If you already own the long out of print Greatest Hits set, then there's no real reason to invest in Sound of the Jam, which, predictably, repeats the majority of that program. However, for latecomers this provides an excellent overview of the output of one of Britain's most distinctive and influential /p>
ew wave bands. The album's 20 tracks proceed in chronological order, documenting the Jam's progression from sharp, aggressive mod-influenced ock ("Modern World," "In the City") to explicitly Motown-influenced post-punk R&B ("Town Called Malice"), with frequent forays into surreal balladeering ("Butterfly Collector") and ambiguous love songs ("English Rose"). The band's sociopolitical stance is not always comprehensible, especially to American ears (and particularly to American ears born somewhere around the time these songs were written), but it clearly has something to do with populist politics, open-hearted romance, and some kind of gentle socialism. That such sentiments could translate into reliably tight, beautifully constructed guitar pop with a serrated edge is a testament both to frontman Paul Weller and his fellow bandmembers. Weller would later go on to make records of an increasingly unpredictable and inconsistent nature with the Style Council, but as Sound of the Jam makes clear, his first band got the best of his prodigious early talent. Highly recommended. [The British version of this album includes six additional tracks.]
the Polydor compilationTHE SOUND OF THE JAMcontains a good selectionof great songs.THE JAMoverview from trouser press:How ironic that the band from the class of '77 that seemed to stand least for the tenets of punk at the outset should wind up the one that remained truest to them over the long haul. The Jam's refusal to compromise their ideals and integrity during a six-year career tends to pol...
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It's the summer of 1976 and you're an unknown trio of Mod-loving kids living about 50 miles out of London. How do you get your first gig in London? You take your cue from the manifesto Malcolm McLaren is spinning in the weekly music papers and get your own gig. So one hot Saturday morning The Jam set up on the pavement in front of a street market, ran an extension cord from the Rock On record ...
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I know it's probably not funny anymore. But this is my space. On the third floor of my house that is.Our house is 97 years old. I know it doesn't look old, it looks like a squat. Anyway your looking at my room. This is a fairly kid free zone. This is where I MOG, relax, drink beer, and play guitar with my buddies. With this heatwave it has become unbearably hot. As you probably can tell I am no...
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An absolute classic. How could I have missed the vid? Oh well, here it is kids.
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The Jam's classic 1980 hit.
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So I just had a semi-testy exchange with Mr. Rick Derringer himself, or else a touchy fan claiming to be Rick Derringer, after I expressed my dislike for "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" and suggested that, three quarters of the way through, he should not have kept on rockin'. (http://mog.com/brendanhalpin/blog_post/123882)This got me thinking about a couple of things. One is MOG-specific, another ...
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Are there any songs out there that, whenever you hear them, elicit a strong emotional response from you for no readily apparent reason? I'm talking about something, in the lyrics mainly, that strikes a chord with you even though the words might not have any relevance to your daily existence. It could be simply the way the singer phrases the words, or maybe there's a story being told that affe...
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the Polydor compilationTHE SOUND OF THE JAMcontains a good selectionof great songs.THE JAMoverview from trouser press:How ironic that the band from the class of '77 that seemed to stand least for the tenets of punk at the outset should wind up the one that remained truest to them over the long haul. The Jam's refusal to compromise their ideals and integrity during a six-year career tends to pol...
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Before this excellent, classic song gets reembedded into the mass consciousness because of its use in the upcoming film Stranger than Fiction, featuring Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, and other glowing names (Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gylenhaal), please take the time to partake of this unadulterated version. The only meaning imbued here is that of late 70s Mods.No knock on the movie, the concept is...
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Perhaps one of the best songs of angst ever written. legend has it that Paul wrote the song in ten minutes after returning from a night out at the pub. I have followed Weller since the Setting Suns record and it's great to see him continue to make relevant music for over 30 years now. The string of Jam records from All Mod Cons to their finale the Gift has to be one of the most consistent strin...
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Yesterday after a day of doctor's appointments and medical procedures with my 15 year old, I saw that need to put some fun and lightness in her day. Lately, too many of these days have been all about white coats, needle pokes and toxic medecines that have made her hair fall out. So I bundled her up and took her to see the new Will Ferrell movie, Stranger Than Fiction. Better than any medecine, ...
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Way back in my youth .. I bought an album called All Mod Cons by the Jam. I loved English Rose then and I love it to this day - why? Because it is the most romantic song ever written!I've just sat and pondered how I was going to explain why this song is romantic and I just don't have the words to describe how it makes me feel.
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 "The Sound of the Jam")
