"All Mod Cons" was the third album from by The Jam, and after their first two LPs were released in quick succession, this one was a year later. Although "This Is The Modern World" hinted at their future direction, this album marked a significant change, both with the increasing maturity of the musicianship, the story telling, and a shift from angry young men in the inner-city to observations on middle-class commuters and suburbia. There was only the odd remnant to remind you they were a punk band, but had moved to the mainstream.
The title is an idiom for modern conveniences, the modern facilities in a house that make it easy and pleasant to live. It is also a pun on the band's association with the mod revival in the UK. The joke continues with the album cover, shot in an empty room apart from two basic chairs.
At the time it was released I thought this was a great album, and looking at the track listing there were only two songs I couldn't remember, one for them embarrassingly being the title track !
The opening track "All Mod Cons" has a slowly spoken 1-2-3-4 to start, then the guitar and bass come in, followed by aggressive drumming. It finishes with guitar feedback. The song is an angry outburst about being exploited by their record label. Short at 1 minute 20 seconds, it is one of the few moments that could have been on the first two albums, and gives a false sense of what is too come. "You waste my time when my time comes".
"To Be Someone ( Didn't We Have A Nice Time )" has a lovely tune and there is a hint of The Beatles "Taxman" with some of the guitar lines. It tells the story of wanting to be famous, getting there, attracting loads of hangers-on, then being left when everything has been squandered, but reflecting "didn't we have a nice time". It's one of the best songs on the album.
"Mr Clean" is the first song about the commuter belt, such as those in Paul Weller's home town of Woking taking the train into Waterloo for work. It starts slowly and the guitar is not too dissimilar to that of The Eagles "Witchy Woman". It has a mellow middle 8, then the drums and guitars lead to the crescendo of the rising coda "getting pissed at the annual office do, smart blue suit and you went to Cambridge too, you miss page 3 but The Times is right for you, and mum and dad are very proud of you"
Next up is "David Watts", an energetic cover of The Kinks song where Bruce Foxton sings the verse and Weller the bridge. A song in admiration of the head boy at school who leads the school team to victory, takes his exams and passes the lot but doesn't seem to be interested in girls. It has some fantastic bass, a thumping piano and the "fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa" sounds like The Rolling Stones "Let's Spend The Night together". The "Oi's" will later re-appear in "Eton Rifles". The first single from the album, I was surprised to see it only reached number 25 in the charts as I thought it was a huge hit. Well, it should have been !
"English Rose" isn't included on the track listing on the back cover nor the lyrics sheet. The suggestions were that Weller was embarrassed by a beautiful, delicate and touching acoustic love song. It begins with the sounds of waves and ship's horn sound in the distance. It is another departure from anything else previously released by The Jam. "No-one can ever tempt me from she".
Side one closes with "In The Crowd" a great jangle-pop song about being part of the masses. The tempo increases after a slow beginning and there is a nice gentle guitar break. It has a Beatles feel to it before a lengthy psychedelic guitar outro with "Away From The Numbers", a track from "In The City" and another song about being part of the herd, sung in the background. The outro goes on for a bit too long though. "As I catch falling cans of baked beans on toast, technology is the most" and "When I'm in the crowd I can't remember my name". I'm not sure what supermarket Weller shops at, but I've never seen cans of baked beans on toast anywhere !
The side two opener "Billy Hunt" is The Jam's equivalent of "David Watts" but instead a working class lad has delusions of grandeur. "No-one pushes Billy Hunt around, well they do but not for long". It has a catchy sing-along chorus of "Billy Hunt, Billy Hunt, Billy, Billy, Billy".
"It's Too Bad" is essentially a rework of The Who's "So Sad About Us" but it is still a very good track despite that, and on replay was my favourite song on the album. It's a lovely 1960's style song amd with the guitar break I keep expecting it to lead into The Beatles "She Loves You".
"Fly" is another gentle song with an acoustic guitar intro but builds up into a Who style crescendo, which will later be repeated on "Smithers-Jones" on "Setting Sons".
"The Place I Love" was one of the songs I couldn't remember and I am a bit embarrassed to admit to it. Starting with an pulsating R&B riff it has with a gorgeous melody "I'm making a stand against the world"
"'A' Bomb In Wardour Street" is the Jam at their most bombastic as it describes the discovery of a bomb in a street in London where one of the more popular punk night-clubs was located whilst the police and the local yobs indulge in violence. The hand claps are perhaps the highlight.
"Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" was the big hit from the album and their can't be many people unfamiliar with the song. Essentially a song about a middle class, middle age commuter being beaten up by right wing thugs late at night late at night at a tube station. Starting with the sound of a tube train, it has a dominant bass riff , "A distant echo of fair away voices boarding far away trains" and "The smell of brown leather, it blended into the weather". There is some great train style drumming before a brief stop for the sound of noises from a tube station before the music cheerfully returns. It's a great production.
In summary, All Mod Cons remains as great album, and there isn't a poor track on it.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. All Mod Cons
2. To Be Someone ( Didn't We Have A Nice Time )
3. Mr Clean
4. David Watts
5. English Rose
6. In The Crowd
1. Billy Hunt
2. It's Too Bad
3. Fly
4. The Place I Love
5. 'A' Bomb In Wardour Street
6. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
Released 1978
UK Chart Position : 6
Singles :
David Watts ( No 25 - 1978 )
Down In The Tube Station At Midnight ( No 15 - 1978 )
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