The Jam weren't just a singles band!

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Heston
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The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Heston »

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)
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!

Post by WestwayKid »

I agree with this 100%!
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Heston
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Heston »

WestwayKid wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:06pm
I agree with this 100%!
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
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Marky Dread »

Anything but just a singles band. That's just silly.
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Heston
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Heston »

Marky Dread wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:18pm
Anything but just a singles band. That's just silly.
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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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Low Down Low »

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
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Marky Dread »

Heston wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:22pm
Marky Dread wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:18pm
Anything but just a singles band. That's just silly.
I don't know if you saw the other thread in the 1979 polls but a few claimed they were!
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.
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Forces have been looting
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"Without the common people you're nothing"

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Kory
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Kory »

Marky Dread wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:44pm
Heston wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:22pm
Marky Dread wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:18pm
Anything but just a singles band. That's just silly.
I don't know if you saw the other thread in the 1979 polls but a few claimed they were!
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.
I think there's talk of doing 1978–1982 individually, I can't decide if I want to run 1980 or 1981.

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.
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Heston
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Heston »

Kory wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:52pm
I think there's talk of doing 1978–1982 individually, I can't decide if I want to run 1980 or 1981.
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
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Marky Dread »

Heston wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:59pm
Kory wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:52pm
I think there's talk of doing 1978–1982 individually, I can't decide if I want to run 1980 or 1981.
I offered to do 1982 but after seeing the work involved I'm pretty scared.
I simply don't have the time. But good on you all for giving it a go.
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The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
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"Without the common people you're nothing"

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Flex
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Flex »

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.
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Heston
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Heston »

Flex wrote:
27 May 2021, 5:45pm
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.
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.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Marky Dread
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Marky Dread »

Flex wrote:
27 May 2021, 5:45pm
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.
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.
Image

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
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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Flex »

Heston wrote:
27 May 2021, 6:24pm
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.
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!

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Re: The Jam weren't just a singles band!

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Heston wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:59pm
Kory wrote:
27 May 2021, 4:52pm
I think there's talk of doing 1978–1982 individually, I can't decide if I want to run 1980 or 1981.
I offered to do 1982 but after seeing the work involved I'm pretty scared.
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.
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