Paul Weller Turns 50

Since it seems like Paul Weller has been around forever, it is somewhat difficult to believe that Sunday, May 25th only marked The Modfather’s 50th birthday. Then again, when one considers that Weller first found success with The Jam when he was only 18 years old, it does appear realistic.

I suppose the thing that really stands out as Weller hits the half-century mark is the quality of the music that he has turned out for over 30 years now. While Weller has seen some fallow periods over the years–the latter days of The Style Council and some of his weaker solo output come to mind–I can’t think of another musician who put out very vital music 30 years after the start of his career. Yet, Weller saw a career renaissance in 2005 with his stellar As Is Now album. And he hopes to continue on that path with the upcoming 22 Dreams album. “Echoes Round The Sun,” the lead single from 22 Dreams, is a fantastic tune, and, if it is any indication of what the 22 Dreams album is going to be like, Weller will have another winner on his hands.

I’ve been a fan of Weller’s for most of his career, beginning in about 1980 when I first heard The Jam’s “That’s Entertainment” on Scott Muni’s program on New York City’s WNEW-FM. Since I was already a big fan of The Who, it was very easy to take to The Jam’s music. The Jam reminded me quite a bit of The Who in their pre-Tommy years, when The Who were turning out one great power-pop single after another.

Having The Who and The Jam break up around the same time in late 1982-early 1983 was a double blow. While The Who have, of course, reformed numerous times and continue to perform despite the deaths of drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle, The Jam have not performed together since their 1983 breakup. Although The Jam’s bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler are playing together again in From The Jam, Weller has not performed with them. Nor is he likely to, since Buckler and Foxton took legal action against Weller and Weller’s father, John, who was The Jam’s manager, some years ago in a dispute over royalties. Apparently, those wounds have still not healed.

While I would love to see Weller, Buckler, and Foxton perform together again as The Jam since I never saw them perform together back in the day, I realize that, for their legacy, it might be better if they never do play together again. The Jam had five great years together, packed with hit UK singles and great albums. Maybe they should just let sleeping dogs lie.

As a loyal fan of The Jam back in the early 1980s, I was crushed when the band’s breakup was announced. Stupidly, I blamed Weller for the split, and I was so pissed off about it that I boycotted The Style Council for most of that band’s existence. I did, however, really enjoy some of The Style Council’s singles, such as “My Ever Changing Moods” and “Walls Come Tumbling Down.” It was not until long after The Style Council’s demise did I come to appreciate the quality of their music. And Weller has often cited The Style Council years as some of his happiest, as he romanced and married Style Council member Dee C. Lee. (Weller and Lee had two children together and are now divorced.)

It wasn’t until Weller became a solo artist that I began following his career seriously again. I was totally knocked out by Weller’s first solo single, “Uh-Huh Oh-Yeh.” After the years of The Style Council, some of which sounded like cocktail jazz to me, “Uh-Huh Oh-Yeh” brought a rocking Paul Weller back to the masses. The song sounded like a great lost Jam single.

Unfortunately, since the rock radio stations in the New York City area took to ignoring Weller again after giving some decent airplay to “Uh-Huh Oh-Yeh,” I lost track of Weller’s career for over a decade. I missed out on his solo career highlights, the Wild Wood and Stanley Road albums, and only discovered them years after their releases. I had the opportunity to see Weller play live at Royal Albert Hall on my first trip to London in 2000 and I passed it up, a decision for which I am still kicking myself. I had heard that Weller at the time wasn’t playing any of The Jam’s songs in his solo shows and, as I was unfamiliar with most of his solo output, I didn’t have much interest in it.

My rediscovery of Weller’s music came through listening to the UK rock radio stations on the Internet, which I started doing upon my return from that London trip. I’ve since seen Weller perform four times, and am very much looking forward to seeing him play live on his current tour, which should hit the USA in the autumn.

For whatever reason, Weller has never been a big star here in America, despite putting out quality music for most of his 30-year career. I’m not sure why that is. Some say that his music is “too British.” I’m not sure if I buy that, since a lot of his songs have universal themes that anybody can relate to. Still, it’s a real shame that a large portion of the American music-buying public ignore Weller’s music. When I’ve seen Weller play live in New York City, the audience always contains a sizable contingent from the UK. Apparently, a lot of Weller’s British fans come to see him play in New York and elsewhere in America because Weller, due to his lack of US breakthrough success, plays much-smaller venues in America than he does on the other side of the pond and it gives the UK fans a chance to see The Modfather in a more intimate setting. The fact that Weller has fans who are willing to fly across the ocean just to see him play live should clue at least some Americans into what they are missing out on.

I could go on and on, but from this point on, I will let Weller’s music (and videos) do the talking.

First up is The Jam performing their single “All Around The World” on Marc Bolan’s UK TV show Marc in 1977:

Next is The Jam’s video for their smash hit, “That’s Entertainment”:

Closing out The Jam portion of Weller’s career is the video for one of their final singles (which, in my opinion, was a hint of The Style Council to come), “The Bittersst Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)”:

The best song by The Style Council, IMHO, was “My Ever Changing Moods”:

And I’ve always liked the video for The Style Council’s “Walls Come Tumbling Down,” which was shot in Warsaw:

Weller’s solo career was ignited with the great “Uh-Huh Oh-Yeh” single:

Weller’s biggest (and best) solo single was probably “The Changingman,” which Weller performs live here on the BBC’s Later with Jools Holland in 1995:

After a few disappointing solo albums, Weller returned to form with 2005’s As Is Now album. Weller performs that album’s lead single, “From The Floorboards Up,” on the BBC’s Later with Jools Holland in 2005:

Apologies about the length of this post to those who aren’t familiar with Weller’s music or, worse, don’t like his music. Still, I think that The Modfather should be celebrated on the occasion of his 50th birthday. And I hope he continues to provide us with new music for many years to come.