The Jam

The Jam
The Jam
Origin	Woking, Surrey, England
Years active	1972 – 1982
Members	Paul Weller; Bruce Foxton; Rick Buckler

The Jam were a British rock band active in the late 1970s and early ’80s. They were one of the most popular groups of the day, achieving eighteen straight Top 40 singles in the UK from their debut in 1977 to their swansong in 1982, including four #1 hits. Incredibly, two of these eighteen singles were available on an import-only basis; they remain the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They also released six albums in their day, the last of which The Gift hit #1 on the UK album charts. Massively popular in Britain, as well as much of the rest of Europe and beyond, they never gained much commercial success in North America, but they did retain a considerable cult following. They drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including punk rock, British Invasion, American soul, mod music, and even British psychedelia. Even into the 1990s their music proved to be highly influential on many successful British guitar pop bands from The Smiths in the ’80s to Britpop groups Blur and Oasis more recently. Despite the group’s limited fame in the United States, they remain a major influence on popular American groups such as Green Day as well. To this day, they rank as one of the most highly successful British groups of all time.

Launching the career of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Paul Weller, who remains a successful solo artist to this day, the trio was known for its high-energy, hard-hitting pop songs, distinctly British flavour, and sharp mod image. All three members were skilled musicians and made critical contributions to the group’s sound. Weller wrote and sang virtually all of the group’s original compositions, and drove them with the chiming tones of a Rickenbacker guitar. Bassist Bruce Foxton made up for the group’s lack of a second guitarist by carrying much of the melody in his distinctive playing, a confluence of the power of John Entwistle with the speed and melodicism of Paul McCartney. His instantly memorable basslines were the foundation of many of the group’s songs, including the hits "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", and "Town Called Malice". Foxton’s sweet harmonies also gave the group another memorable cachet. Drummer Rick Buckler played with the full-on energy of Keith Moon, but dispensed with Moon’s flashiness in favour of steady but intricate beats and subtle, deft touches. Despite having only three members, The Jam are still regarded as one of the most powerful and fiery groups in British rock.

History

Formation (1972-1976)

The Jam formed in Woking, Surrey, England in 1972. The line-ups were very fluid at this stage, consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Paul Weller and his various friends at Sheerwater Secondary School. The line-up began to solidify in the mid ’70s with Weller, guitarist Steve Brookes, drummer Rick Buckler, and bassist Bruce Foxton. Through their early years, their sets consisted of early American rock and roll covers by the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They continued in this vein until Weller discovered The Who’s "My Generation" and became fascinated with mod music and lifestyle. As he said later, “I saw that through becoming a Mod it would give me a base and an angle to write from, and this we eventually did. We went out and bought black suits and started playing Motown, Stax and Atlantic covers. I bought a Rickenbacker guitar, a Lambretta GP 150 and tried to style my hair like Steve Marriott’s circa ’66”. [1] Eventually Brookes left the band, and was not replaced, inviting Weller to develop a combined lead/rhythm guitar style heavily influenced by The Who’s Pete Townshend as well as Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson. The line-up of Weller, Foxton, and Buckler would persist until the end of The Jam’s career. They were managed by Weller’s father, John Weller, who continues to manage Paul’s music career to this day.

Around 1976, Weller had another stylistic revelation after seeing the Sex Pistols. He recalled later, “The Pistols’ noisy garage band racket and Rotten’s youthful amphetamined arrogance. I loved it! It was so YOUNG and EXCITING, and of course, there were NO FLARES - one of the most hideous fashion creations ever!” [2] In the following two years, the Jam gained a small but loyal following around London from playing minor gigs, becoming one of the new lights on the nascent punk scene. In many ways, however, they stood out oddly from their punk peers. Though they shared a youthful outlook, short hair, crushing volume, and lightning-fast tempos, The Jam wore neatly tailored suits where others wore ripped clothes, played professionally where others were defiantly amateurish, and portrayed clear influences in 1960s rock where others were disdainful of the past. Indeed, they were tagged by some journalists as “revivalists”. That criticism notwithstanding, they were signed to Polydor Records in early 1977.

File:Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton with Rickenbackers 1024.jpg

Bruce Foxton (L) and Paul Weller on a Top of the Pops appearance circa 1977

Early recordings (1977)

Polydor released their debut single, "In The City", which scraped the very bottom of the Top 40 in England. In early May, the band released their debut album of the same name. The album, like those of The Clash and the Sex Pistols, was comprised of fast, loud, and to-the-point songs. What set it apart was its clear influences in vintage rock and roll. They covered early American rock and roller Larry Williams' "Slow Down" (as also covered by The Beatles) and the "Batman" theme, which was something of a standard for bands in the '60s. Their originals revealed the influence of Motown, The Beatles, and most noticeably The Who.

