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Before a solo career that has earned him twenty-two Top 10 albums, including six #1’s, Paul Weller was the frontman for The Jam and The Style Council. In the Jam, Weller, still a teenager at the time of their debut In The City, led a highly influential trio that bridged punk and new wave and earned four #1 singles and one #1 album in their short tenure (1977–1982). At the height of their success, Weller broke up the band, opting for a different direction with The Style Council, which veered away from guitar-driven songs in favor of a jazz, soul, and pop sound. From 1983 to 1989, the band scored seven Top 10 singles and one #1 album in the UK. Long before he was known as “The Modfather,” Weller was a “spokesperson for a generation.” Perhaps this book serves as an overdue introduction for those unfamiliar with Weller, particularly in America. It chronicles Weller’s catalogue from The Jam’s debut through The Style Council’s last, rejected house album Modernism: A New Decade, including rarities, B-sides, and covers. It combines research with artist interviews done especially for this project, as well as occasional author anecdotes.
Before a solo career that has earned him twenty-two Top 10 albums, including six #1’s, Paul Weller was the frontman for The Jam and The Style Council. In the Jam, Weller, still a teenager at the time of their debut In The City, led a highly influential trio that bridged punk and new wave and earned four #1 singles and one #1 album in their short tenure (1977–1982). At the height of their success, Weller broke up the band, opting for a different direction with The Style Council, which veered away from guitar-driven songs in favor of a jazz, soul, and pop sound. From 1983 to 1989, the band scored seven Top 10 singles and one #1 album in the UK. Long before he was known as “The Modfather,” Weller was a “spokesperson for a generation.” Perhaps this book serves as an overdue introduction for those unfamiliar with Weller, particularly in America. It chronicles Weller’s catalogue from The Jam’s debut through The Style Council’s last, rejected house album Modernism: A New Decade, including rarities, B-sides, and covers. It combines research with artist interviews done especially for this project, as well as occasional author anecdotes.