The Jam weren't just a singles band!
- Heston
- God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
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The Jam weren't just a singles band!
Rather than clutter the other thread I'll stick this playlist here. A few people were saying the Jam were only a singles band, here I present my case to the contrary. 30 songs as we discussed, none of these were UK single A-sides.
Art School
Life From a Window
Standards
I Need You (For Someone)
Tonight At Noon
To Be Someone
In the Crowd
Mr Clean
The Place I Love
The Butterfly Collector
Billy Hunt (Alternate Version)
Smithers-Jones
Thick As Thieves
Private Hell
Little Boy Soldiers
Burning Sky
Saturday's Kids
Pretty Green
Monday
But I'm Different Now
Liza Radley
Man In the Corner Shop
Boy About Town
So Sad About Us
Tales From the Riverbank
Happy Together
Ghosts
Just Who Is the 5 0'Clock Hero?
Running On the Spot
Walking In Heaven's Sunshine (Demo)
Art School
Life From a Window
Standards
I Need You (For Someone)
Tonight At Noon
To Be Someone
In the Crowd
Mr Clean
The Place I Love
The Butterfly Collector
Billy Hunt (Alternate Version)
Smithers-Jones
Thick As Thieves
Private Hell
Little Boy Soldiers
Burning Sky
Saturday's Kids
Pretty Green
Monday
But I'm Different Now
Liza Radley
Man In the Corner Shop
Boy About Town
So Sad About Us
Tales From the Riverbank
Happy Together
Ghosts
Just Who Is the 5 0'Clock Hero?
Running On the Spot
Walking In Heaven's Sunshine (Demo)
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
- WestwayKid
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I agree with this 100%!
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do." - Oscar Gamble
- Heston
- God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
Songs like The Butterfly Collector, Man In the Corner Shop, Little Boy Soldiers and Running On the Spot are just amazing, both lyrically and musically. As are many others. They would be singles for other bands but the Jam had great songs to spare.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
- Marky Dread
- Messiah of the Milk Bar
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
Anything but just a singles band. That's just silly.
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Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty
We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.
"Without the common people you're nothing"
Nos Sumus Una Familia
- Heston
- God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I don't know if you saw the other thread in the 1979 polls but a few claimed they were!
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
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Low Down Low
- Unknown Immortal
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I'd prefer a lot of those songs to many of the singles personally. Pretty Green always been top 5 Jam material for me.
- Marky Dread
- Messiah of the Milk Bar
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
No I've only been in that thread sporadically because of the inevitable outcome. Doc did a fine job compiling the poll but in hindsight should've chosen 1978.
Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty
We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.
"Without the common people you're nothing"
Nos Sumus Una Familia
Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I think there's talk of doing 1978–1982 individually, I can't decide if I want to run 1980 or 1981.Marky Dread wrote: ↑27 May 2021, 4:44pmNo I've only been in that thread sporadically because of the inevitable outcome. Doc did a fine job compiling the poll but in hindsight should've chosen 1978.
As for THIS thread, I also agree. I think the Jam are polarizing on this topic in the same way as somebody like Depeche Mode.
"Suck our Earth dick, Martians!" —Doc
- Heston
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I offered to do 1982 but after seeing the work involved I'm pretty scared.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
- Marky Dread
- Messiah of the Milk Bar
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I simply don't have the time. But good on you all for giving it a go.
Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty
We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.
"Without the common people you're nothing"
Nos Sumus Una Familia
- Flex
- Mechano-Man of the Future
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
I agreed the Jam are best as a singles band, but don't get wrong: I've got that direction, reaction, whatevering box and listen to all the albums occasionally. I know all these songs, they're good. I still think their singles tend to be the best tho. That Greatest Hit disc is a lean, mean killing machine.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
- Heston
- God of Thunder...and Rock 'n Roll
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
Is it not true that this applies to most bands? Singles are usually gonna represent a band at the peak of their powers (with exceptions of course). I just don't see a massive drop-off in quality in the Jam's case.Flex wrote: ↑27 May 2021, 5:45pmI agreed the Jam are best as a singles band, but don't get wrong: I've got that direction, reaction, whatevering box and listen to all the albums occasionally. I know all these songs, they're good. I still think their singles tend to be the best tho. That Greatest Hit disc is a lean, mean killing machine.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board
- Marky Dread
- Messiah of the Milk Bar
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- Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 11:26am
Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
Many fine album tracks as good and in a couple of cases better than singles. They could've easily had twice as many singles than they actually released with many B-sides good enough to be A-sides. The Jam had a damn fine quality control.Flex wrote: ↑27 May 2021, 5:45pmI agreed the Jam are best as a singles band, but don't get wrong: I've got that direction, reaction, whatevering box and listen to all the albums occasionally. I know all these songs, they're good. I still think their singles tend to be the best tho. That Greatest Hit disc is a lean, mean killing machine.
Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty
We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.
"Without the common people you're nothing"
Nos Sumus Una Familia
- Flex
- Mechano-Man of the Future
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- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:50pm
- Location: The Information Superhighway!
Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
This is broader than any particular comment on the Jam, but I don't really agree with this. The point of a single is to serve up a particular sort of song with particular strengths - typically to get radio play. Lots of great music isn't well suited for a 3 minute burst on the radio, doesn't make it a "worse" track necessarily. In fact, I'd say I prioritize bands that don't just fill their albums with singles or could-be singles but do more varied stuff on their records.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!
It ain't that much work. Maintain the list and create a new thread roughly every 24 hours. You don't even have to come up with the initial list. You could expand on what I did and just have everyone nominate stuff, then force some seconding or thirding to make sure you don't end up with fifty albums.
I mean, if we want to do this game for other years, I can run it, but I'm more than happy to let others endure the abuse.
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft