Customer Reviews

22 Dreams

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The legendary rock star, Paul Weller makes his comeback!
If nothing else, you tend to associate Paul Weller with lean and muscular music - rock without any flab or fripperies.
So the big surprise about the epic "22 Dreams" is just how much latitude Weller gives himself to wander off down intriguing musical backwaters.
Some 30 years spent as a bedrock of great British songcraft is time enough for a man to be allowed to indulge himself a little.
Hence this Paul Weller 70-minute concept album relating a young man's journey from heartbreak to spiritual awakening, blending together an eclectic array of genres, spanning two discs, 21 tunes and much of the musical spectrum: trad folk, lounge, psychedelia and piano balladry included.
Yes, there are the mod anthems, spirited evocations of Sixties R&B, like the title track.
But there are instrumental interludes which run the gamut from eastern classical to blithe jazz, all invested with a dream-like quality.
Even so, all are unmistakably Weller.
The voice of a generation can't be disguised by shifting genre. Despite the eclectic aspirations, standouts recall the vibrant English soul that first marked the latter days of the Jam.
There are curiosities like "Light Nights", which is earnest folk with a whiff of Pentangle about it, and "Why Walk When You Can Run", a pining bit of acoustica which could almost belong on the latest Neil Diamond album.
There are liberal dose of strings, occasional whiffs of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye and, with the apparent theme of changing seasons, a sense of something epic happening, but without the dreary sense of self-importance which often comes with a concept album.
The electrifying title track and "Have You Made Up Your Mind" suggest that this album would be up there with Weller's best, were it not 21 songs long -too many of the more experimental soundscapes are surely only of interest to their creator.
Yes, Weller can't be begrudged such gratification, but "22 Dreams" would have been all the better for a trim.
Despite that, the album has the ring of a classic. He may no longer be a spokesman for anyone but himself, but Weller is still setting standards for his generation.
"22 Dreams" features various collaborations with other well-known artist: Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer of Oasis, Graham Coxon of Blur, Steve Cradock of Ocean Colour Scene, Little Barrie and an ex-Stone Roses guitarist, Aziz Ibrahim.
Fresh new tracks "Echoes Round The Sun" and "Have You Made Up Your Mind" are set to be released to dominate the radio airwaves.

At this late point in his illustrious career Paul Weller manages to pull off a feat which few artists of his stature (or vintage) can do; produce a nearly-perfect comeback record. While it may not have the stylistic flashes of Wildwood or Stanley Road, the Modfather doesn't have to impress anyone but himself. A great release well worth waiting for.

Okay, so there are 21 songs, not the expected 22. Don't let it bother you. This is the first disc in a long time that feels like a fully realized album to me. It isn't a concept album--I don't find any common thematic thread musically or lyrically, yet somehow each song rolls perfectly into the next. In particular, the flow from the title track to All I Wanna Do (Is Be with You), to Have You Made up Your Mind? to Empty Ring to Invisible to Song for Alice feels like one unbroken continuum, despite their varied musical styles. Yes, there are a couple of tracks that might have been better left off the disc (for instance God or 111), but somehow they don't bother me as they would on another artist's record. Perhaps it's because I feel like Weller really believes in those tracks. In another musician's hands, they would strike me as pretentious. On 22 Dreams, they just feel like a couple of good ideas that didn't work out. As a long-time Paul Weller fan, I've long since given up on hoping for a return to The Jam's sound. You hear it here and there, but what is great about Weller is that he continues to move forward as a musician long after many other guys would be living off the royalties from their greatest hits boxed sets.

I own every one of Paul Weller's solo recordings. I enjoy them all greatly and listen to them regularly. Except this one. This is a decided mixed bag of work. There are some truly fine cuts but there are a number of throw away numbers and a few failed experiments. Some cuts are either too folky (in a British folk style) or lack the typical Weller punch. Mr. Weller would have done well to have edited it down to a dozen or so dreams rather than the full 22 (21.) Not an essential recording but it still has it's merits.

