67 responses so far ↓

• 1 Big City Sheep // Jan 22, 2008 at 5:49 pm

  Well, I wouldn’t call them all anonymous scabs: they’ve recruited Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers as the ersatz Weller for at least part of the tour.

• 2 K // Jan 22, 2008 at 5:57 pm

  Weird. I was just talking to a friend about this show. $27.50 at the Birchmere in VA. Seems like a lot sans Weller.

• 3 Riot Nrrrd™ // Jan 26, 2008 at 11:01 pm

  Hugh Cornwell is opening, not substituting for Weller. “Some anonymous scabs” named Russell Hastings and Dave Moore are the Other Two, and Russell does a far better job than Paul does of singing old Jam songs nowadays. I ought to know – I saw Weller last February and From The Jam last night. You can be a cynical bastard all you want – leaves more room for me to enjoy a fucking great show by two of the greatest musicians I’ve ever seen, playing some of the greatest songs ever. This is no “The New Cars”.

• 4 C.Sweet // Jan 30, 2008 at 7:51 pm

  nice one Riot. Foxton and Buckler were amazing
  the other night. E. Greenwood should get his
  facts right or shut up.

• 5 Wattsie // Jan 31, 2008 at 8:30 am

  Astonising that someone who obviously writes about music doesn’t even ‘get’ the fact that The Jam were three people regardless of who wrote what.

  I’m with Riot on this one – I’ve seen FTJ countless times and Weller countless times and I respect and appreciate both! Weller doesn’t sing Jam tracks like he use to and as much as I love Whitey & Damon – they do what they do best with Weller’s solo stuff – Damon doesn’t even move on stage – yet Bruce has the same energy he had back in The Jam days and he’s a bass player who made some many bass player pick up the bass and no one can drum like Rick on Jam tracks. Both Rick and Bruce hugely influenced the sound of The Jam!

  Russell Hastings and Dave Moore are certainly not scabs OR anonymous, how very disrepectful – firstly they both do an outstanding job in From The Jam and secondly both are huge Jam fans like the rest of us and NO Jam fans are anonymous or scabs!! Us Jam fans have a bond and we would be the first to be letting everyone know if Russell and Dave were not up to the job! Remember there’s a huge number of us in the UK who saw the Jam back in the day many times over so WE can tell if it’s right or not! We’ve lived and breathed The Jam since the old days and we’re totally grateful to FTJ for getting out there and performing the tracks as perfect as they were live back in the old days.

  Do yourself a huge favour Mr Greenwood – when you don’t know what a band is like, go to see them first before you abuse them. Jam fans are not idiiots and will not be sold anything that’s not up to scratch and FTJ are very up to the job and then some.

• 6 dorothy bishop // Jan 31, 2008 at 8:40 am

  Mr.Greenwood.. how dare you!!!….you obvisously have no idea what you’re talking about!!… From The Jam are FANTASTIC!!!!
  and there is NO WAY i would want to here Paul Weller sing those songs live again… He wouldn’t put the passion and fury like those Jams tunes deserve .. so do us all a favor… and shove your comments up your arse!!!!
  they mean NOTHING!!!!

  and to everyone how reads this …go see the band if you can… they’re bloody FANTASTIC!!!!… I’ve seen them quite a few times now….and i would fly to the U.K..just to watch them preform…and i dont’ regret it one bit…and i’d do it again and again….and i WILL!!!

  thank you….:-)

• 7 Eric Greenwood // Jan 31, 2008 at 9:58 am

  you people are missing the point. it doesn’t matter who from the jam hires as a weller replacement…if it’s not weller it’s embarrassing. end of story. reunions in and of themselves are lame, but that goes doubly so for ones that can’t even scrabble together the original line-up and have to resort to near-beer names like from the jam.

• 8 K // Jan 31, 2008 at 10:25 am

  Careful Eric, Jam fans are truly insane. I’ve met a few and they’re so desperate to relive their glory days that they’d sell their only child or eat another member of their soccer team.

• 9 Wattsie // Jan 31, 2008 at 10:26 am

  OMG – you’re deluded and YOU are missing the point and quite embarrassing. You can not write people off if you’ve never seen them – are you 12?

