Here Comes THE JAM Part 2

Thursday was some predictable and obvious stuff, nonetheless it was important to get these fine

albums up, in their original form, for anyone who missed them the first time...... great albums from a great band.....and of course, as with MOST legitimately "great" bands the official releases are about 20% of the total picture.....you dig a little deeper, you find some harder to locates stuff, and it "unites" you with the band, you're NOT just some kid who got "Sound Affects" from the Columbia House Record Club because you forgot to send your card in....the Jam WERE the fucking deal on record, on stage, wherever you want to hear em......one of the greatest of all bands of their era, while I assume they got their "just do" in the UK, they sure as FUCK never got it here. We're here to change some of that, hopefully.

The "centerpiece" here is the exhaustive "Direction Reaction Creation", a very comprehensive FIVE disc box set.....overlaps a lot with the "original" studio LP's, BUT includes a treasure chest of alternate version, demos, live cuts, interviews.....it's a dilemma, really....listen to the original LP's in the form they were intended, or listen to this and an even 'fuller" picture of what these lads were about.....for an interested novice, it'd be a remarkable introduction, for a full blown Jam-addict, it is a gift from above (wonder what it retailed for?)

We have a fine double disc of BBC sessions, not released until 2002, but some hard-ass shit.....It's wonderful, FULL of great shit, even some interviews. Highly recommended, Jam-sters!

In case we have any OTHER "dabblers" (and you are making a huge mistake), we ALSO have "The Jam Collection", again, these are great songs....they are BETTER heard within the context of their original albums....but if this is your "thing", it IS a  excellent effort. Enjoy it if you wish, I find it to be more enjoyable/comprehensive than "Snap!", just my opinion though....

So what say we get to some RARE stuff? That's why you folks come here anyway, right? (that and you BABES who hope it gets you a better chance at getting in my pants).....here's a rare one, "When We Were Young"....tracks dating back to '75 and '76, before the "were" The Jam.....interesting as hell to hear tracks like "Got By In Time" and "Non Stop Dancing" in their infant versions, there are also tracks here that didn't make the legit "albums".....hunting for rare shit? This is it!

"Celluloid Heroes" is a fine collection of "Live in the Studio" efforts, again, some smoked out versions of some of their early works, "London Girl" in particular goes full bore, HIGHLY recommended!

We have, also, a fine set of demos/rarities, entitled "Saturday's Kids Demos & Sessions".....it's another set you'll want to get your mitts on, there is a LOT of shit here.....Couple of Weller solo demos ("Saturday's Kids", "Hey Mister").....hell of a find here, also highly recommended for fanatics.

A finally, three live boots......oldest being "The Night at The Theatre", from 12/19/79, LOTS of good shit here, a smoking performance (where? unsure).....Lots of "Setting Sons"-era faves like "Smithers-Jones" and "Saturday's Kids", as well as classics such as "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" and "Mr Clean"......a fine set, what can I say? I recommend this one as well

A boott from Dortmund (11/30/80) entitled "Set the Skies Ablaze" is a damn fine set as well......actually more "Sound Affects"-era stuff, with  killer renditions of "Set the House Ablaze" and "Start!", as well as greatly refined classic numbers such as "In the City" and "Going Underground".....These guys COOKED on stage, one of many who I never saw but certainly wish I could have.

Last one I got for ya is 3/22/82 Bingley Hall, by this time, they were on the downside, of the three boots here, this is the weakest. Not even a great set list, as though the songs they elected to perform were any of MY business, but how did they miss on "Set the House Ablaze" or "Saturday's Kids"? Hey, good health to you, guys......you cranked out five GREAT studio albums ("The Gift"?, ehhhhhh), as well as demonstrating your significant live chops on the work featured here. I love Bruce Foxton's bass playing, one of the best, often nearly a lead instrument in these unique-sounding songs.

Just never made it big in USA, so much, "too English" the Yanks would say.......in this they were full of shit, the Jam were one of the VERY best bands of their era, musically energetic, lyrically angry and creative, capable of brining GREAT songs to the argument (such as "Saturday's Kids", "Going Underground", "The Modern World"......lots more too), can we maybe consider the Jam the most underappreciated of the UK punk/new wave bands of that era? At least I think in USA we can......too bad, though.....the Jam were, as I said earlier, "a motherfucker", and not about to change my mind on that.

