New Wave Junkies
Eat your 80s... and then come back for more
Discussion Topic
made by allisonberryart on Jul 5, 2009
The Jam
THE JAM were an English punk rock/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They had 18 straight top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their breakup in 1982, including four number 1 hits. THE JAM drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk rock and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of THE JAM'S original compositions, and he played lead Rickenbacker guitar. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and played unusually prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band's songs; including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles" and "Town Called Malice".
Around 1976, Weller had a stylistic revelation after seeing the Sex Pistols. He recalled later, "The Pistols' noisy garage band racket and Rotten's youthful amphetamined arrogance. I loved it! It was so young and exciting, and of course, there were no flares - one of the most hideous fashion creations ever!" In the following two years, THE JAM gained a small following around London from playing minor gigs, becoming one of the new lights on the nascent punk scene. In many ways, however, they stood out from their punk peers. Though they shared a youthful outlook, short hair, crushing volume, and lightning-fast tempos, THE JAM wore neatly tailored suits where others wore ripped clothes, played professionally where others were defiantly amateurish, and portrayed clear influences in 1960s rock where others were disdainful (at least in public) of the past. Indeed, they were tagged by some journalists as revivalists. They were signed to Polydor Records in early 1977.
In 1979, "The Eton Rifles" became their most successful single to date, peaking at #3 on the UK charts, their first Top Ten hit. Sound Affects was released in 1980, and one of the albums most popular singles was the acoustic "That's Entertainment". Although it lacks the "distinctive" JAM electric sound, it is now arguably THE JAM'S most noted song. Despite the group's lack of commercial success in America, the song even made American magazine Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The album went to #2 in the UK. The 1982 release The Gift -- the band's final LP -- was a massive commercial success, peaking at #1 on the UK charts and featuring the #1 hit "Town Called Malice."
-- excerpted from Wikipedia
Here are some YouTube video links from THE JAM:
THE JAM - THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
THE JAM - DOWN IN THE TUBE STATION AT MIDNIGHT
THE JAM - ALL AROUND THE WORLD
Here are some images and album covers from THE JAM:
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