The Jam's Setting Sons was originally planned as a concept album about three childhood friends who, upon meeting after some time apart, discover the different directions in which they've grown apart. Only about half of the songs ended up following the concept due to a rushed recording schedule, but where they do, Paul Weller vividly depicts British life, male relationships, and coming to terms with entry into adulthood. Weller's observations of society are more pointed and pessimistic than ever, but at the same time, he's employed stronger melodies with a slicker production and comparatively fuller arrangements, even using heavy orchestration for a reworked version of Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones." Setting Sons often reaches brilliance and stands among the Jam's best albums.

As good mods, the Jam always had a healthy respect for R&B and soul - even the first album featured the revved-up Northern soul of "Non-Stop Dancing." With The Gift, however, Paul Weller seems to have become completely absorbed in it, and more specifically, in Stax-style soul with more than a hint of psychedelia à la "Psychedelic Shack." An uneven album marked by overindulgences like the instrumental "Circus" and unnecessarily long songs, The Gift still has no shortage of terrific songs, like the simply sublime "Ghost," "Town Called Malice" (the hit), and the funk workout of "Precious." Weller can obviously do "soulful" - his voice has never sounded better - but unfortunately, The Gift, with its excesses and marginal tracks, doesn't show his talents in the proper light. Points for ambition, but ultimately, this is their least consistent effort since This Is the Modern World.

Unhappy with the slicker approach of Setting Sons, the Jam got back to basics, using the direct, economic playing of All Mod Cons and "Going Underground," the simply brilliant single which preceded Sound Affects by a few months. Thematically, though, Paul Weller explored a more indirect path, leaving behind (for the most part) the story-song narratives in favor of more abstract dealings in spirituality and perception - the approach stemming from his recent readings of Blake and Shelley (who was quoted on the sleeve), but more specifically Geoffrey Ash, whose Camelot and the Vision of Albion made a strong impression. Musically, Weller drew upon Revolver-era Beatles as a primary source (the bassline on "Start," which comes directly from "Taxman," being the most obvious occurrence), incorporating the occasional odd sound and echoed vocal, which implied psychedelia without succumbing to its excesses…

The Jam regrouped and refocused for All Mod Cons, an album that marked a great leap in songwriting maturity and sense of purpose. For the first time, Paul Weller built, rather than fell back, upon his influences, carving a distinct voice all his own; he employed a story-style narrative with invented characters and vivid British imagery à la Ray Davies to make incisive social commentary - all in a musically irresistible package. The youthful perspective and impassioned delivery on All Mod Cons first earned Weller the "voice of a generation" tag, and it certainly captures a moment in time, but really, the feelings and sentiments expressed on the album just as easily speak to any future generation of young people. Terms like "classic" are often bandied about, but in the case of All Mod Cons, it is certainly deserved.

The Artwoods' only album was an enjoyable mixture of club-oriented soul, R&B, and jazz with a strong organ spice, although it found them falling seriously behind their contemporaries in the British R&B scene in a crucial respect. Not one of the dozen tracks was a group original, and their vocal and interpretive ability was not so strong as to make that shortfall an irrelevance. Still, it did give them a chance to stretch into some jazzy workouts and rave-ups that probably couldn't have been contained on 45s, particularly the swinging cover of "Walk on the Wild Side" (with excellent jazz organ by Jon Lord); Allen Toussaint's "Can You Hear Me," with an arrangement reminiscent of the Spencer Davis Group; and Bobby Bland's "Don't Cry No More," one of their best R&B covers…

On their debut, the Jam offered a good balance between the forward-looking, "destroy everything" aggression of punk with a certain reverence for '60s beat and R&B. In an era that preached attitude over musicianship, the Jam bettered the competition with good pop sense, strong melodies, and plenty of hooks that compromised none of punk's ideals or energy, plus youth culture themes and an abrasive, ferocious attack. Even though the band would improve exponentially over the next couple of years, In the City is a remarkable debut and stands as one of the landmark punk albums.

