The Peddlers-Tell The World We're Not In

THE PEDDLERS-Tell The World We're Not In/Rainy Day In London U.K. Phillips 6006 034 1970

Shortly before the holidays I watched this creepy but great "Swingin' London" style film called "Goodbye Gemini", though it was from 1970 it still had a 60's feel to it and I highly recommend it.  It starred Judy Geeson and the cat with the funky sideboards from "The Prisoner" (the late Alexis Kanner who still had the funky looking chops in this film) and sits well alongside other controversial period pieces like 'The Killing of Sister George".  The track of the opening credits was immediately unmistakably The Peddlers called "Tell The World We're Not In".

The Peddlers were a jazzy U.K. trio comprised of Ray Phillips (lead vocals/keyboards), Tab Martin (bass) and Trevor Morais (drums, ex of Liverpool's Faron's Flamingo's) who had an extensive recording history starting in 1964 and running well into the 70's.

The Peddlers interestingly appear to have had their first four (U.K.) singles on Phillips, then cut six for CBS before reverting back to Phillips for today's subject released in July 1970.  "Tell The World We're Not In" is by far in my book the grooviest thing they ever did.  A lot of their 45's (especially the ones I own on CBS) have a loungey feel, and not really in a good way, like they'd have been suited for the house band at some kitschy London night spot like the Talk of The Town (though truthfully they'd had a residency at Scotch of st. James).  "Tell The World.." is driven by some funky Hammond action and Phillip's distinct vocal style .  My copy contains a horn section solo that I've not heard on any other versions that have popped up with adds a nice feel to it.

On the flip we have a somber but groovy Hammond instrumental penned by Ray Phillips called "Rainy Day In London" that reminds me of some of the more atmospheric organ tracks Roy Budd did for the "Get Carter" soundtrack.

Sadly I've not been able to find either track anywhere on reissue as all Peddler's retrospectives seem to dwell exclusively on their CBS material!! There was however this great clip of them on TV performing it in glorious color with Ray Phliips looking like a Eugene Levy "SCTV" character but unfortunately it's been yanked!

Hear "Tell The World We're Not In":

https://youtu.be/OyzZV-vpGGI?si=lW17FHkjf_6JIXE_

Hear "Rainy Day In London":

https://youtu.be/dm3fC_oykXI?si=MwGRSz6MdWz04Chy

Censored In America: The Who's "Substitute"

THE WHO-Substitute/Waltz For A Pig U.S. Atco 6509 1966

Not too many British bands in the 60's had their lyrics altered on vinyl to suit American consumers. The Who might well have been the first!

"Substitute" was the band's fourth single, released in the U.K. on Robert Stigwood's Reaction (591001 March 1966) label after litigation with producer Shel Talmy and their break with Decca's Brunswick subsidiary.  There was considerable uproar when the band originally issued the 45 with the Talmy produced "Circles" on the B-side, it was withdrawn, reissued with "Instant Party" (a reworking of "Circles" that also cropped up on the U.S. issue of  their "My Generation" LP) only to see that cancelled and finally issued with an interesting number called "Waltz For A Pig" on the flip side credited to "The Who Orchestra" (more on that in a bit).

The American issue one month later was prepared for a one off on Atco as their legal troubles in the U.K. with Brunswick also carried over to their issues with U.S. Decca (with whom they'd released three 45's with from Brunswick material).  However the folks at Atco took exception to the line "I look all white but my dad was black" and the band knuckled under and re-recorded it with a new verse "I try going forward but my feet walk back". Little bother as it'd be another year or so until "I Can See For Miles" firmly catapulted The Who into America's charts for the first time.

