2010/11/30

The Judges Discuss: Paul Weller, "Wake Up The Nation"

The Judges Discuss: Paul Weller, "Wake Up The Nation"
2010-11-30

Over the next few days, we'll be posting full transcripts of what the Uncut Music Award judges said about each of the shortlisted eight albums. Today we begin with their comments on the eventual winner; Paul Weller's "Wake Up The Nation".

Continued...

ALLAN JONES: Historically, I’ve been very critical of Weller. I was never a fan of The Jam, which was unfortunate in the days of Melody Maker, because every time it was my turn to review the singles there seemed to be a new Jam 45 out that week. So, Weller and I have had a distant and very fractious relationship over the years. I’ve cropped up in probably one too many of his interviews as somone that he’s not been very fond of.

To be continued here

Steve Cradock, first european tour and solo LP! (Mike)


Steve will embark on his first European Tour as a solo Artist at the beginning of April and then a tour of the UK and Ireland.

Tour Dates to be announced shortly. New Single due for release in late February Just ahead of the release of his new album, Steve will be releasing his first single off the album.

"The Last Days of the Old World" will be the name of the single and will also be used in the forthcoming film "Strawberry Fields" due for release in 2011. Steve's second solo album due for release at the end of March 2011.

So... Who's gonna tour with Weller? A complete new line-up for "Open Box" tour?

Weller New York Interview available on I tunes.


An interview that Paul Weller did with Matt Pinfield of New York City’s WRXP-FM is now available as a free download on iTunes. The interview was done during Weller’s tour stop in New York City a few weeks ago. The interview is about 25 minutes long. (It is the raw, uncut version of the interview.) To download it, go to the iTunes Store and do a search on “101.9 RXP.” When you click the “Subscribe” button, you should be able to access it.

Weller addressed many topics in the interview, including The Jam’s first gig in New York City back in the late 1970s. It was really interesting. (MikeC)

2010/11/29

Cardiff review...(MikeC)

2010 has been quite a year for Paul Weller with latest album ‘Wake Up The Nation’ earning him rave reviews as well as a Mercury Music Prize nomination and now a UK wide arena tour to close out the year in style.

An expectant crowd at the CIA were treated to a set that lasted just short of two hours by the Modfather who rattled through songs ranging from the Jam’s very first album through to tracks from his latest solo offering in a packed 29 song set.

Weller’s audiences have aged along with him over the last thirty years or so but there’s still an expectant buzz around the arena as the lights dim and the band jog onto the stage ripping straight into the new album’s opening track ‘Moonshine’ and following up with the foot stomping ‘From The Floorboards Up’ taken from 2005’s ‘As Is Now’.

Warming the crowd up with four newer tracks and then the under-rated ‘Woodcutter’s Son’ the crowd erupts with the first Jam track of the night, a raucous ‘Eton Rifles’ suitably aided by a soaring Union Jack lighting set up.

Small Faces Paolo Hewitt Book reissued!


Acid Jazz Records continue their foray into book publishing with the re-release of their super-rare 1994 publishing debut, written by renowned music author and journalist Paolo Hewitt.

The classic tale of a ‘band destroyed by the machinations of the music industry’ is reflected here. Poor management, dodgy record deals and disappearing money all contribute to the tragic tale of east-London’s finest pop group. Hewitt gets to the crux of the matter and the band’s story is illustrated with a plethora of previously unseen images and photographs.

The Small Faces’ legacy is far-reaching, musically as well as stylistically, yet only recently are they generally being recognized as one of the influential bands of the 60s.

"To me they are one of the greats. Their music is driven by pure instinct. The Small Faces are a major influence on me" - Paul Weller

"Not only did they make some of the best records of their era but the way they behaved, the way they dressed and most of all their love for the music put them in a different class" - Noel Gallagher


PAOLO HEWITT BIOG.

Paolo Hewitt began his writing career at Melody Maker and NME, two papers he served faithfully throughout the ‘80s. He was noted for his coverage of the early Hip Hop and Acid House scenes as well as interviewing luminaries such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Bruce Springsteen and Smokey Robinson. Since going freelance Paolo has contributed to many newspapers and magazines, both here and abroad.

He has also produced a series of highly acclaimed books in the fields of sport, fashion and music. He was official biographer to Oasis and The Jam, and his other books include, The Fashion of Football, The Soul Stylists, Robin Friday The Greatest Footballer You Never, All Too Beautiful – The Steve Marriott Story (With John Hellier), The Mumper,(With Mark Baxter) and his acclaimed memoir of growing up in children’s home, The Looked After Kid.

Available exclusively at HMV


2010/11/25

Devlin and Weller on Stage (Thanx mikeC, again!)

LAST night marked a milestone in the life of DEVLIN.

The grime star met the Modfather PAUL WELLER for the first time and performed with him on stage in a historic moment.

Watched by his pals from the OT CREW, DOGZILLA, DJ BIG BEATZ, manager MIKEE and top producer LEWI WHITE, Devlin hit the stage to perform Fast Car/Slow Traffic in front of a packed Brighton Centre.

And, although he was nervous before he went on, the crowd reaction soon gave Devlin the boost he needed.