Certainly do hope my new "blog friend" who has said he will come through with some MORE Jam rarities, so we can have a "Part 3", it's all in HIS hands now.........to the members of the Jam: THANK YOU for all the great music......I loved it at the time, and continue to love it today. Great job......fines songs, fine albums, fine live performances.....and what else is there? Thank you gents!


THE COLLECTION-01 Away From the Numbers/02 I got By In Time/03 I Need You/04 To Be Someone/05 Mr Clean/06 English Rose/07 In the Crowd/08 It's Too Bad/09 The Butterfly Collector/10 Thick as THheves/11 Private Hell/12 Wasteland/13 Burning Sky/14 Saturday's Kids/15 Liza Radley/16 Pretty Green/17 Monday/18 Man in the Corner Shop/19 Boy Abut Town/20 Tales From the Riverbank/21 Ghosts/22 Just Who Is the Five O'Clock Hero/23 Carnation/24 The Great Depression/25 Shopping


WHEN WE WERE YOUNG-01 Non-Stop Dancing (May 1976)/02 Left Right and Centre (May '76)/03 Again (Oct '75)/04 One Hundred Ways (march '76)/05 Forever and Always (March '75)/06 I Will Be There (March 75)/07 When I Needed You (Dec. 75)/08 Please Don't Treat Me Bad (Dec 75)/09 Soul Dance (May 76)/10 I Got By In Time (May 76)/11 Wonderful World (Apr '80)/12 Isolation (Apr 80)

SET THE SKIES ABLAZE (DORTMUND 11/30/80)-01 Dreamtime/02 Thick as Thieves/03 Boy About Town/04 Going Underground/05 Pretty Green/06 Man in the Cornershop/07 Set the House Ablaze/08 Private Hell/09 Liza Radley/10 Dreams of Children/11 The Modern World/12 Little Boy Soldiers/13 But I'm Different Now/14 Start!/15 Scrape Away/16 Strange Town/17 When You're Young/18 In the City/19 To Be Someone/20 David Watts/21 Eton Rifles/22 Down in the Tube Station at Midnight

NIGHT AT THE THEATER (12/29/79)-01 Girl on the Phone/02 It's Too Bad/03 Burning Sky/04 Away From the Numbers/05 Smithers-Jones/06 Mr Clean/07 The Butterfly Collector/Private Hell/08 Thick as Thieves/09 When You're Young/10 Strange Town/11 The Eton Rifles/12 Down in the Tube Station At Midnight/13 Saturdays Kids/14 All Mod Cons/15 David Watts

BINGLEY HALL 3/22/82-01 Strange Case/02 Carnation/03 Town Called Malice/04 Happy Together/05 Boy About Town/06 Ghosts/07 5 O Clock Hero/08 That's entertainment/09 Tales From the Riverbank/10 Precious/11 Running  the Spot/12 Move On Up/13 In the Crowd/14 Private Hell/15 Pretty Green/16 Transglobal Express/17 The Gift/18 Circus/19 Pity For Alfie/Fever/20 Funeral Pyre/21  The Butterfly Collector/22 When You're Young

SATURDAYS KIDS DEMOS AND SESSIONS-01 Time For Truth/02 In the City/03 Sounds From the Street (demo)/04 All Around the World/05 Carnaby Street (Peel Session)/06 Billy Hunt(alt. version)/07 To Be Someone (demo)/08 Worlds Apart (demo)/09 The Night/10 Best of Both Worlds/11 Innocent Man (unreleased Foxton)/12 Hey Mister (Weller Solo)/13 Thick as Thieves (Peel Session/14 Eton Rifles/15 Saturday's Kids (Weller Solo Demo)

DIRECTION REACTION CREATION DISC 1-01 In the City/02 Takin My Love/03 Art School/04 I've  Changed My Address/05 Slow Down/06 I Got By In Time/07 Away From the Numbers/08 Batman Theme/09 Sounds From the Street/10 Non-Stop Dancing/11 Time For Truth/12 Bricks and Mortar/13 All Around the World/14 Carnaby Street/15 The Modern World (Album Version)/16 London Traffic/17 Standards/18 Life From a Window/19 The Combine/20 Don't Tell Them You're Sane/21 In the Street Today/22 London Girl/23 I Need You (For Someone)/24 Here Comes the Weekend/25 Tonight at Noon/26 In the Midnight Hour

