40th Anniversary Scrapbook

On 11^th December 2022 it was 40 years since The Jam took their final bows at the Brighton Conference Centre, leaving an army of fans devastated. The curtains may have long since closed on The Jam’s short but incredible career, but the memories will never fade. To mark this milestone event I have compiled my fifth online “scrapbook”. I hope you will enjoy reading.

To kick start things I want to take you back to the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington during the very early days of punk. The Jam were a band very few people were aware of and even fewer had witnessed live on stage. One person who does not fit into either of those categories is Adrian Fox. 

Before handing over to Adrian to tell his amazing story I would like to share with you a little background about how we came to be introduced.

In my last scrapbook I included a piece about an excellent book called ‘Out Of Control’ written by Tony Beesley of Days Like Tomorrow books. I enjoyed the book so much that I was keen to buy a second from the wide array available online. When I became aware of a new title written by Adrian Fox, called ‘Through Onyx Voids’ I was keen to find out more. The idea was subtly given to my youngest son for a birthday gift idea and he took the hint!

The book includes some detailed accounts of Adrian’s experiences, when as a 16 year old he lived and breathed his way through the London punk rock explosion of 1976/77. If I tell you he was the drummer in Shane MacGowan’s first band - The Nipple Erectors - you get my drift as to how immersed in the scene he was! 

‘Through Onyx Voids’ takes the reader on a journey from start to finish. Interspersed with pages of Adrian’s poetry, it is the perfect mix of light and dark, made all the more of a legacy when you discover Adrian is going through the later stages of terminal cancer. It is a must read for anyone with an interest in punk/new wave music.

Whilst reading the book I was particularly mesmerised by the accounts of the times Adrian saw The Jam in their very early days. It was clear he was a big fan. As I was savouring every word it fleetingly crossed my mind that I wished I could ask him for more information for possible use in this blog.

Adrian as drummer in Shane MacGowan’s'
first band - the Nipple Erectors

It must have been telepathy or something like it, because days later Tony Beesley sent me a message asking how I felt about the idea of Adrian sharing via my blog certain parts of his story about The Jam there wasn’t sufficient space to include in his book. He put us in touch and here is the end result. 

It is a privilege for me to include such a detailed piece of music history.

GHOSTS FROM ANOTHER LONDON

Once upon a time, it meant everything to see live bands in the humblest of settings, going out for the night in search of the new and unexpected. Back in the late 1970's I was one of those adventurous teens, getting my pleasure, as others did, from embryonic groups without recording contracts. We would boldly set forth as relief in many cases from humdrum jobs, living for the night. Our soundtrack was a set of mysterious new sounds unknown at that point by wider society. It was not for us to be violent or otherwise predatory, but to experience the sheer enjoyment of bands who in some cases really were on their way to somewhere.

The Rochester Castle pub - home
to some of the earliest punk gigs

As a 16 year old shop assistant from Ilford, Essex, The Jam were one such band I often wanted to see.  In the Autumn and Winter of 1976, during the earliest nights of the Punk Rock explosion, they were already viewed as figureheads and leaders.

The first time I ever saw The Jam was at The

Rochester Castle pub, Stoke Newington, for the princely sum of 60p. I paid this paltry fee upon entry to the pub, and received a very basic stamp on the hand, in return for my investment. The Jam were an as yet unknown group, but they formed part of the bill. 

On this particular night, I had no clue what The Jam would be like, but can only say on first experiencing them, once was enough to set the seal for many such future nocturnal trips.

The setting was a pub which on a weekday was sparsely-populated. The main body of people in there were locals popping in to have a quiet drink. Perhaps to drum up some extra trade, the pub management decided to put on a band or two, in a bid to increase profits. 

The gigs were advertised in the rear pages of the rock papers. The listings were so small and insignificant, they could easily be missed. Typically audience numbers were never above ten, and would be a collection of the "new breed" of youth, punk rockers, drawn from different areas, not necessarily in the direct locality, as was the case with my sister Sharon and myself. 

After being stamped at the door, the new arrival would pass the longest part of the main bar to their right, and head towards the shallow, cramped stage at the far end. The shortest part of the bar, went into a gentle curve, forming by all intents, the shape of a hockey stick lain on its side. The lights within were dim. Even those behind the bar, formed a shadowy place illuminated by a sickly yellowish glow, adding to its ambiance. 

Alongside the customary clinking of glasses and subdued hubbub of conversation, smoke from numerous cigarettes drifted lazily into the air. Oftentimes no band would be onstage at the point of entry, so the first thing to do was the obvious one, to buy a drink, despite feeling a little out-of-sorts, in an unfamiliar area. 

