I had done an earlier post about Paul Weller, the British singer/songwriter whose career I followed from group to group before his solo career. The first I knew of Weller was when he was part of the New Wave/Punk band, The Jam. Weller was joined by Bruce Foxton and Rick Butler to make up The Jam. They were one of several young bands who looked back to the music of the British acts of the late 50s & early sixties, reclaiming the concept of 'mods' and put in their own spin. They seemed to be part early The Who and part Jack Kerouac, part of the 'beat generation,' only on steroids. They blazed strong in the musical sky, amazing considering they released albums for a scant 5 years, from 1977 to 1982.
In those 5 years, they put out 6 albums and went on several tours, which resulted in 3 live albums. And, as the music industry can do so well, there are 14 compilation albums, as well as 3 separate box sets. The music was rich and textured, while maintaining a raw and emotional edge all delivered at a breakneck pace, hallmarks of the punk movement. Here is a clip of The Jam performing Eaton Rifles live.
Later in the run, you could see the direction Weller was taking with the music, and it was in the direction that would later be played by the Style Council. For me, this evolution was evident in A Town Called Malice.
You can find more about The Jam at their official website here.
