Available digitally or in a three-LP set (in either black vinyl or the very era-appropriate blue, pink and orange vinyl), this collection gathers together 37 fresh tracks that cover the entire spectrum of the band’s eclectic sound. The new collection, Long Hot Summers, fits the bill perfectly. Since they’ve often been a misunderstood band and their sound can seem, with the 1980s far off in the rearview mirror, as a dated curiosity from a bygone era, it’s the perfect time to reassess the Style Council. Weller participated in Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” single. Even more notable is that their 1984 single “My Ever Changing Moods” was Weller’s greatest US success, climbing to #29 on the American Top 40 singles chart (he never achieved that level of US recognition with the Jam or as a solo artist).
From 1983 until their breakup in 1989, the Style Council racked up a slew of hits on the singles charts, and four of their six studio albums cracked the UK Top 20. Whatever resentment Jam fans may have felt toward Weller’s new direction, it didn’t seem to affect the Style Council’s overall commercial or critical appeal, at least not in their native England. They also retained the Jam’s penchant for left-leaning social commentary. Lee (who Weller would later marry) and drummer Steve White, the Style Council dipped into a variety of genres that were miles away from Weller’s punk days, including jazz, soul, and synthpop. Joining forces with keyboard player Mick Talbot (formerly of Merton Parkas and Dexy’s Midnight Runners), a partner in crime Weller chose because “he shares my hatred of the rock myth and the rock culture”, the Style Council was born in late 1982.Įventually adding vocalist D. They were already starting to expand their sound: their final studio album, The Gift, folded funk, horns, and dance beats into their lean, sweaty, Clash-meets-Who blueprint. After six albums and nine UK top ten singles, Weller had enough and was looking to push his music into new territory that the acclaimed trio could not execute to his satisfaction. The Jam, the influential mod pop-punk trio he’d led as singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for five years, were disbanded at the height of their popularity – and it was his idea. Here’s hoping we can track down / persuade the others to come on too!.In 1982, Paul Weller committed what many fans considered an unforgivable sin. You can hear some of these people in conversation on Desperately Seeking Paul – The Paul Weller Fan Podcast below with links to find out more about their work… Special mention also to Robin Richards for illustration on Setting Sons, who also hand-painted the Whaam guitar, designed The Jam tour t-shirts and official fan club merchandise. Heck I’m even trying to work out who ‘ Alwyn and Main Titles’ is from The Gift. The Photographers – Martyn Goddard, Gered Mankowitz, Peter Kodick, Andrew Douglas, Andrew Rosen, Twink, Peter Anderson, Olly Ball, Lawrence Watson, Nicole Nodland and Sandra Vijandi. The artists – Sir Peter Blake, Tim Shepard and Alex Borg
The designers – Bill Smith, Simon Halfon and Alex Hutchinson They’re all special in their own way and getting the creatives behind these magical pieces has always been an absolute must for my guest-list.
In the world of Weller, the album cover artwork has always felt important – from The Jam and that iconic ‘In The City’ starting point, to Our Favourite Shop’s ultimate challenge for fans of The Style Council to collect ‘the shop’ to that really f**king cool cover for the very first solo LP – Paul Weller back in 1992 to Sir Peter Blake’s outstanding Stanley Road to that beautiful landscape of Black Barn (Weller HQ) on 22 Dreams to the utter coolness of Paul in chair on the cover of True Meanings. “But does it work as a thumbnail for Spotify?” doesn’t really scream ‘creativity’, or maybe it does? Maybe that’s the very definition after all?. And yet in an increasingly digital world, if somebody were to create a rulebook about making it in music, the rules around a successful album cover are probably out the window now, right ? Some album covers are so iconic that they live on decades later in galleries, as wall-art, as mugs or t-shirts. It can tell a story, grab your attention, attract controversy, define an era, a generation and an artist.Īs host of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast, I have made it my mission (one of many to be honest) to celebrate the magic behind the creation of the album covers for The Jam, The Style Council and Paul Weller Solo. Facebook 65 Tweet 0 LinkedIn 0 Pin 0 Print 0 Email 1Ī great album cover can do many things.
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