DIRECTION REACTION CREATION DISC 2-01 News of the World/02 Aunties and Uncles (Impulsive Youth)/03 Innocent Man/04 David Watts (Album Version)/05 A-Bomb In Wardour Street (Album Version)/06 Down in the Tube Station at Midnight (Album Version)/07 So Sad About Us/ 08 The Night/09 All Mod Cons/10 To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time)/11 Mr Clean/12 English Rose/13 In the Crowd/14 Billy Hunt/15 It's Too Bad/16 Fly/17 The Place I Love/18 Strange Town/19 The Butterfly Collector/20 When You're Young/21 Smithers-Jones (single Version)/22 The Eton Rifles (album version)/23 See-Saw

DIRECTION REACTION CREATION DISC 3-01 Girl on the Phone/02 Thick as Thieves/03 Private Hell/04  Little Boy Soldiers/05 Wasteland/06 Burning Sky/07 Smithers-Jones (album version)/08 Saturday's Kids/09 Heat Wave/10 Going Underground/11 The Dreams of Children/12 Start!/13 Liza Radley/14 Pretty Green/15 Monday/16 But I'm Different Now/17 Set the House Ablaze/18 That's Entertainment/19 Dream Time/20 Man in the Corner Shop/21 Music For the Last Couple/22 Boy About Town/23 Scrape Away


DIRECTION REACTION CREATION DISC 4-01 Funeral Pyre/02 Disguises/03 Absolute Beginners/04 Tales From the Riverbank/05 Town Called Malice/06 Precious (12" Version)/07 Happy Together/08 Ghosts/09 Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?/10 Trans-Global Express/11 Running On the Spot/12 Circus/13 The Planner's Dream Goes Wrong/14 Carnation/15 The Gift/16 The Great Depression/17 The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)/18 Pity Poor Alfie/Fever/19 Beat Surrender/20 Shopping/21 Move On Up/22 Stoned Out of My Mind/23 War

DIRECTION REACTION CREATION DISC 5-01 In the City (8-track Polydor band Demo)/02 Time For Truth (8-track Polydor band Demo)/03 Sounds From the Street (8 Track Polydor Band Demo)/04 So Sad About Us (band Demo)/05 Worlds Apart (Demo)/06 Billy Hunt (Alternate Version)/07 It's Too Bad (band Demo)/08 To Be Someone (Band Demo)/09 David Watts (Band Demo)/10 Best of Both Worlds (Band Demo)/11 That's Entertainment (Band Demo)/12 Rain (demo)/13 Dream Time (demo)/14 Dead End Street (Demo)/15 Stand By Me (Demo)/16 Every Little Bit Hurts (Demo)/17 Tales From the Riverbank (Alternate Version)/18 Walking In Heaven's Sunshine (Demo)/19 Precious (Demo)/20 Pity Poor Alfie (Swing Version)/21 The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow) (First Version)/22 A Solid Bond In Your Heart (Demo)

THE JAM AT THE BBC DISC 1-01 In the City/02 Art School/03 I've Changed My Address/04 The Modern World/05 All Around the World/06 London Girl/07 Bricks and Mortar/08 Carnaby Street/09 Billy Hunt/10 In the Street Today/11 The Combine/12 Sounds From the Street/13 Don't Tell Them You're Sane/14 The Modern World/15 A-Bomb In Wardour Street/16 News of the World/17 Here Comes the Weekend/18 All Around the World

THE JAM AT THE BBC DISC 2-01 Thick As Thieves/02 The Eton Rifles/03 Saturday's Kids/04 When You're Young/05 Absolute Beginners/06 Tales From the Riverbank/07 Funeral Pyre/08 Sweet Soul Music/09 The Gift/10 Down In the Tube Station At Midnight/11 Ghosts/12 Absolute Beginners/13 Tales From the Riverbank/14 Precious/15 Town Called Malice/16 In the Crowd/17 Circus/18 Pretty Green/19 Start!/20 Boy About Town

