Favourite Weller Musical Periods

[John Bungay]

A while ago on the Splinters mailing list a short poll was taken as to
which part of Pauls career was individual peoples favourite, and i
wondered how the people on this n/grp would vote.

my order of merit would have to be:

Jam
Solo
Style Council

the interesting thing was from americans the style council period came
out on top whereas in this country TSC always had a bit off a naff
image probably due to The Jam being so huge and people having the hump
when paul split them up and also with the Style Councils music being
so different. Dont get me wrong on the whole i do like TSC music but i
think it was probably the worst spell of a great musical career.

thoughts please.......

john

[James D. Fleming]

Hmmm. It's tough. Jam, Style Council, Solo probably. And I love his solo
stuff.

[Anthony Jennings]

I favor the Style Council period mostly because it reminds me of all the
other kinds of music I listened to at the time. Of the Jam and the Style
Council, I think the TSC singles still stand up today incredibly well. I'm
listening to 'The Singular Adventures...' as we speak.

The Jam was just too damn quirky for me, and I havent given much time to the
solo stuff, although I loved the first solo album, and I've bought all the
U.S. releases regardless of my opinion of their quality. I'm just trying to
encourage the guy to keep putting releases into the US market...

Anthony
ant...@jonathon.com
anthony_...@msn.com

[jrsamples]

When I bought my first Style Council album (remember those!) I was living in Wyoming and the record shop had to send away for it. I had heard "My Ever Changing Moods" on the radio and was hooked. This was 1984, and I was spell-bound. A college buddy of mine was listening to The Jam's "The Gift" when it came out, but it didn't quite get to me as "Blue Cafe" did. My favorite "era" of Weller is the time around "Our Favorite Shop" with Shout to the Top and Luck being my faves. A disc that is getting mucho air play is TSC's "Here's Some That Got Away". Weller played in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the "SunFlower" and "Heavy Soul" tours. He is an amazing artist with an awesome ability to rock the house. "Heavy Soul, Pt. 2" nearly killed me!

[Enan]

>
>The Jam was just too damn quirky for me,
>

It would help you to understand the Jam's music if you were:
A)British
B)Working Class
C)A teenager at the time

You really have to understand the politics and psyche of the UK to get what
his lyrics are about i.e "The Angry Young Man" frame of mind and living
under the Thatcher regime.
He was a rebel with a brain.
Although I love all of his music I personally feel that he lost his way and
went a bit soft in the TSC years.
We're all entitled to our opinions :)
The new stuff is excellant though.

[EMccaffrey]

>thoughts please.......
>

I think there was some great music during the TSC period, but it got buried by
the fixation with image. If you listened to the recent TSC live CD, there is no
doubt they kicked live. I saw them twice (Wembley Arena in December 1985 and
Royal Albert Hall February 1987). The music was great. Having said that, I saw
the Jam at the Lyceum in 1978 and they were amazing (supported by 'The Jolt', a
forgotten band of Scots Jam clones - Paul wrote "Seesaw" for them!). Saw them
again a few times at the Rainbow (best was going on a Saturday and Sunday in
succession, in 1980). The so-called Woking Wonders' only peers were the Clash
live, I reckon. Weller solo live is just different - thought the one gig I wish
I'd been at was the Movement gig at the Academy, Brixton.I've got a video of it
and he opens with a tribute to Steve Marriott, "Tin Soldier" - he absolutely
smoulders on it. I'm making my pilgrammage to Victoria Park Saturday week.
Hands up anyone out there who saw the Rock Against Racism gig there in 1977:
Tom Robinson, Patrick Fitzgerald, X-Ray Spex, The Clash. Poor old Patrick got
bottled off the stage. Anyway, enough reminiscing, and Into Tomorrow........