The Jam
Encyclopedia
The Jam were an English punk rock
/New Wave
/mod revival
band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking
, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes, and they incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock influences rather than rejecting them, placing The Jam at the forefront of the mod revival movement.
They had 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remained the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift
, hit number one on the UK album charts. When the group split up, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100.
The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music
, soul
, rhythm and blues
and psychedelic rock
, as well as 1970s punk and new wave
. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council
and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker
. Bruce Foxton
provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
", "The Eton Rifles
", "Going Underground
" and "Town Called Malice
".
, Surrey, England, in 1972. The line-up was fluid at this stage, consisting of Weller on guitar and lead vocals together with various friends at Sheerwater Secondary School. They played their first gigs at Michael's, a local club. The line-up began to solidify in the mid 1970s with Weller, Foxton, guitarist Steve Brookes and drummer Rick Buckler
. In their early years, their sets consisted of covers of early American rock and roll
songs by the likes of Chuck Berry
and Little Richard
. They continued in this vein until Weller discovered The Who
’s "My Generation
" and became fascinated with Mod music and lifestyle. As he said later, "I saw that through becoming a Mod it would give me a base and an angle to write from, and this we eventually did. We went out and bought suits and started playing Motown, Stax
and Atlantic
covers. I bought a Rickenbacker
guitar, a Lambretta GP 150 and tried to style my hair like Steve Marriott
’s circa ’66." Eventually Brookes left the band, and was not replaced. Up to this point Weller had been playing bass and Foxton had been the band's second guitar player; he persuaded Foxton to take over bass duties and developed a combined lead/rhythm guitar style influenced by The Who’s Pete Townshend
as well as Dr. Feelgood
guitarist Wilko Johnson
. The line-up of Weller, Foxton, and Buckler would persist until the end of The Jam’s career.
Throughout, the band were managed by Weller’s father, John Weller, who then managed Paul’s career until he died in 2009.
In the following two years, The Jam gained a small following around London from playing minor gigs, becoming one of the new lights on the nascent punk scene. In many ways, however, they stood out from their punk peers. Though they shared an "angry young men" outlook, short hair, crushing volume and lightning-fast tempos, The Jam wore neatly tailored suits where others wore ripped clothes, played professionally where others were defiantly amateurish, and displayed clear 1960s rock influences where others were disdainful (at least ostensibly) of such music (which had been a major influence on the "stadium rock" and "prog rock" of the 1970s). Indeed, the band were tagged by some journalists as "revivalists". They were signed to Polydor Records
by Chris Parry in early 1977.
and the Sex Pistols
, featured fast, loud and pointed songs. What set it apart from the records of those two bands was its more prevalent 1960s rock influences. The Jam covered Larry Williams
's "Slow Down" (also covered by The Beatles
) and the theme song
of the 1960s TV series Batman
, which was somewhat of a standard for 1960s rock bands. Their originals revealed the influence of Motown Records
, The Beatles
and The Who
.
The Jam had political lyrics, condemning police brutality ("In the City") and expansionist development ("Bricks And Mortar"). However, one of their most openly political songs, "Time For Truth", bemoaned the decline of the British Empire
and expressed disparaging sentiments about "Uncle Jimmy" (the Prime Minister, James Callaghan
) in no uncertain terms ("Whatever happened to the great Empire?" / "I think it's time for truth, and the truth is you lost, Uncle Jimmy"). These pro-Empire sentiments and ostentatious displays of the Union Flag
began to earn the group the tag of "Conservative
". Weller's announcement that The Jam intended to vote for the Conservative Party
in the 1979 general election
served to confirm this association. It later caused them embarrassment, and dogged them throughout their career. Weller claims that The Jam's public relations
representative had told them to become Conservatives to contrast politically with other punk bands. Misunderstandings in the music press about The Jam's political or social stance are usually attributed to Weller's lyrical perspective. Even as he pointed out what he saw as wrong and demanded change, Weller's lyrics reflected a deep affection for an idealised vision of England, much in the style of The Kinks
' Ray Davies
. This contrasted with the Sex Pistols
' calls for destruction, or The Clash
's calls for revolutionary change.
After the non-LP single "All Around the World
" nearly reached the UK Top 10, The Jam, having achieved a notable following in such a short time, were pressed to produce more material quickly. Their second album, This Is the Modern World
, was released later in 1977. Bruce Foxton, generally considered a lesser songwriter than Weller, contributed two songs to the LP ("Don't tell them you're sane" and "London traffic"), both of which attracted negative criticism. His composing output gradually decreased, leaving Weller firmly established as the band's chief songwriter. Despite displaying more stylistic variety than before, including some ventures into introspective pop, This Is The Modern World was not widely praised. However, when John Peel
first heard the album, he played it in its entirety on one show, one song after the other.
".
Returning to his hometown of Woking, Weller spent much of his time listening to albums by The Kinks
and coming up with new songs. The Jam released their next single, the double A-side "David Watts"/"'A' Bomb in Wardour Street". "David Watts" was a cover of the bouncy Kinks classic; Weller and Foxton traded lead vocals throughout the song. "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street" was a Weller original. One of their hardest and most intense songs, Weller cursed the violent thugs that plagued the punk rock scene over a taut two-chord figure. It became their most successful 7" since "All Around the World
".
It wasn't until their next single, "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
", that The Jam really regained their former critical acclaim. The song was a dramatic account of being mugged by thugs who "smelled of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs
and too many right-wing meetings." Around this time, The Jam slimmed their team of two producers to one, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven
, who helped develop the group's sound with harmonised guitars and acoustic textures. In 1978, the Jam released their third LP, All Mod Cons
, which included three previously released tracks among the 12 in total: "David Watts", "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street", and "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight". (It also contained two songs Polydor had previously rejected for single release, the manic "Billy Hunt" and the acoustic ballad "English Rose".)
" and "When You're Young
", the band released "The Eton Rifles
" in advance of their new album. It became their first top 10, rising to #3 on the UK charts. November 1979 saw the release of the Setting Sons
album, another massive UK hit, and their first chart entry in the US, albeit at 137 on the Billboard 200
. The album began life as a concept album
about three childhood friends, though in the end many of the songs did not relate to this theme. Many of the songs had political overtones; "The Eton Rifles" was inspired by skirmishes between demonstrators on a Right to Work March – a campaign initiated by the left wing Socialist Workers Party
– and pupils from Eton College
; "Little Boy Soldiers" was an anti-war multi-movement piece in the vein of Ray Davies
. Another notable song from the album was Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones", originally a b-side to "When You're Young
". The song is almost unanimously considered to be his greatest contribution to The Jam; the song was given a complete makeover, including a strings arrangement, for the album release.
The band's first single of 1980 was intended to be "Dreams of Children
", which combined bleak lyrics lamenting the loss of childhood optimism with hard-edged, psychedelic instrumental backing and production. Due to a labelling error, however, the a- and b-sides of the single were reversed, resulting in the more conventional "Going Underground
", the single's planned flipside, getting much more airplay and attention than "Dreams of Children". As a result, only "Going Underground" was initially listed on the charts, although the single was eventually officially recognised (and listed) as a double A-side by the time the release reached #1 in the UK. When promoting the album in the United States, the group appeared on American Bandstand, performing "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave
", a cover of the hit song by the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas
. They also appeared on the short-lived American sketch comedy series Fridays, playing the song "Private Hell".
Sound Affects
was released in 1980. It was influenced by current post-punk bands such as Joy Division
and Wire
. Paul Weller said that he was influenced by The Beatles
' Revolver
and Michael Jackson
's Off the Wall also. Indeed, several of the songs recall Revolver-era swirling psychedelia, such as "Monday", "Man in the Corner Shop", and the acoustic "That's Entertainment". Weller allegedly wrote "That's Entertainment", a bitter slice-of-life commentary on the drudgery of modern working-class life, in around 15 minutes upon returning (under the influence) from the pub. Despite being only available as an import single, it peaked at #21 on the UK charts, an unprecedented feat. It is now arguably The Jam's most celebrated song. Despite the group's lack of commercial success in America, it even made American magazine Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
"Start!
", released before the album, became another #1 single. It had a very similar bass line, rhythm and guitar solo to The Beatles' Revolver cut "Taxman
", but arranged as an otherwise completely different song. Some contemporary American R&B influence, including Michael Jackson, show up in Buckler's driving beats that power the album (such as on "But I'm Different Now"), and most obviously in Foxton's funk-influenced bassline in "Pretty Green". The album also reveals influences of post-punk groups such as Wire
, XTC
, Joy Division
, and Gang of Four
. The album was a #2 hit in the UK and peaked at #72 on the US Billboard charts, their most successful American album.
" and "Absolute Beginners", abandoned the psychedelic pop of Sound Affects; "Absolute Beginners" (named after a cult novel of the same title
) had a more R&B-flavoured sound, and "Funeral Pyre
" was influenced by New Wave music
. "Funeral Pyre" is built around Buckler's drumming, and is the only song in the group's catalogue that carries a joint Buckler/Foxton/Weller writing credit, aside from the Sound Affects track "Music for the Last Couple". ("Funeral Pyre" and "Music for the Last Couple" are the only songs for which Buckler receives any writing credit).
The 1982 release The Gift
– the band's final LP – was a massive commercial success, peaking at #1 on the UK charts. It featured several soul, funk, and R&B-stylised songs; most notably the #1 hit "Town Called Malice
", which boasts a Motown-style bassline somewhat reminiscent of The Supremes
' "You Can't Hurry Love". The song included work by Keith Thomas
and Steve Nichol, who later became well known as members of the R&B groups Legacy and Loose Ends
respectively. "Town Called Malice", another reality-based tale of dealing with the hardships of life in a small, downtrodden English town, is one of the few Jam songs Weller still performs at concerts (along with "That's Entertainment
", "Man in the Corner Shop", "Strange Town", "Art School", "Start!" and "In the Crowd"). When "Town Called Malice" reached number one the group had the honour of performing both it and its double A-side, "Precious" on TOTP – the only other band to be accorded this honour being the Beatles. After the string-laden soul ballad "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)
" peaked at #2, the band followed with their finale and another #1, "Beat Surrender
". The Beat Surrender EP had success in the British charts, and both its graphic design and music resembles early Style Council
releases. After a farewell tour of the UK and appearances on Top of the Pops
and The Tube
to promote Beat Surrender, Weller disbanded the group in December 1982.
with Mick Talbot
of The Merton Parkas
. After they split up in 1989, Weller went on to pursue a solo career.
