Paul Weller

The Modfather is coming our way for two nights at the Enmore Theatre, so why not get yourself up to speed with a quick dip into the Weller songbook?

1. The Jam: ‘That's Entertainment' (1981)
Weller first came to prominence as singer, songwriter and guitarist in The Jam, who were enormously popular in Britain in the late 70s. Despite the Jame never being what you could call punk - they had more in common with the soul and blues-influenced Mods of the 60s - but they had the approval of the Clash, who took them on their White Riot tour in 1977. The similarity between the bands was in their lyrical content: Weller shared Joe Strummer and Mick Jones' gift for capturing the minutia of UK life, as on the 1980 classic ‘That's Entertainment'.



2. The Jam: ‘Town Called Malice' (1982)
By 1982 relations between Weller and bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Butler had soured considerably. Their final album The Gift topped the charts, as did the singles ‘Beat Surrender' and the Motown-influenced ‘Town Called Malice' - which had the same propulsive ‘You Can't Hurry Love'-style rhythm that was to get Jet slammed with accusations of plagiarism decades later with ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl". See, it's all about context.



3. The Style Council: ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down!' (1984)
Weller didn't waste any time in teaming up with keyboard player Mick Talbot and forming the jazz-influenced new band. The band were derided at the time as being an indulgent vanity project, but enjoyed considerable success with ‘Speak Like A Child', ‘Shout To The Top' and this stomping piece of anti-Thatcher invective, ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down' before splitting in 1989. "It's something we should have done two or three years ago" Weller lamented in 1990.



4. Paul Weller: ‘Peacock Suit' (1997)
Once the Council ground to a halt Weller was without a band or a record deal, but by 1992 he was back on the road with the Paul Weller Movement, a swag of new songs and, conveniently, the approval of the emerging stars of Britpop who had grown up on the Jam. Oasis and Ocean Colour Scene were particularly fervent admirers, introducing Weller to a new audience and getting him a number one single with ‘Peacock Suit'.



5. Paul Weller: ‘7 & 3 is the Strikers Name' (2010)
Since then he's been consistently successful in the UK and revered as one of Britain's greatest songwriters, although remaining something of a cult figure elsewhere. This year's Wake Up The Nation scored some of the best reviews of his career, and also marked a reunion with the estranged Foxton, who played bass on several tracks. Awww!
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