  This tour is not for the likes of people like you anyway, it’s for Jam fans. and we’re having a great time.

  “Say what you like, ’cause I don’t care
  I know where I am and going too
  It’s somewhere I won’t preview
  Don’t have to explain myself to you
  I don’t give two fucks about your review!”

• 10 NICK // Jan 31, 2008 at 10:38 am

  Nothing but a PRICK
  I like wattsie have seen weller countless times and ftj and i feel when weller sings the old jam tunes he dos`ent put in the energy russ does.
  Go and see them yourself im sure you will be amazed or otherwise SHUT THE FUCK UP.
  Keep up the good work lads looking forward to when you get back

• 11 SelseyLynn // Jan 31, 2008 at 11:10 am

  What an amazing piece from someone who is so ignorant of what he is writing about! Piece of advice: make sure you know what you are talking about before putting in writing. I have also seen From The Jam countless times, I am never ever disappointed by the performance. I grew up in Woking, Surrey and was so into Paul Weller but I absolutely love From The Jam and would have been really annoyed if Weller had come back to claim his place and push Russell Hastings aside! While his vocals are not unlike Weller’s, Russell gives his own performance which is fantastic. If you haven’t seen them yet, do – you will be pleasantly surprised and not at all disappointed. End of Sermon!!

• 12 Muscle We Split // Jan 31, 2008 at 11:25 am

  Good heavans people! Why bother with Eric?
  He’s obviously borderline down syndrome.

  I quote: ‘I don’t know how exciting it is to go see a reunited band when the lead singer/songwriter isn’t even on board’.

  Well there you go viewers……derrr

  How can you air, form, or even have an opinion (Mr Thicky) after a saying such a thing?
  Square peg, round hole eh?

  Bearing in mind the way you come across, I wouldn’t be surprised if your parents are Brother and Sister. Are you descended from Walton’s mountain?

  Give generously everyone…..

  xx

• 13 patrick // Jan 31, 2008 at 11:57 am

  wow … first it was deranged duran duran fans, now it’s deranged jam fans. what’s next? deranged genesis fans?

• 14 P Collins Esq. // Jan 31, 2008 at 12:55 pm

  ???

• 15 P Collins Esq. // Jan 31, 2008 at 12:56 pm

  Did someone mention Genesis.?

  Personally I’m on the side of the Jam fans here. Even after all that Weller did, they are still loyal to him, just as they are to Buckler and Foxton!

  At least neither of those two slag everyone else off in the press, having been on the receiving end of Weller’s tongue I know personally what it’s like and my mate Gordon has never fully got over Weller spitting at his portrait.

  Good luck to Rick, Bruce, Dave and Russell. They are obviously doing something right because so many have turned up to see them both in the UK and The States.

  Now if I could drum as well as Rick Buckler, I would be after the job myself!

• 16 Mark // Jan 31, 2008 at 2:29 pm

  Saw From The Jam last night in Portland, Oregon and loved every minute. It was every bit as good as I could have hoped for. I’ve never seen them before but have been a Jam fan since the early 80’s.
  This was an opportunity to see these guys that I honestly never thought I’d get. Took a friend who grew up as a mod in Guernsey.
  Afterwards we both realized that we’d been granted a long-desired wish. I’ll treasure the experience and hope they make it back my way again soon.

  I don’t have any problem with Russell and Dave, they kicked ass, in fact. Tour manager Heinz mentioned that Russell was up there playing with something like strep throat but you’d never have known it – his playing and singing were spot on. What a trooper.

• 17 MikeB // Jan 31, 2008 at 2:47 pm

  I dunno whats more irritating Eric, your plainly ignorant comments or insistence that if it not Weller, its embarassing. Ever seen Weller and Richard Archer doing Jam stuff? Now thats what I’d call embarassing.
  Having seen The Jam on many occasions, I can say that by ANY objective measure FTJ are as good as it gets!! In fact, anything but embarassing – MORE LIKE FUCKING BRILLIANT – so please go see them before subjecting us to more of your personal prejudices or uninformed opinions.

