The Jam- Town Called Malice (REACTION//DISCUSSION)
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
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Song Link: • The Jam - Town Called ...
The Jam, The Style Council and Paul Weller's solo work. All excellent!
Yes Yes Yes!!
I think"Thats entertainment"by the JAM should be considered as one of the greatest recordings of all time.but this songs is good also 😁
Totally agree, my favourite Jam song.
Yes! 'That's Entertainment' is a fantastic recording and lyrics, like 'Town Called Malice', that read like urban poetry.
@@jeremyb5640 I love them both
The greatest and most sophisticated two chord song ever 😀
@@murdockreviews four chords. Bflat, Gm7, Cm7, Aflat
Yesss do more of this BAND!!! Possibly do a full album maybe Sound Affects. Paul Weller is one of the best songwriters ever, This band had so many hits: Thats Entertainment, Going Underground, In The City, All Around The World, The Modern World, Down In The Tube Station At Midnight. The List goes on You’d really like the Jam.
I’ve always liked ‘In The Crowd’. I think that’s up there with their best songs too.
Love a bit of The Jam. They strode a very cool line between punk, mod and pop. So many great tracks and albums.
Being a huge Kinks fan, I tend to gravitate towards the influenced that came later. The Jam always had that same strong English identity and covered the same kind of subject matter. Actually, Town Called Malice is so rooted in British suburbia, it could have been written by Ray Davies.
Hope you do more. Paul Weller is a class act.
Not a Kinks fan,massive Jam fan,but nice summery 👍🏻
Eton Rifles, News Of The World, even Batman Theme :)
Still an awesome song 40 years later 🔥
This song has a Motown feel to it. The Jam were mentioned in the song Sowing the Seeds of Love, by Tears For Fears, in the line "Kick out The Style bring back The Jam" . The Style refers to The Style Council after The Jam split.
Down in the Tube station at Midnight, The Butterfly Collector, Strange Town, just to mention a few other Jam classics.
If you want a dark song from The Jam, try "Down in the tube station at midnight"
That or "Funeral Pyre" which sees the Jam at their most post-punk.
Have the lyrics up to fully understand the song
Just the sound of: Paul Weller singing: "Stop apologizing", I can listen to forever. A happy, upbeat tune talking about a horrible reality. Check out That's Entertainment, Little Green, Eaton Rifles and Ghost. Then head to Weller's next incarnation: The Style Council. He's a genius. So happy you've landed here.
'Beat Surrender' is a great follow up.
"A happy, upbeat tune talking about a horrible reality." That's a great way to put it.
Often overlooked, “Man in the Cornershop” is fantastic. Real Ray Davies/Kinks level of lyrics.
This track exudes the joy of Motown. Fecking great!
The entire "Sound Affects", front to back is a good listen
Going Underground,The Eton Rifles,Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, particularly if you want a slower more downbeat Jam song (three of their classic singles)
All bangers
Town Called Malice is sort of a macrocosm of early 80s urban sprawl and the rat race of early Thatcherism. It got a big second wind in popularity from being attached to the movie Billy Elliot, much as Lust for Life did from Trainspotting - unsurprising given their late 70s Motown influence and connection to the punk era.
Thanks for diving into the Jam and the career of Paul Weller. Nice to see the DVD I sent in the shot too! This is a later song but knowing your love of all things bass, I knew you'd enjoy it. Foxton's playing is integral to their sound, whether they're doing stripped-down stuff or more produced material like this. Weller cleverly disguises a song about austerity & urban decay with a catchy, Motown arrangement that hooks you in first before you listen to the message. Brilliant lyrics on this one. Many of Weller's lyrics for the Jam read like urban poetry. If you want something darker try 'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight'. 'Town Called Malice' ultimately sounds hopeful despite despair - 'it's up to us to change', but 'Tube Station' sounds anything but.