I would have been wearing my usual get-up of sloganned white charity shop shirt, black school blazer, black straight leg trousers and dirty white Plimsolls. A black tie and spiked-up dyed black hair added the finishing touches to my attire. I was 16 years old and out for a night of weekday fun. An antidote to a boring job.

Adrian wearing his
"punk get-up"

In those days, I was only earning around £30 per week, £10 of which would have been given to parents. It was surprising how far money went to actually see bands. Outlay for gear was helped by the fact that punk rock style was drawn for minimal prices at local charity shops. The price of a pint of lager was something like 70p.

Suddenly, this sound hit my ears, which was a far cry from the usual 'punky' sounds I had hitherto been familiar with. A form of rock music with a hard edged yet 'poppy' sound to it, played by three young men in black shoes, black trousers, black ties and white shirts. Their hairstyles were cut in what might be described as long-crops, of the sort once favoured by the Suedeheads of the very early Seventies. I knew nothing of Mod, back then, as any venturing into the past for me had been to the 1950's and early 1960's, inspired by the soundtrack LPs for the movies 'That'll Be The Day', 'Stardust' and 'American Graffiti'. 

The powerhouse of three darted about the stage, apart from the drummer, who whacked away at his black drum kit like a demon, driving the whole thing along. They put every amount of effort into their embryonic performance, regardless of the small number of people at the foot of the stage. We knew the band were 'genuine', clearly wanting to entertain us.

That night I did not know the names of the band members, only that they were not much older than us, playing a power-charged form of music more closely associated with the likes of The Flaming Groovies, Eddie & The Hot Rods, and Dr. Feelgood, with whom I was already familiar. 

The Jam photographed in 1976 photographer unknown

The lead singer in particular was engaging, charging about his restricted area like a dervish on hot coals. His white shirt became sweatier through each ensuing number. His face twisted in passion, as he sang songs of change, of challenge and of youthful rebellion. 

The bass player was a lad with bushier black hair and a friendly grin on his face. He complemented the other two band members. The concerted sound they made immediately connected to the very core, and even though the songs at this point were totally unknown, they could be remembered, not only on the train ride home, but throughout the following day.

All I know, during that first gig featuring The Jam, was that I just knew I would be seeing them again, and very soon. To my amazement they had already superseded Eater and The Damned in their sound. What was striking also, was the shapes of their guitars. At that point I did not realise they were Rickenbackers, formerly a favourite used by such groups in the 60s as The Who and others. The guitars somehow looked much larger than those playing them. The chords being wrung out of these instruments were magical, wild and free.

As the nights rolled on, we became more familar with this band, and just like Eater and The Damned, began to know the titles of their songs, even their names, helped by some of the fanzines around at the time, who told us who they actually were. 

Shane MacGowan’s 1976 fanzine 
‘Bondage’ featured The Jam

I learned that Paul Weller was the lead singer, Bruce Foxton played bass, and Rick Buckler drove them both on from behind, on the drums. For a mere three members they produced such a  huge sound. My God, they were even better than The Saints, from Aussie!

I consciously started to follow The Jam. They were becoming a hot favourite for me. Their general poppiness was the main appeal, yet their sound was rough and wild enough not to be anywhere near weak and ineffectual. I especially liked the way The Jam dressed, clearly making the effort to put up an appearance for us, their earliest followers, in their smart black suits and careful hairstyles. Yet no way on earth did they come across as floppy, ordinary or flaccid when they played!

I learned the titles of some of their songs by snatching glances at their hastily-penned setlists, secured with silver gaffa tape to the foot of the stage at their feet. (I learned the art of reading upside down at boarding school, in the early 1970's.) The early songs such as Art School, Batman, Time For Truth, I Got By In Time, In The City and others would later find their way onto their first LP.

Things changed when it came to going out on any weekday, specifically to see The Jam as the preferred 'band of the night', either at The Hope & Anchor, Islington or The Rochester Castle, before the opening of Covent Garden's Roxy Club in January 1977. These highly-memorable, cold but intensely rewarding Autumn and Winter nights of 1976 were so very special to those of us who ventured out to see them. We were hearing something 'alien' and markedly different, feeling sure somehow that this band had a future, even then.

Paul Weller liked to jump into the small group collected in front of the stage, during their act. He never missed a cue, never diverted from his vocals or guitar playing, and more importantly, he knew he would not be interfered with by the kids on the dance floor, as back then, the concept of 'star' was a thing none of us cared about. Their overall sound was tight, loud and very competent, and had I known that it directly derived from the Mod sound of the 1960's, I would have connected far more, but in those nights, they were a standout band who very much deserved to be seen, again and again.

