Did Weller hit his peak here?

lovestrat74 · May 2023

I used to listen to Stanley Road and Moseley Shoals back to back in my car on my way to work some time last century!

Admittedly, Oasis did figure, but not on the level of Weller and OCS. Both had more about them than the anthemic, terrace tunes coming out of Manchester imo.

Anyways... I listened to Stanley Road on my morning commute today... For me this album has stood the test of time. No fillers, just great songs. I think I stopped following Weller after Heliocentric, but was this his "finest hour" (Whirlpools End) ?

munckee · May 2023

Surely the Jam was his peak?

ICBM · May 2023

I’m probably in a small minority but I think the Style Council were as good as anything he’s done - OK the keyboardy lounge-pop arrangements sound a bit dated now, although also definitive of the mid-80s, to take the opposite view - but the songwriting is as strong as ever, maybe some of his best.

22 Dreams is probably my favourite of his solo albums, but Stanley Road is up there.

lustycourtier · May 2023

munckee said:

Surely the Jam was his peak?

The Style Council were much better than the jam, It just took me decades to realise it.

darthed1981 · May 2023

I know we are all supposed to love "studio albums" and so on, but really this compilation...

https://open.spotify.com/album/2qgyvODrXPODZphzwuvSOR?si=ZSVjguPiQAaTxecfgSokcQ

Wazmeister · May 2023

lustycourtier said:

munckee said:

Surely the Jam was his peak?

The Style Council were much better than the jam, It just took me decades to realise it.

Have a word...

Offset · May 2023

Wild Wood is the Weller album I remember most fondly, but Stanley Road is a belter. I was never a huge Jam fan oddly enough but they were the soundtrack to an important period in my life, so I remember them more affectionately than I liked them at the time.

LastMantra · May 2023

That's is my favourite weller era. Changing man, pebbles on a beach etc.

I don't think I know any style council. Think I was put off by the general image of the band.
Maybe I'll check them out. What's a good tune?
I know a few of the obvious jam tunes which I like but wouldn't go out my way to listen to.

I liked OCS.

lovestrat74 · May 2023

LastMantra said:

That's is my favourite weller era. Changing man, pebbles on a beach etc.

I don't think I know any style council. Think I was put off by the general image of the band.
Maybe I'll check them out. What's a good tune?
I know a few of the obvious jam tunes which I like but wouldn't go out my way to listen to.

I liked OCS.

LastMantra · May 2023

lovestrat74 said:

LastMantra said:

That's is my favourite weller era. Changing man, pebbles on a beach etc.

I don't think I know any style council. Think I was put off by the general image of the band.
Maybe I'll check them out. What's a good tune?
I know a few of the obvious jam tunes which I like but wouldn't go out my way to listen to.

I liked OCS.

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought. Not really my bag I'm afraid.

Thanks though.

LastMantra · May 2023

I can barely remember but I bet a few the jam fans were pretty shocked by the style council move.
Maybe that was the plan?

richman6100 · May 2023

It's hard to compare The Jam, The Style Council and Weller's solo work. They're very different. For me, The Jam will always be what I gravitate to because the band was a big part of my youth. All Mod Cons and Setting Sons remain my favourites, although I do like the other albums. Some of Weller's solo work is wonderful too, Wild Wood probably being the best and Stanley Road a close second. There have been a number of weaker albums though. The Style Council? Hmmm...some nice individual songs, but erring on the side of twee at times. I don't think the SC stuff has aged terribly well.

monquixote · May 2023

I think Weller hit the ground running and the Jam were brilliant from the start.

I first became aware of him around the time of Wildwood and I didn't realise he was the "Jam guy" for a while.

Getting into him correlates with my learning to play guitar and I used to really intently study his songs and marvel at how well written they were and want to emulate that style. Sunflower is still a go to riff for me if I pick up an SG.

Stanley Road is probably the better album, but Wildwood has more memories for me.

I think Heliocentric was the last album I rushed out and bought. In fairness I don't really listen to a lot of indie/Britpop type music these days so I couldn't say if that was due to his quality dipping or my interest in the genre.

Shrews · May 2023

Paul Weller peaked at All Mod Cons and slowly descended from there IMO

- In The City - 5/10
- This Is The Modern World - 6/10
- All Mod Cons 9.5/10
- Setting Sons 9/10
- Sound Affects 8/10
- The Gift 7/10

Style Council albums. I bought the first two but they were both 5/10 IMO. Lost interest after that. They had some decent singles though which is perhaps why I bought the second album expecting a similar standard but not hitting the spot.

I was disappointed with him after he left The Jam. I thought he might have gone on to progress when he became free of his Jam shackles, but I don't think that he did.

lovestrat74 · May 2023

Heavy Soul weren't bad either..

Shrews · May 2023

For anyone who likes The Jam, there is a programme tonight on Sky Arts about them at 11.40pm

The Story Of The Jam: About The Young Idea. (105mins).

maharg101 · May 2023

Picking up sticks

Specifically this live version, it transports me.

richman6100 · May 2023

Shrews said:

For anyone who likes The Jam, there is a programme tonight on Sky Arts about them at 11.40pm

The Story Of The Jam: About The Young Idea. (105mins).

Excellent. Thanks for the heads-up. :-)

mudslide73 · May 2023

Aside from the Jam I think those first two solo albums are his peak for me.