So, there it is, a LOT of material, it's taken me longer to do than I expected.....and yet, emails pour in from fellow Jam-lovers who wish to send me MORE, and I'll happily do a THIRD part of the series..I've already received a couple other Jam goodies via email, I will wait a couple of days and post whatever I have received by then (I have some more Au-Pairs to post as well, I'll do a combo Au-Pairs/Jam post (assuming I have enough, which it sounds like I will)....and remember I'll post ANYTHING you guys send me and wish to share, unless it is something I personally find unbearable (hair metal, for example, or Journey)......so bring it on.....this is a blog for EVERYONE! I have a great music collection, and each gem you guys help me add makes it that much closer to perfection.....and that goes for EVERYONE.....the more we share this great stuff, the closer we ALL come to having out personalized, customized "perfect" music collection.....

So, something different (and SHORTER) for tomorrow, I'll wait a few days for any Jam and Au pairs stuff to drift in, then we'll do another "Minions take over" post.....but PLEASE, anything you would like to share with the rest of the blogosphere, please do so and I WILL get it put up. Sharing, as i continually tell anyone who will listen, is NOT "stealing" nor is it "piracy"....."sharing" is simply that, "sharing" what we have with other human beings, and anyone who thinks that is a BAD thing, I feel incredibly sorry for, truly.

Here Comes THE JAM.....Part 1

Late Edit : Was going this as a single post an discovered that I have WAY too much stuff for that. I'll split it in two, another poster says he has a bunch of Jam too that he'll share after I put mine up at the end of this we should have TONS of Jam rarities, boots, demos, etc, coz I know I have a BUNCH.... Today, just the obvious stuff.....t heir six studio albums, the live "Dig the New Breed", and the compilation "Snap!"...... that is still a LOT of shit, but it's essential and if we are going to do this we must do it right. Also had to decide between re-upping my scratchy vinyl rips or some nice clean FLAC files found on the Bay, gonna go with the FLAC's to save a little time...I know they are a bit of a pain in the ass for you, but with SO MUCH material here, manually uploading it would take a serious amount of my time! OK, here is the post as I originally wrote it, before deciding to split it apart:

The Jam were an important element of the punk/new wave movement of the 1970's, not as popular in the US as many of the other English bands, due being, for lack of a better terminology, "too" English. They were a motherfucker though, kicking out some damn great albums that still sound magnificent today. Headed up by leader/vocalist/guitarist Paul Weller, who was joined by bassist-extraordinaire Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler, they slammed out some great mod-influenced punk, ranking with the Pistols and Clash on the "angry" scale.

The first release was 1977's fine "In the City" ...a good but not great beginning, full of short, smart numbers like the title track and "Non-Stop Dancing" (they also covered the theme from "Batman") .....MUCH better was the followup, "This Is the Modern World", on which the band begins to create an identity for itself, define what it's sound would become, and give foreshadow to the great albums yet to come. "Modern World" is stunning, the title track, "In the Street Today" and "Tonight at Noon" standout among others, their by-now obligatory  cover version on this LP was a fine version of "In the Midnight Hour".

Better, yet, even, is 1978's "All Mod Cons"..... arguably their best record (we can argue also for "Modern World" as well as "Setting Sons", to me a testimony to their excellence), it is filled with standout tracks, and the anger by this point is boiling: "Mr. Clean" and "Down In the Tube Station at Midnight" best exemplify this, there is also a very good cover of "David Watts" by the Kinks who are an obvious influence. Tremendous album.

I think most music critics would disagree with me (preferring "All Mod Cons), but I will take 1979's "Setting Sons" as my favorite Jam album, generally the one I will pull out today. Maybe it was just where I was in 1979, but that album was a HUGE part of the soundtrack....." Burning Sky", "Smithers-Jones", (especially) "Saturday's Kids", "The Eton Rifles"...... about every track a standout. The one clunker in my estimation is their fairly listless cover of "Heat Wave". Nonetheless, this is a great album, ***** for my money, and as I said before, to me still sounds tremendous today.

The decline phase began with "Sound Affects", which is by no means a "bad" album, just not as excellent as its predecessors...... "Set the House Ablaze" is probably the hardest rocker they ever recorded, "Start!" and "That's Entertainment" standout as well. "Dig the New Breed" is a decent live disc which doesn't feature the same numbers I would have selected, there is a smoking version of "Set the House Ablaze". Sounds as though they were a hell of an energetic live crew and I wish I could have seen em.