He told me: "I had butterflies before I went on, but after I done my first verse I see a few hands in the audience and that gave me a lift.

"It's not really my crowd, so I didn't know what to expect, but I think it went down well."

Weller played a staggering 29-song set and, while Devlin only appeared on stage for a few minutes, he stuck around until the very end of the show to thank the JAM legend for inviting him to appear.

He'll go a long way with that attitude...


Paul Weller live at the Brighton Centre 24th November 2010



Thanx to JennySussex

New Weller song performed in Brighton.

2010/11/24

Beady Eye 'Bring The Light' official Video

Brighton Magazine about Paul's last night.




Paul Weller Projected His Many Moods & Styles @ Brighton Centre Tour Opener

There's too many jesters pretending to be kings. Too many charlatans and not enough innovators. These are the musical times in which we live .. and Paul Weller, 52, ain't havin' none of it.

This year's NME Godlike Genius could just have easily turned up at the Brighton Centre for his two night run, and pulled out the Hit Parade songbook and bashed out 110 minutes of back catalogue classics. In fact, listening to many hanging before the show, that's what was expected.

But today's Paul Weller isn't the single-genre tunnel-minded individual of yore. His musical palette now takes in all styles, all eras and his craft is one of dissection and improvement. If he was once the doctor who diagnosed our social ills .. now he's the innovator finding all that's good and true between the lines of the rulebook.

Also, there's a new look to his stage set-up. The lighting rig matched anything the Centre had seen.

A well-crafted four-screen backdrop projected song related footage and band/crowd mix, which complimented the Weller band's psychedelic arrangements. Screens also flanked either side of the stage which meant Weller's many moods weren't lost to the vastness of the hall.

To be continued here

Paul Weller's new album "Open Box" tracklisting

Starlight (upbeat & electronic)
Around The Lake (Neul's Michael Rother to do remix)
Paper Chase
That Dangerous Age
Sleep Of the Serene (instrumental)
Twilight (instrumental)
No Need To Be Alone (mandolin lullaby)
Kling I Klang
When Your Garden's Overgrown (slow funk)
Drifter (aggresive waltz)
Be Happy Children (spacious ballad)

Self funded single due in Spring, Universal released album in September

2010/11/22

Nick Ward's Pink Bay out today! Don't miss it, it's Costello and Ray Davies wedding... Extremely subtile...







Nick's new lp is that kind of record you're gonna keep for a long time. Definitely an instantly magic one and a grower too. Don't be afraid at all to listen another "I'dliketobePaulWeller" record. Nick's style is very personal and versatile. We are more in Ray Davies and Elvis Costello musical's landscape than Paul Weller's one. I'm talking about songs, handmade songs, the kind of songs which stand still with an acoustic guitar and a voice, you can feel the human touch behind, it's not a product, it's a labour of love made with hands, brain, feelings, emotions, the best musical taste and a complete personal touch. Honest, one of my 2010's favourite with the Cow's one. You're not only listening a record, you have the feeling to be with a friend. Had this feeling with Andy Ferguson's one too. The way we try to be as human as possible, trying to understand the world, the love, the feelings we are surrounded by. Costello, Davies, maybe a touch of Cherry Ghost too...Don't miss it. There's not an inch of bragging in that kind of music and record and man... It goes straight to your heart, mind and soul.

Pink Bay, Nick Ward, a link to buy it.

2010/11/21

(Weller about them, "They rock"). Crooked Mountain review.


With I Watched It From the Roadside, it was a case of zero-to-fanboy in just over eighteen minutes. With their latest EP, Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea have established themselves as faithful Dischord revivalists while offering enough of a fresh approach to warrant calling them a band to watch out for-- all in the span of six succinct tracks. Though it was released toward the end of summer, the disc has proved to be a fitting soundtrack for autumn's chilly days, with its dense, moody riffs the perfect accompaniment to gloomy, gray skies, brisk wind and soaking rain.

The opening cut "Slow News Day" is an effective harbinger of what's to follow; its creeping, repetitive guitar lines and vocals which transition from world-weary in the verses to shouty and strident in the chorus are stylistic staples for the band. Though essentially quite simple, it's also effortlessly penetrating, recalling bands like Fugazi and Slint, if not merely in sound alone, in their ability to be simultaneously hypnotic and dissonant. "They Don't Mean Anything" continues the trend of jagged, needling riffs and understated aggression that bubbles up without quite boiling over.

If there's an outlier on the collection, it's the direct and less morose "Out in the Dark", whose shout-along chorus makes like And So I Watch Your From Afar with gang vocals. However, Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea bounce quickly back to form, offering the quick shot of classic post-hardcore angst that is "Like Mice in the Cellar" and perhaps the EP's strongest piece "That Drum's Discordant Sound", which showcases the band at their chilling and mesmerizing best.

Combining the fervor of Fugazi with the eeriness and dread of Devil and God-era Brand New makes for a heady mix, and surprisingly, this melange of primarily American styles is coming from a band out of the UK. No matter, Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea are a criminally overlooked band standing on the brink, poised to create something truly spectacular. One can only hope it falls on eager ears.