Following a short stint in a band with Jake Burns
and Dolphin Taylor
, Bruce Foxton
released a solo album, Touch Sensitive, for Arista Records
in 1984. Foxton replaced Ali McMordie
in Stiff Little Fingers
in 1990, remaining with the band until January 2006, when he quit to pursue other projects.
After the Jam split, Rick Buckler formed Time UK
with Tom Robinson Band
guitarist Danny Kustow. They released three singles. In 1986, Buckler and Foxton released a single under the name Sharp
.
Six different greatest hits albums by The Jam have also been released.
A five-CD box set Direction Reaction Creation
, featuring all of The Jam's studio material (plus a disc of rarities) peaked at #8 on the UK album charts upon its release in 1997; an unprecedented achievement for a box set. In 2002, Virgin Radio
counted down the top 100 British music artists of all-time as polled by listeners and The Jam were #5 on the list. Weller made two other appearances in the poll; as part of The Style Council at #93 and as a solo artist at #21.
In 2006, Rick Buckler, who had not been playing for several years after Sharp quit, formed a band named The Gift playing all Jam material with musicians Russell Hastings and David Moore. Russell Hastings, who spent many years as a local musician including a couple of years in a Jam tribute band, took on guitar and lead vocal duties. In 2006, Foxton performed on stage with Buckler at The Gift concerts in Chichester, Brighton and Birmingham, which rekindled rumours of a full or partial reunion of The Jam in 2007, for the 30th anniversary of the band’s signing.
After the group split, Weller and Foxton reportedly went 20 years without speaking.
However in June 2006, it was reported that Weller and Foxton met backstage at The Who's Hyde Park concert, and a ten-minute conversation ended with an embrace. Foxton claimed that the two became friends again in 2009 and this led to them collaborating for two tracks on Weller's solo album Wake Up the Nation
in early 2010. In May 2010, Weller and Foxton appeared together on stage for the first time in 28 years. However Foxton ruled out a Jam reunion and as of 2010, Weller and Buckler are said not to be on speaking terms.
From The Jam toured the UK in late 2007, finishing with a concert at Brighton Centre on 21 December 2007 to mark the 25th anniversary of The Jam's final show. In February 2008, they toured the United States and Canada, selling out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago and New York. In March 2008, they toured Australia and New Zealand – a first for Foxton and Buckler. A complete concert (recorded in London, December 2007) is planned for release on DVD in 2008 through London-based indie label Invisible Hands Music
. David Moore left the band in early 2009 releasing an album The Squire Circle with Invisible Hands Music
in April 2010.
Buckler announced his departure from the band in late 2009.
In 2012 an album is planned featuring Bruce Foxton, Russell Hastings and Mark Brzezicki (of Big Country) under the name "Foxton". Buckler is yet to appear on the album. It has been recorded at Paul Weller's studios. Weller himself features on many of the tracks. Special guests on the album include Steve Cropper of Booker T and the Mg's and Ray Davies of the Kinks.
Also:
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/mod revival
Mod Revival
The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades...
band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes, and they incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock influences rather than rejecting them, placing The Jam at the forefront of the mod revival movement.
They had 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remained the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift
The Gift (The Jam album)
The Gift is the sixth and final studio album by British band The Jam. Released on 12 March 1982, it reached #1 on the British charts. Clocking in at 32:17 minutes, the album received a mixed reception from critics and fans....
, hit number one on the UK album charts. When the group split up, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100.
The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, as well as 1970s punk and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form 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 later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
. Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton is an English rock and roll musician who is best known as the bass player in punk rock bands The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers.-Biography:...
provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" was the second single taken from the album All Mod Cons by The Jam. Released on 21 October 1978, it charted at number 15 and was backed by a cover of the Who song "So Sad About Us", and "The Night", written by Bruce Foxton...
", "The Eton Rifles
The Eton Rifles
"The Eton Rifles" was the only single to be released from the album Setting Sons by The Jam. Recorded at Townhouse studios and released on 3 November 1979, it became the band's first top ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #3...
", "Going Underground
Going Underground
"Going Underground" is the first British number-one chart single by The Jam, released in March 1980. It went straight in at number one, a rare feat at the time, and spent three weeks at the top...
" and "Town Called Malice
Town Called Malice
"Town Called Malice" is a song recorded by The Jam from the album The Gift. It reached number one in the UK singles chart.-Song profile:It was a double A-side single release featuring "Precious" as the flip side...
".
