Paul Weller

simonk

Dominic

I thought ' you do something to me 'was a fantastic song

proggy

Jalapeno said:

He still has a dodgy barnet for a man of his advanced years, at least he isn't like Johnny Marr and dyeing it !

In case you missed it @proggy Later's on again of Friday

Thanks.

ChuckManual

When my local supermarket stopped selling CD's they got rid of their remaining stocks with a "£3 each, or 5 for £10" deal. I only found four that I actually wanted, but took a punt on Weller's "Wake Up The Nation" just to save a couple of quid on the four I'd already chosen.

It turned out to be a cracking album!

For the record, I'm not a Weller fanboy. I loved the Jam (I was 13 in 1979 - that counts for a lot), I liked The Style Council, but I've found his solo output to be significantly more miss than hit. "Wake Up The Nation" is a belter though...

Snap

Tell you what though: Weller looks pretty buggered for his age. His is well raddled. Must be the fags. He's 59 and he looks a lot older. Obviously not a believer in a daily moisturising routine.

I loves a bit of Olay in't mornin oh aye.

TheBlueWolf

I lost interest after his "As Is Now" album but I still enjoy his music up to roughly that point.

Gwatkins15

Doesn't sound like he's popular here.. Some harsh comments.

I'm a massive fan. I think he gets the 'past it' tag too easily. His new albums, especially Saturns Pattern are some of his best work, experimental without getting pretentious and losing his influences. He gets stick from fans of the Jam, I've been to gigs where people have walked out because he's played his new album for the first half, dismissing it without giving it the time of day. Delve a bit deeper and you can find some gems... Apparently his music knowledge and theory knowledge is mindblowing, much more than this 'modfather' crap.







I hope he keeps going. 

Iamnobody

Gwatkins15 said:

Doesn't sound like he's popular here.. Some harsh comments.

I'm a massive fan. I think he gets the 'past it' tag too easily. His new albums, especially Saturns Pattern are some of his best work, experimental without getting pretentious and losing his influences. He gets stick from fans of the Jam, I've been to gigs where people have walked out because he's played his new album for the first half, dismissing it without giving it the time of day. Delve a bit deeper and you can find some gems... Apparently his music knowledge and theory knowledge is mindblowing, much more than this 'modfather' crap.







I hope he keeps going. 

There's a lot of respect for him here. Search for underrated guitarist type threads and he usually gets a mention.

I can't agree that his later stuff is some of his best work. I love the Jam although they were slightly before my time, I dismissed TSC - until my barber gave me a best of cd and I recognised loads of the tracks from radio play as a kid and was singing along. I liked TSC - I just didn't know it!

I got into Weller around the time of the Stanley Road album. Quickly buying Wild Wood & Paul Weller to catch up - and then every studio album he's released since. I'm a fan but I haven't got blind loyalty. 

Reviews like this don't help - “Could well be Paul Weller’s  greatest album to date.” – Record Collector, 5/5

Is it fuck his greatest album...

Let's look at the chorus of one of the lead singles off the new album. It's just worn out, twee, clichéd nonsense - and the accompanying music is pedestrian and boring. 

And I know it's a long long road
That we walk together but as one
There's no longer two
Oh, me and you
When the road gets rough
We gotta pull together
Ooh-oohh
Ooh-oohh
Ooh-oohh

Compare that to almost anything off the first 4 solo albums and it falls well short. Compare it to Heliocentric even - an album that I know some people think is the start of his decline. But Helicentric has some great tunes on it:


Come taste the wine
Come lose yourself
Taste this time
But keep it well -
Only love it all
With heart and head
For there is no drinking,
After your dead.

Dive and swim
In the amber ocean
See all that you can
In this new emotion -
And embrace it now
Before it's skin sheds
For there is no drinking,
After your dead.

Stand back to back
With yourself again
As your spin and reel
Like a new found friend,-

And have it all
With heart and hands-
For there is no love making,
After your dead.

And today is but a second
If tomorrow you may die
And empty pages glistening
In eternity's lie
And time is buy an essensce
Encased upon the wall
That brings our day of reckoning-
Much closer to us all.

Light the candle
And burn it well
For only time knows
What it cannot yet tell,
Only love it all
With heart and head
For there is no drinking,
After your dead.

richardhomer

Let's hope he keeps at it - Later simply couldn't continue, without him as guest....

Reverend

With both The Jam and solo he done songs I absolutely and then real dross. I thought it odd that he was dismissive of Duran Duran when Style Council were so bland.

RandallFlagg

I definitely think he needs someone to tell him when his songs are bland, boring and lack a decent tune and melody. I'm sure he wouldn't like it but a QA filter is needed for all prolific artists. Same can be said for Elvis Costello, Neil Young and Prince. There are treasures in the mass volume put out but a lot of dross too.

The problem with Weller, for me, is that the treasures are getting fewer and fewer. I also don't like his guitar sounds and production on the albums either.