Many punk records at the time had some political overtones. The Jam were not as overt, preferring instead to stick with moddish celebrations of British youth such as "Sounds From The Street", "Non-Stop Dancing", and "Art School". However, they did condemn police brutality ("In The City") and expansionist development ("Bricks And Mortar"). The most openly political song, "Time For Truth", bemoaned the decline of the British Empire, eviscerated police brutality, and expressed disparaging sentiments about 'Uncle Jimmy' in no uncertain terms ("Whatever happened to the great Empire?"). These pro-Empire sentiments and ostentatious displays of the Union Jack (as mod icongraphy particularly influenced by The Who) began to earn the group the "Conservative" tag. When Weller also announced that The Jam intended voting Tory in the approaching general election, that status solidified further; this statement would later cause them much embarrassment and would dog them throughout their career.

The misunderstanding of The Jam's position by elements of the music press stemmed from Weller's lyrical perspective. Rather than openly mocking British tradition and calling for destruction like the Sex Pistols, or calling for a progressive change like The Clash, Paul Weller's lyrics reflected a deep affection for the British lifestyle, even as he pointed out wrongs and demanded changes, much in the style of The Kinks' Ray Davies. Although the allegations of far-rightism quickly cleared, Paul Weller's distinctly British perspective would persist through the group's career.

After the non-LP single "All Around The World" nearly reached the UK top 10, The Jam, having achieved a notable following in such a short time, was hard pressed to produce more material. Their second album "This Is The Modern World" arrived later in 1977, their second full LP of the year. "This Is The Modern World" was criticized as poor and vastly inferior to their debut. Despite displaying more stylistic variety, including some ventures into introspective pop, critics pointed to its unfinished ideas, poor songwriting, and uninspired performance and production. Tellingly, bassist Bruce Foxton contributed two songs to this LP; considered an inferior songwriter to Weller, Foxton only has two songs on the other five Jam LP's, including one instrumental. It remains one of the least regarded LP's of the group's career. Weller later admitted a temporary lack of interest.

All Mod Cons (1978)

Following the release of "This Is The Modern World" and the non-LP single "News Of The World" (written and sung by Foxton), The Jam spent much of the next two years touring. They were not very successful with their U.S. shows, for some of which they were the opening act for arena-rockers Blue Öyster Cult, but they did better with their UK performances. As they went back into the studio to record a third album of primarily Foxton contributions, the songs were dismissed by producers as poor and held off recording an album in hopes that Weller would once again find inspiration.

Returning to his hometown of Woking, Weller spent much of his time listening to albums by The Kinks and coming up with new songs. They released their next single, the double A-side "David Watts" b/w "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street". "David Watts" was a cover of the bouncy Kinks' classic; Weller and Foxton trade lead vocals throughout the song. "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street" was a Weller original. One of their hardest and most tense tracks, Weller venomously spat out lines cursing the violent thugs that now plagued the punk scene over a taut two-chord figure. The single, and "'A' Bomb" in particular, was hailed as a return to form and became their most successful 7" since "All Around The World".

It wasn't until their next single, "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight", that The Jam erased doubts from critics' minds. "Tube Station", an intricate first-person tale in which the narrator gets beaten, presumably to death, by thugs who "smelled of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs and too many right-wing meetings", was a story seemingly ripped from contemporary headlines of skinhead violence. Alternating quiet verses and loud choruses and propelled by Foxton's tense bassline, "Tube Station" again channels the atmosphere of fear and violence that was afflicting Britain in the late '70s. Had it not had a myopic BBC airplay ban slapped on it, alledgedly for promoting thuggery, it likely would have become the Jam's first top 10 hit in the UK.

Aside from Weller's markedly more mature and sophisticated songwriting, another key shift in the group's sound was introduced by Foxton's adoption of the Fender Precision Bass after the recording of "This Is The Modern World". [3] The P-Bass did not have the mod image of Bruce's old Rickenbacker, but it gave his melodic basslines a fuller, richer sound evocative of the most famous purveyor of the P-Bass, Motown's James Jamerson. A richer tone for Bruce was necessary for the group's progression as he carried the melody much of the time.