Formation (1972–1976)
The Jam formed in WokingWoking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey, England, in 1972. The line-up was fluid at this stage, consisting of Weller on guitar and lead vocals together with various friends at Sheerwater Secondary School. They played their first gigs at Michael's, a local club. The line-up began to solidify in the mid 1970s with Weller, Foxton, guitarist Steve Brookes and drummer Rick Buckler
Rick Buckler
Rick Buckler , is the former drummer of The Jam, an English rock band that enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom from 1977 until disbanding in 1982...
. In their early years, their sets consisted of covers of early American rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
songs by the likes of Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
and Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
. They continued in this vein until Weller discovered The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
’s "My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
" and became fascinated with Mod music and lifestyle. As he said later, "I saw that through becoming a Mod it would give me a base and an angle to write from, and this we eventually did. We went out and bought suits and started playing Motown, Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
and Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
covers. I bought a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
guitar, a Lambretta GP 150 and tried to style my hair like Steve Marriott
Steve Marriott
Stephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...
’s circa ’66." Eventually Brookes left the band, and was not replaced. Up to this point Weller had been playing bass and Foxton had been the band's second guitar player; he persuaded Foxton to take over bass duties and developed a combined lead/rhythm guitar style influenced by The Who’s Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
as well as Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood (band)
Dr. Feelgood are a British pub rock band formed in 1971. The band's name derives from a slang term for heroin or for a doctor who is willing to overprescribe drugs. It is also a reference to a 1962 record by the American blues pianist and singer Willie Perryman called "Dr Feel-Good", which...
guitarist Wilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson
Wilko Johnson is an English guitarist and songwriter, particularly associated with the UK rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.-Career:...
. The line-up of Weller, Foxton, and Buckler would persist until the end of The Jam’s career.
Throughout, the band were managed by Weller’s father, John Weller, who then managed Paul’s career until he died in 2009.
In the following two years, The Jam gained a small following around London from playing minor gigs, becoming one of the new lights on the nascent punk scene. In many ways, however, they stood out from their punk peers. Though they shared an "angry young men" outlook, short hair, crushing volume and lightning-fast tempos, The Jam wore neatly tailored suits where others wore ripped clothes, played professionally where others were defiantly amateurish, and displayed clear 1960s rock influences where others were disdainful (at least ostensibly) of such music (which had been a major influence on the "stadium rock" and "prog rock" of the 1970s). Indeed, the band were tagged by some journalists as "revivalists". They were signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
by Chris Parry in early 1977.
Early recordings (1977)
On 29 April 1977, Polydor released The Jam's debut single,"In the City", which charted in the Top 40 in England. In early May, the band released their debut album of the same name. The album, like those of The ClashThe Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, featured fast, loud and pointed songs. What set it apart from the records of those two bands was its more prevalent 1960s rock influences. The Jam covered Larry Williams
Larry Williams
Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...
's "Slow Down" (also covered by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
) and the theme song
Batman Theme
"Batman Theme", the title song of the 1966 Batman TV series, was composed by Neal Hefti. The song is built around a guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music. It has a twelve bar blues progression, using only three chords until the coda...
of the 1960s TV series Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, which was somewhat of a standard for 1960s rock bands. Their originals revealed the influence of Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
.
The Jam had political lyrics, condemning police brutality ("In the City") and expansionist development ("Bricks And Mortar"). However, one of their most openly political songs, "Time For Truth", bemoaned the decline of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and expressed disparaging sentiments about "Uncle Jimmy" (the Prime Minister, James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
) in no uncertain terms ("Whatever happened to the great Empire?" / "I think it's time for truth, and the truth is you lost, Uncle Jimmy"). These pro-Empire sentiments and ostentatious displays of the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
began to earn the group the tag of "Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
". Weller's announcement that The Jam intended to vote for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
served to confirm this association. It later caused them embarrassment, and dogged them throughout their career. Weller claims that The Jam's public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
representative had told them to become Conservatives to contrast politically with other punk bands. Misunderstandings in the music press about The Jam's political or social stance are usually attributed to Weller's lyrical perspective. Even as he pointed out what he saw as wrong and demanded change, Weller's lyrics reflected a deep affection for an idealised vision of England, much in the style of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
. This contrasted with the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
' calls for destruction, or The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's calls for revolutionary change.
After the non-LP single "All Around the World
All Around the World (The Jam song)
"All Around the World" was a single released by The Jam on 23 July 1977 and reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart.The single was backed by the B-side, "Carnaby Street," and was released between the debut album, In the City, and the band's second album, This Is the Modern World.The song can be heard...
" nearly reached the UK Top 10, The Jam, having achieved a notable following in such a short time, were pressed to produce more material quickly. Their second album, This Is the Modern World
This Is The Modern World
This Is the Modern World is the second studio album by British band The Jam, released in November 1977, less than seven months after their debut....
, was released later in 1977. Bruce Foxton, generally considered a lesser songwriter than Weller, contributed two songs to the LP ("Don't tell them you're sane" and "London traffic"), both of which attracted negative criticism. His composing output gradually decreased, leaving Weller firmly established as the band's chief songwriter. Despite displaying more stylistic variety than before, including some ventures into introspective pop, This Is The Modern World was not widely praised. However, when John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
first heard the album, he played it in its entirety on one show, one song after the other.
