Your Ten Favourite Jam/Style Council/Paul Weller Songs

stormwarning · Post by **stormwarning** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:42 pm

No minimum entry, if you thought TSC sucked then you don't have to add their songs.

No particular order:

1. That's Entertainment - Jam
2. Leafy Mysteries - PW
3. All On A Misty Morning - PW
4. All Around The World - Jam
5. You're The Best Thing - TSC
6. Broken Stones - PW
7 .Carnation - Jam
8. Porcelain Gods - PW
9. Tube Station - Jam
10. You Do Something To Me - PW

Weller, Weller, Weller ooh, tell me more...

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:55 pm

I didn't dislike TSC but nothing they did comes close to the best of the Jam. Wildwood and the last PW album were great, but WildWood is the only solo song that I considered putting in my top ten.........and then I saw sense. The Jam were the only band that rivaled my love of Elvis as a kid.

1. To be Someone
2. It's Too Bad
3. Liza Radley
4. That's Entertainment
5. Thick as Thieves
6. Ghosts
7. Butterfly Collector
8. Little Boy Soldiers
9. Wasteland
10. In the Crowd

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:14 pm

I'm with Monkey (see gig thread!). It's almost pointless following his as his is too perfect, but with some variations (four to be precise), and a little more emphasis on the unbelievable singles:

1. Strange Town
2. When You're Young
3. Tube station
4. Eton Rifles
5. Wasteland
6. It's Too Bad
7. Thick As Thieves
8. Little Boy Soldiers
9. To Be Someone
10. Ghosts

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:49 pm

No votes for Funeral Pyre? One of my faves...

Funeral Pyre
That's Entertainment
Down In The Tube Station at Midnight
Tales From the River Bank
Ghosts
A Town Called Malice
Monday
Smithers-Jones
Saturday's Kids
When You're Young

Man this is hard!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:52 pm

Great song, but not one I'd consciously seek out to listen to much now. Rick Buckler show piece. Monday a very nice addition.

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:42 pm

Going Underground
Saturdays Kids
Thats Entertainment
Dreams of Children
Ghosts
Monday
English Rose
Town Called Malice
A Bomb In Wardour Street
In The Crowd

wardo68 · Post by **wardo68** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:27 pm

It's all Jam for me:

In The City
Away From The Numbers
Liza Radley
Going Underground
Town Called Malice
Mr. Clean
That's Entertainment
Start!
In The Crowd
Time For Truth

bonus Weller solo: You Do Something To Me

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:41 am

Can't believe I forgot 'When You're Young' and 'Strange Town'

I'm changing my signature!!

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:49 am

I can't believe only me and Wardo choose "Going Underground"??

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:03 am

I love Going underground, but I've pogoed around too many wedding receptions to it over the past 20 years.

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:17 am

Dang. I need to go to more weddings in England...

wardo68 · Post by **wardo68** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:58 am

Mechanical Grace wrote:Dang. I need to go to more weddings in England...

I concur. You folks don't want to know what we're subjected to in the States.

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:20 am

In no particular order of preference....

Eton Rifles
That's Entertainment
Going Underground
All Around The World
Town Called Malice
You're The Best Thing
In The City
Tube Station
You Do Something To Me
Little Boy Soldiers

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:07 pm

All Jam for me as well

Away From The Numbers
Sounds From The Street
Life From A Window
'A' Bomb In Wardour Street
Down In The Tubestation At Midnight
In The Crowd
Strangetown
Saturdays Kids
Eton Rifles
Private Hell

Trying to do this chronologically (trying to spell chronoligically) and I ran out of time - and still with 11 - left out the later ones that would have to be on the list (Going Underground, Dreams of Children, When You're Young,Liza Radley, Different Now, Cornershop, Funeral Pyre, Ghosts...)

invisible Pole · Post by **invisible Pole** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:41 pm

Jam only, though a couple of Style Council songs would make it to top 20.

That's Entertainment
A Town Called Malice
Thick As Thieves
Smithers-Jones
Saturday's Kids
When You're Young
Going Underground
Eton Rifles
In The City
In The Crowd

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:33 pm

Was hoping someone would include Life From a Window. A real classic from early on. I hope Paul is reading this thread!

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:11 am

Hmm - I think your definition of the word classic differs to mine...

