If Music Could Talk

Can see why some rate The Gift as their best IF they got into The Jsm later in their career.

101Walterton wrote:Can see why some rate The Gift as their best IF they got into The Jsm later in their career.

i got into the Jam about early '78 with In The City (after Bollocks and the Clash s/t import), bought everything soon after in order, including the singles. i'd rate The Gift along side Sound Affects as my second fave Jam album after Setting Sons. it's more traditional R& B than Sound Affects, but i think it's some of Weller's most open-hearted writing, which really suits the music. plus i love the horns (even though they weren't very well recorded/mixed).

muppet hi fi wrote:

101Walterton wrote:Can see why some rate The Gift as their best IF they got into The Jsm later in their career.

i got into the Jam about early '78 with In The City (after Bollocks and the Clash s/t import), bought everything soon after in order, including the singles. i'd rate The Gift along side Sound Affects as my second fave Jam album after Setting Sons. it's more traditional R& B than Sound Affects, but i think it's some of Weller's most open-hearted writing, which really suits the music. plus i love the horns (even though they weren't very well recorded/mixed).

I like The Gift but still a couple of filler tracks "Trans-Global Express/Running on the Spot/The Gift" are just average. Should've had "The Great Depression" and a version of "A Solid Bond in Your Heart" instead or even include "Beat Surrender".

Marky Dread wrote:

muppet hi fi wrote:

101Walterton wrote:Can see why some rate The Gift as their best IF they got into The Jsm later in their career.

i got into the Jam about early '78 with In The City (after Bollocks and the Clash s/t import), bought everything soon after in order, including the singles. i'd rate The Gift along side Sound Affects as my second fave Jam album after Setting Sons. it's more traditional R& B than Sound Affects, but i think it's some of Weller's most open-hearted writing, which really suits the music. plus i love the horns (even though they weren't very well recorded/mixed).

I like The Gift but still a couple of filler tracks "Trans-Global Express/Running on the Spot/The Gift" are just average. Should've had "The Great Depression" and a version of "A Solid Bond in Your Heart" instead or even include "Beat Surrender".

Running On the Spot is one of my favourite Jam songs, surprised you find it average!

Heston wrote:

Marky Dread wrote:

muppet hi fi wrote:

101Walterton wrote:Can see why some rate The Gift as their best IF they got into The Jsm later in their career.

i got into the Jam about early '78 with In The City (after Bollocks and the Clash s/t import), bought everything soon after in order, including the singles. i'd rate The Gift along side Sound Affects as my second fave Jam album after Setting Sons. it's more traditional R& B than Sound Affects, but i think it's some of Weller's most open-hearted writing, which really suits the music. plus i love the horns (even though they weren't very well recorded/mixed).

I like The Gift but still a couple of filler tracks "Trans-Global Express/Running on the Spot/The Gift" are just average. Should've had "The Great Depression" and a version of "A Solid Bond in Your Heart" instead or even include "Beat Surrender".

Running On the Spot is one of my favourite Jam songs, surprised you find it average!

oh yeah me too. maybe top 10 for me. gritty, heartbreaking lyric, cool as hell guitar figure.

about three years ago me and my mates were in a session and Jed introduced Running On the Spot. he was playing it all wrong, barre chords, and was having a tough time singing it. so after a couple runs we paused for a smoke and a drink and i sang the guitar riff for him. he got annoyed with me (as one might with dumb drummer dudes) but i persisted. so we whipped out the the vinyl and listened, he got the open chord figure down, i sang the first run through, then he sang the next take. got a a recording somewhere. good times.

Bitterest Pill is my favourite late era Jam. Always liked Carnation off The Gift.

Heston wrote:

Marky Dread wrote:

muppet hi fi wrote:

101Walterton wrote:Can see why some rate The Gift as their best IF they got into The Jsm later in their career.

i got into the Jam about early '78 with In The City (after Bollocks and the Clash s/t import), bought everything soon after in order, including the singles. i'd rate The Gift along side Sound Affects as my second fave Jam album after Setting Sons. it's more traditional R& B than Sound Affects, but i think it's some of Weller's most open-hearted writing, which really suits the music. plus i love the horns (even though they weren't very well recorded/mixed).

I like The Gift but still a couple of filler tracks "Trans-Global Express/Running on the Spot/The Gift" are just average. Should've had "The Great Depression" and a version of "A Solid Bond in Your Heart" instead or even include "Beat Surrender".

Running On the Spot is one of my favourite Jam songs, surprised you find it average!

I fucked up I meant the instrumental "Circus" always get those titles mixed up. "Running On the Spot" is indeed great. "Circus" tries too hard to be "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag" which is much better. I remember Weller being impressed with Pigbag and the Spandau Ballet song "Freeze".

