The Jam
Paul Weller - Guitars, Vocals
Bruce Foxton - Bass, Backing Vocals
Rick Buckler - Drums
Track Listing:
1. All Mod Cons
2. To Be Someone (Didn't We Have A Nice Time)
3. Mr. Clean
4. David Watts
5. English Rose
6. In The Crowd
7. Billy Hunt
8. It's Too Bad
9. Fly
10. The Place I Love
11. A Bomb In Wardour Street
12. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
Quote:
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"If only all albums were like this one." - Amazon.com
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After the poor sales of their second album "Modern World", The Jam had to produce an album to keep them on top. The band re-grouped and started work on "All Mod Cons". The rest is history.
This really is a timeless album that urges you to go back to it, time after time. All Mod Cons fully demonstrates Paul Wellers virtuoso songwriting skills, Foxtons influential bass playing and Buckler's rock solid drumming. The Jam were a band that were very different to the other Punk bands of the time. They weren't as intimidating as the The da
mned nor were they as aggressive as the Sex Pistols but the Jam provided something different to the 70's punk scene. I remember seeing an interview with Noel Gallacher and remember him describing The Jam as being the band all the guys who weren't into being like the Sex Pistols wanted to be.
Ok well Im rambling on a bit as usual so lets get to the songs -
1. All Mod Cons - Great intro to the album. A short song that remains very much the same throughout. A small bass solo from Foxton helps show his strong presence in the band.
4/5
2. To Be Someone(Didn't We Have a Nice Time) - First thing you notice is how Foxton has ripped of Paul McCartneys bass line to the Beatles song "Taxman". Never the less his bass playing on this track is superb, notebly the first interlude. This song is filled with great melodies and harmonies throughout and when the chorus chant of "But didn't we have a nice time" kicks in - you can't help but sing a long.
5/5
3. Mr. Clean - Just another great song! Wellers vocals swore through the track with great passion with Foxtons bass singing it's own melody. Fully demonstrates Wellers great song writing skills.
4/5
4. David Watts - A cover of the Kinks. Great vocal cross over and melodies. Scat singing also helps colour the song during the chorus. Another strong composition that betters the original.
4/5
5. English Rose - A truly beautiful acoustic piece.
5/5
6. In the Crowd - The longest song on the album although you don't notice as it seems to pass by very quickly. Smart lyrics by Weller mixed with nice guitar parts helps make another great song.
4/5
7. Billy Hunt - A more punky track that reminds me of "Going Undeground". The chorus is slightly tacky and repetitive although there is a slight hint of The Clash and The Buzzcocks. A decent track that fits into the album very nicely although lacks the strong melodies of the other tracks.
3/5
8. It's Too Bad - Great, meaningfull lyrics backed by the typical Jam melodies. A strong track that helps keep the album flowing and is a pleasure to listen to.
5/5
9. Fly - A much slower song that helps bring the tempo of the album down again. A nice song that begins to pick up as it goes on. Slight influence from the Who can be heard in the backing vocals. Nothing too exciting really about this song although is another great album track.
3/5
10. The Place I love - With a slight off beat feel to the intro, this song has a more cheerful presence. Again a good song that compliments the album nicely.
3/5
11. "A" Bomb in Wardour Street - Could pass as being a Clash song with it's definite riff and Wellers vocals resembling Strummers "rugged" style.
3/5
12. Down in the Tube Station At Midnight - An absolute classic track that is driven by Foxton's tremendous bass lines throughout. The song structure is very basic but that doesn't take anything away from the greatness of this song. The more you hear it the more you want to hear it. Superb song.
5/5
This is the Jam at their best. Everything about this album demands you to listen to it over and over. I can't see myself ever getting bored of this album. If you don't have it and you like any music from the 70's then this is for you. Calling this simply a punk album doesn't give All Mod Cons justice at all. There is a great mix of many different styles throughout which makes this recording an essential. Classic Masterpiece
5/5
