Paul Weller - Paul Weller (1992)

Dan:

As the founding member of two influential rock groups, The Jam and The Style Council, Paul Weller might have been content to rest on his laurels and collect his royalty checks. But at age 34 he decided to pursue a solo career, emphasizing a more soulful approach. He seemed to be working back through a gamut of earlier styles. The Jam had been one of the best early punk bands; The Style Council recalled early jazz and swing influences; so why not try soul music?

I'm not sure how I ended up with a copy of Weller's self-titled CD in 1992, but it has been in heavy rotation, as Michael Fremer might say, for the past 30 years. There are absolutely no duds on the album, which is unusual because I usually find a song that I avoid playing. The favorites are "Bull Rush," "Above the Clouds," "Into Tomorrow," "The Strange Museum," and "Kosmos." These are all original compositions, not Weller's take on soul favorites from the past. As such, his songwriting deserves as much praise as the performances. 

Weller has always had an excellent singing voice, but he's at his best on these solo albums. He's always on pitch, conjures up emphatic growls at just the right times, and manages his dynamics to bring out the best in the lyrics. Several tunes have clever instrumental effects, such as the fade out and fade in on "Kosmos."

As Steve Winwood was wont to do, Weller plays most of the instruments on the album: guitars, bass, and keyboards. Only drummer Steve White is enlisted as a fellow band member, although background vocals are supplied by Dee C. Lee, Camille Hinds, Carlene Anderson, and Dr. Robert on half of the tracks. The added vocals add variety and touches of soul, much as Roxy Music and Steely Dan sought to do. It all works to perfection; Weller's solo albums are all skillfully composed and cleverly arranged to keep the listener engaged. 

Weller's subsequent solo albums are just as good: Wildwood (1993), Stanley Road (1995), and Heavy Soul (1997) are all winners cast in the same mold as Paul Weller. 

Steve:

After hearing my friend Tim's copy of The Jam's single "Start!" in the early 80s, I was immediately interested in the band. I bought a used copy of The Jam's All Mod Cons (1978) for Tim's birthday present, and listened to it before giving it to him, further cementing my fandom. I was known to wear a Jam pin on my shirt in high school, and The Jam were one of the first few punk-related bands to hit my radar. Rarely has there been a band that had such incredible success in the UK yet was virtually unknown in the US. Their singles compilation album Snap! is a great introduction to the band - four full LP sides of total bangers.  

Soon after this discovery, I got wind of The Jam's breakup and Weller's subsequent project, The Style Council. This collaboration with pianist Mick Talbot (and later, Weller's wife, Dee C. Lee) seemed at first to pick up where the Jam's soul-inflected swan song The Gift (1982) left off, but soon spread in myriad directions, including jazz, orchestral pop, and even rap (c.f. "A Gospel" and "Right to Go" from Cafe Bleu and The Cost of Loving, respectively). Although I eventually came to love their ambitious if slightly overstuffed and unfocused albums, at the time The Style Council escaped my interest. With my focus on punk, I had other things I was listening to.

Paul Weller's solo debut came to my attention via Dan, who has effectively taken the baton from me as the family's resident Weller enthusiast. I have listened to most of Weller's solo albums (including this debut album) over the years but have yet to add any to my personal collection. Recently, however, my musical tastes have grown to include 70s soul and funk, particularly the smooth hits I remember from the radio in the 1970s. Relistening to Paul Weller for this blog finds it very much in line with the smooth, soulful, warm-sounding groove albums I listen to nowadays. The natural, earthy sound of the album is "old school"; 1992 was a time when the tech-saturated productions of 80s pop were out, and "unplugged" albums were in.

I was not previously aware that Weller handled all the guitar, bass, and keys on this album. If so, it's an incredibly "live" sound, and he clearly has the chops to play fluidly and confidently on multiple instruments. I also agree with Dan that his voice never sounded better.