Disco de The Jam: “All Mod Cons”

The Jam never really made it big outside the UK. Unlike their punk peers The Sex Pistols, The Jam were more than just a blast of heavy guitars and meaningless lyrics thrown together to sound good. The Jam had something deeper to talk about, and they perfected this on "All Mod Cons", their third and arguably best album.

This album is a blast of superb punk intelligence. Following the brief opening title track, we are led into one of the trio's best songs, "To Be Someone" - a statement from songwriter Paul Weller about the excesses of being a popstar. We lead straight into "Mr. Clean", with its classic guitar riff refusing to overpower the brilliance of Weller's lyrics, an attack on the British class system. We follow with a cover of the Kinks' classic "David Watts", which despite sounding brilliant, is probably the only song close to a throwaway on the album.

The album takes a brief mellow turn here, following with one of Weller's most poignant ballads, "English Rose". We head straight back into epic territory with the classic "In the Crowd", and just before we think the trio are getting soft on us, they blast us away with "Billy Hunt", yet another character in this marvellous album.

Following with a trio of gorgeous pop ballads, we end the album with a duo of songs that show the world that these guys can still rock hard, and make a masterpiece in the process. "'A' Bomb in Wardour Street" is what I consider the entree to the epic finale, "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight", arguably the Jam's best lyrical and musical offering ever released. What makes this song so amazing is how the lyrics have been written to fit the music and the music has been written to fit the lyrics simultaneously. We are left with a masterpiece that shows extraordinary power both lyrically and musically. The bass and guitar at the start sets the tension, and the tension is kept at a peak while Weller narrates a tail of bloody violence and fear into the mind of the listener. By the time it is over (with an extraordinary fade-out and fade-in remniscent of "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" by The Smiths), we are left breathless, and gasping for more. Unfortunately this is where the album decides to end.

Many consider "Sound Affects" to be The Jam's best album. I find that album terribly overrated, and how anybody can possibly rate it above this one is beyond me. This is the trio at their peak, musically and lyrically. And in the process they released one of the greatest albums ever made.

All mod cons is wellers dive into manhood and away from the jams early sound. Its more polished but not in a bad way. This is where the modfather would begin to prove his weight in gold- the songwriting is fantastic for someone so young and would continue for years to come. The anger is now laced under character studies ala Ray davies- the rickenbacker not only barks but weaves great double tracked lines- great use of reverse guitar in "in the crowd" This is the start of a great set of albums- Setting Sons- Sound Affects and the final offering of the Gift. All these albums should be in your collection- the Jam were the only band to give the clash a run for its money( the jam were more popular in the uk) and over the long haul weller has proved to be the class of 77's greatest songwriter. Among the best albums of the 70's!!

Just before this album was made the Jam were in the studio trying to pull together a collection that would eventually become the third album - coming of the back of a less than impressive 'Modern World' Chris Parry (who signed the Jam) apparently wandered in one day and said "This is s..."... They abandoned what they had recorded. Feeling understandably low Paul went back to Woking, Surrey to his mum and dads where he composed most of this album. A batch of work released in 1978 that still today remains an accurate snapshot of England during the time. 'Down in the Tube Station' was meant to be a short TV play that fitted into a 3 minute slot, the picture is vivid. 'Mr Clean' gives us a clear understanding of Wellers attitude to the class structure in the UK at the time, 'English Rose' presents some relief from the anger and energy of a brilliant work. What more can I say, I don't believe Paul has ever sung like this since. Almost as if this album was cathartic and necessary for him.

This started the ball rolling in a major way. They already had two albums and a few singles under their belt, but with "All Mod Cons" what followed was a string of many hits and huge popularity, along with critical admiration. Just how confident this album is, is readily illustrated by the the punk aggression and energy of the title track and "Billy Hunt", appearing with the psychedelic, reverb-soaked fade out to "In the Crowd". For the most part, this sounds like a band totally in control. The music is more shrewd than before, with Weller showing his admiration for Ray Davies' songwriting by making many of the songs character based, such as in the excellent "To be someone", a possibly self-cautionary tale about an old, faded rock star reminiscing about better times: "There's no more swimming in a guitar-shaped pool, no more reporters at my beck and call". If I have one criticism, it is that the cover of Davies' "David Watts" is a bit flat. Throughout the album, there are some remarkable lyrics from a man barely in his twenties. Of course, a great deal of this album (and the Jam's) appeal comes from the superb, intricate bass playing (and useful backing vocals) of Bruce Foxton, along with the intense, rock-solid drumming of Rick Buckler. I should point out that I am a bit too young to remember anything about the Jam, but a few listens of "All Mod Cons", and their later albums, along with a decent hits compilation (I suggest Polydor's 1997 "Very Best of"), will inform as to why this band gained so much attention, for the brief period (1977-82) of their recording career.

Sure, their first album (In the City) was like a hammer to the head, but this one has LEGS! Apart from the sentimental "English Rose," you can hear the frontier being pushed back.They weren't just "another BritBand." This is the album that sent me back to the store to buy all of the rest. Get it, you won't regret it.