On the flip The Graham Bond Organization (managed by Robert Stigwood) provided a Ginger Baker penned dirge called "Waltz For A Pig" (songwriting credits were "Butcher". Baker, get it?).  In addition to Graham Bond on organ and Baker on drums stalwart member Dick Heckstall Smith played sax and trumpet was played by Mike Falana. In the 2006 Cream documentary "Cream:Classic Artists" Baker volunteers that he got £2,000.00 for selling the tune to The Who and spent it on a brand new Rover 2000. For years the track was a mystery to my friends and I as it graced many a Who bootleg in the 80's, though it's horns made it feasibly sound like a demented Entwistle number!!

Hear the U.S. 45 version of "Substitute":

http://youtu.be/XYaoplo-lIc

Hear "Waltz For A Pig":

http://youtu.be/x9SVdOuBE8o

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: Sight And Sound

SIGHT AND SOUND-Alley, Alley/Little Jackie Monday U.S. Fontana F-1648 1969

Best known to folks as the previous band of Rick Price before he joined The Move as their bassist in February 1969, Sight And Sound where a Birmingham four piece who specialized in four part harmonies and (unfortunately) the whole chicken in a basket comedy/panto type thing. You can read more about them on Rick Price's website here.

The band had previously cut a band original called "Ebenezer" b/w a version of "Our Love Is In The Pocket"  (also part of the Move's early set as a five piece) on Fontana in the U.K. (TF 927 in April '68) before releasing this single on home turf in November '68 (TF 982).  Both sides are credited to Price and one "Tyler".  According to his blog Price says both sides were written with Mike Sherdian (famous for his time spent with The Nightriders, whom you can read more about here and here) Mike's real last name Michael Tyler. It gained a U.S. release nearly half a year later in May of 1969 (by which time Price was playing bass in The Move!!).

"Alley Alley" is a stomping good track.  It has an almost proto "Bubblegum glam" feel (in fact it might not be out of place on one of those "Junk Shop Glam" CD comps if it were a tad more rocked out) to it but the driving beat and precision harmonies remind me of The Tremeloes on one of their insane B-sides (ie "Let Your Hair Hang Down") or The Fortunes on say, "The Idol".  "Little jackie Monday" is equally Bubblegummy but not nearly as rocking, still good stuff though.

 Price hooked up with Mike Sheridan again to record a brilliant single as "Sheridan And Rick Price"  that coupled "Sometimes I Wonder" b/w a number The Move also did called "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" (more on that one in the future I promise) and an equally interesting LP "This Is To Certify" on President records in 1970.

"Alley Alley" can be found on the "Piccadilly Sunshine Part Five" CD comp (also available for download via iTunes) and "Little Jackie Monday" was comped on "Fairytales Can Come True Volume Three: Let's Ride".

Let's Talk About Girls

Avoiding the usual (Dusty, Cilla, Petula, Marianne, Jools, Sandie and Lulu) U.K. 60's female vocalists I decided it was time to write about something from Britian in the 60's that was not so male-centric.  It was tough just narrowing it down to ten, but I managed, somehow. All tracks are U.K. 45 releases.  Enjoy.

1. TAMMY ST. JOHN-"Dark Shadows And Empty Hallways" Pye 7N 15948 1965
F*ck this is the stuff!  Powerful.  Hands down the best "loss of love" tune EVER written. Tammy St. John's got pipes!  And the arrangement and lyrics will make the hairs on your neck stand on end, especially when it all slows down Spectoresque style with just bass drums and piano and she croons "and if you see my baby just tell him there ain't no rainbows for me, and if you talk to my baby just tell him I'm as blue as can I be. How can I make tomorrow when I can't bear to live through today....".  Woah, and dig this, she was only 14 when she cut this monster! The band Saint Etienne later resurrected it for their  various artists CD comp "Songs For Mario's Cafe", or so I read on another blog.

