Mar 152011
One of the biggest disappointments in my CD-buying life was listening to Wild Wood by Paul Weller. I mean, I was a HUGE Jam fan as a lad. So much so, that I didn’t dare follow him into the Style Council days (like another member who will go unnamed, HVB) so as not to sully my memories of his mod/pop brilliance. So imagine my excitement when I read a few years back all the incredible raves about his third life as a true solo artist. I mean, man the reviews were incredible! Like finally, wow, the guy came to his senses and started to settle down into some mature songwriting.
Mature my ass. Boooorrring, is more like it.
Am I alone here?
Is that the only solo Weller album you tried? If so, you may have picked the most boring one. There are albums on either side of that one, I believe, that have a few songs I still like. Stanley Road (?) is the more recent of the two I like, and the earlier one I like has a song called “Woodcutter’s Son” that I’m a sucker for. It sounds like Humble Pie. Much of the rest of that album has a heavy Traffic/Joe Cocker vibe that’s up my alley. His first solo album has two tracks I like, too. Nothing earth shattering, but way better for this rock geezer than Style Council.
Once bitten, twice shy. You’ll have to burn me some stuff 🙂
I loved the Style Council so aptly, I like Weller’s “Above the Clouds.”
You might like the Weller/Graham Coxon collaboration, “This Old Town.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdvWR3prbzg
Or “Come On/Let’s Go” from As Is Now. It has sort of a Blondie-esque guitar.
I thought Weller’s album from last year was pretty good.
Alone you may not be, but I couldn’t possibly disagree more. I think Wildwood (with the exception of the very skip-able “Moon on Your Pajamas” was and still is a tremendous record. A couple of the songs improve in their live incarnations (which can be heard on the Live Wood collection, for instance), but the rockers rock and the quieter acoustic-based numbers are very effective and well done in a Traffic-y mode. I pretty near wore the cd out when it came out and still very much enjoy it and find it stands up well. Just went through a cycle of listening to it and other immediately-post Council Weller recordings and was pleased to find that everything about it that I liked then I still like now. In fact, I find it amazing how he bounced back from the debacle of the late Council records, which I think are pretty dreadful.
I think most of his post-Style Council records are very worthwhile, to varying degrees, certainly, but Wildwood, the first one (Paul Weller), Heavy Soul, and Stanley Road are especially strong. (Stanley Road felt a little too much like Wildwood II, to me, but it also benefits from hearing the songs live, where I think they came to life much more than on the record.) The last album of his that I really connected with was 22 Dreams, which, probably, is a couple records ago now.
I agree — Wildwood is a great album. I wore it out. Sunflower — the song posted — is fantastic.
Yes, I was struck by the fact that the video, which may or may not have been chosen to encapsulate the boooorrrrringness of the record, kicks ass.
Yes — gives me an excuse to share the link to “Wake Up the Nation” which was in heavy rotation in my car last summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HykV37M67MI