• 18 Eric Greenwood // Jan 31, 2008 at 4:08 pm

  it’s hilarious reading the fanboy rants. what a bunch of freaks. isn’t it convenient when someone disagrees with your perspective it’s immediately characterized as “ignorance?” it doesn’t matter if i’ve seen from the jam; i would never go see a watered down reunion band like that. give me the real thing or give me nothing. if you call that ignorance, you are batshit insane. the whole concept of rock and roll is antithetical to reunions. much less reunions of this caliber. enjoy your world of delusion.

• 19 C.Sweet // Jan 31, 2008 at 7:02 pm

  What a music expert, thought Hugh Cornwell was lead singer. Really knows his stuff this guy.
  NME reader obviously 🙂

• 20 Chris // Feb 1, 2008 at 3:34 am

  Mr Greenwood is so rock and roll.

• 21 MikeB // Feb 1, 2008 at 7:07 am

  As I said – your personal prejudices. If a band aint young, hip and trendy or 100% “original” then it aint worth a shit. No problems there if thats your perspective.

  What’s clearly ignorant is you write them off with your basic premise (i.e . it aint “rock n roll”) – having no idea (or interest) in whether they’re actually any good. Not very objective as a supposed music commentator.

  For Jam fans it was always about the music – so I guess we’re all happily deluded.

• 22 Eric Greenwood // Feb 1, 2008 at 8:39 am

  mikeb, what you fail to grasp is that it doesn’t matter if from the jam is any good because i object to the whole concept of their existence. for example, if led zeppelin came back with a different lead singer, i would have nothing to do with it because it’s a disgrace. a current example would be INXS. it’s beyond embarrassing for that band to continue with some sham game show winner. i don’t support bands that shame their legacy. period. the only thing you can accuse me of is having principles.

• 23 MikeB // Feb 1, 2008 at 10:59 am

  Fair enough – this is something which will divide many and is something which we’ll agree to disagree on. Just take care in future to distinguish between principle and comments which imply the potential performance of the band. Over 60,000 people have seen them on the UK tour and I’ve not come across anyone that has been less than seriously impressed. I was pretty sceptical until I checked them out.

  But then if you’re not into reunions, its not for you!

• 24 patrick // Feb 1, 2008 at 11:38 am

  @ phil collins: does that mean paul weller gave you a rusty trombone?

• 25 patrick // Feb 1, 2008 at 11:44 am

  @musclewesplit: you’re clearly the man of superior intelligence and wit here. i mean, plugging in a fake url — dipstickericgreenwood.cock — is just … i mean, i can’t fathom how genius that is. and that one comment? “derrr!”? brilliant. how do you come up with such gems?

  your non-inbred, rocket-scientist parents must be very proud of you.

• 26 Kaylee // Feb 1, 2008 at 12:09 pm

  Patrick sorry give us all BJ Barham oh yes sorry.
  What a joke.

• 27 patrick // Feb 1, 2008 at 1:31 pm

  @ kaylee: sorry, kaylee, but i don’t speak retard.

• 28 Kevmo // Feb 1, 2008 at 3:40 pm

  Has anyone called From The Jam a glorified cover band?

  ‘Cause that’s all this is. Otherwise, they could legitimately call themselves “The Jam.” More like “The Scam.” (Zing!)

  By the “logic” I see expressed in many of these comments, we could trump out Led Zeppelin sans Robert Plant, and you guys would be lining up to see it. Because the singer is irrelevant.

  Mmmmright.

• 29 Kaylee // Feb 2, 2008 at 11:57 am

  Eric and Patrick.
  Please stop playing a being music journalists .
  Get out more.
  xx

• 30 Johnnny Bland // Feb 2, 2008 at 8:22 pm

  hey thanks for all the input from the jam fans.. now I can actually go with some kind of confidence that the show will be good.. as for doing a review about a band when you haven’t even seen them play, resorting strictly to principle that reunions are lame.. I would challenge the writer of this article to not see led zepplin live sans john bonham if he were offered comp tickets, you know.. the kind “journalists” often get…(logic might not work for that one hey?)

• 31 patrick // Feb 2, 2008 at 8:42 pm

  @ ann powerskaylee: ok. we’ll stop. but only because your new york times-published works are so much better than ours.

  come on, ‘ric. i guess we’re beaten. kaylee totally zinged us good.