A Roxy Club flyer from 1977. Check out that cast list!

My first vision of the Roxy Club, Covent Garden, London WC2 in early January, 1977, was of a Punkette of generous build, her hair short and multicoloured, perched on the bonnet of a parked car directly outside this exciting new club, being sick all over it, hawking multicoloured vomit copiously, the shades rivalling those of her hair. The girl was being comforted by two friends, also punks, throughout her unbridled retching, the sight pitiful. It is funny how such things stick in the mind, and endure, no matter the passage of time. 

Gig goers queuing outside the Roxy in 1977
courtesy of Adrian Fox

I was nervous that night, even though fully experienced in seeing the then new Punk bands not yet on vinyl, in the Autumn and Winter of 1976 at the Hope and Anchor and the Rochester Castle.

My delay in trying out the new club was due to being 'comfortable' in the venues I'd so far been to.  Standing in that line for my first night at The Roxy Club,I was actually scared to be there, because it was the proper epicentre of this burgeoning movement, the first real home of the punks. It took the initial visit to dispel any stupid fears.

Bruce Foxton on stage at the Roxy in 1977
Photo by Adrian Fox

Those Roxy Club Jam gigs were always something to behold. My presence there was eased by their own appearance, in their smart and tidy black suits, their songs by now so very familiar. 

A song I really connected with was 'Away From The Numbers', which truly did speak to the outsider, as nothing else by anyone else had previously done. It was one of the songs called out for by the kids on the floor the most. 

How frantically Paul Weller shot around the stage, like a pinball bouncing from wall to wall. Bruce Foxton was controlled and masterly, without being arrogant. Rick Buckler was the engine room of the trio, his cool rectangular Byrds-styled shades glinting from the stark white overhead lights, burning into memory like a brand on the flesh. 

We wildest Punks at the front of the stage and its sides, pogoed like total lunatics, to Slow Down, Time For Truth, and everything else The Jam served us. They were unstinting in their sheer energy and care. Our wave was an endless ride during those moments caught in time, like ships in bottles or corals in paperweights.

Whenever they were onstage, The Jam introduced their songs almost in a clipped, military fashion, perhaps they were even nervous themselves, playing to crazy Punks like us.  

One night, Shane O'Hooligan, an acknowledged punk face with whom I became friendly as a fellow-pogoer, and later as a member of his first band - The Nipple Erectors, was garbed in a union jack jacket. Shane's bright blonde spiky hair somehow looked perfect with his jacket, as he wildly pogoed alongside of me. But even then I did not equate with the Mod Culture, as I just did not at that point know of it.  

What The Jam possessed, most of all, was an absolute unpretentiousness, which struck at the core. They were easily the best of those new bands which were emerging, during that wonderful time, in those far-off nights when it was all so very new. No one on the floor touched them. 

Everyone was respectful when The Jam tuned up their instruments before they commenced playing, and at points during their sets. It was a miracle that no matter how frenetic things became, their suits were always pristine and perfect. They were dressed for stardom yet without necessarily announcing the fact, their job being to give us their very best, which they most certainly always did.

Rick Buckler on stage at the Roxy in 1977
Photo by Adrian Fox

We saw these bands at The Roxy not as our superiors but as our equals. They were kindred spirits in the same revolution, really, almost like brothers and sisters, waging a nocturnal war against a common foe - the fully-constricted and slave-like world of the straight. These bands affected us directly, too, even if their members may not have been so aware of it. 

The Jam sure as hell affected me, to the point where I even made a badge, using Humbrol paint, painted black with the words in white, 'A Poor Man's Jam'. My attire was orange hair, a black school blazer, black strides, white shirt, black winkle picker boots and slim black tie. It was a crazy distortion of The Jam's style, not in mockery but respect and admiration. Those power chords were hurtling through my head, as I shoved it often into the open-sided speakers at the sides of the stage, and who cared about the deafness to come in the left ear, later on? Not me, that was for sure. 

I would see The Jam at every opportunity I could. Even though in those days their sets were often pretty much the complete first LP, every night I saw them at The Roxy was different, somehow. I loved this band most of all, as they spoke directly to my social class, and knew that my compatriots felt exactly the same as I, as their brutal honesty was reflected so perfectly in their playing, and in the messages they passed on, through their blistering and emotive songs.

If you would like to know more about ‘Through Onyx Voids’ here is a link. 10% of all of the author’s royalties will be donated to St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney where Adrian is an outpatient. He is currently in the process of working on a second book, as his health allows where he plans to expand on his time as a scooter-riding early 21st Century Mod, and one-time member of the Bar Italia Scooter Club, Soho.

