I'm Heavy Duty!

• Artist: The Jam
• Title: The Gift
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy, Mary (two copies)
• Acquired: I can’t remember
• Keeper: Yes

“Now for those of you watching in black and white…
This one is in Technicolor.”

Those are the barely audible words spoken by Paul Weller that kick-off this brilliant record. I’ve listened to The Gift, all 32 glorious minutes of it, at least five times in the last 24 hours. That’s probably only half as much as I listened to it when I was 15. I bought it as soon as it was released. This was their last album and their biggest hit, at least in the UK. Some fans and critics didn’t dig it, but whatever, this one is probably my favorite. “Inconsistent”? That’s crazy. Every song is great. After a couple hundred listens you’ll agree, if you don’t already.

I use to blast this in my bedroom using the speakers and wearing my headphones at the same time while playing along on my old Ludwig drum kit. It was like I was swimming in the music. What a great feeling, and this is a perfect album for a drummer, with a lot of fast songs, fills, breaks and bashing cymbals. And drummer Rick Buckler even looks the coolest on the album cover (on the left). The drummer boy in me likes the instrumental “Circus” the best, but as I said before all the songs are great. Other favorites include “Happy Together”, “Ghosts”, Precious”, “Trans-Global Express”, “Town Called Malice”, “The Gift”, and the few I left out. We have two copies and we’re keeping both.

Long live The Jam!

• Artist: The Jam
• Title: This is the Modern World
• Year: 1977
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Mary? Tracy?
• Acquired: ?
• Keeper: Yes

I’ve been busy making the doughnuts so it’s taken me a while to give this record a proper listen. And The Jam’s This is the Modern World deserves a proper listen, or a few. You get your money’s worth with a total of 13 songs. All of them are exquisitely naked, mod, and short. There’s only one song over three minutes, and there’s one cover, a mod-punked out version of Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour.” Looks like I disagree with The Jam critics, historians and maybe even Paul Weller himself, again.

Back to the doughnuts. Who wants one?

• Artist: The Jam
• Title: Setting Sons
• Year: 1979
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1986? Used at Plan 9?

I don’t care what the critics say, this is not my favorite record by The Jam. Setting Sons has some excellent songs, but overall it just seems a little flat. I’m hoping we have things out of order in the collection because the three albums before this are fantastic. They must be in there somewhere. After doing some reading I was surprised to see they charted in the US with this one, for the first time.

My favorite song is the last one, “Wasteland.” I’m a sucker for the recorder or flute in rock, think The Troggs not Jethro Tull. Wikipedia lists the side two songs first, but don’t believe them, believe me! I’m looking at it right now and “Wasteland” is last.

Read more about The Jam, and Setting Sons.