The Beat Surrender

The Jam...quite simply one of my favourite bands of all time (as you might have guessed by the name of our website). A band that inspired thousands of youngsters in Britain to pick up a pen, a guitar or a drum stick and make music and still does even to this day nearly twenty five years after they last played together. A band that wore it’s political heart on its sleeve and stood up to be counted by doing so, not sipping champagne with the Blairs and Camerons of that era as today’s stars tend to. This is a band that embraced music from across the globe at a time when Britain was racially divided; Soul and funk were both influences on Weller (and remain so to this day).

Oh yes Paul Weller, I got to him eventually didn’t I. The Modfather as he has since gone on to be known as, a man that has already spanned decades from the spotty, outspoken frontman with this band, to the soulful lead singer with The Style Council. On to what has been already a very successful solo career, that has seen a new generation fall under his spell and ultimately seek out The Jam on the back of it. Throughout his career, he’s always remained cool, slightly aloof and vocal on the things that matter to him, but more importantly for a frontman, he has real presence, which is something you just can’t buy.

The Jam exploded onto the scene with a series of visceral and angry singles that identified with the yoof of the time,but moe importantly still do now. Listening to In The City, All Around The World, The Modern World and News Of The World they could have been written this week, the still sound fresh and relevant in a new millennium. Throw in the funky Start, the rumbling Down In The Tube Station At Midnight and the classic Going Underground and you can see why the band meant to so much to so many.

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