Artist Playlists
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The Jam were the link between punk's anarchic energy and the rebellious cool of the original '60s Mod movement. Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton, and Rick Buckler looked as great as they sounded, bringing an all-important sense of style to the class of '77. By the time of their third album, All Mod Cons, Weller was proving himself as gifted a songwriter as his heroes Pete Townshend and Ray Davies. As the '80s began, an increasing fondness for vintage R&B was coloring The Jam's music. Wanting to move further in that direction, Weller disbanded The Jam in late 1982 to form The Style Council. - Although The Jam were often grouped with British punk, they were always a band apart. The trio's modish sense of style and Paul Weller's lyrics, as nostalgic as they were snotty, took as much from The Kinks and The Who as they did from the Sex Pistols. Their legacy has been a lasting one; The Jam are a favorite citation of Britpop acts like Oasis and Blur, as well as indie artists like Ted Leo.
- Ever the mod, Paul Weller's early influences came from fastidious taste. He took the satirical empathy of The Kinks and the sharp dynamics of The Who and the Small Faces—also absorbing their love of classic ‘60s soul—as the bedrock of his songwriting in The Jam. The band's punk aggression was a product of early exposure to both the Sex Pistols and their R&B godfathers, Dr. Feelgood.
- The Jam's album tracks are where their scathing social critiques such as “Mr. Clean” curdle into doomed introspection. Rooted in punk's street-level reality and the dynamics of ‘60s mod pop, “In the Crowd” and “Monday” are the sound of Paul Weller doomily gazing at everyday life, while on “Tales From the Riverbank” and “Life from a Window” he pushes on, losing himself in psychedelic reverie.