I began listening to the Jam in March 2022.
In the City (1977): A-
This is the Modern World (1977): B-
All Mod Cons (1978): A-
Setting Sons (1979): B
Sound Affects (1980): B-
In the City (1977):
Paul Weller and his band were cutting their teeth in England's clubs right alongside the first class of punk rockers but the Jam stand out for taking just as much from the new scene--fast tempos, short songs, and matter-of-fact vocals--as they take from the 60s mod scene, particularly the Who, whom they designed their power trio off of. Combining all the best ingredients of rock'n'roll, the Jam are no joke and their songwriting is satisfactory. They take up the socio-political messages of the punk movement, most notably decrying the brutality of the police and uplifting the voices of the youth, but their lyric about "what happened to the Great Empire?" is worrisome and at the very least unintentionally ham-handed. A punk's lack of education doesn't hinder their capability to decry societal inequities, but it usually undermines their ability to put them in a wider context. A-
This is the Modern World (1977):
Like many early punk bands, the Jam's sophomore album is worth skipping. None of the melodies are very memorable and Weller's lyrics are mostly a redo of the first. Fighting the establishment can make some powerful music but against a backdrop of mediocre music with little to no development, it can also get pretty dull. B-
All Mod Cons (1978):
Musically, the band has progressed pretty impressively. They were never incompetent players but their first album was sometimes samey. In contrast, this is frequently diverse and professionally executed with none of the raw power lost. That said, this isn’t the aggressive, balls-to-the-wall stuff of their debut but neither was the Clash's London Calling. A-
Setting Sons (1979):
In which this Who, Kinks, and Small Faces-inspired band finally tries its hand at a concept album. Although an overarching story was soon abandoned, its uninteresting skeleton remains in the lyrics and the band even succumbs to strings and an orchestra for some of the weaker melodies. But a few of their best tracks also show up--"Thick as Thieves" and "Private Hell"--and I kinda like their version of "Heat Wave." B
Sound Affects (1980):
They can still write strong songs but by now their most memorable songs are reminiscent of the Kinks' Arthur. Catchy but discomforting and lazy. B-