• 32 Pleasantly Surprised // Feb 3, 2008 at 2:48 am

  I was a massive Jam fan back when they were still together. I attempted to follow The Style Council and Weller’s solo career but quickly became bored with it. I too have experienced regular disappointment when seeing old groups reform. 50% of the time it is an incredible letdown or embarrassing for the band and audience alike. When I heard about this re-formed Jam I was extremely skeptical. I was sure that it would suck beyond belief. But the curiosity got the better of me and i went to see their recent San Francisco gig.

  I am a “glass-half-empty” guy to begin with, but I had to admit that they were fucking really good. They sounded just like the records and were extremely tight. The energy level never let up the entire set. Pretty amazing for some “old guys”. Believe me I was looking for reasons to write them off. The new guitar player has some tough shoes to fill, but he doesn’t attempt to dress like Weller or anything stupid like that.

  The crowd was going nuts and I found that I was remembering the lyrics to all the tunes. Paul Weller is such a fucking pompous windbag churning out tedious 70s rock pablum these days, that if i had to choose between seeing a solo Weller gig or “From the Jam” on the same evening…I would go with FTJ! Believe it or not! They were really good!

  But they need a new name. Hell, just drop the “From”…

• 33 Johnny Bland // Feb 3, 2008 at 6:29 pm

  Ok the final word is out. I saw From the Jam last night at Richards on Richards in front of a packed house full of expectantly somewhat older fans… The set started out with “In the City” followed by “This is the Modern World” .. you can’t get any closer to heaven than that if you’re a jam fan… anyway… Ive seen a thousand gigs at Richards in the last 10 years and this one has to rank in the top 3 of all time.. its actually a 3 way in a tie for #1 status. The set rocked from beginning to end. They played an encore of 3 songs and i felt like I just got out of a great football match and went to the pub on brighton beach!!! Paul Weller can such my ass and and with all due respect people that write reviews before seeing any thing can suck even harder!!! Johnny Bland, Vancouver

• 34 Wattsie // Feb 4, 2008 at 12:13 pm

  Kaylee // Feb 2, 2008 at 11:57 am

  Eric and Patrick.
  Please stop playing a being music journalists .
  Get out more.

  PMSL lol – Nicely put Kaylee!

  I wonder how many times these two have actually seen the original Jam? My guess is a big fat zero – so who are they to judge?

  Mr Greenwood for your information not ALL Jam fans are male! Also how dare you call any of us freaks. I have been going to gigs for nearly 30 years – So I DO know what I’m talking about!!The only freaks on here are you and your mate Patrick – silly little boys who have probably never been to a live gig in your lives.

  Makng a parallel between INXS and The Jam just shows you talk out the back of your arse.

  Anyway I saw INXS because another great British band who I love were supporting them in London and I went along – INXS are not my cup of tea but they gave their fans their money’s worth and I’d never knock them or their fans.

  Johnny Bland and all the others on here who had a few doubts but decided to check them out for yourselves, I salute you! I know for definite Johnny Bland that Richards On Richards was kicking arse that night as I had a phone call from a mate in the middle of the set so I could hear what was happening – I wish I could have been there!

  Respect to all you people on here willing to see something for yourselves and then judge xx

• 35 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 12:51 pm

  wattsie:

  the parallel i made between INXS and from the jam is in principle, which, evidently, is beyond the scope of your intellect.

  no, i have not seen the original jam. nor have i raped anyone. am i not allowed to deprecate that behavior having not experienced it?

  additionally, i’m not 72, so i haven’t been going to shows for 30 years. but i’ve seen my share.

• 36 patrick // Feb 4, 2008 at 1:42 pm

  wattsie:

  you and your jam-loving, foxton-and-buckler-fellating, weller-trashing brethren are trolling internet message boards and picking fights while adopting airs of intellectual and moral superiority — remind me again what’s not freakish about that behavior?

• 37 nick // Feb 4, 2008 at 1:50 pm

  Mr greenwood
  Read the replies properly
  Wattsie wrote : Anyway I saw INXS because another great British band who I love were supporting them in London and I went along .
  She did not say INXS were british.
  Open your eyes fuckwitt

• 38 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 2:19 pm

  duly noted.

