The Jam Album: “Jam Collection”

If you're new to the Jam, get the Greatet Hits - and then get this. It's a compilation, but less of the singles than of the best album tracks. And although one can always quibble about this or that song being included or omitted, the compilers here do a pretty good job. Some of the band's best work is here: the amazingly mature 'Thick as Thieves', the regretful 'Ghosts', the aching 'Mondays'... songwriter Paul Weller was barely out of his teens when he wrote these. The Jam have a similar problem to one of their influences, the Kinks. Both bands produced some of the best songs of the rock era, but neither of them could come up with an album that is top notch the whole way through (athough for the Jam 'Sound Affects' comes close). Short of getting that work, (for newcomers to the band, make it purchase no. 3), get this. It's the best of Brit-pop before it became Brit-pop.

I agree completely with the reviewer who states that this + "The Compact Snap" encapsulate the band's legacy well. This CD is chock-full of great underheard rock music by a gifted bunch of lads.

Having been a huge fan of British punk/new wave from the 70s-80s, for some reason I put off getting into the Jam (too busy with my Joy Division, XTC, English Beat, Clash, Echo, Smiths, etc., etc.); so what a great boon when my sister gave me a copy of this CD. (I already knew the song "Beat Surrender," and "Little Boy Soldiers" from a great compilation called "Life in the European Theater," but that was mostly it until recently.)

I don't always like music which showcases a strong British accent (Oasis and Blur don't do it for me); but here it's cool because Paul Weller's got a fine, deeper, tougher voice (not an Oasis-y whine).

This CD is soooo great, highly-highly-highly recommended; I'm afraid to get other CDs of theirs because it'll be hard to live up to this one. No but I will get more.

It's simple: The Jam are one of the most important bands of all time, 'nuff said. Get everything you can by this band.