Polished soul, pop gems and more from the female roster of 1960s Warner Bros and Loma.
“She’s A Doll!” could very easily have been the next volume in our long-running “Where The Girls Are” series, but the tracks for that are already cast in stone and due for release in the near future. Instead the decision was made to make it a stand-alone release, and who knows, possibly the first in a whole new series of label-centric girl-pop compilations. Packaged with a 24-page booklet featuring a 4,000-word track commentary and rare full-page photos of many of the artists, the collection opens with ‘Contact’ by the Three Degrees, a slice of cool Philly soul, with a little space age psychedelia on the side, issued as the glamorous trio’s one-off single for Warner Bros in 1968, and closes with Lorraine Ellison’s ‘In My Tomorrow’ from the same year, one of the many fine records she made under the auspices of producer Jerry Ragovoy.

The Action are one of the great "lost" bands of mid-'60s England. Though they filled mod clubs with happy patrons and managed to score George Martin as a benefactor, they only released a handful of unsuccessful singles during their brief existence. Most of their music remained in the vaults for years, only to be discovered later and celebrated. After years of reissues that only told part of the band's story, Grapefruit's 2018 Shadows and Reflections: The Complete Recordings 1964-1968 collects everything: their five officially released singles, BBC sessions, their legendary demos from 1967, backing tracks, alternate takes, different mixes, and songs they recorded just before the band broke up in 1968. It's an impressive haul made even better by the excellent liner notes, session information, and crisp sound…

Four CDs. Demon are proud to release Eddie Piller Presents British Mod Sounds Of the 1960s, the follow up the The Mod Revival. Featuring 100 original tracks, it's a deep dive into the Mod scene in '60s Britain. Including a selection of classic and rare tracks, tracing the scene from it's R&B roots to a soulful finale. Curated by Acid Jazz Records and Modcast founder Eddie Piller, and featuring new sleeve notes from respected author and broadcaster Paul 'Smiler' Anderson. As Eddie Piller points out in the forward to the extensive sleeve notes that accompany this collection, he chose the word 'Sounds' carefully, reflecting the variety of talent contained here, from uncool session musicians without an ounce of style in them, acts who saw an opportunity to jump on the Mod bandwagon and bands who whole heartedly embraced Mod way of life. And so this new collection mixes the Mod mainstays (Small Faces, The High Numbers, The Action, The Fleur de Lys), with a generous selection of future superstars (David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Marc Bolan, Jeff Beck and Graham Gouldman of 10cc are all represented here), and a few artists so obscure, so rare, that they never got to release a record in the '60s, but Eddie has tracked down the tapes nonetheless. "Be in with the In Crowd once more."

With the original vinyl compilation Girl Zone in 1986, Ace Records became the first reissue company to plunder Decca Records 1960s female catalogue. No-one really knew whether there was a demand, so it was something of a gamble. Happily, reaction was positive and the album sold well. Fast forward 30 years, and their similarly themed Love Hit Me! collection became one of their top-selling releases of 2016. Having established that there's still a demand, Ace now present Don't Blow Your Cool!, their latest sumptuously packaged all-female Decca anthology. Along with a hand-picked selection of proven fan favourites, with the more avid of collectors in mind, the compilation includes ultra-rare French language versions of Summer Nights by Marianne Faithfull and You Just Gotta Know My Mind by Dana Gillespie, plus other new-to-CD tracks by visiting American Joy Marshall, folk-rocker Beverley, Marvettes lead singer Margo, much-loved girl group the Orchids and, with her Goldfinger -style theme from cult favourite TV series Adam Adamant Lives, lip-gloss queen Kathy Kirby. Compilation and notes by girl-pop buffs Mick Patrick and Ian Chapman (just like back in 1986).

A Quick One was released in 1966, containing experimental music Suite (a nod to Rock Operas that were to follow). The album contains “Boris the Spider,” “Don’t Look Away” and has been mastered by long time Who engineer Jon Astley from the original tapes. Packaged in original sleeve with obi & certificate of authenticity, this black vinyl version is engineered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios with a half-speed mastering technique which produces a superior vinyl cut.