2010/11/18

Irish Times Review


KEVIN COURTNEY

Olympia, Dublin

Paul Weller has certainly weathered a few storms in his time. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, and taking in his Jam and Style Council eras, Weller has had his fair share of peaks and troughs, and on the first of his five-night run at Dublin’s Olympia, he was definitely on peak form.

2010/11/16

(The legendary London, part 2) A fashion passion lesson By Louise Baxter (Nicholson and Walcot)

NWstringtaglogo.jpg N&W logo string tag picture by Loopielou40

1) Hi Lou, Tailors and handmade clothes and fashion and design seem a very British phenomenon. I don’t think you can find something like that in France, how do you explain it?

I Guess it's all in the heritage of our country really. Tailoring originally started with the making of uniforms for the army over the years, and then that developed into 'social' clothing, and the rich soon had suits/overcoats made for them. Then the ordinary 'man in the street' would also have his suits made for him. The 'bespoke' trade is one of a luxury item really, so that has declined to a certain extent, but thankfully there are enough individuals still around to demand that 'something different' . We are a very creative nation here in the UK, be it music, film, books, or fashion and long may it continue.

2) What’s your personal background? Passion? School? Design school?

It would Passion, No real formal training, learnt the skills from my Mum and older sisters. It's just a love of making

3) You have some very famous customers, Kevin Rowland, Paul Weller, do you feel a bit nervous when they order a scarf or something?

Yes, a little bit, because you want to do a good job, as you know potentially the item will be seen by thousands of people. Once you get the working relationship going with Paul and Kevin etc, it's fine. You realise that they simply love clothes

4) Do they say exactly what they want (colours, shapes, material) or do they let you do what you want? Does Mr Weller want something very special? Does he give you a kind of advice for his own order?

Paul in particular is really fussy about what he wears, so he has plenty of ideas on the next thing he orders. He is very talented artist himself, his drawings of his designs are very , very good. I know he has plenty of ideas for a clothing range, which we will see soon I think.

5) The scarf is a Mod must have. Do you have many mods as customers? Are you into the mod things?

The majority of my customers would be classed as Mods. I was into it more when I was younger, but my old man ( husband ) and his friends are steeped in it, so I'm surrounded by the influences on a daily basis and they me their feedback.

6) When and why did you decide to become a webstore? It’s fantastic when you’re not English. There’s really only a very few store in France which sell that kind of products.

I had to have the site created simply because of demand, more and more people were asking about my products, so I knew it was time to let them see the full range. My webmaster, Ben, did a fantastic job

7) There’s a true enthusiasm in French Fashion around the UK symbols (flag, London tube imagery, etc.). Any idea of the reason why it suddenly explodes? Best fashion could only come from England Maybe!

It's strange that, because I have noticed that also on my travels around Italy as well. You and those guys love the imagery. I guess it's the influence of the old films, and music from the 60s to the present day.

I love these symbols too and fall in love with London fabric prints all the time. The fabric is usually cotton and I make these into bags which are also on my site.

8) You also work different material, silk, tweed, etc and some recycled. How did you get that idea? Is it to vintage?

I use a mixture of fabrics as you have noticed. I started with recycled cloth due to costs really, and then gradually bought better quality as I earnt more money. I really like mixing it all up

9) How do you explain than English haircut and clothes are so typical. I like to think about myself as a mod, but I really can’t be dressed everyday like that here!

It takes a lot of effort, time and money to 'wear' that look every day. It goes back to passion and wanting to look and be different from the masses, to stand out from the crowd. As you get a little older, it gets harder to be like that unless you are a millionaire pop star!

1 10) You have your own song on Connett’s first LP, Nice gift don’t you think? Mark is a lucky man!

Ah the song 'Lou'. That was lovely from Darron, Glen and the boys of Connett. They originally wrote it as a present for my 40th birthday, but everyone loved it so much, that the band decided to do it on record and on stage. Lovely boys, the Connett lads, so pleased that they have been signed to 208 Records, well deserved and you're right, Mark is very lucky!

111) Do you want to have a real shop in the future or do you want to stay the small handmade factory?

I think I will stay relatively small, this is a specialised bespoke range I'm making, so i doubt it will ever really get too big. I already sell my stock in shops in the UK, at Threadneedleman Tailors in London, for Ace Face Clothing in Surrey and Regent Tailoring in Salisbury, so I'm kept pretty busy with that and my own customers

112) How much time do you need to create a scarf?

It depends on the fabric really, but if I started and finished one without stopping, it would take me 8-10 hours

113) Music and fashion has always been completely connected in the UK’s culture. You also HAVE TO HAVE the look. 60’s heritage? I have absorbed the 60s heritage into my scarves and other products that is for sure, The 60s enthusiasts don't really want to live in the world that we have now, of every high street looking the same with all the shops the same, they want little lost gems of places, that only a few know about, so I'm part of that.

114) Who is the best dressed musician according to your own tastes?

I would have to say Paul Weller. he is has got it right most of the time over the past 30 odd years. Amazing really, he simply has very good taste.


Be cool with your... Old man, uncles, sons, ladies...Buy them something unique!

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