Customer Reviews

Our Favourite Shop

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is nothing out there in the music scene today like the Style Council; a pop group that can show it's musical diversity with different styles...and do it flawlessly, seamlessly, and with a lot of class, soul and conviction. There may be one or two that may come close but no cigar !

While the existence of the group is now just a faint distant memory from the 80's their music is timeless and lives on. The 80's;time when you really had to search for genuine artists such as the Style Council amidst the decadent heavy laden synthesized New Wave sounds and Top 40 pop-garbage filler !

The Style Council combined R&B, funk, bit of Motown, soul, hip hop, jazz, a sort of 60's retro bossa nova, some Latin grooves,...the list goes on and on ! If you like the soul sophistication, jazzy, sometimes Latin-tinged sound of Sade or Matt Bianco (another multi-faceted European pop-jazz group), then this is worth to add on to your collection.

For anyone who also remembers nothing but decadent, big hair, and tiresome synthesized music from the 80's, listen to the Style Council and they will just blow your mind and make you rethink about some of the artists from that decade...

Originally released in the U.S. under the title "Internationalists," this album stands up as Paul Weller's best work following the demise of the Jam. Unlike many politically minded musicians, Weller understands that to get the point across, people must want to listen. To reach beyond the converted, he clothed his message in engaging melodies and ear catching arrangements. The result is some of the best political songs of the past two decades.

Weller took a lot of heat for trading the Jam's sound and fury for the more graceful arrangments of the Style Council, but appreciating the former (and this reviewer does) by no means excludes one from enjoying the latter. Furthermore, it's hard to believe that anyone who listens closely to songs like "The Lodgers" and "A Stone's Throw Away", could believe that Weller had compromised his convictions.

Naming the best songs on the album is a difficult choice because of the high level of song-writing and performance across the album. That said, the final two songs, "Shout to the Top" and "Walls Come Tumbling Down" provide a very powerful end to this album. These driving, rousing songs demonstrate Weller's belief that the problems around us can be solved as long as individuals take action. That both songs are instantly catchy is a wonderful added bonus from an artist who has given pop music fans some great gifts.

Oh so many styles,so many songs.Over 15 track Paul Weller
gives 1985's "Our Favorite Shop" a classic production and an excellent bit of song craft.On "Homebreakers",A Man Of Great Promise","Luck","Come To Milton Keynes" and the organ-led
"Walls Come Tumbling Down" the Style Council fasion instantly
classic,catchy modern pop/soul in their most distinctive style.
But wait-there's more,as always!Modern R&B and funk is also present in the upbeat,Philly-styled "Shout To The Top",the
contemporary synth funk of "The Lodgers" and the classic smooth
soul of "Boy Who Cried Wolf",which woulda' made a fantastic
second American single.!?And again Weller makes room for a few
diverse moments such as the scathing rap of "A Stand Up Comic's
Instructions",the hard-rocking "Internationists" and the breezy
lounge music of the tital instrumental,plus some equally eclectic
moments sprinkled in between.The Style Council's high water mark
and a great first point of referance!

'Our Favorite Shop' has withstood the test of time. Its funky panoply of musical styles is still as eminently playable as it was back in 1985. It plays like a "best of" album, with hardly one weak song in all its' generous 15 song line up. The lyrics, the melodies, and the matching of the lyrics to the melodies are pure musical genius. I find that the socialist message neither detracts nor distracts from the music. (I never really gave them a second thought until I read the other reviews.) To me, 'Luck' is the strongest song on the album. That, 'The Boy Who Cried Wold' and 'A Man of Great Promise' are my favorites. I have been gloriously singing along to this album from beginning to end for 18 years now and I am looking forward to doing so for another 18.

I was a college freshman when this record came out in the states, entitled "Internationalists." It was hard to put into a category back in 1985, which explained why no single from the album saw wide, if any, airplay during that Top-40 era. That explains, in part, why Our Favourite Shop remains relevant, today, both musically and lyrically. As much as I find this CD (prior version) among my favorites, many of the songs in the prior CD had annoying production elements to them, some minor and some prominent. Dennis Munday and Roger Wake did an excellent job in remastering the sound of this old album, eliminating or softening those annoying elements. They uncluttered the original sound. Weller's vocals are richer. The jazz elements are heightened. For those like me who had grown accustomed to hearing the songs in their usual way, the remastered songs in this 2000 version are simply better, now, and filled with pleasant surprises.