1982's "The Gift" was their final studio effort, and I'd call it their weakest effort..... I will say there are STILL some good songs here ("Just Who Is the Five O'Clock Hero", "A Town Called Malice"), but by this point they were pretty much a done deal.

"Snap!" crams a bunch of their better songs onto a greatest hits package, in my estimation the albums stand on their own and should be heard as such, I'll put "Snap!" here in case we have some dabblers.

Tomorrow, I'll start with some rare stuff, including the five disc box "Direction Reaction Creations", lots of live, demos, rare, all kind of shit! Be there or be, uh, somewhere else.  This is going to be a good series, I think, I love the Jam and a "friend of the blog" has promised lots of rare material as well. I'm pretty excited about it, at least.

IN THE CITY-01 Art School/02 I've Changed My Address/03 Slow Down/04 I  Got By In Time/05 Away From the Numbers/06 Batman Theme/07 In the City/08 Sounds of the Street/09 Non-Stop Dancing/10 Time For Truth/11 Takin My Love/12 Bricks and Mortar

THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD-01 The Modern World/02 London Traffic/03 Standards/04 Life From a Window/05 The Combine/06 Don't Tell Them You're Sane/07 In the Street Today/08 London Girl/09 I Need You (For Someone)/10 Here Comes the Weekend/11 Tonight at Noon/12 In the Midnight Hour

ALL MOD CONS-01 All Mod Cons/02 To Be Someone (Didn't We have a Nice Time)/03 Mr Clean/04 David Watts/05 English Rose/06 In the Crowd/07 Billy Hunt/08 It's  Too Bad/09 Fly/10 The Place I Love/11 A-Bomb in Wardour Street/12 Down In the Tube Station at Midnight

SETTING SONS-01 Girl On the Phone/02  Thick As Thieves/03 Private Hell/04 Little Boy Soldiers/05 Burning Sky/09 Smithers-Jones/10 Saturday's Kids/11 The Eton Rifles/12 Heat Wave

SOUND AFFECTS-01 Pretty Green/02 Monday/03 But I'm Different Now/04 Set the House Ablaze/05 Start!/06 That's Entertainment/07 Dream Time/08 Man in the Corner Shop/09 Music For the Last Couple/10 Boy About Town/11 Scrape Away

THE GIFT-01 Happy Together/02 Ghosts/03 Precious/04 Just Who Is the Five O'Clock Hero?/05 Trans-Global Express/06 Running On the Spot/07 Circus/08 The Planners Dream Goes Wrong/09 Carnation/10 Town Called Malice/11 The Gift

DIG THE NEW BREED-01 In the City/02 All Mod Cons/03  Be Someone (Didn't We Have a  Time)/04 It's Too Bad/05 Start!/06 Big Bird/07 Set the House Ablaze/08 Ghosts/09 Standards/10 In the Crowd/11 Going Underground/12 Dreams Of Children/13 That's Entertainment/14 Private Hell

SNAP! DISC 01-In the City/02 All Around the World/03 Away From the Numbers/04 The Modern World (single version)/05 News of the World/06 Billy Hunt/07 English Rose/08 Mr. Clean/09 David Watts/10 A-Bomb In Wardour Street/11 Down In the Tube Station at Midnight/12 Strange Town/13 The Butterfly Collector/14 When Your Young/15 Smithers-Jones/16 Thick as Thieves

SNAP! DISC 02-01  The Eton Rifles/02 GoingUnderground/03 Dreams of Children/04 That's Entertainment/05 Start!/06 Man in the Corner Shop/07 Funeral Pyre (remixed version)/08 Absolute Beginners/09 Tales From the Riverbank/10 Town Called Malice/11 Precious (single Edit)/12 The Bitterest Pill Ever had To Swallow)/13 Beat Surrender

Good albums, all...... like the Kinks and the Who, each album made a "statement" and stood well on its own..... that is why "Snap!" is fairly redundant, but I know some dabblers would make it their top choice, so what can you do? Anyway, this is the OBVIOUS stuff...... check back tomorrow for the "fun" stuff, you'll not want to miss it!

"Saturdays boys live life with insults, drink lots of  beer for halftime results......." always DID love that lyric!