In The City

Performer: The Jam
Engineer: Vic Smith
Producer: Chris Parry; Vic Smith
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: The Jam: Paul Weller (vocals, guitar); Bruce Foxton (vocals, bass); Rick Buckler (drums). Mod rocker's hugely influential first LP re-released and remastered. German import. The Jam: Bruce Foxton (bass guitar); Paul Weller, Rick Buckler. Personnel: Paul Weller (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Paul John Weller (vocals, guitar); Bruce Foxlar, Bruce Foxton (vocals); Rick Buckler (drums). Liner Note Author: Pat Gilbert. Recording information: Polydor Studios, London, England (03/1977). Photographers: Ebet Roberts; Martyn Goddard; Ian Dickson. On their debut, the Jam offered a good balance between the forward-looking, "destroy everything" aggression of punk with a certain reverence for '60s beat and R&B. In an era that preached attitude over musicianship, the Jam bettered the competition with good pop sense, strong melodies, and plenty of hooks that compromised none of punk's ideals or energy, plus youth culture themes and an abrasive, ferocious attack. Even though the band would improve exponentially over the next couple of years, In the City is a remarkable debut and stands as one of the landmark punk albums. ~ Chris Woodstra In the Year of Punk, the Jam's exploded onto the music scene with this seminal debut album. The raw, unfettered aggression of the band's approach was well in keeping with the spirit of the times, but the heart of their songs and sound lay in the mod movement of the mid-'60s (early Who, Creation, etc.). Singer/guitarist Paul Weller comes off like a cross between Joe Strummer and the young Pete Townshend, bashing unreservedly through "Slow Down," one of the R&B tunes that inspired the original mods. Weller extols the virtues of frenzied dancing and nonconformist youth culture ("Non-Stop Dancing," "Away From the Numbers") over the raging three-chord attack of bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler. The pure punk insouciance of his words and delivery is a perfect match for the raging but hooky "arrangements," which basically consisted of the band walking into the studio and blazing through their live set. Rickenbacker guitars never sounded so thick, and skinny ties never seemed less geeky.

Q (5/02 SE, p.138) - 4 stars out of 5 - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums" - "...Mod-poet Paul Weller knew how it felt to be young, brash and alive. Rarely have those emotions been better captured on record." Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.76) - Ranked #37 in Mojo's "Top 50 Punk Albums" - "...The new wave never sounded fresher..."

The Jam were at the forefront of two musical movements at once in late-'70s England--punk and the mod revival. While the young trio possessed just as much brashness and raw energy as the Sex Pistols or the Clash, they also had the pop smarts and soul influences of '60s mods like the Creation, the Action, and the early Who. Over a series of sterling albums, the Jam's sound and singer/guitarist Paul Weller's songwriting grew increasingly sophisticated before the band's early-'80s breakup. Subsequently, Weller moved on to the cooler, pop/soul-oriented Style Council, and eventually struck out on his own, releasing a series of well-regarded solo albums.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25