The Jam - The Complete Jam (2003)

The Complete Jam contains a number of British television performances and spreads them out over two discs. There is the BBC's popular The Old Grey Whistle Test, Marc (hosted by the flamboyant Marc Bolan of T-Rex fame), The Tube (which features an impromptu Peter Weller interview), and Something Else. There are 12 television spots with over 30 song performances. Also included are 16 videos of some of their most popular songs including Town Called Malice, That's Entertainment, Eton Rifles, and Start!. The set continues with contribution pieces Scene: The Fan Phenomenon and The Jam: A Time and a Place, which are insightful looks into the band and serve to augment the videos.

The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the most impact on pop music. While they could barely get noticed in America, the trio became genuine superstars in Britain, with an impressive string of Top Ten singles in the late '70s and early '80s. The Jam could never have a hit in America because they were thoroughly and defiantly British. Under the direction of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Paul Weller, the trio spearheaded a revival of mid-'60s mod groups, in the style of the Who and the Small Faces. Like the mod bands, the group dressed stylishly, worshipped American R&B, and played it loud and rough.

By the time of the group's third album, Weller's songwriting had grown substantially, as he was beginning to write social commentaries and pop songs in the vein of the Kinks. Both his political songs and his romantic songs were steeped in British culture, filled with references and slang in the lyrics, as well as musical allusions. Furthermore, as the Jam grew more popular and musically accessible, Weller became more insistent and stubborn about his beliefs, supporting leftist causes and adhering to the pop aesthetics of '60s British rock without ever succumbing to hippie values. Paradoxically, that meant even when their music became more pop than punk, they never abandoned the punk values - if anything, Weller stuck to the strident independent ethics of 1977 more than any other punk band just by simply refusing to change.

Weller formed the Jam with drummer Rick Buckler, bassist Bruce Foxton, and guitarist Steve Brookes while they were still in school in 1975; Brookes quickly left the band and they remained a trio for the rest of their career. For the next year, the band played gigs around London, building a local following. In February 1977, the group signed a record contract with Polydor Records; two months later, they released their debut single, "In the City," which reached the U.K. Top 40. The following month, the group released their debut album, also called In the City. Recorded in just 11 days, the album featured a combinations of R&B covers and Weller originals, all of which sounded a bit like faster, more ragged versions of the Who's early records. Their second single, "All Around the World," nearly broke into the British Top Ten and the group embarked on a successful British tour.
During the summer of 1977, they recorded their second album, This Is the Modern World, which was released toward the end of the year. "The Modern World" made it into the Top 40 in November, just as the Jam were beginning their first American tour. Although it was brief, the tour was not successful, leaving bitter memories of the U.S. in the minds of the band.

This Is the Modern World peaked in the British charts at number 22, yet it received criticism for repeating the sound of the debut. The band began a headlining tour of the U.K., yet it was derailed shortly after it started when the group got into a nasty fight with a bunch of rugby players in a Leeds hotel. Weller broke several bones and was charged with assault, although the Leeds Crown Court would eventually acquit him. The Jam departed for another American tour in March of 1978 and it was yet another unsuccessful tour, as they opened for Blue Öyster Cult. It did nothing to win new American fans, yet their star continued to rise in Britain.

Bands copying the group's mod look and sound popped up across Britain and the Jam itself performed at the Reading Festival in August. All Mod Cons, released late in 1978, marked a turning point in the Jam's career, illustrating that Weller's songwriting was becoming more melodic, complex, and lyrically incisive, resembling Ray Davies more than Pete Townshend. Even as their sound became more pop-oriented, the group lost none of their tightly controlled energy. All Mod Cons was a major success, peaking at number six on the U.K. charts, even if it didn't make a dent in the U.S. Every one of the band's singles were now charting in the Top 20, with the driving "Eton Rifles" becoming their first Top Ten in November 1979, charting at number three.

Setting Sons, released at the end of 1979, climbed to number four in the U.K. and marked their first charting album in the U.S., hitting number 137 in spring of 1980. At that time, the Jam had become full-fledged rock stars in Britain, with their new "Going Underground" single entering the charts at number one. During the summer, the band recorded their fifth album, with the "Taxman"-inspired "Start" released as a teaser single in August; "Start" became their second straight number one. Its accompanying album, the ambitious Sound Affects, hit number two in the U.K. at the end of the year; it was also the band's high-water mark in the U.S., peaking at number 72. "That's Entertainment," one of the standout tracks from Sound Affects, charted at number 21 in the U.K. as an import single, confirming the band's enormous popularity.

"Funeral Pyre," the band's summer 1981 single, showed signs that Weller was becoming fascinated with American soul and R&B, as did the punchy, horn-driven "Absolute Beginners," which hit number four in the fall of the year. As the Jam were recording their sixth album, Weller suffered a nervous breakdown, which prompted him to stop drinking. In February 1982, the first single from the new sessions - the double A-sided "Town Called Malice"/"Precious" - became their third number one single and the band became the first group since the Beatles to play two songs on BBC's Top of the Pops. The Gift, released in March of 1982, showcased the band's soul infatuation and became the group's first number one album in the U.K. "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero" hit number eight in July, becoming the group's second import single to make the U.K. charts.

Artists: Jam
- Paul Weller: Guitar, Vocals
- Bruce Foxton: Bass
- Rick Buckler: Drums

Tracklist:
- Disc One
SO IT GOES - Granada TV:
01. In the City
02. Bricks & Mortar
03. Carnaby Street
04. Slow Down
05. All Around The World (MARC Granada TV)
06. David Watts (REVOLVER - Carlton TV)
07. Billy Hunt (THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST - BBC)
08. In The Street Today (THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST - BBC)
09. When You're Young (SOMETHING ELSE - BBC)
Promo's:
10. In The City
11. Art School
12. News Of The World
13. Strange Town
14. Butterfly Collector
15. When You're Young

- Disc Two
NEWCASTLE CITY HALL GIG - Granada TV:
01. Going Underground
02. Pretty Green
03. Eton Rifles
04. To Be Someone
05. "A" Bomb In Wardour Street
06. David Watts
07. Boy About Town
08. Scrape Away (CHECK IT OUT - NEWCASTLE GIG - Granada TV)
09. Man In The Corner Shop (SOMETHING ELSE - INEQUALITY RULES - BBC)
10. Funeral Pyre (SOMETHING ELSE - JUST THE MUSIC - BBC)
MANDAGSBORSEN - SVT:
11. Absolute Beginners
12. Tales From The Riverbank
13. Paul Weller Interview
14. Funeral Pyre
15. Start! (POPKRANT - Vara, Netherlands)
THE TUBE - Granada TV:
16. Paul Weller Interview
17. Ghosts
18. In The Crowd
19. Town Called Malice
20. The Modern World
21. Move On Up
22. The Great Depression
23. Beat Surrender
24. Precious
25. War!
Promo's:
26. Going Underground
27. The Dreams of Children
28. Start!
29. That's Entertainment
30. Funeral Pyre
31. Absolute Beginners
32. Town Called Malice
33. Precious
34. Just Who Is The 5 O'Clock Hero?
35. The Bitterest Pill

Features:
- Direct Scene Access
- Interactive Menu

Extra:
- Multi Angle Scrapbooks.
- The Jam A Time And Place.
- Scene: The Fan Phenomenon
- Check Out The Jam

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