All Mod Cons (1978)
In March 1978, the Jam released "News of the World", a non-album single that was both written and sung by Foxton. It charted at #27 in the UK, and was the band's second biggest hit to date. This was the only Foxton solo composition to be released as a Jam A-side. When the band went back into the studio to record a third album of primarily Foxton contributions, their songs were dismissed by producers as poor, and they held off recording an album in hopes that Weller would once again find inspiration. "News of the World" is now used in the opening theme of the BBC television show "Mock the WeekMock the Week
Mock the Week is a British topical celebrity panel game hosted by Dara Ó Briain that launched in 2005. The game is influenced by improvised topical stand-up comedy, with several rounds requiring players to deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.It is made by independent...
".
Returning to his hometown of Woking, Weller spent much of his time listening to albums by The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
and coming up with new songs. The Jam released their next single, the double A-side "David Watts"/"'A' Bomb in Wardour Street". "David Watts" was a cover of the bouncy Kinks classic; Weller and Foxton traded lead vocals throughout the song. "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street" was a Weller original. One of their hardest and most intense songs, Weller cursed the violent thugs that plagued the punk rock scene over a taut two-chord figure. It became their most successful 7" since "All Around the World
All Around the World (The Jam song)
"All Around the World" was a single released by The Jam on 23 July 1977 and reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart.The single was backed by the B-side, "Carnaby Street," and was released between the debut album, In the City, and the band's second album, This Is the Modern World.The song can be heard...
".
It wasn't until their next single, "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" was the second single taken from the album All Mod Cons by The Jam. Released on 21 October 1978, it charted at number 15 and was backed by a cover of the Who song "So Sad About Us", and "The Night", written by Bruce Foxton...
", that The Jam really regained their former critical acclaim. The song was a dramatic account of being mugged by thugs who "smelled of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
and too many right-wing meetings." Around this time, The Jam slimmed their team of two producers to one, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven
Vic Coppersmith-Heaven
Vic Coppersmith-Heaven is an English sound engineer and record producer, best known for his production work with The Jam.-Career:...
, who helped develop the group's sound with harmonised guitars and acoustic textures. In 1978, the Jam released their third LP, All Mod Cons
All Mod Cons
All Mod Cons is a 1978 album by the British band The Jam, their third full-length LP. The title, a British idiom one might find in housing advertisements, is short for "all modern conveniences" and is a pun on the band's association with the mod revival.The album was more commercially successful...
, which included three previously released tracks among the 12 in total: "David Watts", "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street", and "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight". (It also contained two songs Polydor had previously rejected for single release, the manic "Billy Hunt" and the acoustic ballad "English Rose".)
Going Underground (1979–1981)
Following two successful and critically acclaimed non-LP singles, "Strange TownStrange Town
The song "Strange Town" was released on 17 March 1979 by The Jam and reached #15 in the UK singles chart.Backed by the Paul Weller-penned "The Butterfly Collector", the single was one of many The Jam singles that did not appear on any of the band's studio albums. "Strange Town" appears on the...
" and "When You're Young
When You're Young
"When You're Young" was released as a one-off single by The Jam. Released on 25 August 1979, it charted at number 17 in the UK Singles Chart. The B-side, "Smithers-Jones", is widely considered to be Jam bassist Bruce Foxton's finest song-writing moment and also appears - with an orchestral...
", the band released "The Eton Rifles
The Eton Rifles
"The Eton Rifles" was the only single to be released from the album Setting Sons by The Jam. Recorded at Townhouse studios and released on 3 November 1979, it became the band's first top ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #3...
" in advance of their new album. It became their first top 10, rising to #3 on the UK charts. November 1979 saw the release of the Setting Sons
Setting Sons
Setting Sons is the fourth studio album by British band The Jam. The group's critical and commercial favour, begun with their third album, All Mod Cons, continued through this album...
album, another massive UK hit, and their first chart entry in the US, albeit at 137 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album began life as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about three childhood friends, though in the end many of the songs did not relate to this theme. Many of the songs had political overtones; "The Eton Rifles" was inspired by skirmishes between demonstrators on a Right to Work March – a campaign initiated by the left wing Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Britain)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far left party in Britain founded by Tony Cliff. The SWP's student section has groups at a number of universities...
– and pupils from Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
; "Little Boy Soldiers" was an anti-war multi-movement piece in the vein of Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
. Another notable song from the album was Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones", originally a b-side to "When You're Young
When You're Young
"When You're Young" was released as a one-off single by The Jam. Released on 25 August 1979, it charted at number 17 in the UK Singles Chart. The B-side, "Smithers-Jones", is widely considered to be Jam bassist Bruce Foxton's finest song-writing moment and also appears - with an orchestral...
". The song is almost unanimously considered to be his greatest contribution to The Jam; the song was given a complete makeover, including a strings arrangement, for the album release.
