Filling the Airwaves: Volume Seven

All good things have got to start somewhere. Roses start as seeds, butterflies are born as caterpillars, and KFC's Popcorn chicken begins life even more mutated than as it appears in your variety box. And the UK rock & roll outfit, The Jam, are absolutely no different to anything else. Way back in 1974, when Weller was a mere 15 years old, The Jam were just some normal lads from Surrey trying to make it in the big world of music. However, it wasn't really happening. The band were coving American artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard. This carried on until Weller heard My Generation by The Who. It was here that Weller became obsessed with Mod music and the lifestyle that went with it.

Fast forward 3 years to 1977 and after the release of their debut album, In the City, The Jam were officially born. Now, there are few bands in British music history that are held on a pedestal quite as high as The Jam. They almost single handedly saved Mod culture and are regarded as one of rock & roll's all time shinning lights. They laid the foundations for Britpop, and still to this day sell have people walking up and down Carnaby Street trying to look like them.

In The City summed the attitude of the late seventies perfectly. It was raw, young and aggressive. From start to finish Weller delivers a vocal tirade that has been washed up in a sea of spikey fast paced guitar riffs. This is then intertwined with Foxton's bouncy basslines, and drums provided by Buckler that make you want to grab anything that's in close vicinity and smash it rhythmically against a hard surface.

This album opened up the door for The Jam. And the threesome subsequently ripped it off its hinges making it unable to close again. In The City contained the hit single of the same name, In The City. It also was home for two covers, Slow Down, and the Batman Theme. Now, I've never understood why the Batman Theme appears on this album. I know The Who covered it a few years prior, but I just don't understand it. Maybe it was a personal joke between the two bands? It's a little like The Rolling Stones releasing a new album now, and then throwing the theme tune to Supermarket Sweep in the middle. “Next time you hear that beep”... You get my point.

However, taking that one song out of the picture, In The City is a classic album. There is absolutely no denying that. As a complete LP, it supplies the necessary tools for nonconformist youth culture to both engage and enjoy. In The City delivers on so many levels. The music is believable. To the naked and untrained ear, it sounds as it would do live. The music creates a very visual image of young Jam bursting into the studio, hitting the record button and thrashing their way through a live set. And for me, it sounds as fresh now as it did then. This is real music for real people.

The Jam

In The City