There are so many great songs though, 'That's Entertainment', 'Going Underground', 'Eton Rifles', etc. And that's before you get to Weller's second band, The Style Council, who had a much more (eighties) soul feel. You could sense him heading in that direction on ‘The Gift’.
Then there’s all of Weller’s solo stuff from the early nineties onwards. He’s released two new albums in the last 10 months alone and both went straight in at number 1 in the UK. His work rate - and quality - shows no sign of abating! He tends to play mostly solo material in concert, but he does play 'Town Called Malice' and you can tell from the crowd reaction just how beloved this song is both for its infectious beat and its message. The Jam meant so much to a generation - for many people, they were our Beatles. You get a nice feel for that from the DVD just how open and accessible the band were to their fans in return.
For something darker catering to his love of bass my first thought was Funeral Pyre, but Down In The Tube Station At Midnight is a great call, the bass is so important on that.
"The Bitterest Pill" would be a more moody song of The Jam. Thing is, you can't draw a conclusion just from one song. You need to listen to more, such as "That's Entertainment," or "Strange Town," or "Absolute Beginners" or "When You're Young."
Funeral Pyre, Scrape Away, The Butterfly Collector or my favourite Tales From The Riverbank.
"My ever changing moodes" by the style council."you do something to me" by Paul Weller
The Jam are amazing one of the best British bands ever, so many hit songs. Fun fact this song went to Number 1 in the UK Charts and stopped The Stranglers song: Golden Brown from reaching the top it went to number 2.
In case you're wondering, the bassplayer is Bruce Foxton, who also sings backing vocals.
Paul Weller's outfit The Style Council is great sophista-pop. Check out My Ever-Changing Mood. Fab 💜
LOVE this song... but it's probably my 50th favorite song from The Jam... They have a STUNNINGLY Great catalog. Paul Weller is a brilliant song writer. This is a VERY up song for The Jam... They have a harder and more contemplative side, too.
Ones to DEFINITELY hit: "That's Entertainment," "Eton Rifles," "Going Underground," "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight," "Private Hell," "Butterfly Collector," "Pretty Green," "Man In The Cornershop" and oh so many more!!!!
You won't be sorry, Justin... I promise you!!
Totally agree. Please list all 50, or at least top 10 ;)
The albums are great, but I really think the best entry point for the Jam is a b-sides collection... "Burning Skies", "Liza Radley", "Fever/Poor Alfie", their cover of "Move on Up", all extremely memorable. Great singles too.
Looking forward to more! And apparently theres a lot of good stuff :D
Thank You for this reaction. Love The Jam (and jams in general) and this song. For a different mood, as you asked, I suggest That's Entertainment. A beautiful and reflective song, with fantastic lyrics. And yes, Bruce Foxton is a great great bassist. The Jam was never only Paul Weller, but much of Foxton too.
The Jam are an outstanding part of British music history spanning punk to pop. They made some great songs.
Love love love The Jam, Style Council and Paul Weller's solo work. He's an incredible songwriter and has a beautiful voice and he's amazingly prolific. I hope some Style Council is next up with maybe You're The Best Thing, My Ever Changing Moods, or Headstart for Happiness.
At last! The modfather rocks! Now you must listen to some of Weller's solo stuff, what I like even better, than Jam, or Style Council. "Stanley Road" is a great album, and "Wild Wood" and "Heavy Soul" are also very good!
There was a period where they smashed the charts song after song after song. Some really good stuff to explore.
Yes! Another of my favourite bands makes it on to the channel! The Gift was The Jams final album, released not long before Paul called a halt and went off to form The Style Council. One of my favourite Jam tracks is on this album, Carnation. My all time favourite Jam song though (and the one that got me into them in the first place) is Going Underground. Actually that's one of my favourite songs of all time by anybody! Lots to discover with The Jam JP, should be a good ride.