Hear it on:
"Here Come The Girls: British Girl Singers Of The Sixties" (Sequel) and "Songs For Mario's Cafe" (Sanctuary).

http://youtu.be/7nCMfoefQBY

2. TONI DALY-"Like The Big Man Said" Columbia DB 8043 1966
Toni Daly was born Marie Antoinette Dally and like many other U.K. female 60's vocalists bounced around a lot of labels cutting one for Decca and five for Piccadilly as "Antoinette". Long before Rhoda Dakar and The Special AKA's chilling "The Boiler" came this equally creepy number (minus the blood curdling screams thank god) about a girl who goes to the big city, gets pulled by a guy claiming to make him a star and who thankfully escapes the casting couch by the skin of her teeth, dignity intact.  Quite gritty for 1966.

Hear it on:
"Take My Tip: 25 British Mod Artefacts From The EMI Vaults" (Zonophone)

http://youtu.be/8zfDnhRsRww

3. ANITA HARRIS-"Something Must Be Done" Pye 7N 17069 1966
One of my fave 60's British female vocalists, Anita Harris is fairly schmaltzy but given a decent track can pull off some amazing results.  "Something Must Be Done" is soulful, brassy and powerful.  Harris voice is strong and the production is stellar (as is the arragement by David Whitaker). Sadly like most soulful U.K. 60's sides it's been picked up by the "Northern" scene which has made this one quite rare.

Hear it on:
"Here Come The Girls: British Girl Singers Of The Sixties" (Sequel)

http://youtu.be/KyhLetS6V-Q

4. MALLY PAGE-"The Life And Soul Of The Party" Pye 7N 17105 1966
I actually prefer Petula Clark's version of this (released just one month later) but the track itself is such an amazing tune (written and produced by Tony Hatch) with some great hooks and slick production.  This version by Mally Page was, as far as I can tell, her one and only release and sadly sank without a trace!

Hear it on:
"Here Come the Girls Six" (Sequel)

http://youtu.be/u-Ei63vTevc

Dana Gillespie

5. DANA GILLESPIE-"You Just Gotta Know My Mind" Decca F 12847 1968
It's hard to believe this rocking  number was from 1968 AND written by Donovan, it easily could've been from '64 or '65 (which was what I'd thought the first time I'd heard it)! Dana Gillespie had a  few of 45's for Pye and been a cohort of  David Bowie in '64-'65 before this one off for Decca (who also released two LP's by her in '67 and '68 respectively) which needs investigating if you like a jolting girl sung 60's number. She later went on the become one of the many Bowie associated acts on the short lived Mainman roster in the 70's run by the Dame's then manager Tony DeFries.

Hear it on:
"Decca Originals:The Girl's Scene" (Deram) and as a bonus cut on the CD reissue of her LP "Foolish Seasons" (Rev-ola).

http://youtu.be/1a45Mi4waCk

6. BEVERLEY-"Happy New Year" Deram DM 101 1966
Beverley has had an interesting run.  She'd already cut "Babe I'm Leaving You" with the Levee Breakers for Parlophone in '65 before going solo with this number by the yet unknown songwriter Randy Newman, which was also the very first release of our favorite label, Deram. It's cynical sounding and defies the genre stereotype! Allegedly she had dated Donovan and was wooed away by Paul Simon during his brief U.K. visit in '65 when Simon and Garfunkel were "broken up" (that's her saying "Good morning Mr. Leitch have you had a busy day" on the duo's later track "Fakin' It"). She later married John Martyn and cut a slew of records with him. Her cynical but powerful "Happy New Year" has the distinction of being one of the earliest British takes on a Randy Newman composition and the very first record released by Deram on September 30, 1966.