Six CD box set containing the complete recordings released between 1981 and 1986 by Edward Ball's indie mod band The Times including their albums Go! With The Times (recorded 1980 but released in 1985), Pop Goes Art! (1982), This Is London (1983), Hello Europe (1984), Up Against It (1986) and Enjoy (1986). Also includes The Times' rare 1981 debut single 'Red With Purple Flashes' / 'Biff! Bang! Pow!' which was named as one of the top five mod revival singles in MOJO magazine. Bonus tracks include The Times' legendary take on the 'Theme From Dangerman', a cover of David Bowie's 'London Boys', tracks from the 12" EPs 'I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape' (1983), 'Blue Period' (1985), 'Boys About Town' (1986) and 'Times TV' (1986) and an alternative version of perhaps their most famous song 'I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape' (inspired by cult TV series The Prisoner) taken from the A Splash Of Colour compilation that celebrated the early 1980s psychedelic revival.

Bristol Archive Records have been telling the story of the incredibly diverse Bristol Music scene for many years now. The label has focused recently on the sub-culture of Mod, Modernism and Power Pop and recently gained considerable success with their release ‘The Bristol Mod Explosion 1979-1987’. They have also released albums from the same scene by The Reaction ‘Shapes of Things To Come’ and The Rimshots ‘A Way With Words 1980-1983’. Now we turn our attention to another undiscovered Bristol band, Thin Air who featured on the Mod Explosion and the song writing genius of a would be Paul Weller, John Lennon, Elvis Costello – Paul Sandrone.

This is one of "Detour Records" proudest moments….Not only was the Clique the biggest sellers on the 'Detour Records', BUT this is our 100th LP release on the label and what a release to celebrate this milestone and we have pushed the (Ropey old) boat out and made something very special as each box set comes with a set of five different postcards, poster and comes housed in a very stylish hand numbered box. 35 years after London modsters The Clique burst onto the music scene and 25 years after the final Clique EP was released, Detour Records and the band are proud to present a vinyl box set anthology of their music. The Clique were prolific throughout the late 80s and 90s, constantly gigging in London, up and down the UK and over in Europe. It wasn’t just their music that made them stand out from their contemporaries but also their impeccable and stylish dress sense. This box set collection includes many alternate recordings to previous releases and some unreleased tracks.

UK three CD anthology from Edward Ball, a celebration of his work and the perfect introduction to Edward's world, from the teenage DIY punk and power pop of 'O'Level and Teenage Filmstars through the indie mod of The Times to Ball's years at the Creation label. 61 tracks, cherry picked from his wonderfully wide-ranging musical journey. Highlights include The Times' smashing 1981 debut single, 'Red With Purple Flashes', their 1982 fan favourite, 'I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape' inspired by cult TV series The Prisoner, the irresistible 1996 solo near-hit, 'The Mill Hill Self Hate Club' and the full 10:35 version of Love Corporation's 'Give Me Some Love' with stunning production by Andy Weatherall from 1991. Plus a previously unreleased gem for the anthology, 'Song To The Lighthouse', an out- take from his soundtrack to the 2010 Carol Morley film The Edge. The Whaam! Label set up by Edward Ball with the Television Personalities' Dan Treacy and Ball's own Artpop! Label were a direct inspiration for Alan McGee to set up Creation Records who signed Edward in 1988. Brit Pop era solo albums saw Edward joined by musical friends such as Ride's Andy Bell, Nick Heyward and members of The Boo Radleys while Ball's dance and world music influenced project Love Corporation were remixed by Andy Weatherall, Danny Rampling and Monkey Mafia. Ball also resurrected The Times and Teenage Filmstars monikers at Creation, under the former name Ball melded indie and dance music before Primal Scream's 'Screamadelica', while, with the latter, he embraced psychedelic noise.