I like Stanley Road v much but I think my anticipation upon release made it very difficult not to be slightly disappointed.

Also Whirlpool's End sounds like Tin Soldier's dour young cousin imo - once I noticed I couldn't let it go. Apologies if this has a similar effect on you. (See 10538 Overture also).

Edit: I listened to Stanley Road on the way into work this morning and really enjoyed it. I'd completely forgotten about Out Of The Sinking and Time Passes.. and particularly enjoyed them. He really wears his Marriott and Faces influences on his sleeve and some of them were not apparent to me in 1995 - lots of Faces I hadn't noticed particularly.

Hattigol · May 2023

I named my company after WildWood but only because 'Stanley Road Legal' didn't have the same ring.

Stunning album and as much as I love him, yes, sadly it's been a slow but steady run downhill for him since then.

I think his solo stuff has much more depth than his Jam days personally. Each to their own eh...

MrSwanson · May 2023

Randomly appeared outside his house last week whilst visiting London, was a bit of a shock to see him in the garden

Koa · May 2023

He’s on a recent episode of Mastertapes on BBC Sounds, really interesting insight into his current thinking. He wrote some great songs on that old Ovation acoustic!

ElectricXII · May 2023

For me, Weller hit his peak with the This is the Modern World album, which is the only Jam album I still listen to. After 1977 he got a little too clever and knowing for me. I hated the Style Council, and I don't like much of his solo stuff.

I guess I'm not really a fan, but the first two Jam albums had all the raw excitement and energy a young would-be punk wanted, and that has stuck with me.

stevebrum · May 2023

I think he probably was peaking as a solo artist around this time. Heavy Soul was decent, Heliocentric mainly there and then the argument for a strong album gets harder. Illumination onwards I could probably cherry pick the good stuff and make 1 or 2 albums.

But, he’s still enjoying making music by all accounts and people listen and want to see him.

I also think he’s got to get kudos for successfully leading three separate bands, and quite different in style. Not many artists can compare with that.

Whilst I don’t listen to his newer stuff he was one of my favourite artists and an influence on my playing. He’s got a great voice, a decent guitarist and written some belting tunes. He’s also borrowed quite a few as well.

RocknRollDave · May 2023

Sound Affects was his peak.

Style Council had a few good tunes but overall were a bad idea from someone determined to show he was moving on.

Solo? Mostly leaves me cold. Even the songs I like - undeniably decent tunes - seem to have something about them that I don’t like, that I can’t quite put my finger on. His solo bands never seem inspired to me, either.

stickyfiddle · May 2023

I was maybe 13 when Stanley Road came out. It's his best work imo, but I would say that as I was 13...

Wazmeister · May 2023

After all these years, with a wide musical taste, The Jam are still no.1 for me...

Lyrically, I still think some of Weller's music is unsurpassed.

I was fortunate to see The Jam live 4 times... they remain one of the most amazing, spiritual experiences I've ever taken part in.

Weller's recent solo stuff can be an acquired taste, and I'm not super keen on some of it.

'True Meanings' (mainly acoustic) though is one of my favourites. There is some awesome stuff on this album...

Offset · May 2023

MrSwanson said:

Randomly appeared outside his house last week whilst visiting London, was a bit of a shock to see him in the garden

To what would you compare the state of his garden?

RocknRollDave · May 2023

Wazmeister said:

After all these years, with a wide musical taste, The Jam are still no.1 for me...

Lyrically, I still think some of Weller's music is unsurpassed.

I was fortunate to see The Jam live 4 times... they remain one of the most amazing, spiritual experiences I've ever taken part in.

Weller's recent solo stuff can be an acquired taste, and I'm not super keen on some of it.

'True Meanings' (mainly acoustic) though is one of my favourites. There is some awesome stuff on this album...

I am crazy jealous of anyone who saw The Jam live.
Fortunately, a large amount of their live career is documented with live albums and video footage.

Buckler and Foxton might have been the first rhythm section I noticed and listened to properly. I doubt I’ve heard many better in the intervening 40 or so years.

I don’t often listen to The Jam these days, but when I do, I’m still impressed by the power and the songwriting. You never forget your first love, eh?

ICBM · May 2023

RocknRollDave said:

Buckler and Foxton might have been the first rhythm section I noticed and listened to properly. I doubt I’ve heard many better in the intervening 40 or so years.

Foxton in particular is astounding, quite possibly the most underrated bass player ever, even though he's by no means unknown (if you see what I mean!). It's the bass that 'carries the tune' in most Jam songs - Weller plays mostly rhythmic parts and aggressive 'punctuation', and his voice is quite gruff, although he can certainly sing.

RocknRollDave · May 2023

ICBM said:

RocknRollDave said:

Buckler and Foxton might have been the first rhythm section I noticed and listened to properly. I doubt I’ve heard many better in the intervening 40 or so years.

Foxton in particular is astounding, quite possibly the most underrated bass player ever, even though he's by no means unknown (if you see what I mean!). It's the bass that 'carries the tune' in most Jam songs - Weller plays mostly rhythmic parts and aggressive 'punctuation', and his voice is quite gruff, although he can certainly sing.

Agreed. Was baffled by how much Foxton downplayed his own ability in a recent Guitarist interview. He said something like, “Anyone can play what I do.”

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