While I don't agree with the industry reviewer's assertion that Paul Weller's solo career has not matched the creative heights of his years with The Jam and The Style Council, I do agree that his solo work tended to remain within his stylistic comfort zone. But here on 22 Dreams, Weller proves that he is not afraid to blend genres.
There is so much to like here and such a diversity of styles, its hard to know where to start showering it with praise, so I will begin with the very first song which assures the listener that this will be no ordinary Paul Weller album. My favorites are Light Nights, with its fine guitar work; the rocking Have You Made Up Your Mind; the soulful Empty Ring; a fine instrumental with Song For Alice; another excellent rocker on Cold Moments; the driving Push It Along, the rocking Echoes Round The Sun; the Latin-tinged One Bright Star; Lullaby Fuer Kinder, an instrumental evocative of Boz Scaggs; the religious introspection of God which really makes one think; and yet another fine rocker with Sea Spray.
That I have chosen so many highlights doesn't mean I don't like the rest. There is something to like about every song!
It is clear that with 22 Dreams Paul Weller's gamble has paid off. He says that this is the kind of record he's always wanted to make and I for one am glad he did. 22 Dreams comes with a mini-booklet containing pictures, album info, and a poetic short story called The Missing Dream AKA Dream #22 by some chap named Simon Armitage. If you are a Weller fan, don't skip this opportunity to hear him play the kind of music he's always wanted to play!

This album is a giant effort Mr. Weller's solo career. It hits on all his influences and takes them a step or two further. Rockers, soul, ballads, mood pieces....just great. Highlights for me - All I Wanna Do, Push it Along, Echoes Round the Sun, Sea Spray. Any fan will love it and it might bring him some new converts. It's a work that shows a great artist still sharp with his craft. Props to all the other musicians too as they shine brightly.

"22 dreams" by British Mod Rocker Paul Weller is a sprawling opus that sees him fleeting stylistically from Blues to Soul to Electronica to Jazz to even Tango, ensuring there is a little something for everyone. Due to its length (21 tracks clocking in at about 70 minutes) it does take a while to get into, but its ended up becoming my favourite Weller album.

The title track "22 dreams" and "Echoes round the sun" are both Blues-tinged rockers, while "All I wanna do (is be with you)" and "Have you made up your mind" fall into the Soul category. The instrumental "Song for Alice" is a Jazzy tribute to the late Alice Coltrane.

"Invisible" is a fragile sounding sparse piano ballad, and "Why walk when you can run" is an absolutely brilliant acoustic ballad (yearning vocals set to delicate strumming, like those Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash/Neil Diamond/Jakob Dylan songs), my absolute favourite song! In fact, along with "Black is the colour" and "You do something to me", it's one of my favourite Weller songs ever.

Other standouts include the haunting Tango of "One bright star", "Lullaby fur kinder" (a touching piano sonata), the eerie acoustic ballad "God" (a spoken conversation with God - "And I looked up/and I spoke to God/and God said look at you/don't look at me/you only call on me when you need me/and when you don't/you hardly think of me at all"), the swirling electronic instrumental "111", and the closing hypnotic instrumental "Night lights".

The Modfather shows he's still got it in spades. Eclectic and brilliant!!

Paul's back, with more of the great tune revival we heard in Illumination.
Much of his earlier solo work left us pining for Style Council and Jam, but melody is back in this deep collection of well written songs.
Of particular interest to me was the song about God, where the singer suggests that people just lead their own lives, ignoring God, until they're in desperate need of something, and then turn to God for help. So true so often.

Paul Wellers career has been like a roller-coastertrip. Starting high with six raising years with The Jam, the final album ("The Gift") at top. Five declining years with The Style Counsil with several great songs thou. And now a 20 years uneven solocareer with mostly "moody" music that seldom really hooked me. Until now. "22 Dreams" includes 21(!) songs sewed together in a suite (think B-side of "Abbey Road"). Here Paul Weller succeed to take the best from each part of his musical history and sum it up to a bountyfull tasty stew. From The Jam-years we recognize corefull riffs and melodies. From The Style Counsil-years we recognize the artfull arrangements and the soulfullness. From the solo-years we recognize the dreamy psycadelica. All in all a masterpiece. How nice and touching when "old" heroes comes back big time!

The Modfather returns with "22 Dreams" -- an album that captures Weller in variety of moods, interpreting a variety of musical influences. The title track is one of my favorite Weller numbers of all time (Jam and Style Council included). Reviewers invariably find one or two "weak" tracks -- most often, it seems, the spoken word "God" -- but each song on the album casts its own spell. Give them all a chance, resequence them if you need to. Some songs will hit you right away. Others may sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Standout tracks: "22 Dreams," "All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)", "Have You Made Up Your Mind," "Empty Ring," and "Push It Along."