Bless you for giving them an airing...these were my boys JP, the band I'd physically follow to gigs, my coming of age band, the band you could get up front, close and personal to, and be the proverbial angry young man with their live explosive packed music the backdrop to a halcyon time for me...I was gutted when Weller called time on the band, but in retrospect, he was right, they quit at the top, and really, there was no where else for them to go, and I think in doing so, the respect they had has lasted some 40 years after they called it a day. Every track mentioned is a must, but the three for me, The Butterfly Collector, When You're Young and Strange Town, they make me yearn for my youth...and Foxton is so under rated, so really pleased you highlighted him...live, this trio, a case of hammer, nail, BANG!
Paul Weller the driving force behind The Jam produced some incredible music between 77-82 and is still doing so today. The Jam had so many brilliant songs it's almost impossible to list them . Their best Album is All Mod Cons from 78 which just has all killers no fillers on it. If I had to pick some songs - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, Going Underground, That's Entertainment, Strange Town, In The City, Modern World, there are many more. JP these guys were prolific at that time and need checking out further, brilliant music.
Woking (/ˈwoʊkɪŋ/ WOH-king) is a town in northwest Surrey, England. It is at the southwestern edge of the Greater London Urban Area and is a part of the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of approximately 24 minutes to Waterloo station. Waterloo and Waterloo Underground are the setting for the Kinks' song "Waterloo Sunset", recorded in 1967.
By the the way ….The Jam rode to attention with the UK Punk movement and were considered as a Mod or 60s revival band due the visual image and musical influence . But they sought to distance themselves from the 70s 80s mod revival youth movement which they helped spawn and nourish . Musically they drew from The Who, The Kinks and The Small Faces but they were more nuanced and original than just a revival act.
In UK from 77 to 83 they were enormously popular with many top charting singles . For a contrast listen to their punky first album then their last. Paul Weller performs regularly and rather than just riding on the coat tails of his old songs like many of his contemporaries, still writes original and diverse music.
Bruce Foxton has a band called From the Jam , which although very good, is basically a Jam cover band doing all their old songs , note for note.
Paul Weller is a musical genius, this is the music of my youth, “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” is a bit more down beat than this “ That’s Entertainment” is another great song
I think I first heard this when in London away at West Ham, tricky !
Paul Weller (the “Mod Father”) is one of the great artists from his generation. You can’t go wrong with his works with the Jam, the Style Council or any of his solo albums. One of the true greats without a doubt.
No more Jam but luckily Paul is still going strong. This was a very nice surprise, I'm in!
Ooh, yes! A classic tune from the early 80s. Love it lots!
Yes, for more sombre material, check out ‘Down In The Tube Station At Midnight’, ‘A Bomb In Wardour Street’, or ‘Eton Rifles’ (eating trifles as I like to sing it)
That’s Entertainment next please (as others have mentioned). Also check out Paul Weller’s following band The Style Council as well as his decades worth of solo work. Thanks so much! Enjoying your videos!
Huge fan of the Jam. The soundtrack of the late 70's and early 80's for many
As someone mentioned earlier, it encapsulates british suburbia and inner cities.
Listen to In The City, All Around the World and my favourite Away From The Numbers.
I was lucky to see them a few times and my lasting memory of them is Bruce Foxton on bass looking immaculate in a well cut suit jumping around like he was on steroids and never breaking out into a sweat.
One of the best British groups ever.......
The only Paul Weller I know is Above the Clouds, which is a great track both studio and live
Used in the Negan episodes of TWD, When you get to Elvis Costello, you'll hear echoes of this track all over his classic LP, Get Happy.
A very Motown feel on this song from beat to bass and handclaps!
the song and album that got me hooked on them in college. Sad they called the quits after this but they were around for about a decade or so and did some epic, and very different muse for the time. Special band and special memories with it. Cheers! Down in the Tube station at midnight is for me their most incredible track. Enjoy.
Loved this era and I will always think of this as Early 80’s college radio. Boppy tune that I still play often enough.