• 39 alterego // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:11 pm

  Ahhhh, it warms the cockles of my heart to see these FTJ freaks defending their little clique of nobodies so publicly.

  Their ridiculous posts and complete commitment to From The Sham is unbelievable and to think that they trawl the net to troll on message boards when someone might just disagree with From The Sham and their little corporate bandwagon, which is devoid of style, culture, taste and all that The Jam ever stood for.

  Carry on Mr Greenwood, I salute you Sir!

• 40 Wattsie // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:15 pm

  Thanks Nick. xx (and the British band was The English Beat – fantastic!!)

  How very sad Mr Greenwood that you have to resort to saying you’re not 72 so haven’t been going to gigs for 30years – I actually said NEARLY 30 years – I started at 14 so do the maths.

  Also you say you never saw The Jam live and in the same sentance you say you’ve not raped someone. (????) I think it’s clear for everyone to read you are certainly not qualified to write any form of reviews where music is concerned. I dislike many bands/artists but never would I make that comparsion where my reasons for not seeing them are concerned – you must have one warped mind. Eeeeeeeew!

  Oh and Ptrick – you’re the one who jumped in insulting people – we were responding to Mr Greenwoods ignorant review and him insulting Russell Hastings and Dave Moore and thinking Hugh Cornwell was replacing Weller…..

  Oh how I laughed..

• 41 quiethouse // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:18 pm

  patrick

  A vast majority of the people who have left comments on this blog are members of both a Jam and Weller forums.

  We are not “weller-trashing brethren trolling internet message boards and picking fights while adopting airs of intellectual and moral superiority ”

  We go and see bands and artists that we like and have a great time doing it, is that freakish to comment that you have enjoyed a great night out, I think not.

  Eric Greenwood

  If you were 72, that mean you only started going to gigs when you were 42, lol.

  I’ve met Wattsie and believe me she goes and see’s more gigs than I could dream about.
  Some of us have been going to gigs since our early teens, you have demonstrated again that you are, as Nick said a fuckwit.

• 42 alterego // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:23 pm

  and more come :O)

  all hail the stupid!

• 43 quiethouse // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:35 pm

  Throw your insults as much as you like, who’s your alterego,alterego ?

• 44 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:36 pm

  wattsie,

  i never “reviewed” anything. i commented on a news item about from the jam’s us tour, and stated that it’s a disgrace to the jam to reform without its original lead singer. and you’ll also note (via the helpful strikethrough feature in wordpress) that my original post did not state anything about hugh cornwell. a reader supplied that information in this very thread and i edited my original, which has since been proven false. so, i edited again.

  more importantly, you still seem to lack the ability to understand my point. talking about rape and a concert in the same sentence is neither here nor there. the point, which went well right over your head, is that i can NOT have seen something or experienced something and still have an opinion on it based on principle. does this get through to you?

• 45 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:39 pm

  quiethouse,

  you make absolutely nothing close to a point.

• 46 quiethouse // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:42 pm

  K

  “they’d sell their only child or eat another member of their soccer team.”

  its FOOTBALL, not soccer

• 47 Pleasantly Surprised // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:54 pm

  If you haven’t seen them play live then you really have no basis on which to make an opinion. Therefore, these “opinions” are not worth even considering. If you like(d) The Jam, you WILL like “From the Jam” because they sound exactly the same. If you would prefer to continually worship at the Weller altar and follow him down his path of excrutiating dullness…go for it. I prefer his songs from back when he actually had something to say. Coincidentally, those are the songs that FTJ play.

• 48 patrick // Feb 4, 2008 at 3:57 pm

  wattsie:

  this is fun! i quote:
  “Astonising that someone who obviously writes about music doesn’t even ‘get’ the fact that The Jam were three people regardless of who wrote what.”
  “OMG – you’re deluded and YOU are missing the point and quite embarrassing.”
  “I think it’s clear for everyone to read you are certainly not qualified to write any form of reviews where music is concerned.”

  sounds like ad hominem to me; poorly worded and clearly deluded ad hominem, but ad hominem nonetheless. we won’t get on some of the more colorfully worded insults your jam-fan brethren have thrown mr. greenwood’s way; if you jam freaks can’t take it, don’t dish it out, eh?

  quiethouse:

  thanks for inadvertently proving my point. feel free to wipe the froth from your mouth next time you anonymously troll on an Internet music blog that you got to by google-searching for anyone bad-mouthing a glorified jam cover band.