A selection of pin badges and photos taken at the 2015 ‘About The Young Idea’ exhibition at Somerset House in London, courtesy of Colin Skene.

Rewinding the clock even further to The Jam's earlier than early days, One of my Twitter friends shared a wonderful little memory from the summer of 1975.

"I was at a friend's house playing. (I was aged 11) and his mum started getting annoyed with us. He lived on the Sheerwater Estate. She told us to go down to the youth club and find something to do after we'd had our tea. The Jam were playing and we sneaked in to watch. It was in the very early days of them being a three piece. I was only a kid so don't remember too much, but I loved the loud music and it being live right there. They were so energetic and I was hooked! I went on to see The Jam about 60 times."

The Jam were no strangers to the Sheerwater Youth Club either as you can see from the programme of events below dated 1974. Trampolining and karate displays followed by a live performance by The Jam! That's what I call a summer fete!

In my third scrapbook there is a piece about a 1981 episode of TV show 'Something Else' which Paul Weller co-wrote and presented. Included in the show were two pieces of video footage from when The Jam returned to the Sheerwater Youth Club in 1981.

Someone else who was involved in the broadcast was poet and singer/songwriter Anne Clark. Anne was instrumental in helping Paul Weller set up his Riot Stories publishing company and had work published in a number of RS publications including a collection of writing and poetry called 'The Individual Spoke'. I remember buying a copy at a Jam gig and it made a big impression on me. I even based the cover of my first fanzine on one of the pages.

When Steve Hinders was going through some of his packed away belongings, he came across the flexi disc below that was issued free with 'The Individual Spoke'. 

When I was researching all the various Riot Stories publications for the post I co-wrote with Steve in November 2020, there was one book I could find very little information about. It was a poetry collection called 'Spongers' compiled by Dave Potter and illustrated by Gill Thompson. 

The aim of the book was to provide a snapshot of Thatcher's Britain as seen through the eyes of young unemployed people. The title took a shot at the label certain corners of the right wing media gave to the unemployed at that time.

Fast forward to 2022 and I was delighted to make a connection with author Nick Triplow, who had his first piece of work published in 'Spongers'.

Nick’s first introduction to Riot Stories was a book called ‘Mixed Up Shook Up’, (another collection of young people’s writing) which he bought in 1981.

The inside cover of his copy was signed by Paul Weller.

The 1981 episode of TV show ‘Something Else’ referred to above had a huge impact too. To use Nick’s own words “The idea that I could write poems and stories, no matter how clumsily crafted they seem now was a revelation.”

Late in 1983 Nick responded to the notice below that appeared in ‘Smash Hits’ magazine.

He sent several poems to the address given. The poem  below entitled ‘Subway’ was accepted for publication. It’s a gritty and chilling piece of work based on real life events. 

Shortly after ‘Spongers’ was published, Sounds magazine printed a favourable review.

Nick has gone on to write and publish several books as well as his own blog. Of particular interest is a series of posts entitled ‘The Young Mod’s Forgotten Stories’ posted back in 2011. There is a great account of a one-off gig The Jam played at the Hammersmith Palais in December 1981. Support was provided by The Ruts, Bananarama and Reaction. 

To add on to this, for those who haven’t already read Reaction’s Bruno Gallone’s fantastic story about how the band came to bag themselves a support slot, you can read it in scrapbook number three.

You can find out more information about Nick Triplow and his published work here. 

Richard Prescott uncovered these little gems when clearing out his loft. More pin badges and a pin up and story poster magazine.

 

To mark the 43rd anniversary of ‘All Mod Cons’ being released I decided to run a series of polls on Twitter to find out people’s favourite tracks. Unsurprisingly this turned out to be something of an emotional roller coaster for quite a few people including me! 

Here are the results along with some wonderful little memories shared along the way.

Rob W's signed copy of All Mod Cons

Knowing how high emotions run over my polls I have the utmost respect for Sid Stobart of You Tube channel ‘Songs From The Attic’. 

Former record shop owner and gig-goer extraordinaire Sid and a variety of hosts from all over the country have posted a number of videos where they rank the music of an array of artists covering  different  genres. Genesis, Madness, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin, The Clash and of course... The Jam among others have so far come under the spotlight.
 

The video dedicated to ranking The Jam's albums is an interesting watch/listen. We all have our own (very strong) opinions and the debate will probably rage on for ever more, but have a listen and see what you think. 

