Back in
November 1979, Paul Weller was still only 21 years of age. And yet, that month
also saw the release of Setting Sons, the fourth record by The Jam. Arguably
the biggest initial success story from the first wave of punk, their
commentaries on the struggles of everyday life reflected the changing moods and
culture of the time. Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives had just assumed
power, racial tension was brimming in the wake of the Southall riots and a
major recession was just around the corner. Indeed, the parallels between then
and now are similar: austerity cutting deep into the pockets of the working
classes while Tory PM David Cameron prepares for a general election, with the
rise of UKIP mirroring that of the National Front. These were desperate times
so it's somewhat remarkable that some of the greatest music this nation has
produced was created during such a hostile era.
Having
already put out three albums over an 18-month-period between the summer of 1977
and winter of 1978, The Jam's status as one of the most prolific bands of this
or any other time was already assured. Emerging from the town of Woking during
the outset of punk, it was clear from their sharp suits and soulful reference
points this trio were about much more than rhetorical art school nihilism.
Setting Sons' predecessor All Mod Cons – released the previous November and
since revered as their crowning glory – raised the bar somewhat from the band's
first two records.
What came
next would be an attempt at creating a concept album about three boyhood
friends who eventually grow apart. Indeed, The Jam's subsequent break-up adds a
degree of poignancy to Setting Sons' initial focus. Nevertheless, as an album,
it delivered some of the band's finest moments across its ten pieces. 'Thick As
Thieves' and 'Little Boy Soldiers' read like reminiscent artefacts from the
pages of an adolescent's diary. "Like a perfect stranger, you came into my
life" depicts the former while the latter concedes, "These days I
find that it's all too much." Musically taut and proficient, each member
complimenting the other rather than the rhythm section providing an auxiliary
vehicle for Weller as the picture has been painted since. 'Smithers-Jones'
represents bass player Bruce Foxton's finest composition. Originally placed on
the b-side of 'When You're Young', a non-album single which preceded the record
by a good three months, its satirical depiction of a careerist office worker
climbing the hierarchical ladder has a touch of Alan Sillitoe's wit and wisdom.
Then there's the impending gloom relayed on 'Wasteland', a paean to British
industry's habitual bereavement ("We'll sit amongst the rubber tyres...
People have no use for, amongst the smouldering embers of yesterday").
It's prophecy alarmingly accurate, if anything it highlighted The Jam as poet
laureates of their generation.
The attack
on public school education referenced in 'The Eton Rifles' proved something of
a pivotal moment for the band. Providing them with their first top three
singles chart placing, it undoubtedly laid the foundations for the string of
number one hits that followed, while firmly establishing The Jam as punk rock's
sacred cows. Elsewhere, 'Saturday's Kids' served as a rabble rousing anthem
about living for the weekend while 'Burning Sky' once again tackled the subject
of profit margins and the growing divide between rich and poor. In many ways,
Setting Sons can be viewed as a protest record, even though there are one or
two clumsy moments. In hindsight, the album may have fared better had their
cover of Martha & The Vandellas' 'Heat Wave' and largely forgettable
'Private Hell' been omitted and replaced with the likes of 'When You're Young',
'Strange Town' or its superior flipside 'The Butterfly Collector'.
Fortunately,
this four-disc deluxe collectors' edition covers all bases before, during and
after Setting Sons by including all three non-album singles ('Going
Underground', the band's first number one released in the early part of 1980
never made it onto album number five, Sound Affects) and b-sides as bonus
tracks alongside the album. The second disc contains 18 demos recorded during
the album sessions of which all bar one are previously unreleased.
Interestingly, three of these were never re-recorded; 'Simon', 'Best Of Both
Worlds' and 'Along The Grove' and while completists will no doubt be rubbing hands
in glee at their inclusion, this collection wouldn't have felt any less
cohesive without them. What is quite charming is the demo version of 'Strange
Town' complete with 2 Tone-style organ and stop-start ska riff, while 'Little
Boy Soldiers' becomes even more enchanting in stripped down form.
Disc three
highlights The Jam at their best as a live force to be reckoned with. Capturing
20 songs from their Christmas show at Brighton Centre as 1979 draws to a close,
Weller's pleas to the audience to move back a reminder of the raucous
reputation of their gigs. The fourth disc collects all five promotional videos
from that era alongside numerous Top Of The Pops appearances and a clip from
BBC2's Something Else television show featuring live performances of 'The Eton
Rifles' and 'When You're Young'. Ornately housed in a 68-page, hardback book
featuring memorabilia, rare photographs and song lyrics as well as a replica
Setting Sons tour brochure and fan club magazine, it's an essential addition to
any Jam obsessive's collection and as good a starting place as any for those on
a voyage of discovery.
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