Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Pop Group

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After making an incendiary noise with The Jam, Paul Weller formed the Style Council in order to do something completely different. CONFESSIONS OF A POP GROUP, the Council's swan song, was where the experiment came to fruition. You may find the use of the word "pop" in the title misleading, but I prefer to think that Weller (along with Mick Talbot and the rest of the band) was stretching pop to its many logical extremes. You're not going to find a lot of dance beats or super-catchy hooks on this record. Instead, you'll find piano suites, soul singing, and lush orchestration, building an overall picture of broken hearts, lofty ideals, and a modern life fraut with pitfalls.

The Style Council are often written off as an overcalculated effort, the weakest period of Weller's career (he followed with a pretty successful solo career). Don't buy it. The Style Council was a daring move for a man who had made his reputation through loud guitars and vitriol. Take this album to heart, give it a chance, search out its center--you'll never want to stop playing it if you do.

"Confessions" was widly meligned by critics and fans of the Style Council alike. As for me, this record changed my life. It was a soundtrack for me personally. I call it the "Pet Sounds" of the eightys simply because of it's lush beauty, and emotional impact. Songs like "Change of the Guard" and "It's a Very Deep Sea" hit hard and cuddle you into a sea of goose-bumps. Why no one seemed to notice is beyond me. The Style Council always stived to do their own thing, and do it as well and as lovingly possible. Their only short coming was to care too much. TSC , it could be said, just weren't made for their times. Funnily enough, Weller speaks of the greed of this period with lyrics full of venom, but sung like a gospel on the title track itself. "Confessions 1,2, and 3" succeeds where their previous album, "The Cost of Loving" failed, in that the lounge element is in full effect, but the arrangements are perfect. Every detail of this record was well thought out, and I'm so glad it's been re-released for a new generation to fall in love with. Pay close attention to the liner notes as well. These too were despised in the U.K., but to anyone who doesn't give a toss about what the critics say, then it could be an added bonus. I was 15 years old when I bought this record, and now I'm 25. I couldn't live without it in my collection. Don't take my word for it, make up your own minds. Still, you may find your heart when you find this album.

This is perhaps the most phenomenal album I own. TSC has long been my favorite band, and this CD embodies the innovativeness the style council brought to the often delineated genres of their decade. I am inclined to agree with the "Pet Sounds" analogy. It took me nearly a year to appreciate the depth of this album. As a wee 16-year-old, I was only intrigued by the first "act" of the album upon it's release. However, I soon realized that it was the latter half of the album which really showcased the immense eclecticism of Weller's talent. These remain my favorite classically inspired pieces to this day. It was a shame Paul failed to expound upon this classical penchant. I could listen to track #s 5 on for the rest of my life, such is the inexhaustible pleasure they bring. They embody, for me, an age of endless possibilities and hope for the future. If there is one album I could be buried with, it would be this one...

Every artist/band puts out their absolute best work at some point of career - Elvis Costello - This Years Model, Chaka Khan - Watcha Gonna Do For Me?, MJ - Thriller, Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues, Simply Red - Picture Book, Hendrix - Are You Experienced, U2 - The Unforgettable Fire, E, W & F - Gratitude, Miles Davis - Birth of Cool, Prince - 1999, Depeche Mode - Violator, Bruce - Born in the USA, Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life, Marvin Gaye - What's Going On?, Cheap Trick - Live at Budokkan, Blondie - Parallel Lines. Well you get the picture.

Paul Weller is a genius songwriter/mood maker. And what a singer! This band - The Style Council - was not a fave of mine early on, but when they took hold of my heart when this album was released they never let go. I bought this one in Tokyo when I was touring as a back-up singer in Japan in 1988 & couldn't believe my ears. One song better than the next. And I got excited everytime it began again!! Still do 14 years later!!
Track 1 - Excellent bouncy opener
Track 2 - Pure soul ballad worthy of note - Weller Stellar!!
Track 3 - I could dance all night to this!!
Track 4 - And then dance some more!!
Track 5 - This sould be a singer's standard - actually mine!!
Track 6 - Ditto!!
Track 7 - If this doesn't pull a tear from your eye...
Track 8 - Fascinating lyric.
Track 9 - OK, where is the incredible Dee C. Lee these days? This 'girl' should be a superstar!!
Track 10 - Gorgeously dramatic piano.