Sid is always on the look out for new hosts if you fancy getting involved, and a video discussion revolving around choosing a top 10 of singles by The Jam is being talked about too.

All Mod Cons had only just been released when Paul Hart ventured from his home town of Middlesbrough to Sheffield Poly to see The Jam live for the first time on the Apocalypse tour.

In return for the princely sum of £1.10 he got to see The Dickies and John Cooper Clarke as well as The Jam. He ended up pretty much sat on stage next to Bruce’s Muscle Music monitor speaker. 

Paul saw the band in Sheffield again in May 1979 supported by The Records. Then in November of that year he bought a ticket for a third gig at Bridlington Spa on the Setting Sons tour.

Fast forward to September 2022, and Paul got the opportunity to talk about the latter mentioned gig during a Q&A session with none other than Rick Buckler. His appearance formed a part of the two day Blam Blam Fever Festival in Redcar in aid of the RNLI.

Paul told Rick that following The Jam was like “being part of a big family as if we were all in it together. Every single release date was awaited with bated breath and you took accretion when radio DJ’s talked over a song or faded it out early especially on TOTP.”

He spoke about how when he and his pal arrived at the Bridlington Spa on a rainy windswept afternoon with the sea coming over the sea walls, they didn’t think there was much chance of getting into the sound check. They saw the band go in. Then John Weller and Kenny Wheeler said to them, “Give us 10 minutes guys and you can come in”.

In response to this Rick said he always identified with the effort fans put in in following the band. He also said he could remember that day in Bridlington.

Paul went on to say that he and his pal were let in and they played a bit of football with The Vapors. They saw The Jam play 'Strange Town' and 'The Eton Rifles' with just the two of them stood in the hall. 

After the split was announced Paul told Rick “It felt like a family bereavement where fans were in shock.” To this Rick said that’s exactly how he and Bruce felt. It was the reason why they asked Paul to take six months off and see how he felt after that, but he was adamant that it was with immediate effect. 

Paul concludes “Those in the room all agreed that Rick and Bruce’s suggestion would have been the sensible thing to do but Paul already had his mind on the Style Council. History shows that life went on without The Jam, but didn’t we have a nice time. In fact wasn’t it such a fine time. Great to still have the memories though!”

And Paul’s excellent taste in music has been passed on to his son. He is part of a four piece band with definite Mod influences called The Wainstones,  The band has supported From The Jam on three occasions and been well received. 

If you’d like to find out more here are the links:

You Tube    https://www.youtube.com/@TheWainstones   

Twitter.       https://twitter.com/thewainstones 

Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/TheWainstonesUK

Someone else who caught one of Rick Buckler’s Q & A sessions is Ian H. This was a particularly special night because it was the 40th anniversary of The Jam’s final gig.

I’ll hand over to Ian to give you the details…

In conversation with Rick Buckler - Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool

For many of us fans of The Jam, Rick is probably the one that we know least about, so it was great to spend an early evening with the man himself.

Rick turned 67 just a few days earlier, but seems fit and healthy and he’s wearing well. He was sharp as a tack when answering questions from the audience at the end, which obviously were unscripted and required him having to dig deep into his memory bank.

Tim V (Sham69) introduced Rick to the stage and the format was for Tim to basically walk Rick through the history of The Jam from In The City to their final show in 1982.

The thing to say is that Rick is a great storyteller, and his delivery kept the audience captivated. He spoke fondly about his time in the band and was even articulate when discussing the split which came as a shock to him and Bruce.

The hour long conversation started with the early days of playing the clubs around Woking before moving to the London scene and getting their break with In The City. The initial contract they signed was for a one album deal and the general theme of the night was that the band were always fighting to prove themselves and always striving to develop and progress as a band.

Rick said that they were very driven to succeed right from the “get go” and that going out with their mates, and having girlfriends etc was very much put on the back burner due to their desire to make it.

Rick agreed that he thought that The Jam constantly developed and progressed during their time together and as they got bigger (and the money got bigger), they had room for adding more layers to the records, with more percussion, overdubs etc and generally slicker production. He spoke particularly fondly about Down In The Tube Station at Midnight and Going Underground during the night and admitted his least favourite Jam track was Precious. Paul was never fond of Absolute Beginners apparently.

Regarding the 

split, it came as a huge surprise to Rick and Bruce when Paul told them. Apparently Paul had only told his Dad a few days prior to that too. The one thing that irked Rick really was the reason Paul gave at the time which was that he wanted to get off the treadmill of constantly touring and promoting and being pressured into writing songs to certain deadlines. Rick thought the reason Paul gave didn’t really make sense since he’d signed a deal for The Style Council even before The Jam had played their final gig.