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:23 am

To my mind it stands out among the first two LPs and singles as, along with Away From the Numbers, though I've always found that a bit too lumbering and self-consciously momentous, the first indication that Weller could do something more than uptempo punky modsongs with lots of teenage angst and move into a more poetic mode that blended his 60s influences and contemporary sound into something wistful and memorable. In other words, the first proper indication of the unique genius he brought to bear on AMC and SS, the hit singles, and in lesser doses thereafter. It would be an also-ran for me against the stuff from that era that fills my top 10, not quite classic in the vein of those, but still worthy of the word and I'm chuffed to see it in BWAP's list, and I always loved the lines 'Staring at a grey sky, try to paint it blue - teenage blue'.

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:23 am

Otis Westinghouse wrote:To my mind it stands out among the first two LPs and singles as, along with Away From the Numbers, though I've always found that a bit too lumbering and self-consciously momentous, the first indication that Weller could do something more than uptempo punky modsongs with lots of teenage angst and move into a more poetic mode that blended his 60s influences and contemporary sound into something wistful and memorable. In other words, the first proper indication of the unique genius he brought to bear on AMC and SS, the hit singles, and in lesser doses thereafter. It would be an also-ran for me against the stuff from that era that fills my top 10, not quite classic in the vein of those, but still worthy of the word and I'm chuffed to see it in BWAP's list, and I always loved the lines 'Staring at a grey sky, try to paint it blue - teenage blue'.

Have you ever considered a career in music journalism Mr Westinghouse sir?

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:39 am

Hmm. Not sure I agree with you there Otis. I think Sounds From The Street was an earlier example of what demonstrated that Paul Weller "could do something more than uptempo punky modsongs with lots of teenage angst and move into a more poetic mode that blended his 60s influences and contemporary sound into something wistful and memorable". Nice phrasing though.

I think Life From A Window amongst other songs actually demonstrates the burn out he was experiencing of trying to write the second album so soon after the first one. He was inspired by a lot of poetry at this stage (particularly Adrian Henri) but, in my view, was too concerned with the follow up album which led to a poor finished product. The stuff he wrote soon after led to his producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven saying "This is crap" and forced them to scrap the stuff they had recorded and concentrate on writing. This led to what became All Mod Cons. I think the this is crap comment can be applied to most of the second album.

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:41 pm

I thought 'Standards' was pretty good.....a bit of its time, but i don't mind that - its quite quaint.

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:02 pm

I think "Modern World" is a very underated record. Over the years it seems the conventional wisdom rates this as the worst of their output. There are a couple of clunkers on there (London Traffic, Don't Tell Them Your Sane) - but some gems as well - Standards, Life From A Window, Modern World, In The Street Today, The Combine, I Need You and Here Comes The Weekend all still work for me - and the US version included All Around The World. I even like London Girl, though I know it pales in comparison to the Kinks' Big Black Smoke or Pretty Polly.

and the back cover is killer

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:53 pm

01 tube station
02 going underground
03 liza radley
04 in the city
05 thick as thieves
06 mr clean
07 thatâ€™s entertainment
08 the changingman
09 hey mister
10 from the floor boards up

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:32 pm

I was struck when I listened to the In The City LP on the brilliant boxed set, after 20+ years of not hearing it, by how unlistenable much of it was. It was fun when you were 16, but very little of lasting quality, apart from the classic title track and Away From the Numbers. I think Modern World is streets ahead of it as a record. Yes, it has lame moments, and probably they were rushing it, but it's also got hints of the greatness that was to follow. Sounds From the Street is another nice example.

I did want to be a music journalist as a teen. We once had to write the name of the person we most aspired to being in RE. I know I couldn't be Ian Curtis, Elvis Costello, David Bowie or Paul Weller, so I put Paul Morley cos he was my favourite writer on the NME. I told the friend I went to see Scritti Politti with in November this story on spotting Paul, and he went up to him and told him. Or at least he says he did, they were out of my sight at this point. Maybe it made Paul's day. I still like to see him on the late review, list programmes, Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth or whatever, and read him in the OMM or on CD notes. Pretentious, yes, but always likely to come out with interesting observations, and a huge Joy Division enthusiast. I submitted some reviews of gigs to the university rag (including one of ABC at the Birmingham Odeon where I failed to be impressed by their elaborate stage set, titling it Tiers Are Not Enough), and the bastards never even printed them. So that was the end of my career. Until I came here to resurrect my teenage angst.

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:56 am

BWAP - trust you to fly in the face of conventional wisdom

I've always liked the rear cover of the album (and the front of the cover with the taped arrows on Weller's top always made me laugh!). However I've wondered to this day if the rear sleeve is a photo from a live in concert performance or was set up for the camera. I always thought it was the latter.