Hear it on:
"On Vine Street The Early Songs Of Randy Newman" (Ace)

http://youtu.be/5Iss5XFqP-c

7. ALMA COOGAN-"Snakes And Snails" Columbia DB 7652 1965
Aka "Snakes, Snails And Puppydog Tails" (on demo copies anyway) old school "establishment" vocalist Coogan got "with it" and cut this rocking 45 written and produced by Searchers wild man Chris Curtis (you can suss his story by clicking here).  The tune shakes off any notion of the late Ms. Coogan being a chicken in the basket style entertainer as she really lets loose helped in no small part by the team of crack session men assembled by Curtis to cut the record. Whether braggadocio or a flight of fancy Curtis claimed in an interview with "Record Collector" that he assembled Bobby Ore (drums), John Paul Jones (bass), Jimmy Page, Joe Moretti and Vic Flick (guitars) and Dusty Springfield, Doris Troy and Rosetta Hightower (backing vocals) for the session.  I've listened to this number a hundred times after reading that and I'm still no closer to hearing three different guitars or Dusty or Doris! A little over a year later (October 26, 1966 to be precise) she sadly was dead from ovarian cancer at the age of just 34 year old.

Hear it on:
"New Rubble Volume Five: Scratch My Back" (Past And Present)

http://youtu.be/z4zVNC5UF7w

8. VASHTI-"Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind" Decca F 12157 1965
Still smarting from the "loss" of Marianne Faithful to serious A&R man Mike Leander (whom Decca felt would give them more bang for her buck and possibly her unwillingness to play his wet dream fantasy) Andrew Loog Oldhman set about to find himself a new lump of clay. The strangely named Vashti Bunyan was next in the line of Oldham protegees who recorded Jagger/Richards tracks. Her ethereal voice is ideally suited for this number (with stellar arrangement by David Whittaker) though as usual A.L.O. gets "production" credits. But we know what that's worth. She later established a career of her own without A.L.O. and after disappearing for several decades is back on the folk scene.

Hear it on:
"Decca Originals:The Girl's Scene" (Deram)

https://youtu.be/7J-wKhMKyRY?si=etyafBkDvuF2Yi_c

Louise Cordet

9. LOUISE CORDET-"Two Lovers" Decca F 11857 1964
Daughter of a WW II Free French air force pilot and a Greek actress and Prince Phillip's goddaughter bilingual Cordet scored a Top Twenty (#13) hit in '62 with her Tony Meehan written and produced number "I'm Just A Baby". She released a slew of Decca 45's, the best being this one (and her last one), a cover of the Mary Wells track with some tasty guitar licks sounding much like the style of session man Jimmy Page found on the flip of a version of "Don't Make Me Over". Previously she also had the distinction of having a custom written tune drafted for her by Gerry Marsden called "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" (Decca F11824).  Of course Gerry and Co. had second thoughts about sharing it exclusively and the version by Louise came and went, like her career after this record.

Hear it on:
"Decca Originals:The Girl's Scene" (Deram)

http://youtu.be/2XKXhYmNzYQ

Janie (left) and sister Valerie Mitchell take the girls out for some air. 1964 "London In The Raw" film premiere

10. JANIE JONES-"Witches Brew" HMV POP 1495 1965
Most of you know this ladies name, if only because the Clash wrote a song with it in the title (they actually backed her in '83 as "The Lash" for a 45 on Big Beat, Joe Strummer wrote the A-side and produced both sides). Janie Jones would've been a Twitter sensation if the technology existed in the 60's/70's. In '64 she and her sister showed up with their racks out at a film premiere (see above) that got their collars felt for an indecency charge (later dropped) and two years later she beat the rap on a blackmail charge. 1967 saw her get shopped for running a brothel (not guilty your honor, acquitted). In 1974 she got busted for being a madame again (guilty!) and later spilled the beans on a Radio One payola scandal (AND crossing paths with Moors murderess Myra Hydley while doing time for the former). Yes she had quite the life, but what about the music?  She cut two singles for HMV (this being her first), then one a piece for Columbia, Major Minor and Pye in the 60's  before one last ditch in 1970 on President. This tune would've been perfect for a Joe Meek production. The person who uploaded this tune to YouTube aptly described it as "One of those tracks that is so bad, it's actually quite brilliant". I agree.

