What has made New Wave as a genre particularly interesting is how much influence it has had despite few bands in this column so far having a lengthy career. With every story featuring a short burst of energy before cancellation in the Mid-80s, it’s amazing to note how these bands are still discussed and even revered. Among those with a towering presence is The Jam, whose six albums in five years not only helped to popularize The Mod Revival, but also lead to one of Britain’s most influential bands of the era. It’s likely that looking forward to even the Britpop revival of the 1990s would look very different, as singer Paul Weller is considered one of the most versatile of his generation alongside David Bowie. If there’s one thing that separates The Jam from a lot of the names so far, it’s how long it took to find success with “All Mod Cons.”
Okay, in theory, they were always a noteworthy band. Over their short run, they released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles with “That’s Entertainment” being their most successful. With that said, The Jam was always more successful in The United Kingdom than overseas. Like The English Beat, they tended to reflect on class issues in their work, having politically charged music that would make them easy to lob in with the punk movement of the time. However, whereas punk was known for dressing down, The Jam was noticed for wearing tailored suits and appealing to a retro style. Their influences included bands like The Who, The Kinks, and even Motown’s R&B groups. Given that The Who’s “Quadrophenia” helped influence the mod revival of the 70s, it made sense that The Jam would be there to contribute their voice to the cause.
Some fun tie-ins to other entries in Make It New include bands that they were associated with. Weller’s father Paul is said to have discovered The Vapors. They were offered an appearance on their 1979 tour with The Jam. The irony is that despite their smaller output, The Vapors would have more American success with the song “Turning Japanese.” Also, when forming the band was forming, it is said that Gary Numan failed an audition.
With all of this said, the band was formed at Sheerwater Secondary School in Working, Surrey, England in 1972. While the line-up would change a few times, this is where their final line-up would emerge. Weller would become interested in Mod music following the release of The Who’s “My Generation.” They would also play Chuck Berry and Little Richard covers. They quickly became associated with the local punk scene, though it became clear that they were more interested in a 1960s mentality that would distinguish them from competitors. Along with wearing suits, they sang of condemning police brutality and songs that attacked people like Prime Minister James Callaghan. By 1977, they would release their first two albums “In the City” and “This is the Modern World.”
With that said, The Jam was in a bit of a conundrum career-wise. They needed to have a big hit. Despite this, Weller was said to have been suffering from writer’s block and struggled to make any creative decisions. They were coming off of a tour with Blue Oyster Cult that wasn’t well received. All of the pressure mean that it was difficult to imagine their next move being a step up from what came before. This would lead to the original version having to be scrapped and new songs re-recorded due to producer Chris Parry finding it sub-standard. In keeping with their style, it was influenced by British Invasion bands, which was most evident in their cover of The Kinks’ “David Watts.” In an interesting turn of events, Weller considered scrapping the song “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” about being assaulted by far-right thugs because he didn’t like the arrangement. Luckily, someone convinced him to keep it and it would become the biggest single off of “All Mod Cons.” The title itself was a play on a British idiom “all modern conveniences” which also alluded to The Jam being associated with The Mod Revival.
For me personally, this is a difficult album to fully place in the New Wave category because so much of it lacks the immediate pop technique that others would have. While they have themes in their music that would tie them to groups like The English Beat or X-Ray Spex, they feel like a more conventional garage rock band. Maybe it’s the fact that they remind me more of The Who or even the first album by The Clash (or, in broad strokes, The Knack), but they don’t have an immediacy that is clear. They aren’t putting on an aesthetic that elevates their music into high concept performance art. What is here is a great collection of songs that feel more indebted to conventional rock than what New Wave was standing for. With that said, even labeling it under Mod Revival would feel more appropriate than putting it on Make It New’s list.
