I listened to The Jam's entire recorded output in chronological order this past weekend. I was inspired to do this because as I was pulling records to sell from the shelves, it dawned on me that I still had my original U.K. Jam records from the time I had bought them. That may not sound like a big deal, but once the compact disc took over, many started tossing their LPs, including me. I sold almost all of them, keeping maybe 100 out of my original 5000. I sold all but a few of my Todd Rundgren LPs, all of my Beatles and Stones. All of my Miles Davis and Who records, save "The Who Sell Out." I sold my original U.K. mono copies of The Hollies' "Evolution" and "Butterfly" Just about everything, yet somehow The Jam survived. Then, once the vinyl resurgence began, I started replacing CDs with LPs. It's a horrible cycle that I am sure we have all experienced.
As much as I love The Jam and Paul Weller, neither would fall into a Top Ten of all time for me, making my never letting go of the records all the more curious. Their music has never not been in heavy rotation in almost 50 years. There are no bad Jam records, and they all still sound as fresh as they did all those years ago.
I also decided to rank the LPs, as well as pulling a few deep cuts for a Deep Cut Six Pack, the first one since Volume Thirteen back in May of 2020.
Here is your tracklist:
In The Crowd
Ghosts
I Got By In Time
Time For Truth
The Planner's Dream Goes Wrong
Man In The Corner Shop
"Man In The Corner Shop" isn't really a deep cut, but I couldn't resist.
After this weekend's marathon, this is how The Jam's records sounded to me.
1. Extras
2. In The City
3. The Gift
4. All Mod Cons
5. Sound Affects
6. This Is The Modern World
7. Setting Sons
I posted this on social media and the first comment was, "All Mod Cons 4th? We see the band very differently." Someone else said "Setting Sons" was their number one, while another called "Sound Affects" their fave. The order could change at any time, but I think "Extras," even as a hodgepodge of demos, b-sides and rarities, still plays as a perfect representation of the band and there isn't a single boring second on it.
10 comments:
The Direction Creation Reaction box is one of my greatest purchases. I don't get as much out of the Gift album as others do, but man, were they solid. They should have gotten more attention via '90s Britpop.
Ghosts, In The Crowd, Man in the Corner Shop are all sublime. I'll have to give In The City a spin since I don't recall the two tracks you included (by title at least).
I'll second Wardo's comment about the studio box set. It is essential.
A few other songs of the Jam that are among their best: Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, Going Underground, Smithers-Jones, and English Rose.
- Paul in DK
"Extras" is great. But "Setting Sons" last? I don't even know who you are any more. :-)
@ Paul in DK
"Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, Going Underground, Smithers-Jones, and English Rose."
Of course! The entire SNAP! anthology is killer. But I was trying to avoid the obvious.
@Shriner
I love "Setting Sons" but "Little Boy Soldiers," "Wasteland" and "Heat Wave" just don't do it for me. I don't even like The Who's "Heat Wave." The original is too perfect.
Mixes - and conversations - like this are the reason many of us have been enjoying this blog for years.
Because in this case, The Jam is a group I've been a little aware of, naturally - mostly because I love the Style Council - but couldn't have told you one of their songs, other than a few you've shared.
So for someone who has lived with this music since it first came out to share a deep cut mix and a list of your fave LPs by them, this is great. At some point if you could do a 6 pack of your favorite Jam songs perhaps, not deep cuts, that would be cool too.
Paul Weller/Jam/Style Council have always been in my "Lord Knows I've Tried" department, i.e. I know they're good, and I know why people love them, but with a very few exceptions nothing of theirs has ever really clicked for me.
Although the version Weller did of "Heard It Through the Grapevine" with Amy Winehouse on the Jools Holland show is freaking killer.
But a very cool list -- I'll give it a listen and maybe this time...
@Noel
My Six Favorite Jam Songs (in no particular order)
The Bitterest Pill
In The City
Going Underground
Thick As Thieves
A Solid Bond In Your Heart (I think much better than The Style Council)
Man In the Corner Shop
@Sal Nice - thank you!
This fits in nicely with my recent deep dive into all things Paul Weller in style Council. On to The Jam
One thing about The Jam is, they were making records when singles were important, were events - especially non-album 45s and they released some classics: All Around the World, Strange Town, When You're Young (one of the great youth songs, up there with My Generation), of course Going Underground, The Bitterest Pill and the almost Style Council Beat Surrender sign off.
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