I've been a Jam fan since 1987 and my first experience with Paul Weller's 80s soul/pop/jazz duo the Style Council occurred later that year when I bought "My Ever Changing Moods," the US version of TSC's debut full-length album, "Cafe Bleu." I enjoyed it a lot, but like most of what they did, it became dated fast. The big drums, the rather ridiculous rapping (can anyone listen to "A Gospel" nowadays with a straight face?), the obssession with fashion...I was so glad when Paul went solo and started making excellent records on his own.

What I failed to realize then was that "Our Favorite Shop" is a surprisingly consistent effort. "Cafe Bleu" included a lot of sketchy experimentalism, some of it good, some truly awful. This disc has more fully-formed songs, and the lyrics are among the best Paul has ever written. I enjoy the opening track, "Homewreckers," for about a dozen different reasons, particularly the excellent musicianship, the great lyrics, Mick Talbot's solemn singing, the back-up vocals by D.C. Lee, the slick, cool organ playing...and that's just the first song!

"All Gone Away" is another favorite. The latin-tinged beat (it almost sounds like a Beautiful South song) hides the dark lyrical content. "A Stone's Throw Away" is boosted by a wonderful string quartet. I had first heard the song "Down in the Seine" on Paul's 2001 acoustic live album, "Days of Speed," but this version is beautiful, with accordian giving the song a true French flavor.

There are a few missteps, however. "Internationalists" is a rather dorky "call to arms" that sounds like it belongs on some motivational speaker's soundtrack. "Luck" is the textbook definition of filler. But a lot of TSC's cringe-inducing moments have more to do with the era (those big-drum 1980s) that the band itself.

If you've been disappointed with TSC in the past, this album may very well change your mind.

I missed the Style Council when they were topping the charts (in the UK) in the early to mid 80s, because I avoided pop and favored punk/post-punk. I recently picked up this album and Cafe Bleu because, over the years, I've developed a greater appreciation for melody. The pleasantness of the music can be a bit deceiving though. The political content of this album is as incisive as any offered at the time by American or British hardcore bands. Some of the lyrical content is a bit dated, but much involves the damaging effects of globalization on community - still a very relevant concern.

The strongest studio album from the most underrated band of the 1980's. The Jam was a great band but The Style Council was Weller elevated to a higher musical plane. Unfortunately so many people focus on nostalgia and don't appreciate Paul Weller's progression. The songwriting is fantastic except for the gimmicky, pseudo-rap song, "The Stand Up Comic's Instruction"(they always had at least one "song" like this on every album). Despite what another reviewer said, "Luck" is not filler, it's melodic and groovin' and one of the best on the CD. Unfortunately, many songs are laced with didactic lyrics, which are socialist hysteria that sounds downright silly today. Nevertheless, the music is so strong, it deserves five stars.

I loved the Jam back in the day so was very curious about the new project. For Paul Weller, The Style Council was completely different but I truly loved the music they put out. Jazzy, with some funk and soul, great lyrics and such amazing composition, it holds up so well today because it the music is simply like nothing out there-before or since. Note for the US, "Our Favourite Shop" came out as "Internationalists" when it was originally released over here so if you're replacing the old album (as I am) this is the one you want. ENJOY!

Anyone who has ever truly followed Paul Weller's career will quickly find out that he never stays in one bag for too long. Like one of his song titles, he's the very definition of "The Changingman". His Style Council-era work is proof positive of that. 'Our Favourite Shop' is one of his best from that period: an interesting yet inspired amalgam of soul, R&B, funk, jazz, latin, and whatever musical strains Weller couldn't fully explore while with his previous incarnation-The Jam. The performances here are rock-solid and often delivered with a great deal of conviction and sincerity. I would've given this one a genuine 5-star rating, but the inexplicable absence of the original 'Shout To The Top' (USA remix has a completely different drum/bass track that doesn't quite improve on the previous version IMHO) was just too much for me to let pass by unnoticed. I'd suggest getting the 5-CD 'Complete Adventures of the Syle Council" set for that particular track, but if that doesn't bother you in the slightest then don't hesitate to pick this album up (along with the 'Introducing the Style Council' EP, 'Cafe Bleu', and 'Confessions of a Pop Group') for a well-rounded serving of some of the finest pop music the '80s had to offer.