Rick says that Paul subsequently gave different reasons for breaking up the band, and his general conclusion was that Paul had just made his mind up and there was no going back.

There was no real bitterness from Rick, clearly time is a great healer. It was more of a sense of  bewilderment since there was no indication at all that this was coming.

After the conversation, the floor was opened up to questions from the audience for half an hour or so. Rick told a story about how his son first found out exactly how big a deal his Dad was, when he went with his mates to the Reading Festival and they got talking about what their Dads did. Rick’s son said, My Dad used to be a drummer in a band. “Which band?” they said. “The Jam” he replied. “F*ck off” they said, disbelievingly! Apparently that was the moment that Rick’s son realised his Dad might just have been more famous than he realised!

It was a similar story for his daughter who was watching a music awards show to catch a glimpse of one of her favourites (Olly Murs), when the camera panned out and happened to show 3 huge signs with images of Paul, Bruce and Rick on. Rick said she looked at him baffled as to why there would be a picture of him at such a big music awards show!

When discussing the writing of songs, Rick said he was probably a little naïve in that respect. He and Bruce were actually heavily involved in the composing of the music on some of the songs but Paul’s name was the one on the credits. He does however get one sixth of the royalties for Funeral Pyre which he intimated was the song which he had the most influence with. For that song, 50% goes to the lyric writher (Paul) and 50% for the music which for that song was split 3 ways so it all works out as one sixth going to Rick.

Regarding “From The Jam”, Rick basically said that he enjoyed it initially, but there came a point where the enjoyment had gone for him and he had to let Bruce know that it was no longer working for him and he opted to call it a day.

After the Q&A, Rick went to the merchandise stand and signed everything that had been bought. He was pleasant and affable with everyone, and the general mood was that everyone had really enjoyed the evening. We all went anyway thinking that we knew Rick a little better, and had been given a fascinating insight into a magical time in music history. I think it’s fair to say that on this night, the public got what the public wanted.

You could definitely lose yourself for a few hours in Derek Fleming's incredible room!

Tony Vidnesia shared these magazine cuttings.

Paul and Paul in an issue of Smash Hits from August 1982

Who remembers the girl Paul kissed in the Bitterest Pill video?

How many questions can you get right? No cheating by looking at the answers! 

The next item is something completely different. Last summer I received a message from Paul Spicer, a course coordinator at Hokkaido University in Sapporo City, Japan. The subjects Paul covers include Film Language and Culture and Popular Music and Culture.

He told me how as part of his PhD on Japanese Film History and Culture he had written a book chapter on Paul Weller's lyrics and how they related to religion and spirituality. It was the first time Paul had written something not based on the cinema and was a standalone endeavour. 

The book is called 'Exploring The Spiritual In Popular Music'. 

I was immediately keen to know more.

Paul kindly sent me a copy of the chapter which I have to say I found fascinating reading. It shed a whole new light on some of The Jam's songs for me. As I have said countless times before (and no doubt will again!) what drew so many of us to The Jam was the fact that they spoke to us through their music, but religion and spirituality was not a link I had previously made. 

Paul has written the piece below providing more background information. 

My doctoral thesis focused on Japanese Film, History and Culture, and up until I wrote the chapter on Paul Weller, all of my research publications had been on that particular subject. The Paul Weller chapter was the first time I had written about something other than film, so it was a learning process but my passion for the subject got me through it. 

Despite not having written about music, I read a lot about it; academic, biography, autobiography, history etc ... When I saw the call for papers from the editors of Exploring the Spiritual in Popular Music, I immediately thought of Weller's early solo lyrics which I feel have huge spiritual depth.

I have been a fan of Weller's for years. My first album, bought for me by my dad a few years after release, was The Modern World. I did buy The Gift on release day; I got the paper bag too which I was so excited about when the guy in HMV told me "The bag was limited" ... I was only 9!! I used to study the lyrics so fastidiously. I think that during those formative years, Weller's lyrics really shaped the way I now think about politics, inequality, and life, the world around us. They also taught me not to be defeatist, and to always fight for what you believe in. For me, they were so honest and seemed to be written from a place that I understood fully.  I could see so much of what was happening around me in the early lyrics, they were really intelligent, but at the same time deeply visceral.     

I have a load of favourite lyrics from a range of different songs, The Planner's Dream Goes Wrong, I really love as this was pretty much where I was living as a kid; also, Start, Running on the Spot, The Gift, Burning Sky, The Gift ...I could go on, and on. In my opinion, however, his best and most poignant lyrics are in Going Underground, which I feel were/still are, some of the greatest words ever written by a British artist; still as potent today as they were in 1980! I always get sneered at by Weller fans for this as many deem it as 'the populist choice'!