The band's first single of 1980 was intended to be "Dreams of Children
Dreams of Children
Dreams Of Children is a song which is the second part of The Jam's Double A-side single Going Underground, which successfully went to #1 in 1980...
", which combined bleak lyrics lamenting the loss of childhood optimism with hard-edged, psychedelic instrumental backing and production. Due to a labelling error, however, the a- and b-sides of the single were reversed, resulting in the more conventional "Going Underground
Going Underground
"Going Underground" is the first British number-one chart single by The Jam, released in March 1980. It went straight in at number one, a rare feat at the time, and spent three weeks at the top...
", the single's planned flipside, getting much more airplay and attention than "Dreams of Children". As a result, only "Going Underground" was initially listed on the charts, although the single was eventually officially recognised (and listed) as a double A-side by the time the release reached #1 in the UK. When promoting the album in the United States, the group appeared on American Bandstand, performing "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave
(Love is Like a) Heat Wave
" Heat Wave" is a 1963 hit single penned by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team and made popular by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. It was originally released in July 1963, on the Motown subsidiary label Gordy, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Hot...
", a cover of the hit song by the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
. They also appeared on the short-lived American sketch comedy series Fridays, playing the song "Private Hell".
Sound Affects
Sound Affects
Sound Affects is the fifth studio album by British rock band The Jam. The cover art is a pastiche of the artwork used on various Sound Effects records produced by the BBC during the 1970s.-Influences:...
was released in 1980. It was influenced by current post-punk bands such as Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
. Paul Weller said that he was influenced by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Revolver
Revolver (album)
Revolver is the seventh studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released on 5 August 1966 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin. Many of the tracks on Revolver are marked by an electric guitar-rock sound, in contrast with their previous LP, the folk rock inspired Rubber...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Off the Wall also. Indeed, several of the songs recall Revolver-era swirling psychedelia, such as "Monday", "Man in the Corner Shop", and the acoustic "That's Entertainment". Weller allegedly wrote "That's Entertainment", a bitter slice-of-life commentary on the drudgery of modern working-class life, in around 15 minutes upon returning (under the influence) from the pub. Despite being only available as an import single, it peaked at #21 on the UK charts, an unprecedented feat. It is now arguably The Jam's most celebrated song. Despite the group's lack of commercial success in America, it even made American magazine Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
"Start!
Start!
"Start!" is the eleventh UK single release by punk rock band, The Jam and their second number-one, following "Going Underground"/"Dreams of Children". Upon its release on 15 August 1980, it debuted at number three, and two weeks later reached number one for one week...
", released before the album, became another #1 single. It had a very similar bass line, rhythm and guitar solo to The Beatles' Revolver cut "Taxman
Taxman
"Taxman" is a song written by George Harrison released as the opening track on The Beatles' 1966 album Revolver. Its lyrics attack the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson.-Composition:...
", but arranged as an otherwise completely different song. Some contemporary American R&B influence, including Michael Jackson, show up in Buckler's driving beats that power the album (such as on "But I'm Different Now"), and most obviously in Foxton's funk-influenced bassline in "Pretty Green". The album also reveals influences of post-punk groups such as Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
, XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
, Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, and Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
. The album was a #2 hit in the UK and peaked at #72 on the US Billboard charts, their most successful American album.
The Gift and dissolution (1981–1982)
Two non-LP singles, "Funeral PyreFuneral Pyre
"Funeral Pyre" is The Jam's thirteenth single released on 6 June 1981. Backed by the B-side "Disguises", a cover of a Who track, it reached #4 in the UK Singles chart....
" and "Absolute Beginners", abandoned the psychedelic pop of Sound Affects; "Absolute Beginners" (named after a cult novel of the same title
Absolute Beginners
Absolute Beginners is a novel by Colin MacInnes, written and set in 1958 London, England. It was published in 1959. The novel is the second of MacInnes' London Trilogy, coming after City Of Spades and before Mr. Love and Justice...
) had a more R&B-flavoured sound, and "Funeral Pyre
Funeral Pyre
"Funeral Pyre" is The Jam's thirteenth single released on 6 June 1981. Backed by the B-side "Disguises", a cover of a Who track, it reached #4 in the UK Singles chart....
" was influenced by New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
. "Funeral Pyre" is built around Buckler's drumming, and is the only song in the group's catalogue that carries a joint Buckler/Foxton/Weller writing credit, aside from the Sound Affects track "Music for the Last Couple". ("Funeral Pyre" and "Music for the Last Couple" are the only songs for which Buckler receives any writing credit).
The 1982 release The Gift
The Gift (The Jam album)
The Gift is the sixth and final studio album by British band The Jam. Released on 12 March 1982, it reached #1 on the British charts. Clocking in at 32:17 minutes, the album received a mixed reception from critics and fans....
– the band's final LP – was a massive commercial success, peaking at #1 on the UK charts. It featured several soul, funk, and R&B-stylised songs; most notably the #1 hit "Town Called Malice
Town Called Malice
"Town Called Malice" is a song recorded by The Jam from the album The Gift. It reached number one in the UK singles chart.-Song profile:It was a double A-side single release featuring "Precious" as the flip side...
