Does there have to be a reason?
So…best single by The Jam, commonly reckoned to be one of the greatest singles bands ever, and quite rightly so?
‘Going Underground?’
That would get many people’s votes - but not mine. Close, but no cigar.
‘Funeral Pyre?’
I love it, and it was nice to see it on Ashes To Ashes last week - but no.
‘News Of the World?’
Now you’re being silly, aren’t you?
No -as the clue at the top may have given it away, it’s got to be ‘Strange Town’ - ‘In the City part 2′ it may be lyrically, but this beats all the others hands down.
Oh and best non-single Jam song? I’d go for ‘Ghosts.’
No, not the Japan song, but can be found on The Gift…
I was singing this to my wife and I’s new arrival on Saturday funnily enough. Lyrically seemed quite fitting…
Awww…congratulations! Became an uncle three weeks ago : )
Definitely from their peak period, the singles from ‘Down in the Tube Station…’ at the end of ‘78 through to ‘Going Underground’ in early ‘80 all made a massive impact, certainly for teen music fans like myself.
Personally, the energy of ‘All Around The World’ keeps it at the top of my list - it was the first Jam single I heard.
Non-single? Bloody hell, there’s plenty to go at. So I’ll have to go with ‘Butterfly Collector’.
‘All Around the world’ isn’t one of my faves, but I recognise that if a song introduced you to a band, it does hold a special place in your heart. The Pretenders ’s ‘Don’t Get Me wrong’ may not be their best, but it got me into them as a ten year old, so that also has a special place.
‘Butterfly Collector’ was an example of how many good songs can end up as a b-side, yet compliment the a-side rather than simply filling up space, the b-side of Strange Town, in fact!
Rather bizarrely I had this very same topic of conversation in the car last Friday afternoon (with Adam from Pretending Life is Like a Song). I said Strange Town - he said Ghosts I seem to recall. Hey ho.
Seems like The Jam are still there in our hearts - glad you agree with Strange Town.
Also, ‘In The City’ has always struck me of a great example of how a debut single should read like a manifesto…
Strange Town - excellent! Also have a soft spot for When You’re Young. But is either of these really better than Eton Rifles? Dreams of Children? And is it just me that does crazy in-car dancing when Precious comes on the car stereo?
Sod it, this game’s too hard, since I can’t think of a Jam 7″ I don’t like (has there been a better singles band? Now there’s another tough question…)
Best non-single Jam track. I think you’re going to get an awful lots of votes for Ghosts, and it gets mine too, though Carnation should also get a mention. As should Pretty Green, Monday, Boy About Town… well, most of Sounds Affects, I guess…
Strange though that noone mentions ‘Away From The Numbers’ … one of these days I will be able to tell whether I prefer it to ‘Down In The Tube Station’ or vice versa … I’ve been trying to make up my mind about this for some 20 years now, but so far I didn’t succeed …
Pip - welcome: Jam singles iI don’t like? None I hated - but ‘All Around The World’ ‘This Is the modern World’ and ‘News Of the World’ (yes, folks, there really were three Jam Singles in a row with the word ‘World’ in the title, at least in the UK) are not as good as the others IMHO. Pretty Green is a great track too - like the Santigold/Mark Ronson version that appeared a couple of years ago too…
Dirk -of course!
Now, what do people reckon was the best album? Cos I’m going with Sound Effects…
Ditto. Sound Affects. With an honourable mention for All Mod Cons…
…and the Gift, not so keen on the first two, In the City and This Is the Modern World, which seem like they have a fair amount of filler on them, that cover of the batman theme being a case in point…
True enough. Though both have redeeming features: Away From The Numbers and In The City from ITC; Life From A Window and Tonight At Noon from TITMW.
Rifles in office desk drawer - retrieves MP3 player - scuttles through menus and finds “Snap!” therein - result!
Best Jam song, non-single I Need You by a mile, in my world anyway.
Best Album - All Mods Cons. An adequate opener, but then eleven winners, no fill, no experiments.
…any advance on that? Or any votes for the live Dig The New Breed? The proper full-length version of Snap! is one of the greatest best-ofs ever.
My son is moving to London later this year, I have already mentioned this song to him. Best album is All Mod Cons by a mile. Weller has rarely bettered anything on that album over the last 30 years.
I still keep hoping Weller might do something as good as his work with the Jam, but fair play to him for calling time on them when they were still at their peak, and for not getting stuck into the reformation game…
I’ve said elsewhere that Going Underground is my fave single, simply as it took the band to immense heights and popularity. But there are days when I listen to ‘Tube Station’ or ‘When You’re Young’ and sometimes think I’m wrong…
Best LP? I think each of them have one/two/three tracks that let them down….the band were too fond of putting out great singles/b-sides outwith the LPs. So I’ll say ‘Snap’ is the best LP by The Jam.
Best non-single? Billy Hunt!