Hear it on:
"We're In Love With The World Of Janie Jones!:The Sex, The Scandals, The Singles Collection!" (RPM)

http://youtu.be/ELyumJzgOxs

I am gratefully indebted to the 90's girl group/singer fanzine "That Will Never Happen Again" for information that assisted me in preparing this post.

Through Kaleidoscope Eyes:Tambourine Days: The Definitive Story Of Kaleidoscope And Fairfield Parlour-by Peter Daltrey

"Tambourine Days: The Definitive Story Of Kaleidoscope And Fairfield Parlour"-by Peter Daltrey

Kaleidoscope, the U.K. variety, have long been one of my favorite British 60's psychedelic bands ever since "A Dream For Julie" and "Flight from Ashiya" first sprang from the grooves of Bam Caruso's "The 49 Minute Technicolor Dream" in 1985. The band amassed 5 singles and two LP's before becoming Fairfield Parlour and releasing two singles (one under the moniker of "I Luv Wight"), one LP and one E.P. Their debut LP "Tangerine Dream" ranks up their with "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" and Caravan's eponymous debut as one of my favorite U.K. psych albums of all time.  When I discovered that their lead singer Peter Daltrey had penned a book chronicling his career I jumped at it.  Perhaps too quickly.

He was a mod before you was a mod:Peter Daltrey 1965

With that said the band's lead singer (and co author of all of their tunes with guitarist Eddie Pumer) has quite a tale to tell based on the band's career (which began in 1964 as The Sidekicks and then The Key who in turn became Kaleidoscope).  My first complaint is the book is rather slim.  My second is that the photo reproduction quality in several, if not half of the photos is atrocious, as if they'd been plucked (pixelated) from thumbnails on the web. I'm sorry but  $37.17 (actually I just checked my credit card statement and it cost $48.50 with shipping) for a soft covered 6" x 9" book is enough with high quality photos, but with these poor reproductions, well the book would have been better served without them.

Bitching and gripes out of the way (not yet) I liked Daltrey's writing style but feel I'm no closer to learning more about Kaleidoscope than I was before I read an interview with him in a zine 20 years ago (was it "Bucket Full Of Brains"?) where he divulged that all their whimsical psych tracks were composed not on L.S.D., but in the guitarists bedroom after a bit of Chinese and copious amounts of cheap red Spanish plonk! Initially I was blown away but it seems that the period leading from their debut 45 "Flight From Ashiya" to the LP "Faintly Blowing" lasted but a few pages. Fairfield Parlour receive just a bit more space than Kaleidoscope, but then it's downhill for me. In fact at least a quarter of the book is devoted to listing his discography (he has evidently been quite prolific as a solo artist these past 15 years).

The book's numerous appendixes (including an essay on their day trip to France to mime "Flight From Ashiya" and "Holidaymaker" on TV among them and a touching piece on the funeral of bassist Steve Clark, tragically run down and killed on Chelsea Bridge in 1999) make up for the brevity I guess and there's a few interviews with Daltrey (obviously conducted via e-mail or mail) but I'm left feeling that for my money I really didn't get what I paid for. Maybe I'm still in a state of euphoria after reading the amazingly well put together Action book., maybe I'm just old and grumpy.  Or maybe, I'm just a consumer who when paying a large price for something so small, expects great things from it.
Interested parties can order the book direct like I did from here.

The Old Mods Long Awaited Story: The Action "In The Lap Of The Mods" Reviewed

I've been long excited about The Action's "In The Lap Of The Mods" book like it was the second coming.  The Action, along with The Small Faces, The Kinks and David Bowie are my favorite 60's artists.  From their first single as The Boys all the way down to the material cut before they became Mighty Baby (released in the 80's on a mini LP "Speak Louder Than") and even lead singer Reg King's 1971 solo LP I'm all on board as a one man American cheering section. I'm still, 18 years later, slowly wrapping my head around Mighty Baby.

