Days of Speed [Live]

Paul Weller | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 2, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000068QYE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,669 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Days of Speed, recorded live and acoustic at various shows during Paul Weller's 2001 global tour, will do little to further his standing among critics, who have a blind spot when it comes to Paul Weller. How is it, they want to know, that the man responsible for one of the most inspirational commercial punk-era bands (the Jam) and the cosmopolitan verve of the early 1980s nouveau jazz-pop Style Council is so seemingly content to spend his twilight years turning himself into a third-rate Eric Clapton?

Clearly, he's not lacking in talent (or fervent support, as the applause on this album proves). Yet he insists on singing in a wooden fashion--you could kindly compare him to Steve Winwood, if Weller weren't so clearly his own man--and writing songs that continue to ignore the outside world. Contrast the older songs here--a lackluster "That's Entertainment," a desultory "Headstart for Happiness" from the Council's excellent 1984 album, Café Bleu, "Town Called Malice" divorced of its driving Motown beat (surely its main part)--with the newer version of Weller, a "mature" Weller, a Weller that clearly thinks the concerns of the world are no longer his.

"You Do Something to Me" (from 1995's successful Stanley Road) still shimmers above the hedgerow, and "Amongst Butterflies" (from 1992's Paul Weller) has a certain naïve charm, but on the whole, this is heavy going indeed. One indistinguishable love song follows another. The fall and fall of Weller certainly adds fuel to the fire of those who believe rock & roll to be a youth music, but really it comes down to one simple test for old Jam fans: which song did you prefer, "Going Underground" or "That's Entertainment"? --Everett True

Product Description

Days Of Speed, recorded live and acoustic at various shows during Paul Weller's 2001 global tour. In true and earnest Weller fashion he has constantly and steadfastly refused to revisit his considerable catalogue of classics during his live shows, instead sticking to output from whatever his current incarnation was The king of dad rock has finally come of age with two simultaneous firsts, live acoustic shows and a newfound willingness to draw from his entire cannon What we get then on Days of Speed is The Jam, The Style Council and Weller's later solo material delivered stripped down, raw and acoustic, often offering up new insights, as he presents his work in the classic singer-songwriter medium Sony. * US version is long out-of-print. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Critics divide but fans unite, October 8, 2002

By 

C. Jannuzi (Fukui, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Days of Speed (Audio CD)

Critics divide over this. In the UK he is a rock n roll god. In the US, they just don't get it.

First a few admissions: I don't usually like live albums. Also, I don't usually like acoustic unplugged albums (most have been just godawful, especially the MTV efforts). And, true fans self-select and write reviews with 5 stars, which distorts the rating scale; I am a true fan but I'm not exaggerating this one.

I thought this would be something like what the Amazon review said. But I found myself absolutely taken with this CD. Somehow, using just voice and guitar (usually acoustic, sometimes subdued electric) he manages to capture the essence of some of his best songs from the Jam, Style Council and later solo stuff. I wouldn't have thought it possible until I was about one third of the way into this. I kept waiting for it to sound 'wooden' or 'bloated' like some critics said. Instead, I relived all those songs from the Jam, Style Council and his solo stuff and actually felt like, at least a bit, that I was in the audience as he was doing.

Thanks again Mr. Weller.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Britain's Greatest R&B Singer Wonderfully LIVE and SOLO!, July 8, 2002

By 

David Beasley (Richmond, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Days of Speed (Audio CD)

Paul Weller is probably one of England's greatest artists of the past 25 years that has gone virtually unknown and unrecognized in the US. This collection of songs from last year's (2001) wildly successful world tour in which Weller plays some of his greatest tunes solo, most on an acoustic, a couple on an electric guitar.

Weller delivers each tune with the passion and fire that has characterized his recent climb to the lofty post of Modfather among the likes of Britain's elite, including Ocean Colour Scene and Oasis. He even plays a few MODERN CLASSICS from his other successful incarnations, THE JAM and THE STYLE COUNCIL.

I can't recommend this CD enough. I was lucky enough to see Weller play these tracks at concerts in NYC and Boston. Not only is it a wonderful document of a fantastic experience, but it is a reminder that Paul Weller is a major talent whose relative obscurity in America can't disguise the fact that this incredibly SOULFUL artist can flat out sing and play!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why won't America give this guy the respect he deserves?, October 12, 2001

By 

Christopher Ingalls (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Day's of Speed (Audio CD)

There's so much stuff on the U.S. pop charts, and at the same time, when somebody mentions the name "Paul Weller," your average Stateside music fan can only give a confused look and say "who?" Or even worse, they'll ask if that's the guy from the Robocop movies.

What a shame, since Paul Weller is one of the most talented and unique songwriters of the last 25 years. Whether a mod/punk in the Jam, a jazz/popster in the Style Council, or a rock/soul giant as a solo artist, Weller continually evolves while sacrificing none of his talent in the process.

"Days of Speed" is a document of his 2001 worldwide acoustic tour (which I was lucky to catch in Boston last July) and showcases his songs in a stark setting. His playing is assured, and his voice as soulful as ever. Songs like "The Loved," "Out of the Sinking," and his stellar version of the Jam's "That's Entertainment" are among the many highlights.

I like to compare this disc to Warren Zevon's "Learning to Flinch," since they're both discs by acclaimed songwriters, reworking their classics in an acoustic format. If you're a Weller fan, you'll undoubtedly pick this one up ASAP. But it's probably a good release for the uninitiated as well, since it shows how great a singer/songwriter Weller really is. As an import it may be tough to obtain, but it's well worth the extra $.