I also love the early solo lyrics, which are so different from The Jam, and the Style Council. In fact, I think the early solo years are the best, I adore the Jam, but that early solo stuff is magical, and the first 4 albums are musically and lyrically untouchable, so honest and deeply self-reflexive. From this period, Above the Clouds, Bull Rush, Whirlpool's End, Country, Suze's Room, 5th Season, Changing Man, Heavy Soul, ... there are so, so many, all incredible.

I would argue that Weller is one of the greatest British lyricists of all time, alongside Morrissey, Lydon, Davies. I felt, however, that in terms of this particular topic - Music and Spirituality - there are not many artists who are quite as spiritually potent as Weller, there is real depth there.

Over the years I have seen Weller 56 times. I never saw the Jam, saw the Style Council six times, and Weller solo the rest. I was there in 1990 in London - I think the Town and Country (may have been Dingwalls), and then throughout the early 90s. Those early gigs, up to around 97 and the Heavy Soul tour, were incredible! It was good to see him back for sure, I always kept the faith! Since around 2014-15 there have not been so many gigs mainly because of where I live now. I have seen him in Japan though, a couple of times in Hiroshima, I met him in Nagoya before a gig (which was pretty mind-bending), Osaka, and Tokyo. Japanese gigs are always good, but a world away from those early shows!  

The book chapter has had some really good responses - and some not so good. I think it is always a bit risky writing about Paul Weller as the fan base is so loyal and anything perceived to be critical is jumped on. The chapter is not critical, it is just guided by the research. It was brilliant to write though, and I was really happy that so many Weller fans got in touch with me about it.  I think I'll do another later maybe on (Jam) Weller and politics. That would be good, right? 

If you would like to find out more about the entire book, here's a link. You can follow Paul on Twitter here.

These awesome photos sent to me by Tony Beesley are the work of the late Kristan James Melik © Days Like Tomorrow Books. They were taken at Queens Exhibition Hall Leeds on the Setting Sons tour in December 1979. The photos are due to feature in a book entitled 'Revolution'.

Peter Mills shared a ticket from the very same gig.

I always enjoy hearing accounts from those fans of The Jam who got to  experience a sound check at one of their gigs. Someone who not only witnessed a sound check but got some photographic evidence is Bob Hutton.

These fantastic photos were taken at the Edinburgh Odeon on the Setting Sons tour in December 1979. Here is Bob's account:

"The band were really friendly with fans. There must have been about 30 or 40 of us at the sound check. I can't remember what they played, but I think they were taking requests from us all. 

This was my second Jam gig. I saw them at the Glasgow Apollo two nights before. I also met them a couple of years earlier still in Falkirk, when they were signing copies of the first album in Bruce's Records.

I was wearing a blue crimplene blazer with massive lapels and lime green high-waisted A-line flares at the time! I got some funny looks from the band. I couldn't see the show that evening because I was too young to get in the venue at that time."

The Jam may have split 40 years ago, but there are a number of tribute bands who continue to tour to the present day, keeping the flame burning. When I came across this video of Liverpool band The Rics playing an explosive version of  ‘The Eton Rifles’ to a packed house I was completely blown away by their energy.

I went on to make a connection with bass player Tom Kildare to find out more about The Rics and his love of The Jam.

I'll hand over to Tom to continue the story…

We started The Rics in December 2014 as a three piece - guitar bass and drums. I have been playing guitar since the age of 15 and my major influences were the Jam, The Small Faces, The Who and 60s electric folk including the Byrds. 

I saw The Jam four times. The first occasion was in 1980 at Deeside Leisure Centre, when I was 15 years old. I should have gone to the ‘79 gig at the same venue but broke my leg a week before. To say I was devastated was an understatement! 

To cheer me up my mother bought me a cheap guitar and the Setting Sons album when I left hospital. That was how my musical career started. 

I went on to see The Jam twice at the Liverpool Royal Court Theatre then again at Deeside Leisure Centre on the Trans Global Express tour. 

My final encounter was in 1982 in Liverpool. My friend and I decided to hide in the bar downstairs until the boys came in which they did. Starstruck was not the word! It was amazing. I spoke to Paul and told him how much I loved the song ‘Tonight At Noon’. He seemed surprised. 

Bruce was very charming and signed my programme with the words “To Tommy". 34 years later at The Jam exhibition in Liverpool, From The Jam played an acoustic gig. I brought the original programme from 1982, which Bruce resigned with "we meet again". This was rather cool.