Authored by original 60's Action fans (the late)  Ian Hebditch and his partner Jane Shepherd, it's a solid pleasure from cover to cover. They have done the unimaginable. It is without a doubt the best book I have ever read on a band (coming in just ahead of "Any Day Now: David Bowie The London Years 1947-1974").  No fact or anecdote is left behind.  With input/quotes from all band members, their associates, fans and friends (with a forewords by Sir George Martin who produced all 5 of their Parlophone singles and uber Action fan Phil Collins) there's no shortage of facts or information lacking here at all.

I sprung for the deluxe edition that came in a  slip cover/box with a extra magazine sized book titled "Where The Action Is: Your Chance To Catch The Unbelievable Action" (a day by day account of their gig/recording and TV appearance history chock full of news clippings and 45 label/sleeve scans) and a facsimile one sided acetate of their 1965 Decca audition disc, a cover of The Temptations "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)".

I learned a lot about the band's history in reading it, if you're an Action freak like me you might find these little facts interesting:

*Lead guitarist Pete Watson played on the band's first single as "The Boys" and was in the band for most of their career. Previous reports had him joining shortly before they became The Action.

*The Boys, NOT The Action, supported The Who during their Tuesday night Marquee Club residency in 1965 and were eventually removed from the bill at the request of Who managers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert because they felt they were "upstaging" The Who.

*The Action gigged with David Bowie and The Buzz, The Syn, The Alan Bown Set, Bluesology, The Syn, The Byrds, The Attack, The Pretty Things, Dantalion's Chariot, The James Mean, The Mike Stuart Span, Timebox,  etc to name but a few!

* For their July 1966 "Ready Steady Go!" appearance  to promote "Baby You Got It" bassist Mike Evans and and drummer Roger Powell were tripping on L.S.D.

*A month after Reggie King left the band they recorded the five tracks released as "Speak Louder Than".

*The band only used the name "Azoth" for a week, switching back to the Action and then, eventually, Mighty Baby.

*The very last gig under The Action moniker was December 27, 1968 at the Oasis Club in Portsmouth.

* Our fave scribe here was the catalyst in the chain of events that led to the band's brief reformation in the late 90's.

I think one of my favorite parts of the book are the in depth looks at the 60's U.K. mod scene (with a particular perspective on the Birdcage, a club in Portsmouth where the band had a hard core mod following).  I especially enjoyed reading various perspectives from original 60's mods who's opinions are both varied and very strong on a variety of subjects included within.  For instance there is a great deal of varying opinions on The Small Faces, some feel they were mods, others feel they were "commercial mods".  The Action fall under similar varying opinions as well, to some the were a "band for mods", for others they were "mods in a band".  Regardless all concerned agree on one thing, live onstage, they were a force to be reckoned with. Oddly there was a great deal of belief that their singles did them no justice and that they were "softened" up to have commercial appeal.  Hmmm. To each his or her own I suppose!  There is also a great deal of attention paid to my favorite period where the band began looking towards "West Coast sounds" from late '66 onward till their metamorphosis into Might Baby. This is a period that has received scant notice in my 30+ year quest for Action information and it was fascinating to read about them. And for the completist there is a list of every song ever performed by the band live (both in the 60's and during their "reunion gigs in the late 90's)!

The book (both by itself or in deluxe edition format) can be ordered by going here, I suggest you do so post haste as the printing is limited to 400 copies.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: The Jam 30 Years Gone

I still can remember it like it was yesterday, 16 year old on a cold boring Friday night in November (or was it December?)stuck home with fuck all else to do laying on my bed staring at the ceiling with my local college radio station WPRB on and the DJ  remarks that he'd just read that Paul Weller announced that The Jam were splitting up.  I wish I could say I was gutted, but I wasn't.  I worshipped The Jam and in a way I wanted them to go on forever but I was honestly so far up my own ass in teen angst that their existence was almost superficial to me.  In retrospect it marked the last contemporary band I devoutly followed in my life. Maybe I was broken up, I honestly don't know, I was more concerned with the usual shit a 16 year old thinks about: chicks, getting into with their parents, hating school and nearly everybody there.

