The Jam Album: “Collection”

Description :

COLLECTION is a compilation of album tracks and B-sides. The Jam: Paul Weller (vocals, guitar); Bruce Foxton (bass); Rick Buckler (drums). Producers include: Vic Smith, Chris Parry, Vic Coppersmith Heaven, Pete Wilson, Tony Tavener. Compilation producer: Dennis Munday. Includes liner notes by John Reed. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Apart from a single song ("Just Who Is the 5 O'clock Hero"), the 25-track, 75-minute long COLLECTION features all of The Jam's best songs that didn't appear on 91's GREATEST HITS. As evidenced by the material, The Jam had many album tracks that could have easily been issued as singles, and if not for the release of COLLECTION, would have probably remained undiscovered to the casual fan. While GREATEST HITS is probably the ultimate Jam collection, COLLECTION serves as a solid companion. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Weller's Beatles fixation is readily apparent on such tracks as "To Be Someone (Didn't We Have A Nice Time)" and "It's Too Bad," while other influences creep in elsewhere--The Kinks ("Mr. Clean"), The Who ("I Need You"), and The Creation ("Private Hell"). But The Jam weren't impersonators of others. They had their own original sound, as such exceptional cuts as "I Got By In Time," "I Need You," "In the Crowd," "Monday," "Boy About Town," and "Shopping" will attest. Also included are two of Weller's best ballads, "English Rose" and "The Butterfly Collector," which proved wrong the detractors who simply labeled The Jam a 'punk band.'

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.

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.