• 49 K // Feb 4, 2008 at 4:17 pm

  Wow. This is hilarious and sad. ONE WORD: Simulacrum.

  Nobody @ Drawer B cares if FTJ is good. That is not at issue. In fact, it sounds like they are quite entertaining. There is no dispute with the quality of their covering of The Jam’s songs. The issue is simply that they ARE NOT The Jam. They are a cover band. A band playing The Jam’s hits of yore. Capitalizing on fans willing to shill out money to once again hear the songs of their youth, live. Sure, they played on the original hits, but without Weller (who may or may not be able to carry a tune anymore) they are simply a glorified COVER BAND, albeit with many decades of experience.

  I went to see The Pixies play on their reunion tour. They had the whole band back, and it still was rather sad. That said, I enjoyed the hell out of the show. Had they been unable to get Kim back in the band, I probably would have still gone. Had they attempted to play sans Frank Black/Black Francis, I would have stayed home. (Others might have gladly shelled out to see Kim or Joey one last time.)

  As a side note, there’s apparently some band called “Bad Fish” that does covers of Sublime songs. They’re making millions playing the songs of a band that can not technically ever re-form due to the death of the lead singer. Were Sublime to reform as Semi-Sublime or some such nonsense, I’m sure thousands of fans of Sublime would go to the shows and revel in the past, but that wouldn’t make it any less sad or less embarassing.

  When it comes down to it it is all about money. From The Jam exists simply to extract money from fans willing to pay to hear an approximation of The Jam’s hits one last time (or for the first time) and it is well within Eric’s right to mock this having never heard a lick.

• 50 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 4:18 pm

  jesus god, you people are dim! looking your way, pleasantly surprised.

  i’m not stating an opinion on their live show. get it fucking straight.

  my opinion is on the whole concept of the band, upon which anyone can have a valid opinion. i don’t care if they’re good live because IT DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER.

• 51 alterego // Feb 4, 2008 at 4:20 pm

  quote PS;

  “If you like(d) The Jam, you WILL like “From the Jam” because they sound exactly the same.”

  I did, no I don’t and no they don’t.

  They don’t sound the same mainly because Russ Hastings is not half the singer of Weller. Granted Weller cannot pull off (most of) those songs now, but then Hastings can’t pull them off like Weller did then either. His voice is quite atrocious IMNSHO, but I’ll stop short at some of the insults levied at him by various forum people over the last 12/18 months, insults are for the uneducated with little worthwhile to say.

  They also don’t sound the same because they are not the same, Weller was the main man of the Jam, like it or not. No one could fill his role….to a certain extent you could also say the same if it was Rick or Bruce that had wanted to split in 82….any other player would not have completed that unit (or built that sound) in quite the same way as Paul, Rick & Bruce Did from 1977-1982

  I’ll also give you that R&B do a grand job of the rhythm section, they do sound like they did back in the day. But…and it’s a big but, the jam split in 1982…it’s not the jam it’s a sham….again my personal opinion…and no I haven’t seen From the Sham…but it doesn’t preclude me from having an opinion…I’ve heard those myspace tracks, seen the youtubes and heard a bootleg of a gig…..It’s my opinion and no one can take it away or tell me I’m not allowed to have it.

  Oh and those logo’s? Perleeeeeese!

• 52 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 4:21 pm

  well said, kerry. i hadn’t seen your post while i was writing mine.

• 53 quiethouse // Feb 4, 2008 at 4:43 pm

  alterego

  Where has anyone said it is The Jam? We know it’s NOT The Jam, but at the end of the day it’s about going out, trying different things, some you’ll like, some you wont.

• 54 alterego // Feb 4, 2008 at 5:13 pm

  What are they doing that is different though QH?

  I’ve tried to listen to them via internet and discs that I’ve been sent of a bootleg, I don’t need to go to some club filled with badly dressed jam fans who think that mod is all about singing that song from Quadrophenia and wearing an awful green us parka/boating blazer/jam shoe combination.

