975 The Jam - Sound Affects (1980)

 975 The Jam - Sound Affects (1980) 

Studio Album - New Wave/Mod Revival


About the Act:

The Jam were an English mod revival/punk band from 1972-1982, fronted by Paul Weller, who is now famous in his own right, and in between fronted The Style Council. They were not really punk, although their sound at times was reminiscent of the fast, raw energy of punk, and the guitar sound too was reminiscent of punk, but also of rock. The vocal delivery has a punk flavour. They wore suits on stage, a bit like a 60s rock band. Their recording career was from 1977 to 1982, in which time they produced six studio albums. There is a particular affection amongst people of may age for the Jam as they were part of our formative music listening experiences.


About the Album:

This is the fifth studio album by The Jam. 


My History with this Album:

I know "That's Entertainment" because it was a single, but I don't think I have heard this as an album before.


Review:

At the peak of their popularity, I didn't really like The Jam, but that was mostly a reaction to the strength of their popularity (I was at school, and there seemed to be a need for polarised opinions). Over the years my objections have melted away and now I quite like them, although I have never bought any of their albums. Maybe I should get some kind of greatest hits album.  Anyway, I enjoyed listening to this. There is much more here than a bland post-punk sound, there is a lot of inventiveness, both musically and lyrically. Paul Weller is one of those people who knows he is not a technical singer, but uses his voice to great effect. There are some unusual bits of production and occasional sound effects, which I always like. The overall reaction I have is that it is infectious, and I could listen to it again. I did. I like "Pretty Green" especially for the nicely crafted words, but that is a thing that permeates this album. I especially like the line "Two lovers missing the tranquillity of solitude". This is a good album, I'm going to give it a solid 7.


7/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4DkUmnDgrkBTk1RGLCTZcb

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKQnbac1DpLWu5icH2ICL_5nvaN82RPQE

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Affects



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