Very Best of [Import]

The Jam | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Polygram UK
• ASIN: B000006X4G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,857 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #81 in Music > Alternative Rock > British Alternative > British Punk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Something's happening here today...", April 11, 2001

By 

Rob Hosking - See all my reviews

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

The Jam were in the grand tradition of great British singles bands which begins with the holy sixties trinity of Beatles/Who/Kinks and passes on through to the Pretenders, Madness and the Smiths in the 1980s, and on to the likes of Blur. What distinguishes them from the others is that, with the possible exception of Madness, they are by far the most ineradicably English of all those bands. That was a strength and a weakness - it gave them a sense of identity, but it also mired them in that English working class sensibility. The Jam were huge in the UK, had a university level following in places such as New Zealand and Canada, and were unknown anywhere else. Their other flaw was once identified by Who guitarist (and Jam fan) Pete Townshend: the Jam lack a sense of humour. This dourness sometimes makes the band unnecessarily heavy listening. It is possible to deal with heavy themes and maintain a light touch - a lesson the Jam could have learned from all their 1960s-era mentors.

That said, this collection does show the remarkable progress of this band. The opening four tracks, are from the first two albums and show the Jam as, to put it bluntly, a second tier punk outfit. But it was on the Jam's third album, All Mod Cons - released in 1978 and represented here by the Kinks' cover `David Watts', plus `A bomb in Wardour St', and the remarkable `Down in the Tube Station at Midnight' - that the group began to grow. The next couple of years saw the Jam hit its peak - a slew of singles like `Strange Town' and `When You're Young' had some great playing, plus lyrics which catch the alienation of late teens life. "Tears of rage run down your face/But still you say it's fun" sings Weller on `When You're Young.' The pinnacle was `Going Underground', a tight rabbit punch of a single from 1980, and a superb guitar and vocal attack from singer/writer/guitarist Paul Weller.

The band followed that up with the magnificent `Sound Affects' album and from there things started to unravel. That album contained some of Weller's best ever tracks - songs such as `That's Entertainment' which truly synthesised the band's influences and did something new with them. But Weller decided he wanted to be a soul star, and took the band in that direction. Sometimes this worked (even if `A Town Called Malice' sounds like the Supremes) and sometimes it didn't. However the band went out on a high - `Beat Surrender' is a rousing, stomping roar of a single - a fitting end to a band which had the integrity to get out while they were still on top.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do I hear Green Day, September 30, 2009

By 

Frank G. Wetteroth (Ste. Genevieve, mo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

Again my son turned me on to this band, The Jam. And as I listen to these tunes, I hear a few riffs that Green Day might have borrowed. These boys can do a hook like anybody. Every and I men every tune is really good. I 'm glad I have a son who can help his old man find some decent music. The Jam ...buy it now!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Enough, January 24, 2003

By 

Scott McFarland (Manassas, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

The band cut too many great tracks to sumarize on a single CD. However, "The Compact Snap" plus "The Jam Collection" do manage to get the best stuff onto TWO CDs; I recommend going that route instead.