This isn’t to say that what’s here isn’t good. Like every album so far, there is some appeal in the diverse talent that is being pulled together. It definitely struggles to fit into the punk category that they often got thrown in with. At the same time, it’s difficult to fully remove them from it since they were definitely an angry young man band who sang about the struggles of their socioeconomic environment. There is a fervent energy that shines through the fast-pedaling guitars and energy. If it has any ties to New Wave, it’s the effort to infuse hooks with messages that could be considered activism, presenting stories that cause the listener to want to change the world. Given that there are songs like “‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street” or “Mr. Clean” that openly criticize institutions, it makes sense to see them as a distinctly political band.
Maybe it’s just the bad first impression, but it’s a difficult album for me to fall in love with in part because it has a lo-fi quality to it. There isn’t a polish that makes the pop elements a lot clearer. I can see what’s appealing as far as a garage band revival sound, but maybe I’m just not as involved with Mod Revival to really appreciate what The Jam is doing here. Every song is enjoyable, but compared to some of the more disposable names on this list, I’m having trouble latching onto the songs and appreciating them. Maybe that’s a side effect of someone like Soft Boys or Bow Wow Wow embodying concept album approaches to their work that make it clear how they’re New Wave, but this just feels like a straightforward rock record. Given that it inspired Britpop a decade after their disbanding, I want to believe this will grow on me because I do like Oasis and Blur. This just sounds way too scrappy for me. With that said, several outlets calling this one of the best British albums convinces me that I missed something and, like Orange Juice, makes me want to try and figure out what that is.
As mentioned, The Jam also had a familiar track record when looking at their success. While they had a phenomenal run over six albums, they suffered a fate all too familiar for this column. After five years, they were finished. On the one hand, they were one of the more prolific groups in such a short window, but it also shows the small window that New Wave existed in. The fact that they released so many singles in such a short window is an amazing achievement and the fact that each of them went on to fairly successful careers afterward shows the appeal and talent of everyone involved.
To provide a quick rundown, bassist Bruce Foxton had a short solo career, releasing the 1984 album “Touch Sensitive.” Drummer Rick Buckler would start the band Time UK in 1983 along with various projects in the years since. Weller probably fared the best, being dubbed “The Modfather” for his involvement with Mod Revival. He also had a fairly successful solo career that allowed him to collaborate with Britpop acts, including a backing vocal appearance on Oasis’ hit song “Champagne Supernova.” Overall, he has found various projects to keep him busy, having released various studio albums since 1992 and as recently as 2022.
Like a lot of groups in Make It New, there was a long period of inactivity. However, there is a controversial history around their reunion. In 2006, Buckler would reform a group that was akin to The Jam called “The Gift.” This would be named for their final album from 1982. They would play songs from his original group’s career along with assistance from Foxton and various other musicians. Rumors of a reunion were inevitable, though there were a few things holding them back, notably Weller. Foxton in 2007 would start a group called From the Jam, which had a more substantial career than The Gift.
The conflict with Weller was that he believed that reuniting The Jam would be a disgrace to their legacy. He believed that part of their appeal was that they had a short window and quit before they were allowed to sour. He refused to be involved, meaning that he was replaced on vocals by Russell Hastings. Steve Cropper (Booker T & The MG’s) and Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) would also collaborate with From the Jam. Despite all of this, Weller contributed vocals to a few songs on their albums, though it was far from the complete reunion that anyone would expect. As of this publication, they have released two albums and are said to still be active.
Overall, The Jam is another great example of New Wave’s diverse appeal and ability to encapsulate a lot of different types of bands. While I think they’re more on the fringes of the definition, they have plenty of credibility to fall back on. With several hits and great social commentary, they made music that has withstood the test of time and proved that sometimes going against the grain will help your band stand out exponentially. Given that their music continues to inspire generations of musicians, there’s a lot to like about “All Mod Cons” even if it’s one of the more dated records on the list. Even then, its energy comes fast and loud in ways that are infectious, proving that nothing can quite match the angry young man with something to say. “All Mod Cons” may not be my favorite record on this list, but it’s not from a lack of passion.
Coming Up Next: Pylon – “Gryate” (1980)
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