Snap collects all of the Jam's singles plus some b-side and rarities onto two LPs. For some reason, I have the original UK pressing, rather than the Canadian pressing. It's truly an excellent retrospective, and would be perfect as an introduction to the band.
And, so it ends. This live record was the last LP from the Jam, with the exception of future compilations. In 1983, Weller introduced us to the Style Council, with the mini-LP entitled Introducing the Style Council. This is a good collection of live tunes.
Beat Surrender was the Jam's last single, released in December 1982. It contains a new version of War. The five-track release also contains Beat Surrender, Shopping, a cover of Curtis Mayfield's Move on Up, and a cover of Stoned out of my Mind, originally by the Chi-Lates.
I believe that this was the Jam's second-to-last single. It was, then, their penultimate single. The 7" version contains three tracks, while the 12" single (in some countries, including Canada) had five tracks, so maybe it's really a mini album or an EP.
Side One:
The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow) The Great Depression
Side Two:
War (from Barrett Whitfield and Norman Strong) Pity Poor Alfie Fever (from Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell)
Fever has been covered by many people and I'm not really impressed with what The Jam did with it or with War, for that matter. I guess this is an OK release, but it's not fabulous.
For some an inexplicable reason, a few critics didn't like this record. I think it's great, especially as it contains my favourite Jam track, Town Called Malice.
Rows and rows of disused milk floats stand dying in the dairy yard
And a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milk bottles to their hearts
Hanging out their old love letters on the line to dry
It's enough to make you stop believing when tears come fast and furious
In a town called malice, yeah
Absolute Beginners is a five-track EP released in 1981. I have a Canadian pressing. It's a solid EP, and I like every track very much. What else can I say? Oh, how about this: I think I read somewhere that the title track is one of Weller's favourite pieces of music, or something like that.
A police car and a screaming siren
A pnuematic drill and ripped up concrete
A baby wailing and stray dog howling
The screech of brakes and lamp lights blinking
That's entertainment
A smash of glass and the rumble of boots
An electric train and a ripped up phone booth
Paint splattered walls and the cry of a tomcat
Lights going out and a kick in the balls
- That's Entertainment
The jacket for this LP opens at the top, which is unusual for LPs but not for 12" singles. Another possibility is that the images are turned on the side. Whatever. The other weird thing is that it's difficult to know which side of the cover is intended to be the front. Some sites display one side and some use the other. Take your pick, I guess. Also, the title is Sound Affects not Sound Effects.
In my ever so humble opinion, this might be the Jam's best record, and nothing that followed was quite as good. The most recognizable song on this record is probably That's Entertainment, a tune that was later covered by Morrissey. I like Mozzer's version too.
Sup up your beer and collect your fags
There's a row going on down near slough
Get out your mat and pray to the west
I'll get out mine and pray for myself
Thought you were smart when you took them on
But you didn't take a peep in their artillery room
All that rugby puts hairs on your chest
What chance have you got against a tie and a crest?
- Eton Rifles, The Jam
Eton Rifles was the band's first top ten UK hit. In reading about this LP, I found out something that I bizarrely did not know:
"Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Paul Weller originally conceived Setting Sons as a concept album detailing the lives of three boyhood friends who later reunite as adults after an unspecified war only to discover they have grown up and apart. This concept was never fully developed, and it remains unclear which tracks were originally intended as part of the story, though it is commonly agreed that "Thick As Thieves", "Little Boy Soldiers", "Wasteland", and "Burning Sky" are likely constituents; extant Jam bootlegs feature a version of "Little Boy Soldiers" split into three separate recordings, possible evidence that the song was intended to serve as a recurring motif, with separate sections appearing between other songs on the album." [source]
Once again, the record company was up to its usual nonsense, but in this case, I don't mind too much. The Canadian LP has two extra tracks. True, they messed with the song order, but I guess I can live with that.
Where the streets are paved with blood
With cataclysmic overtones
Fear and hate linger in the air
A strictly no-go deadly zone
I don't know what I'm doing here
'Cause it's not my scene at all
There's an 'A' bomb in Wardour Street
They've called in the Army, they've called in the police too
- 'A' Bomb in Wardour Street, The Jam
This might sound odd, but I had never heard the phrase "all mod cons" before I became familiar with this record, probably because it is a UK expression. I guess we don't use that term on this side of the pond. I have even see the phrase mangled to become "all cons mod" and "all mods con."
The amazing thing about this record is that Paul Weller was only 20 when it was released. I find that amazing. I was 20 years old once, so this seems extra amazing. Apparently, Paul Weller had been suffering from writer's block, which he managed to overcome in time for this record.
This LP is a vast improvement over its predecessor.
The Jam's first LP was released on May 20, 1977. Somewhat amazingly, the second record came out on November 18 of the same year! Perhaps the record company put pressure on them? With this time-frame, it's probably inevitable that the second record wouldn't be quite as good as the first, though I still like it very much. This is one of two Jam records that I also have on CD.
The Jam were the leaders of the mod revival, which was a return to earlier styles, like The Who and some others. So, the band is often categorized as mod-revival, punk, and new wave, though I resist the latter label. I think it's punk, with a 1960s influence. And, the lyrics could be political:
In the city there's a thousand men in uniforms
And I've heard they now have the right to kill a man - In the City, The Jam
Paul Weller, the lead singer and primary songwriter, went on to form The Style Council, followed by what I gather was a successful solo career.
I have a US copy, even though the record was pressed in Canada. I think the Jam were a really great band, with lots of great tunes. I love the intro to this video:
