History: In 1972, Paul Weller formed The Jam with some friends from Sheerwater Secondary School in Surrey, England. Over the next five years the band garnered some attention, quickly becoming one of the highlights of the then thriving British Punk scene. But two things set these hip Mod Revivalists from the rest of their rebellious contemporaries: 1) Their dress/look: clean tailored suits and ties ( a far cry from tattered jeans, chains, and safety pins) and 2) their musicianship (most punkers couldn't play!). In 1977, they released the classic
In the City, with great success in the UK. They then gave us five more solid years of passionate rockers, slow, sensitive ballads, and influential hooks, before they called it quits in 1982.
Years Active: 1972- 1982
Line-Up:
Paul Weller- Vocals, guitar
Bruce Foxton- Bass
Rick Buckler- Drums
Genre: Punk Rock, Mod Revival, Power Pop, New Wave, Rock and Roll, Pop Punk
Top Album: In the City (1977)
Top Songs:
"In the City"
"Slow Down"
" Batman Theme"
"The Modern World"
"All Mod Cons"
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight"
"Start!"
"That's Entertainment"
"Butterfly Collector"
"Beat Surrender"
"Precious"
"Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?"
"Town Called Malice"
"All Around the World"
"Going Underground"
"The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)"
Label: Polydor
Influences: The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, R & B, Beat Music, Motown, Soul, The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Michael Jackson, Joy Division, Wire, and others.
Influenced: Oasis, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Police, Arctic Monkeys, and The Libertines (the last two I suspect were influenced!).
Grade: A-