  I don’t like it (FTJ )and am entitled to that opinion, whereas some of the ‘foaming at the mouth’ posts above seem to believe that I and others are not entitled to that opinion.

  Only in a totalitarian state are people not allowed opinions. Which state would you rather live in?

• 55 thejam007 // Feb 4, 2008 at 5:38 pm

  All you nonbelivers out there,why not go and see the band before you actuly write anything about them.They are all good musician in their own right and well worth going to see if you like live music.

  K-Would you call The Who a covers band,surely if anyone as the right to perform Jam songs, Foxton and Buckler have they were two of the most important parts of the band.

  alterego-you stated that to insult was ‘uneducated ‘ and then went about insulting the band ‘From the Sham’derrrrrrrr????

• 56 alterego // Feb 4, 2008 at 5:59 pm

  merely stating a fact not an insult….derrrrrr?????

  R&B two of the most important members? Who wrote the songs? Who sang them? Who took them in the direction they did? Who was the most important member of the band? I think you’ll find it was actually PW? An nowhere did I actually state they were no good as musicians either, I did state that RH has a singing voice that grates me but again merely stating an opinion.

  I do like live music, I love live music, but more than that I love new music, music that pushes boundaries, that says something about now, watching 2 fifty year olds on the stage recreating their youth is not for me – no matter how you package it in shiny boxes and wrapping paper!

• 57 Pleasantly Surprised // Feb 4, 2008 at 6:04 pm

  I guess The Rolling Stones without Brian Jones is a “tribute” or “cover band”? The Who without Moonie isn’t The Who? Band members always change and everyone will have their favorite incarnation, but it is still 2/3 rds of the original band so it’s not exactly a “covers band”. Are they “covering” their OWN songs?

  They DO sound just like the records. More so than Weller “re-interpreting” his own old Jam tunes. watching a scratchy distorted youtube clip is NOT the same as a live gig. Give me a fucking break. You naysayers are just so far up your own ass that you would NEVER even consider the fact that they might actually be very good. Get over your pompous selves already.

  Weller didn’t play all of those Jam gigs by himself! Most of Weller’s output has been completely boring dross since the mid-80s. Weller is absolutely boring as fuck and has become his own worst teenage nightmare of what would happen to himself. move over Phil Collins…here comes paul weller!

• 58 Pleasantly Surprised // Feb 4, 2008 at 6:11 pm

  Question: If Weller WAS in the group and they STILL played all of the old Jam tunes, would THAT be OK with you people?

• 59 patrick // Feb 4, 2008 at 7:22 pm

  @ Pleasantly Surprised: “move over, phil collins!” ha! well played, sir.

  to answer your question: if weller were still in the group and it still played all the old jam tunes, none of us would’ve wasted precious moments skull-fucking each other stupid on the intarwebs. it’d still be called the jam and not “from the jam,” yes?

  re: the stones, the who, etc. — mr. greenwood will tell you different, but my opinion is that if a band member is dead, he can be replaced. but bands do so at their own peril: the who without keith moon is fucking embarrassing. but the stones without brian jones, there’s an interesting case; one can argue that the stones’ catalog post-jones is stronger than their with-jones catalog. regardless of your opinion on the matter, the stones’ success post-jones is staggering and could hardly be called embarrassing.

  re: replacing singers — here’s where the rub lies. once you replace a singer, you’re a cover band. instantaneously. when you have the singer and/or main songwriter replaced, you’re a cover band. no ifs, ands or buts about it. that’s no slag on the band or the replacement vocalist; indeed, from the jam, to use a concurrent example, could be awesome. but the voice is so integral to a band’s identity that replacing it with another voice — no matter how close it might be to the original — unquestionably warps the band’s identity. would zeppelin be the same without plant behind the mic? is inxs the same without michael hutchence? would smashing pumpkins be the same without billy corgan? it’s incomprehensible how anyone could support such a position.

• 60 Pleasantly Surprised // Feb 4, 2008 at 7:55 pm

  Hey, Brian Jones STARTED the Stones! Every thing after him must be FAKE Stones! how can any other person possibly fill his shoes? Whatever.