Track 11 - Dee C Lee triumphs again on this track. Would love to hear a Cassandra Wilson interpretation of this one.

I miss this band so much. Thank God they once existed. I may never have known that pop music could be so smart, deep & beautiful!! Thank you much, Cappuccino Kid & Gang!!

Based on what's already been said by previous reviewers I suppose this will sound redundant, but this album deserves all the accolades it gets.

Paul Weller's writing - lyrically and musically - is in top form here, and the 'suites' of music are accomplished in their delicacy and beauty without sounding at all sappy. The pop songs are catchy without being vapid. Mick Talbot's playing and writing is heavenly. In fact, virtually the whole album is brilliant.

It's interesting that although SC recorded one more album, 'Confessions' was a swan song of sorts. It could have represented a new beginning, a whole new direction. Certainly the creative forces involved in the group show no signs of diminishing here. One could argue just the opposite.

But, so it goes. Mr. Weller has moved onto different things, but this album demonstrates his versatility and incredible talent - dare I say genius? - and rates him as one of the best songwriters of his time.

The Style Council normally defy category. Their music ranges from continental jazz, to 80's new wave pop, to house grooves, to ...... If you have not been introduced to this band, fronted by Jam star Paul Weller, then start with a greatest hits compilation. If you are daring, start here.

"Confessions of a Pop Group" is the last (officially) released new work from a great band. The music here ranges from some classical piano songs, to the funky groove of the title track. My personal favorites are the title track, which at six plus minutes seems too short, and the sad story of one night stands depicted in "The Story of Someone's Shoe". Paul Weller's lyrics have never been sharper, but the effort has a lighter feel to it. Paul seems to have dealt with the Thatcher inspired political angst of previous songs like "HomeBreakers" and "Walls Come Tumbling Down", and on this disc we have some pop fair, as well as the foray into the classical sound.

You cannot go wrong with this band, and this CD does not disappoint. The title track alone is worth the price of admission, which is not cheap on the remaster version. If you can find a standard version, you save a few bucks without losing on sound.

While the band is no more, the music lives forever, if only in my CD tray. Buy anything they have done, and note that this last release is something special.

I BOUGHT 'CONFESSIONS' IN 1988 WHILE LIVING AND WORKING AS A SINGER IN JAPAN. IT INSPIRED ME TO CONTINUE TO USE MY BREATHING WISELY AS A SINGER, TAKING CHANCES WITH STYLE & MOOD. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE MATURE, YET FUN ALBUM BY A GROUP THAT NEVER GOT THAT SUPERSTAR STATUS IT DESERVED FOR ITS OBVIOUS EXCELLENCE. MAYBE THATS A GOOD THING FOR THOSE US WHO APPRECIATE GREATNESS IN MUSIC UNMARRED BY INTERNATIONAL MEGA-CELEBRITY. THANK YOU.

Oddly enough this is probably the best album by TSC as it is their last. Every copy I've ever owned has mysteriosly disappeard and ended up in friends' collections. Solution--I bought a copy for every one I knew.

Weller's sheer brilliance and talent at fusing classical,jazz,funk, pop, with such finesse is a testament that the late 20th Century did produce some of the finest musical composers and writers, performers of the pop genre ! Listen to the doo-wop teaser at the end that concludes this project; imagine doo-wop in the late 80's! Lyrically speaking, the track The Story Of Someone's Shoe has some erotically charged lyrics about a one night stand. Yet, they are written in such a way that it's sheer poetic and descriptive wit without making it sound like filth! Weller also wrote about the political turmoil(Thatcherism-Reagan era) and various global issues of the time with candor and lyrical vitality ! However, listeners were so captivated by the "grooviness" of the music produced that sometimes the meaning and lyrics of the songs would go over their heads...

Yes, I was very fortunate to pick up an inexpensive used copy of this rare recording!

I actually have this album in vinyl, but played it so much it sounds like Rice Krispies. So I have been looking for this in cd for a long time. Imagine my surprise when I found it here. The Style Council is a band that was ahead of its time. It's a beautiful collection of music that should be in any fans library. This is a definite BUY! I am ordering another copy just for my sister who tried to take mine!