Yep, fall of 82, first year of college, some alt radio station outside of Boston playing this and so many other fresh tunes.
@@glibmedley2314 I’m sure there was a The Jam shirt at Newbury Comics, guessing right next to a Dead Kennedy’s pin.
Butterfly Collector is a great slow song by The Jam.
Wow.. Cant believe you havent heard this.. The Jam have so many classic tracks and Style Council. Great upload JP..
The Motown backbeat hits hard with the juxtaposition of the upbeat hopeful message against the dire hardship faced by millions during the depressive era of the late 70s early 80s in Thatchers Britain.
Wow, that takes me back to my high school days in So Cal listening to KROQ radio station.
You mention the Stranglers and referred to that great keyboard and bass sound they had. Well, they just released a new album ( September 10th), the last with Dave Greenfields amazing keyboards, as he died of Covid last year. The band finished the album, ‘Dark matters’ but whether there will be any more is in question. Highly recommend ‘This song’ and it’s video with ex hard man footballer Stuart Pearce in a leading role.
The jam are essential to the UK music heritage, around the same period also another great band was Dexys Midnight Runner listening to the song 'There There My Dear' it's really great.
It's a classic early 80's
On the radio they played a song for towns in Cumbria
This song was kendal lol
It was the 80s and it may have changed as many pubs closed
Whenever I hear the jam I think of another English band who they surely inspired called Inspiral Carpets. Loved that band, you should give them a listen too. Well worth the trip.
👉 The Jam - Carnation
This is the "different side of Paul Weller" track you're looking for.
Great song. Very like the Supremes, specifically "You Can't Hurry Love". Cheers.
"A Solid Bond in Your Heart" whose demo was recorded by the Jam in 1982 but officially released by Paul Weller's next band (the Style Council) in 1983, is in the same league, even better IMHO
You are good... and this is even better... makes you just outstanding for doing this!!!!!
Ty Chipper!
A Town Called Alice was a Nevile Shute book (1950) (and a film later)....I would imagine Weller was aware of this :)
For some reason I've been putting off giving this band a try for decades. I've heard them compared to the Who's mid-60s sound, and that debt is certainly evident in this track. Pretty good!
Listen to anything from "All Mod Cons" or "Setting Sons" and you'll hear it even more. AMAZING stuff.
Killer band! Paul Weller ( lead singer and songwriter ) followed this band up with Style Council ( a bit more pop ). Style Council was also very good. And Paul Weller's solo stuff is absolute gold.
Others have mentioned a bunch of great Jam tracks. Style Council tracks to check: My Ever Changing Moods, You're The Best Thing. Paul's solo stuff: Wild Wood, The Changing Man, You Do Something To Me, Stanley Road.... Paul has an awesome voice.
Thanks for reacting to the Jam... Great band. Great songs. Great reaction.
JP, so glad you got to The Jam. They were the biggest band in the UK to come out of the punk/new wave scene, bigger than the Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks or Stranglers, but for whatever reason, they didn't make it big in the US. They had hits in Australia and New Zealand, dunno why it didn't translate, maybe they were too British. Paul Weller is incredibly well respected and loved in the same way Lennon, Pete Townshend and Ray Davies are. Paul disbanded The Jam when they were at their peak (just like Bowie did with the Spiders) and moved off in a tangent, to form The Style Council. I would suggest 'Down in the tube station at midnight', or 'That's Entertainment' as next songs to listen to.
A Town Called Malice: "fun and festive." Wow
Paul Weller, probably the dictionary definition of English popular music of the 1970s/80s
Another good way to experience The Jam is to listen to their double lp best of Snap! in order. Basically chronological so you see the full evolution of the bands sound. Includes many of the best from LPs and non-LP singles. A really good best of, well done.
This was late Jam. It pointed in the direction that Paul Weller wanted to go with his next band The Style Council. ATCM was also a double A side (in the UK at least) with 'Precious' which is a bit darker and a bit funkier.
