The Jam: "The Gift"
This is America, so I guess I shouldn't be that ashamed of this. But even so, it's nothing I'd want to scream out in the middle of a Paul Weller concert. (Brace yourself, Kenneth.) OK, it's true. The first Jam album I ever heard was their last, 1982's "The Gift." (My brother Bill was away at school when he came home for the weekend with it and the even-better "Beat Surrender" EP.) Lest you judge, remember that I was only 9 when "In the City" came out -- and I did live in Madison Heights, Michigan. But you know what? Although I did eventually come to own -- and love -- the five predecessors, "The Gift" remains my favorite 25 years later. Given my overall music taste, however, perhaps it's really not that surprising. In many ways I prefer Paul Weller's post-Jam outfit -- the much-covered-on-this-blog Style Council -- to his early and latter work, and "The Gift" was certainly an indication of where Paul was heading. And what an indication it was! Eleven perfect songs -- including the classic single "Town Called Malice" -- "The Gift" may have been a farewell to England from a beloved band, but for this young boy on the other side of the ocean, it was an introduction to something life-changing.
Especially: "Precious," "Carnation," and "Ghosts."
Speaking of Paul Weller and gifts, I received one of the funnest presents ever this week from my friend Nina in Chicago. If you recall, we had an absolute blast at Weller's recent Irving Plaza gig, and Nina went home with visions of Weller dancing in her head.
Between reading the message boards about him and watching as many YouTube clips as she could cram into any given night, so was a little bit (re)obsessed. In all of her Wellering, she came across what has to be the coolest polo shirt ever known to man -- the Fred Perry Paul Weller limited edition -- and bought one for both Michael and me. I can hardly wait for the temperature to get into the double digits so I can sport my '60s Mod look around town ... a big thank-you to the coolest chick I know!
1 comment:
I fell in love with The Jam in 1978 because bass player Bruce Foxton looked the spit of a guy I had a crush on all through high school. I also liked the "Who on speed" sound of their early punkier albums.
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