The Paul Weller Thread

not_the_dj · September 2014

Love the earlier solo stuff. Saw him live on the Stanley Road and Heavy Soul tours, both great gigs. Sort of lost interest after that, and I've never really given the Jam/Style Council a fair chance, I keep meaning too though.

Gassage · September 2014

@Iamnobody

Where does the following phrase come from?

Tea and toast by Calvin Most.

Gassage · September 2014

Wow

Gassage · September 2014

I know I'm commenting on my own post but that performance gave me goose bumps and tears. What a song, what a voice.

Truly one of my 8 desert island discs....

Iamnobody · September 2014

Gassage;351249" said:
@Iamnobody

Where does the following phrase come from?

Tea and toast by Calvin Most.

Sorry you've outJammed me!

usedtobe · September 2014

Iamnobody said:

...who doesn't own a copy of Stanley Road?!

Er, me..

Jam was one of my first gigs. Great band. Couldn't stand Style Council, and the solo stuff I've heard is ok-ish, imho..

edit: And I can't understand anyone fancying him - and the wife agrees!

Gassage · September 2014

Iamnobody said:

Gassage;351249" said:
@Iamnobody

Where does the following phrase come from?

Tea and toast by Calvin Most.
Sorry you've outJammed me!

Read All Mod Cons sleeve notes!!

Calvin Most was a runner at Polydor and Weller famously signs into hotels as "Calvin Most' to this day.

Iamnobody · September 2014

Gassage;351283" said:
Iamnobody said:

Gassage;351249" said:@Iamnobody

Where does the following phrase come from?

Tea and toast by Calvin Most.

Sorry you've outJammed me!

Read All Mod Cons sleeve notes!!

Calvin Most was a runner at Polydor and Weller famously signs into hotels as "Calvin Most' to this day.

Ah well - I've only got Setting Sons, Sound Affects, Wasteland, Compact Snap, at the BBC and Extras as standalone albums. Oh and a couple of live bootlegs.

The rest are on this...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0000076ET/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1410628525&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

So I've got everything but not necessarily in the right order.

Being a youth (or not born) when they charted I got into them late!

axisus · September 2014

I didn't like the Jam, didn't like the style council and didn't like his solo stuff. I thought weller was the most 'up himself' musician in the uk. But the years rolled by, and I finally realised that the jam were an amazing band, the style council were also superb (really feels like summer music to me) and his solo stuff was very good as well. So I gues you can count me as an admirer, if not quite a fan.

eventhelosers · September 2014

Sorry, I can't get on the weller love train. IMHO He's a serial plagiarist who hasn't contributed a single original idea in any of his music and is the musical equivalent of a tape worm. Professes to be a 'modernist' but has had both feet firmly rooted in the past throughout his career. His records are a bit like listening to the rutles but not as funny.

Iamnobody · September 2014

Go on - get on the love train. You can be middle carriage between Weller & Mick...

I was waiting for someone to play the plagiarist card.

I'm not going to try and defend it either - he's not afraid to borrow something and run with it. And most likely create a hit record!

But most artists borrow from their influences surely?

Wazmeister · September 2014

I think Ive seen every Weller Tour since 1980... An incredible, and in all reality, underrated artist...

You know, I'm one of these rare people these days who actually believe in God, and I can tell you - seeing The Jam live was one of the most amazing spiritual experiences I have ever encountered. All music is spiritual imho; but The Jam were incredible; truly life changing. I was very fortunate to see them 4 times live, and no other artist has ever come close..,

Incredible, passsionate, full of integrity, soulful, life shattering power.

Lyrically, one of the best songwriters ever. I still miss The Jam even now... Granted, we've had some leaner times as Weller fans recently - with some disappointing solo stuff....

None the less, that simple three piece band, made me think about life, love and belief at a young age. And that, is very powerful stuff. Three chords and the truth, as they say...

Don't forget you saw it here first...

richardhomer · September 2014

I can accept The Jam made music that reflected the time - though for all it's anger directed at the establishment, The Specials' Ghost Town encapsulated a whole period of history in one song....

The Style Council? Never got it at all....

Solo stuff has had its moments.

Now he strikes me as a man wearing a hair-style unbefitting his age.... He's starting to look a little embarrassing IMO.... He seems to be a permanent fixture on every series of 'Later' - and represents 'Dad Rock' to balance the newer acts....

Wazmeister · September 2014

eventhelosers said:

Sorry, I can't get on the weller love train. IMHO He's a serial plagiarist who hasn't contributed a single original idea in any of his music and is the musical equivalent of a tape worm. Professes to be a 'modernist' but has had both feet firmly rooted in the past throughout his career. His records are a bit like listening to the rutles but not as funny.

Each to his own my friend, and I understand that Weller's arrogance can promote such views....

Just for the record, 'modernist' refers to a rise in consciouness; and more important, the whole ethos of the 'Mod' movement - building something new, inspired by the past, full of soul and purpose, clean living under difficult circumstances...

For example, "what's the point is saying destroy... I want a new life for everywhere"

eventhelosers · September 2014

Iamnobody said:

Go on - get on the love train. You can be middle carriage between Weller & Mick...

I was waiting for someone to play the plagiarist card.

I'm not going to try and defend it either - he's not afraid to borrow something and run with it. And most likely create a hit record!

But most artists borrow from their influences surely?

Haha! I can't stand Mick Talbot either, met him once, introduced by a friend in common, and he was very rude for no apparent reason, so that's a definite no!

I agree that most artists do borrow from their influences but the truly talented ones bring something of their own to the party and integrate the two together to produce their own distinctive voice, David Bowie being a great example. Weller has never done anything other than wear his influences much too loudly and proudly on his sleeve so as to drown out the sound of whatever scrap of originality may be lurking beneath, which suggests to me that the scraps aren't that big.

As @Wazmeister says, each to his own. I'm sure I like lots of artists/bands that would draw similar criticisms from folks like myself. I was hugely surprised to find that I really like Florence and the Machine... Kate Bush wannabe anyone?

Just to respond to Wazmeister's comments on the Mod movement, perhaps Weller isn't a Mod after all as not much of that very eloquently put description applies to him, asides from the inspired by the past bit...

Gassage · September 2014

eventhelosers said:

Sorry, I can't get on the weller love train. IMHO He's a serial plagiarist who hasn't contributed a single original idea in any of his music and is the musical equivalent of a tape worm. Professes to be a 'modernist' but has had both feet firmly rooted in the past throughout his career. His records are a bit like listening to the rutles but not as funny.

I so disgree with you. Weller's early rebellious energy was as big as anything that came out of the punk/new wave era. he is a brilliant songwriter, both facets of songwriting.

He really is a crown jewel of British music, albeit an under-rated one.

EricTheWeary · September 2014

@richardhomer great article about the recording of Ghost Town http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov11/articles/classic-tracks-1111.htm . Interesting watching a documentary about Paul Weller how influenced he was by Dr Feelgood, a little link that never fell into place before I saw that. His fascination with the mod period came a bit later as I understand it. One of those people rather on the periphery of my musical interests usually but having played scooter rallies and mod nights in the last few years I've become more familiar. One of those people capable of writing great guitar based songs so he'll be enshrined in the outpourings of cover bands for evermore.

capo4th · September 2014

Brilliant artist always go and see him when he plays.

NervousJohn · September 2014

I'll just pop this here. Beware he's reaching Chuck Berry levels of out of tune-ness toward the end.

Iamnobody · September 2014

NervousJohn;351564" said:

Beware he's reaching Chuck Berry levels of out of tune-ness toward the end.

The plagiaristic bastard...

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

The Paul Weller Thread

Comments