The Jam released their third LP, "All Mod Cons" in 1978. The band was able to disguise the arduous process of creating the album by including three previously released tracks among the twelve in total: "David Watts", "'A' Bomb In Wardour Street", and "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight". (It also contained two songs Polydor had previously rejected for single release, the manic "Billy Hunt" and the acoustic ballad "English Rose".) Despite having only nine all-new songs, "All Mod Cons" is considered by many to be the band's masterpiece.

Going Underground, and into the 80s (1979-1981)

After the successful non-LP singles "Strange Town" and "When You're Young", the band released "The Eton Rifles" in advance of their new album. It became their most successful single to date, peaking at #3 on the UK charts, their first Top Ten hit. November of 1979 brought about "Setting Sons", another massive U.K. hit, and their first chart position in the U.S., albeit at 137 on the Billboard 200. The album began life as a concept album about three childhood friends, though in the end many of the songs did not relate to this theme. Many of the songs had political overtones; "The Eton Rifles" was inspired by scuffles between demonstrators on the TUC's Right To Work March and pupils from Eton College; "Little Boy Soldiers" was an anti-war multi-movement piece in the vein of Ray Davies. Another notable song from the album was Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones," originally a b-side to "When You're Young". The song is almost unanimously considered to be his greatest contribution to the Jam; the song was given a complete makeover, including a strings arrangement, for the album release.

Early next year, The Jam's popularity would reach even greater heights upon the release of their first U.K. #1 hit, "Going Underground". Some sources dictate the single's success to be accidental, and that the song, a quintessential Jam track, was originally planned as the b-side to the psychedelic "The Dreams Of Children". This rumour remains unconfirmed.

1980 also introduced "Sound Affects" to the Jam's catalogue, a more straightforward release compared to the likes of "Setting Sons". Paul Weller said that he conceived the album as a hybrid of The Beatles "Revolver" and Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall". Indeed, most of the songs recall "Revolver" -era swirling psychedelia, such as "Monday", "Man In The Corner Shop", and the acoustic "That's Entertainment". Weller allegedly wrote "That's Entertainment", a bitter slice-of-life piece reflecting on the struggle of the British working class, in five minutes upon returning from a holiday. Despite being only available as an import single, it peaked at #21 on the UK charts, an unprecedented feat. Although it lacks the "distinctive" Jam electric sound propelled by Rick Buckler's energetic drumming, it is now arguably The Jam's most noted song. Despite the group's lack of commercial success in America, the song even made American magazine Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. "Start!", released before the album, became another #1 single, with a bassline very reminiscent of The Beatles' "Revolver" cut "Taxman". Some contemporary American R&B influence, including Michael Jackson, show up in Buckler's driving beats that power the album (such as on "But I'm Different Now"), and most obviously in Foxton's funky bassline in "Pretty Green". They would soon bring the so-called "Brit-funk" sound to greater fruition. The album also reveals influences of post-punk groups such as Wire, XTC, Joy Division, and Gang Of Four. The album was a #2 hit in the UK and peaked at #72 on the US Billboard charts, their most successful American album.

Most fans and critics alike consider the trio of "All Mod Cons", "Setting Sons", and "Sound Affects" to be the peak of the group's career.

The Gift, dissolution, and epilogue (1981-present)

Two non-LP singles, "Funeral Pyre" and "Absolute Beginners", abandoned the psychedelic pop of "Sound Affects" for a more R&B-flavored sound. "Funeral Pyre" is built around Buckler's drumming, a militaristic tattoo on full fire throughout the entire song, one of the darkest in the band's career with its eerie bassline and chorus of "The weak get crushed as the strong grow stronger!" It is the only song in the group's catalogue which carries a joint Buckler/Foxton/Weller writing credit aside from the instrumental "Sound Affects" track "Music For The Last Couple". ("Funeral Pyre" and "Music For The Last Couple" are also the only songs on which Buckler receives any writing credit whatsoever.) "Absolute Beginners", named for a cult novel about the late '50s swingin' London scene, was a punchier effort festooned with bouncy horns. Although a commercial success, it is not considered one of Weller's strongest efforts, and it is apparently one of Weller's least favourite Jam songs since the days of "This Is The Modern World".

1982's "The Gift", the group's last LP, was another massive commercial success, peaking at #1 on the UK charts. Some critics were not fully supportive of the Jam's new direction, and those that were did not find the album to be consistent. Coming full-circle to their R&B roots, The Jam produce several soul, funk, and R&B-stylized songs on "The Gift", most notably the #1 hit "Town Called Malice," with a Motown-style bassline somewhat reminiscent of The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". "Town Called Malice", another slice-of-life tale of trying to keep joyful in a small, downtrodden English town, is one of Weller's most favoured songs among fans and critics alike, and one of the few Jam songs he performs to this day (along with "That's Entertainment", "Man In The Corner Shop", and "In The Crowd").

