Biography
Fondly known as "the Modfather" to his UK fans, singer/guitarist/songwriter Paul Weller was a figure of integrity and style throughout an ever-changing career. His first band, The Jam, was his most celebrated one. More idealistic and better-dressed than their punk contemporaries, The Jam had a punkish sound but harked back to a more optimistic era of British rock. Weller, bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler formed the band in Surrey, England during the mid-'70s (a pair of formative members dropped out early), and broke through with the 1977 single "In the City." They were at first pegged as an update of the Who and the Small Faces, but by the third album All Mod Cons Weller was being recognized as a chronicler of his own times (though ironically, its first single was a cover of the Kinks' "David Watts"). The Jam got more ambitious as they grew, pulling off a concept album about modern-day England on 1979's Setting Sons. The followup, Sound Affects included a signature song, the reflective acoustic "That's Entertainment." They gravitated more toward soul/R&B on their last album The Gift, whose Motown-styled single "Town Called Malice" became one of their best-known. Due to internal friction and the desire to move on, Weller announced the band would split at the height of its popularity, in October 1982. The bad blood remained and The Jam never reunited, though the other two later formed a tribute band and Weller and Foxton had a single onstage reunion in 2010. Weller then formed the Style Council with keyboardist Mick Talbot, the only other full-time member. The new band initially carried on the soul leanings of later Jam; its early singles "Speak Like a Child" and "My Ever Changing Moods" were Jam leftovers. In time the band became more explicitly political, performing the anti-Thatcher "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" at Live Aid in 1985. The sound also grew smoother, with Weller playing less guitar than he had in the Jam. Their later records were more experimental and not as well-received; their final album-the house-influenced Modernism: A New Decade-- was rejected by their label and only released as part of a posthumous boxed set. After that rejection, Weller disbanded the Style Council and launched his solo career with a self-titled album in 1992. Embraced by fans as a return to form, the album returned to soul-influenced and guitar-driven rock, though more polished and less frenetic than the Jam. This has largely remained his territory, though there were variations: 2008's 22 Dreams was a loose-knit concept album with a prog influence; he then flirted with electronica on 2010's Wake Up the Nation. During 2001 he did an acoustic tour (captured on the album Days of Speed) which included Jam and Style Council songs for he first time in his solo career. 2017 brought his first album-length film soundtrack, Jawbone and a new studio album, A Kind Revolution, which added touches of jazz and English folk to the mix.
