THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER MOD
THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER FULL
THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER PLUS

THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER MOD

Not just because the Fab Four, the Swinging Sixties, and psychedelic rock all are factors in Weller’s illustrious background, but because of the being a Mod amid punk thing, and switching to being a sweater-over-the-shoulders, jazz-soul man when puffed-up powered pop was making its name, to explorations of Krautrock and electronics, folk and rock in the past 20 years, it has always been true that tomorrow never knows what will pique his interest next, from where the next musical punch will come. Weller ignites Sydney © Steve Pafford 2018 I caught the hastily added third and final show on January 29, where he was preceded on stage by The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows. But this is a man who not only turns 60 today, but an artist whose albums routinely land in the Top Five, who is considered nearly as big an influence by Britpop stalwarts as the ‘60s artists who inspired him, and who has always preferred to maintain a distinct Englishness rather than chasing an international audience.Įven though he has only managed to figure on the Billboard Hot 100 for one solitary week (1984’s paean to bipolarity, My Ever Changing Moods), Weller did manage to sell out a hat-trick of concerts at Australia’s iconic Sydney Opera House at the start of the year. Given Paul Weller’s slightly low-key profile outside of the UK since his 1980s heyday, the reverence with which he is regarded at home may come as a surprise to some casual observers. A key figure not just in music but also in youth culture, his influence on people in their teens and early twenties during the decade extended beyond their record-buying habits and on to their politics and appreciation of the arts in general.

THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER FULL

Scroll down to read the full track listing and pre-order it here.There has been so much written about Paul Weller that to attempt to tell his story in a short blog format seems futile. All format details and track listings below. Over four albums and 17 singles, The Style Council made a stand and became the standard bearers of progressive soulful pop and social comment.Īs well as digitally, the album will be available on double CD and triple album vinyl: limited editions of both vinyl formats: black vinyl and a highly covetable colored vinyl version. In a quest for new sounds, the group travelled to realms previously unchartered for a pop group incorporating musical influences as wide ranging as Blue Note jazz and Chicago soul, Claude Debussy and Erik Satie, Chicago House and Jacques Brel.Īt the same time, as battle lines were drawn in a decade under Margaret Thatcher culminating in the miner’s strike of 1984-85, Weller’s lyrics spoke with the language of the activist and his state of the nation addresses were both fierce and eloquent. As their leader he had become a deity-like figure and for his fans, The Jam’s split was unimaginable.īut creatively restless and of inquisitive mind, Weller jettisoned them at their height to form a collective with an eventual core line-up of Weller with Mick Talbot, Dee C Lee and Steve White. In fact, at the age of just 24, he was already a musical veteran with six albums and nine Top 10 singles under his belt with The Jam. When Paul Weller announced The Style Council’s arrival in March 1983, he’d come a very long way.

The album was remastered at Abbey Road Studios. Long Hot Summers features rare photos, an introduction by Paul Weller, a new essay by Lois Wilson, and sleeve-notes from ‘super-fan’, actor Martin Freeman. Scroll the page down for full tracklisting and format details. The album also features key album tracks and fans’ favourites such as “Headstart For Happiness”. Of course, it also Includes all the band’s classic singles –12 top-20 hits -including the debut single “Speak Like A Child” and “Long Hot Summer”.

THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER PLUS

Long Hot Summers also includes two unreleased tracks – an intriguing demo of the top 5 single “My Ever Changing Moods” with strings, and the extended, 5-minute plus version of “Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse”.

The release also ties in with a new Sky Arts documentary about the band, also out on October 30, featuring interviews with all key members, fans and collaborators. As well as the huge hit “Long Hot Summer”, the album also includes the band’s sterling debut top 5 single “Speak Like A Child” as well as other signature hits such as the languid “You’re The Best Thing”, “Ever Changing Moods” and dance floor filler “Shout To The Top”.

The style council paul weller