  The Who without Moonie is “embarrassing”? Hmmmm…i don’t know about that. I don’t care for that period of the Who, but is it still “the Who”? matter of opinion I guess. I guess it ain’t the Beatles without Pete Best? You do know that there were other members of The Jam before Weller Foxton and Buckler, right?

  It’s not the same thing as a bunch of random dudes calling themselves “Crystal Ship” and pretending they are The Doors.

  Weller is not exactly a “great” singer. His attempts at “soul” were often very strained and weak (see: Style Council). It’s not difficult for someone else to carry those tunes. Go see the band live and then make an opinion about what you actually see/hear LIVE. Otherwise, shut the fuck up. These stupid arguments are semantics.
  They are called FROM the Jam, not The Jam.
  If you liked/loved The Jam you will enjoy hearing 2/3 rds of The Jam still kicking some ass.

  WAY better than those 60s bands reunions that I witnessed in the 80s!

• 61 Eric Beaumont // Feb 4, 2008 at 7:59 pm

  Eric,

  From a man who loved Foxton and Buckler, and wanted them to do well on their own, you’re right. Get lives, gentlemen. Write songs, stop living off your past, break up Spinal Jam.

• 62 Johnny Bland // Feb 4, 2008 at 9:25 pm

  well well well.. so much contraversy over a coupla guys getting their old band back together.. anyway if this isnt a review article why does the list at the top right come up as “recently reviewed”. For those principled few out there who would never see a band just because it only has 2/3 of its members… FTJ is a great example of how in our mediacentric world, a great band was defined basically on the good looks and one ball of it’s “frontman”… if you want to really get down to it. From the Jam is arguably better than they were as “The Jam” without the pouty weller who inspired so many pouty brit pop and rock acts to follow.. ANyway.. I digress… Foxton does have credit to the writing of many of the bands songs and sings lead vocals on the same. So the argument that you couldn’t see this band because “the lead singer” isn’t there is a bit of a wash. This perpetuated attitude that a band isn’t a band without all its members is pure formalist bullshit. 2/3 of a band who were both involved in the writing of th music should be enough to cut the mustard. Now billy corgan going out and recruiting a whole band full of look alikes of his former band and calling the band by the same name — thats another story.. thats some serious shamming in my opinion.. as far as Im concerned.. From the Jam should just do themselves a favour, drop the “From” and keep kicking it old school. Weller can always fill in for Liam when Oasis gets back together and then that band will finally have a complete pair of balls.

• 63 Johnny Bland // Feb 4, 2008 at 9:27 pm

  p.s. weller and noel were recently seen making out in a copy of hello magazine!!!

• 64 Pleasantly Surprised // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:16 pm

  So Foxton and Buckler should either sit home and have wistful memories, or bust out some “updated” new shit? Is that it? They have “no right’ to play the songs that took them to the top of the charts, the songs which they toured the world with, the songs that basically changed their lives?

  The Jam didn’t break up for lack of record sales or fans. On the contrary, they were at their absolute peak of popularity. Weller REFUSED to play ANY Jam songs for YEARS. These days he’ll throw in 2 or 3 per gig if you’re lucky. (The rest of his solo gigs are completely unmemorable) The fans want to hear these Jam songs. Foxton and Buckler want to play them. Everybody is happy.

  Everyone except apparently some interweb pseudo-critic losers who are still in love with Paul Weller’s rockstar soiled undies.

• 65 K // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:35 pm

  I think this horse is dead, people. Let’s move along.

• 66 Eric Greenwood // Feb 4, 2008 at 11:21 pm

  johnny bland,

  the list in the top right is for “recent reviews.” below that list you will see “recent blog posts”, under which this jam piece was listed back when it was recent.

  however, you do see the point slightly in your assessment of the smashing pumpkins. i agree that they are a sham as well. but this from the jam stuff is equally suspect. i think you’re wrong in saying 2/3 is enough. it’s not. andy summers sang a song for the police. so did stewart copeland. and both wrote several police songs. but if stewart and andy reformed without sting and called it kinda sorta maybe the police would you buy into it? of fucking course not. but they have every right to play the songs, right? give me a break.

• 67 admin // Feb 4, 2008 at 11:51 pm

  This thread is closed.