Looking back the post "Sound Affects" Jam wasn't my favorite period, it wasn't then and it still isn't. Honestly I had more important things to listen to in 1982.  I'd fully absorbed nearly all of the 60's tracks The Who had to offer and was buying Small Faces LP comps with a ridiculous practice of obtaining them for a few tracks I didn't have and 60's Bowie was just around the corner as was The pink Floyd and a more in depth look at The Kinks.  When I play "The Gift" or any of the band's output from 1982 I'm left cold about a lot of it, the horn section in my estimation was the first indication it was going horribly wrong.  Certainly there ARE exceptions, The Kink's-ish "Just Who Is the 5 O'clock Hero?", the moody jazziness of "Shopping" (my fave '82 Jam track) or "Running on The Spot". Bands are never the same when you start adding new members or augmenting existing ones. I recoiled in horror the first time I'd heard "Precious" on a black and purple striped 12" maxi single (now there's an 80's anachronism for you).  It was like Pigbag for god's sake.  And that awful dreadful soprano saxophone.  Augh. Maybe it's best The Jam split because well, god knows they'd have gone to record "Long Hot Summer".  I still have the greatest respect for Weller for just walking away from it all, the only way he could've done it better was if maybe he'd walked up to the beach after their final gig in Brighton and kicked his shoes off on the shingle and walked straight into the ocean leaving a pair of loafers behind as the band's legacy.  Of course I'm being dramatic and symbolic, I'm not honestly suggesting Weller should've topped himself but I think you get what I'm driving at.  When an artist ceases to truly be inspired by what they're doing you become Pete Townshend and play the same tired boring shit for 50 years to the numb and dumb. In a way Weller ensured that wasn't happening.  Think about it, The Beatles and The Jam are perhaps only the two hugely successful bands I enjoy who said 'No!" every time the dreaded "reunion" issue was brought up.  I think that in itself speaks for something.  That said it couldn't have been easy for Messrs. Foxton and Buckler to carry on the show after knowing a pink slip awaited them (as evidenced by the "T.O.T.P." clip below where they look well and truly pissed off as Weller practices his soul-less white boy dance moves looking naked without a Rickenbacker to hang onto).



For the past 30 years there's been that ugly topic of Jam reunions.  I think Paul fobbing off suggestions of a Jam reunion are funny given the fact that he was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" bashing out "Running On The spot" (the number the Jam opened with at the one and only gig I'd ever seen them do, Trenton War Memorial, May 1982) and peppers his sets with Jam tracks, but since he wrote all of them why the fuck not right?  For the longest time I was the world's biggest From The Jam basher. When they were due to come around I watched some live footage of them with some friends and we decided that for $17 it'd be worth it to check them out even if their lead singer is merely a first rate Paul Weller impersonator.  The tour was scrubbed though.....but I'm glad The Jam never reunited.  Band reunions are always spotty affairs that go go a variety of ways, all too often in a route that's not very positive. And I'm glad The Jam aren't on the list like that travesty out there now called The Zombies or one of those joke bands they never quit like the Rolling Stones.  I do feel for people who weren't old enough to see the real Jam or got into them too late or whatever the case may be but between Weller playing a set that's 10% Jam tunes and From The Jam playing at set that's 90% Jam tunes I think you can get an idea.  The Jam's break up wasn't the end of the world, it was a milestone in a way and a millstone for Paul Weller to shake.  Could The Jam have pulled off most of those early Style Council records? Indeed I'm certain, but I'm glad they didn't because I'll gladly take "Precious" (which I've kind of come to enjoy in bits...if I can blot out that Kenny G sax) any day over "The Money Go Round".

You can read about my Style Council experiences here and here and the most recent Weller gig I caught here.