The song is based on my birthplace of Woking (9:00 pronounced woe-king not wok- ing - think Saxon not Chinese!), which in the 'Meaning of Liff' Douglas Adams likened to that feeling of standing in the kitchen and wondering what the hell it was you came in for. Yup that's Woking.
Thanks, Justin. Paul Weller, principal songwriter, singer and guitarist with The Jam, and a solo artist since his next band, The Style Council dissolved, is referred to in the UK as "the Modfather". His lyrics are terribly English, often from a working-class perspective, and usually clever and heartfelt. The Jam were immensely popular in the UK in the late 70s and early 80s, until Weller decided to end them after the tour following the LP, The Gift.
If you want dark songs from Weller and The Jam, start with "In The City", for a teenage snarl of rage. Other songs that are dark, but not always so uptempo include "Butterfly Collectors", "Mr. Clean", "That's Entertainment" or more uptempo (but not necessarily cheerful) like "Private Hell", "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight", "Eton Rifles", "Going Underground".
"Town Called Malice" is built on the structure of great Motown songs, like "Can't Hurry Love", etc. That's why it sounds so familiar.
If you want to hear more of Paul Weller's recent songs, his big hit LP during the 1990s is Stanley Road, and while you may consider it more straightforward pop/rock, I think the album holds together nicely. And his LP 22 Dreams also has some lovely songs. He has been a consistently strong performer for more than 40 years.
Great tune by The Jam!
Just in case, 'Co-op' is a chain of stores called 'The 'Co-Operative Wholesale Society' which paid dividends to the shoppers, not shareholders.
"Golden Brown" by the Stranglerd was released a year earlier in 1981
Sorry if you have already reacted to this Jam song but Give the The Butterfly Collector a listen too and review ...love yr channel and thank u :-)
It was a number 1 single in the UK and burst out of the radio and pub jukeboxes back in the day. Jam singles were a national event back in the day and rarely let you down, as you described ! Thanks ( pun on the book a Town Called Alice)
You might be thinking of Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet from the early 2000s with regards to that basline. Its also a pretty standard Motown lick ie Can't Hurry Love etc.
The organ/keyboard sound was Weller's stab at Motown and a move away from the 'Jam sound'. This was their last album having originated from the punk era of 1977.
I love THE JAM !!!!!!!
The Jam went through different styles and inspirations: from punk and mod to blue-eyed soul, always gifted in every thing they ever did. A quintessential band.
The Jam , King of the resurgence of MOD a style that celebrates British fashion and Accents , if you notice they sing in an Estuary Accent when most rock songs have American accents , Estuary is the Thames river that runs through the south east of England . Influenced by the Kinks , Small faces etc the original mods
Wham bam thank you Jam.
Check out Crowded House (New Zealand/Australian/American band whose big hit was Don't Dream It's Over). Fun song: It's Only Natural. Somber song: Four Seasons in One Day.
One of my all time faves! Never saw the Jam in concert, but I’ve seen Paul Weller many times. This song always makes the fans happy at his shows. Hope you check out all the Jam’s albums. (Also, the Style Council and Paul Weller solo stuff).
try their 'The Butterfly Collector' swoon!!
I'm not sure if you get the reference in the title. There was a British post war film called 'A Town Called Alice' with lots of WWII heroics, and how good it would be to get back to 'Alice' - a town in central Australia. Weller turned the whole thing on it's head.
Ahhh, that makes sense. Thanks for the context!
The organ may attempt to take centre stage here, but its the Drum and The Bass that really drive and fill this in . Not much of Paul's Guitar - in other tracks Paul plays it in such an (unusual) attack , of upstrokes in particular.
Private Hell from the album Setting Songs , is dark ..or Smithers Jones from the same album.
The thing about The Jam , the music is bouncy despite the lyrics being “down” such as in ….Malice.
Or Down in the Tube Station at Midnight ….a bright sounding song about a violent event !
This is Weller's sort of take on Soul, as filtered through the Northern Soul movement of the '70s (WELL worth exploring [npi]). Justin, you might remember Paul Weller from his killer, brilliantly aggressive guitar work on Peter Gabriel's "And Through the Wire" from Peter's 3rd solo album. The Jam were a great band.
a perfect 3 min single with great groove, ideal for radio play :)
Put this on at any party and watch the dancing
One of the best bands ever. 3 classic/perfect albums: All Mod Cons, Setting Sons, and Sound Affects plus many fantastic singles that never made an album. I'd listen on the 3 albums in a row, song by song. Non-LP singles: Going Underground, When You're Young, Strange Town, Funeral Pyre, Absolute Beginners, and more. Huge band in UK and at the height Paul Weller broke them up, later forming the fantastic and very different The Style Council and then solo. Treasure trove of songs with Weller still releasing great albums including Fat Pop Vol. 1 in 2021.
I think most would classify this as Ska.... so! If you are ready to do another album/cd.... I think you will find so much 80's and some more Ska that you will 💘.... off a soundtrack... The Gross Pionte Blank Soundtrack!!! I think this is on there... it's a double cd set if I remember right... the Specials, Echo and the Bunnymen, Flock of Seagulls as I remember off the top of my head. The movie is to die for as well. You may know it all already... of course.... Love you!!!! Peace.
I like that the lyrics are about economically hard times but the music is upbeat.
Classic !!
Thanks for the reaction Justin! I think the bassline you're thinking of are the one in the Motown classic 'You Can't Hurry Live' by The Supremes. It's also quite similiar to the bassline in 'Lust For Life' by Iggy Pop. It's got that distinctive Motown influemce to it. For a darker Jam try 'The Eton Rifles'. It's got an interesting backstory.
Great selection. And there are other sides to this wonderful British Band.
Paul Weller still going strong and vital after 40 years, putting out album after album year after year. Very few have had a career like his. If you are looking for a slower different vibe from the Jam check out Down in a Tube station at Midnight or Man in the Cornershop.
It's sounds familiar because it's a Motown pastiche.
Great song, nice reaction.
Great band, great tune. I wouldn't say this is totally typical of them though. This, a more edgy pop with Motown influences. They came to prominence around punk/new wave, though initially seen as a Mod band. Either way they covered a number of types of music. Paul Weller who wrote the majority of their tunes in seen as one of our best singer/songwriters. He wrote a lot of social and political commentary into his lyrics. Check out 'A-bomb in Wardour Street', and 'Down in the tube station at midnight', for instance. They've a lot of top material. They were also a fantastic live act.
So glad you're opening the lid on The Jam(!). Absolute heroes of mine as they were a) a local band b) packed full of energy and c) capturing the moment as Paul said in his notes you were reading out. So much more to explore and please don't leap ahead to Paul's solo career or the Style Council too soon or you'll miss some classics.
Funeral Pyre, Little Boy Soldiers, Set The House Ablaze, The Bitterest Pill - a little darker. In The City is their first single - and is a jam (pun!).
Sounds like walking on sunshine
That second verse about the unused milk, and homes that have to go without, it makes me think of governments that would rather pay the farmers to dump the product allover the ground, inflating the prices of the portion allowed to make it to market. Not an economist., so it might be more complex. Perhaps, that's a common practice because having too much product on the market makes it impossible to make a profit for the dairy producers. Not sure if that's what inspired Weller to pen those lyrics, but its always seemed such a waste when you know there are families struggling, especially in government ordered destructions of various other businesses. Makes me think of Sting's "We Work the Black Seam" which comments on the closure of the mines in the UK. Thanks, JP. Another good reaction.
The song it reminds you of might be ‘You can’t hurry love.’
People who like the clash probably like the jam to good stuff love you