", which boasts a Motown-style bassline somewhat reminiscent of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
' "You Can't Hurry Love". The song included work by Keith Thomas
Keith Thomas (saxophonist)
-Career:Keith Thomas started playing saxophone with a South London based Funk Band called the 'Brothers of Funk' who resided and played in and around London's 'Old Kent Road'...
and Steve Nichol, who later became well known as members of the R&B groups Legacy and Loose Ends
Loose Ends (band)
Loose Ends was a successful British R&B band that had several urban contemporary hits. The trio was formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol...
respectively. "Town Called Malice", another reality-based tale of dealing with the hardships of life in a small, downtrodden English town, is one of the few Jam songs Weller still performs at concerts (along with "That's Entertainment
That's Entertainment (song)
"That's Entertainment" is a 1980 song by British punk/Mod Revivalist group The Jam off their fifth album, Sound Affects.-Song profile:...
", "Man in the Corner Shop", "Strange Town", "Art School", "Start!" and "In the Crowd"). When "Town Called Malice" reached number one the group had the honour of performing both it and its double A-side, "Precious" on TOTP – the only other band to be accorded this honour being the Beatles. After the string-laden soul ballad "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)
The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)
"The Bitterest Pill " was a single released by The Jam after the success of the album The Gift. Although it did not appear on any of the band's studio albums it charted at #2 in the UK Singles chart following its release on 10 September 1982.The B-side to the single was a medley of the Paul...
" peaked at #2, the band followed with their finale and another #1, "Beat Surrender
Beat Surrender
"Beat Surrender" was The Jam's final single released on 26 November 1982.It became the band's fourth #1 UK single for two weeks in December 1982. The 7" was backed by the B-side "Shopping"...
". The Beat Surrender EP had success in the British charts, and both its graphic design and music resembles early 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...
releases. After a farewell tour of the UK and appearances on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
and The Tube
The Tube (TV series)
The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...
to promote Beat Surrender, Weller disbanded the group in December 1982.
After The Jam
Weller formed The Style CouncilThe 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...
with 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....
of The Merton Parkas
The Merton Parkas
The Merton Parkas were a mod revival band, formed in the Merton area of South London in the mid 1970s, by Danny Talbot , his brother, Mick Talbot , Neil Hurrell and Simon Smith ....
. After they split up in 1989, Weller went on to pursue a solo career.
Following a short stint in a band with Jake Burns
Jake Burns
Jake Burns is a singer and guitarist, and is best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers.-Career:...
and Dolphin Taylor
Dolphin Taylor
Brian "Dolphin" Taylor is a British drummer.-Tom Robinson Band:His career started when he gave a friend a lift to an audition as bass guitarist for the Tom Robinson Band in 1976. As the band had no drummer at that point, Dolphin filled in...
, Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton is an English rock and roll musician who is best known as the bass player in punk rock bands The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers.-Biography:...
released a solo album, Touch Sensitive, for Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in 1984. Foxton replaced Ali McMordie
Ali McMordie
Alistair Jardine "Ali" McMordie is a bass guitarist, who made his name with, and was a founding member of, Stiff Little Fingers...
in Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
in 1990, remaining with the band until January 2006, when he quit to pursue other projects.
After the Jam split, Rick Buckler formed Time UK
Time UK (band)
Time UK were a mid 1980s English rock band, featuring former Jam drummer Rick Buckler. They released three singles.-Personnel:*Rick Buckler *Jimmy Edwards *Danny Kustow *Ray Simone...
with Tom Robinson Band
Tom Robinson Band
Tom Robinson Band were a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson...
guitarist Danny Kustow. They released three singles. In 1986, Buckler and Foxton released a single under the name Sharp
Sharp (band)
Sharp were a mid 1980s English rock band, featuring former Jam members Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released one single.-Career:After The Jam split, Foxton pursued a solo career and Buckler formed Time UK, featuring Jimmy Edwards on vocals...
.
Six different greatest hits albums by The Jam have also been released.
A five-CD box set Direction Reaction Creation
Direction Reaction Creation
Direction Reaction Creation is an anthology released by the British punk rock band, The Jam, in 1997. It includes 117 tracks over 5 discs, including all of the songs from their singles and six studio albums. Songs marked with * indicate a Paul Weller solo recording.The box set reached #8 in the UK...
, featuring all of The Jam's studio material (plus a disc of rarities) peaked at #8 on the UK album charts upon its release in 1997; an unprecedented achievement for a box set. In 2002, Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
counted down the top 100 British music artists of all-time as polled by listeners and The Jam were #5 on the list. Weller made two other appearances in the poll; as part of The Style Council at #93 and as a solo artist at #21.
In 2006, Rick Buckler, who had not been playing for several years after Sharp quit, formed a band named The Gift playing all Jam material with musicians Russell Hastings and David Moore. Russell Hastings, who spent many years as a local musician including a couple of years in a Jam tribute band, took on guitar and lead vocal duties. In 2006, Foxton performed on stage with Buckler at The Gift concerts in Chichester, Brighton and Birmingham, which rekindled rumours of a full or partial reunion of The Jam in 2007, for the 30th anniversary of the band’s signing.
