Saturday, September 1, 2007

Suburban 100 - Paul Weller - Suburban 100

Paul Weller - Suburban 100On 6th September 2007 Suburban 100 is published by Century. Priced at £17.99.
Synopsis

Weller first burst onto the national music scene in 1977 with his first band, The Jam and 2007 heralds their 30 year anniversary. Their single "In The City" took the band into the UK Top 40 for the first time in May 1977. In 1980 The Jam hit number one for the first time with what many believe to be the definitive Paul Weller song, "Going Underground", which was to become in effect the band's signature tune.By the early 1980s, The Jam had become possibly the biggest band in Britain. They became the only band other than The Beatles to perform two songs ("Town Called Malice" and "Precious") on one edition of Top of the Pops (the feat would later also be equalled by Oasis and Manic Street Preachers) At the beginning of 1983 Weller formed a new group called The Style Council, a band at the vanguard of the jazz/pop revival. Weller successfully joined the 'Britpop' movement that gave rise to such bands as Oasis and Blur. Oasis in particular cited being heavily influenced by The Jam. Fans and critics hail Paul's 1994 album "Wild Wood" as one of his finest. The number one selling 1995 album "Stanley Road" took Paul back to the top of the British charts...

From the Inside Flap
It's been thirty years since Paul Weller and The Jam first burst onto the British music scene, and throughout that time the music and lyrics that have been acclaimed, imitated and loved by so many have revealed to us all, something of the man behind them.

In this the only selection of Weller's lyrics, may be found those songs that span the decades – from the much loved, to the lesser known.Here, the frustration and boredom of suburban life that fuelled Weller’s early writing is palpable and so too is the raging but poignant response to Thatcher's Britain. Alongside this Weller's lyrics, rooted in British culture, tell a story about the love and lives of ordinary people, and offer glimpses into Weller’s own life: his influences and experiences and loves and losses.
From modfather and social commentator to king of Britpop and romantic lyricist, Paul Weller reflects back on his lyrics, revealing what these songs meant to him – both then and now.

Labels: ,