (b-side)
3. 'Hot Rod' (demo)
4. I Didn't Mean To Hurt You (demo)
5. Bull-Rush (demo)
6. Round And Round (alternative version)
7. Remember How We Started (demo)
8. Clues (demo)
9. Into Tomorrow (acoustic version)
10. Butterflies (acoustic version)
11. Bitterness Rising (original version)
12. Kosmos (demo)
13. New Thing (alternative version)
14. Fly On The Wall (demo)
15. The Bitter Truth (demo)
16. Amongst Butterflies (demo)
17. Abraham, Martin & John (acoustic version)
18. Kosmos ('Lynch Mob beats' version)

Trivia

'Uh Huh Oh Yeh!' contains a sample from 'Hot Rod Poppa' by Marsha Hunt.

On the original Japanese edition track 6, 'Round and Round' finishes at 4:27 and is followed by a recording of a record player needle lifting from a vinyl disc, the disc being flipped over and needle put back down. On the following UK edition, as well as the 2009 deluxe edition, this has been added to 'Above the Clouds'.

On the original editions track 12, 'Kosmos' finishes at 5:48. What follows is the sound of the needle going round on the inside groove of the record until 11:21 when the needle jumps back and plays an approximate 30 seconds reprise of the track which fades out (at 8.27 a muffled Weller saying "bring back vinyl" can be heard). On the 2009 deluxe edition the track finishes at 5:48 as well, but the reprise already kicks back in at 5:57, making the track 5:22 shorter.