After the group split, Weller and Foxton reportedly went 20 years without speaking.
However in June 2006, it was reported that Weller and Foxton met backstage at The Who's Hyde Park concert, and a ten-minute conversation ended with an embrace. Foxton claimed that the two became friends again in 2009 and this led to them collaborating for two tracks on Weller's solo album Wake Up the Nation
Wake Up the Nation
Wake Up the Nation is the tenth studio album from Paul Weller and was released April 19, 2010. It was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize....
in early 2010. In May 2010, Weller and Foxton appeared together on stage for the first time in 28 years. However Foxton ruled out a Jam reunion and as of 2010, Weller and Buckler are said not to be on speaking terms.
From The Jam
Foxton stayed on with The Gift on bass with David Moore moving to second guitar and keyboards causing a name change to From The Jam. In an official press release in 2007, Foxton and Buckler announced that they were working on a new album and UK tour, which sold out in ten days. Weller did not take part, and has publicly expressed his lack of interest in any type of reformation. In a 2006 interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Weller stated that a Jam reunion would "never, ever happen", and that reformations are "sad". He said "Me and my children would have to be destitute and starving in the gutter before I'd even consider that, and I don't think that'll happen anyway ... the Jam's music still means something to people and a lot of that's because we stopped at the right time, it didn't go on and become embarrassing."From The Jam toured the UK in late 2007, finishing with a concert at Brighton Centre on 21 December 2007 to mark the 25th anniversary of The Jam's final show. In February 2008, they toured the United States and Canada, selling out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago and New York. In March 2008, they toured Australia and New Zealand – a first for Foxton and Buckler. A complete concert (recorded in London, December 2007) is planned for release on DVD in 2008 through London-based indie label Invisible Hands Music
Invisible Hands Music
Invisible Hands Music is an independent record label based in London's Camden Town neighbourhood. The label was founded by musician Charles Kennedy. The company name first appeared on cassettes sold at gigs by Kennedy's first band Night World in 1987. The first CD release was Fretwork Southeast, a...
. David Moore left the band in early 2009 releasing an album The Squire Circle with Invisible Hands Music
Invisible Hands Music
Invisible Hands Music is an independent record label based in London's Camden Town neighbourhood. The label was founded by musician Charles Kennedy. The company name first appeared on cassettes sold at gigs by Kennedy's first band Night World in 1987. The first CD release was Fretwork Southeast, a...
in April 2010.
Buckler announced his departure from the band in late 2009.
In 2012 an album is planned featuring Bruce Foxton, Russell Hastings and Mark Brzezicki (of Big Country) under the name "Foxton". Buckler is yet to appear on the album. It has been recorded at Paul Weller's studios. Weller himself features on many of the tracks. Special guests on the album include Steve Cropper of Booker T and the Mg's and Ray Davies of the Kinks.
Personnel
- Paul WellerPaul WellerPaul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
– lead vocals, guitar - Bruce FoxtonBruce FoxtonBruce Foxton is an English rock and roll musician who is best known as the bass player in punk rock bands The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers.-Biography:...
– bass guitar, backing vocals - Rick BucklerRick BucklerRick Buckler , is the former drummer of The Jam, an English rock band that enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom from 1977 until disbanding in 1982...
– drums, percussion
Also:
- Steve Brookes – backing guitar (left group prior to their recording career)
Discography
- In the City (1977)
- This Is the Modern WorldThis Is The Modern WorldThis Is the Modern World is the second studio album by British band The Jam, released in November 1977, less than seven months after their debut....
(1977) - All Mod ConsAll Mod ConsAll Mod Cons is a 1978 album by the British band The Jam, their third full-length LP. The title, a British idiom one might find in housing advertisements, is short for "all modern conveniences" and is a pun on the band's association with the mod revival.The album was more commercially successful...
(1978) - Setting SonsSetting SonsSetting Sons is the fourth studio album by British band The Jam. The group's critical and commercial favour, begun with their third album, All Mod Cons, continued through this album...
(1979) - Sound AffectsSound AffectsSound Affects is the fifth studio album by British rock band The Jam. The cover art is a pastiche of the artwork used on various Sound Effects records produced by the BBC during the 1970s.-Influences:...
(1980) - The GiftThe Gift (The Jam album)The Gift is the sixth and final studio album by British band The Jam. Released on 12 March 1982, it reached #1 on the British charts. Clocking in at 32:17 minutes, the album received a mixed reception from critics and fans....
(1982)
External links
- The Jam official website – As run by Rick Buckler
- The Jam at the BBC
- Guardian article about The Jam
- Billboard.com article about 'From the Jam'
- Vanessa Thorpe, 25 years on, life in the Jam is revealed, Guardian/Observer, 15 July 2007
- The Jam Information Pages (thejam.org.uk). Extensive history, lyrics, album covers, info on The Jam'