101Walterton wrote:Bitterest Pill is my favourite late era Jam. Always liked Carnation off The Gift.

I love "Beat Surrender" but I think a full version of "A Solid Bond In Your Heart" would've also made a great swansong. Thank fuck he didn't go with "Dr. Love" which he gave to Tracie and Bananarama.

I think all three albums (AMC, SS and SA) are great, but All Mod Cons just has the higher hit rate of excellent/good songs for me. Setting Sons has that concept thing going on but I think Heatwave and that version of Smithers are weak in the album context (as Marky said). I also think Sound Affects has some weak spots. Scrape Away is an uninspiring tune for me, and Music For the Last Couple is interesting but ultimately filler for me.

Also gotta disagree with Marky about "Fly" on All Mod Cons, I think it's perfect for the album.

Heston wrote:I think all three albums (AMC, SS and SA) are great, but All Mod Cons just has the higher hit rate of excellent/good songs for me. Setting Sons has that concept thing going on but I think Heatwave and that version of Smithers are weak in the album context (as Marky said). I also think Sound Affects has some weak spots. Scrape Away is an uninspiring tune for me, and Music For the Last Couple is interesting but ultimately filler for me.

Also gotta disagree with Marky about "Fly" on All Mod Cons, I think it's perfect for the album.

i don't get the elevation of All Mod Cons to such classic status, now or then. sure, it's a great album, but only Tube Station qualifies as best of the best for me. and i agree that Fly was kinda out of place. and David Watts should have been relegated to b-side status. English Rose i thought boring Keats-ian Victorian claptrap at the time; i like it now, but i'll take that super-charged Heatwave over it any day. i thought Heatwave was a brilliant way to finish Setting Sons, with all it's real life angst and heavy duty political themes. some levity and respite, ya know? ( i agree the full band Smithers Jones would have made the album stronger, though).

A Bomb' is an A list track.
They only put Heatwave on SS as they ran out of time and Weller had run out of songs.

101Walterton wrote:A Bomb' is an A list track.
They only put Heatwave on SS as they ran out of time and Weller had run out of songs.

The Jam ran out of time and out of songs? I can't imagine how mate as Weller was a fairly prolific writer/ why was the album rushed? Polydor surely had more time.. I sometimes think the covers are just down to his love of 60's soul/mod. Heatwave is a spirited version and I like it but it should've been used as a B-side not an album closer.

Here's how my perfect Setting Sons shapes up.

Album:
Side One:
01. Girl On The Phone
02. Thick As Thieves
03. Saturdays Kids
04. Strange Town
05. Smithers-Jones (7'' B-side)

Side Two:
01. Private Hell
02. Burning Sky
03. The Eton Rifles
04. Little Boy Soldiers
05. Wasteland

Singles:
Strange Town / The Butterfly Collector
When You're Young / Heat Wave
The Eton Rifles / See Saw

Interesting that Weller had already given away the song "See Saw" to Scottish band The Jolt who had previously supported The Jam on tour.

I've read that Setting Sons was rushed out for the Christmas market after pressure from Polydor. Weller said he regretted not pushing the concept element of the album a bit further.

Whatever the ins and outs, I think the last four albums are all great.

Heston wrote:I've read that Setting Sons was rushed out for the Christmas market after pressure from Polydor. Weller said he regretted not pushing the concept element of the album a bit further.

Whatever the ins and outs, I think the last four albums are all great.

I personally like them all. But it's just little shades of excellence that separate the last four. Such a brilliant group and the only band that really gave The Clash a run for the money.

Heston wrote:I think all three albums (AMC, SS and SA) are great, but All Mod Cons just has the higher hit rate of excellent/good songs for me. Setting Sons has that concept thing going on but I think Heatwave and that version of Smithers are weak in the album context (as Marky said). I also think Sound Affects has some weak spots. Scrape Away is an uninspiring tune for me, and Music For the Last Couple is interesting but ultimately filler for me.

Also gotta disagree with Marky about "Fly" on All Mod Cons, I think it's perfect for the album.

I love "Scrape Away" that pounding bass and irritating/nagging guitar riff. Fantastic lyrics one of the albums high points for me love the French spoken word over the guitar coda.. But hey each to their own mate as there is so much to admire.

Your twisted cynicism - makes me feel sick
Your open disgust for 'idealistic naive'
You've given up hope you're jaded and ill
The trouble is your thoughts a catching disease

"Music For the Last Couple" is also great with that weird intro with the fly sounds. Weller playing an off beat reggae and some great guitar riffs throughout. This track took the band way out of their comfort zone and they all come up trumps for me. Experimental and inventive.