After the sugary soul ballad "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)" peaked at #2, the band followed with yet another #1, "Beat Surrender". After a farewell tour of the UK, the band broke up.

Weller, who felt he had done all he could with the Jam, formed The Style Council with Mick Talbot of The Merton Parkas. While The Style Council, a sophisti-pop group relying heavily on synthesized instrumentation, produced some U.K. Top 10 hits early in their career, they did not become nearly as popular as the Jam had been and eventually fell out of commercial and critical favour in the late '80s, to the point where they lost their record deal and broke up. Weller then went on to pursue a solo career; the albums from this period are said to be among the first britpop recordings; the "Modfather," as he had come to be known, also played lead guitar on Oasis' "Champagne Supernova".

Bruce Foxton was for a short time, in 1983, involved in a band with Jake Burns and Dolphin Taylor, which released several demos, however Arista Records offered him a solo deal and he signed up for a solo album, Touch Sensitive, released in 1984. The album didn't do well, and he ended up taking jobs just to keep his hand in. When Ali McMordie left Stiff Little Fingers, shortly before they were due to go on tour, Jake Burns phoned Foxton offering him the job, which he duly took, and continued with the band until January 2006, when he quit to pursue other projects.

Rick Buckler played for a while with Time UK, then, for twelve years had a successful business as a furniture restorer. However he returned to the stage in September 2005 with his band ’The Gift’. Featuring ex Maximum High musicians Russell Hastings (vocals/guitar) and bassist Dave Moore, the band have been showcasing Jam songs, some of which haven't been played live in a quarter of a century, enabling the group to establish themselves within the live circuit, and allowing them to hone their skills as a collective group.

The Jams critical and popular stature has not diminished over time. A five-disc box set release, "Direction Reaction Creation", featuring all of the group's studio material plus a disc of rarities, peaked at #8 on the UK album charts upon its release in 1997, an unprecedented achievement for a box set. In 2002, Virgin Radio counted down the top 100 British Artists of all-time as polled by listeners; The Jam were #5 on the list. Paul Weller made two other appearances in the poll: as part of The Style Council at #93 and as a solo artist at #21. [4] Though many fans hope for a Jam reunion, that prospect is extremely unlikely. As their history stands now, however, the group was a commercial success from their first record to their last, breaking up at the peak of their popularity.

In a 2006 interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Weller stated that a Jam reunion would "never, ever happen", and that reformations are "sad". He went on to say "Me and my children would have to be destitute and starving in the gutter before I'd even consider that, and I don't think that'll happen anyway ... [the Jam's music] still means something to people and a lot of that's because we stopped at the right time, it didn't go on and become embarrassing." [5]

Quotations

Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight,
Two lovers missing the tranquillity of solitude.
Getting a cab and travelling on buses,
Reading the graffiti about slashed seat affairs:
That's entertainment.

- From "That's Entertainment" (1980)

Saturdays kids play one-armed bandits,
They never win but that's not the point is it?

- From "Saturday's Kids" (1979)

I first felt a fist, and then a kick
I could now smell their breath
They smelt of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs
And too many right wing meetings

- From "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" (1978)

The public gets what the public wants
But I want nothing this society’s got

- From "Going Underground" (1980)

Those baying sheep on the TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream.

- From "Going Underground" (1980)

Personnel

Paul Weller - lead vocals, guitar
Bruce Foxton - backing vocals, bass guitar
Rick Buckler - drums, percussion

Discography

Albums

Studio

In The City - (1977) #20 UK
This Is The Modern World - (1977) #22 UK
All Mod Cons - (1978) #6 UK
Setting Sons - (1979) #4 UK, #137 US
Sound Affects - (1980) #2 UK, #72 US
The Gift - (1982) #1 UK, #82 US

US EP's

The Jam EP - 1981, #176 US
The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow) EP - 1982, #135 US
Beat Surrender EP - 1983, #171 US

(Note: EP's are ranked on the Billboard album chart, not the singles chart.)

Notable songs

"In The City"
"The Modern World"
"To Be Someone (Didn't We Have A Nice Time)"
"'A' Bomb In Wardour Street"
"Down In The Tube Station At Midnight"
"Strange Town"
"The Butterfly Collector"
"When You're Young"
"The Eton Rifles"
"Going Underground"
"Start!"
"That's Entertainment"
"Man In The Corner Shop"
"Town Called Malice"
"Beat Surrender"