Tom bumped into the friend he hid in the bar with in 1982
at the Liverpool exhibition. They hadn’t seen each other for 25 years!.

The Rics band started when I ironically went to purchase a Rickenbacker guitar from the guy who would become the guitarist in the original line up. His name was also Paul!

I did not purchase the guitar but we got on well and talked about our influences and started to meet up as a duo playing local venues. 

We decided to take the plunge and Paul knew a drummer who he went to school with called Steve. The Rics band was formed, called after the Rickenbacker guitar. The weapon of choice for Weller, Lennon and Townshend to name but a few. 

I volunteered to go on the bass as my obsession with the Jam meant I not only knew the guitar bits but also the bass lines, and we played a number of gigs on the mod scene. The best one was in our own city at Tom Halls Tavern to coincide with the exhibition at the Cunard building. 

The gig was amazing and we played this venue many times. In addition we played scooter rallies up and down the country, playing mod sets, Jam sets or whatever was asked of us. 

Life was good but Paul the guitarist became restless. He decided to leave the band in 2017 leaving us with outstanding gigs. We had to find a solution. Luckily my son Dylan was the answer. Dylan had been coming to all the gigs and he had been playing guitar since he was 12. He joined the band at the tender age of 19. I had to become lead vocalist which was daunting, especially playing Bruce's bass lines! I had to adapt and so did Dylan. He knew most of the songs due to my influences and he took the band to another level. 

We are in demand and play all over the country. We have a good following. Steve the drummer nicknamed Dylan the boy genius which makes me very proud.

If you’d like to know more about The Rics they are on Twitter and have an active Facebook page. 

A rare photo of a gig in Stockholm in June 1981 courtesy of Per Lingnert, who was lucky enough to be in the front row of the audience.

Lee Robertson shared these clippings from a Flexipop magazine dated 1980 

Someone who has been up close and personal not only with The Jam, but a whole host of other artists is renowned rock photographer Justin Thomas.

This photo of The Jam sat behind the mixing desk taken at the Townhouse Studios in 1979 was his "baptism of fire." It was the first time he was commissioned to photograph a band offstage by Sounds magazine. 

Justin also took a photo that will be familiar to those who own ‘Dig The New Breed’ on vinyl.

Below are some images included in a 36 page photozine entitled 'John's Boys'. featuring many rare and previously unseen photographs of the band captured by Justin in the recording studio, during press interviews, at their secret "John's Boys" gig at the Marquee in London in 1979 and on their final tour in 1982. If you'd like to find out more check out this page 

More information is available on Justin's website. If you'd like to follow him on Twitter, where he regularly shares his photos and other snippets of interesting info, here is a link to his page.

More incredible soundcheck photos courtesy of Jason and Darren taken at Granby Hall, Leicester in September 1982.

Steve Hinders was sent this Going Underground tee shirt in 1980  by Gill Price - Paul Weller’s girlfriend at the time.

 

The final post is something very special. Not only are we once again rewinding to the start of The Jam's career, but also to the start of radio presenter and punk/new wave music aficionado Gary Crowley's career. 

The clip below taken from an issue of Melody Maker dated June 1977 featured in the post I jointly wrote with Steve Hinders. When I shared it on Twitter again a short while ago Gary responded saying it was this very article that assisted him in securing an interview with The Jam for the  fanzine he started when he was aged just 15 called ‘The Modern World’.

If you look closely at the Melody Maker feature above, you'll notice there are a series of contact details. Eagle-eyed Gary decided to take the bull by the horns and he rang John Weller's number. The end result was an interview with The Jam!

Gary was living in London, soaking up the emerging punk scene. One night he went to the local chippie for his tea, still wearing his school uniform. He noticed Joe Strummer at a nearby cafe. Knowing no fear, he approached Joe and asked him for an interview for his fanzine. Joe agreed.

In an interview with Punktuation online magazine, Gary stated The Jam and The Clash were the two bands that lit the fuse for him. By interviewing both for his fanzine before he'd even left school, it's safe to say he started his impressive career in style!

So that brings another nostalgia trip to an end. A massive thank you to everyone who has contributed. I know I am repeating myself, but it never ceases to amaze me how much fantastic memorabilia relating to The Jam people have hidden away. It is a joy for me to be able to share it.

If you have any stories, photos or memories you think would fit the bill for a future post please do get in touch. I have set up a dedicated email address or you can catch up with me on Twitter.

kindredspiritfanzine@gmail.com

Kindred Spirit Fanzine    Jill Webb Words

If you have enjoyed what you've seen here, please feel free to spread the word on social media by hitting ‘Share’ below.