Paul Weller (born John William Weller 25 May 1958), is an English singer-songwriter.
Starting with the very successful punk-rock band The Jam (1976-1982), Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council (1983-1989). In 1991 he re-established himself as a successful solo artist,[1] and continues to remain a respected singer, lyricist and guitarist, a fact reaffirmed by his recent awarding of the 2009 BRIT award for 'Best Male Solo Artist'[2]. He has remained a national rather than an international star, which may be unsurprising considering much of his songwriting is rooted in British culture. He is also the principal figure of the 1970s Mod revival and is often referred to as the Modfather.[3]
Early years 1958-1976
Weller was born on 25 May 1958 in Sheerwater, near Woking, Surrey, England, to John and Ann Weller.
His father worked as a taxi driver and his mother was a part-time cleaner.[4] In 1963 Weller started his education at Maybury County First School. At a time when Britain was gripped by Beatlemania, he also became a fan of The Beatles and his lifelong fascination with music began. As he became older his taste diversified and he became intrigued by the harder edge of bands such as The Who and the Small Faces. By the time Weller was eleven and moving up to secondary school at Sheerwater County Secondary music was the biggest part of his life. Wholly supported by his parents, Weller received a guitar and began obsessively learning the instrument.
In 1972 Weller formed his first group, The Jam, playing bass guitar with his best friends Steve Brookes (lead guitar) and Dave Waller (rhythm guitar). With Weller's father John keen to encourage his son's passion, he began booking the band into local working men's clubs. Joined by Rick Buckler on drums, and with Bruce Foxton soon replacing Waller on rhythm guitar, the four-piece band began to forge a local reputation, playing a mixture of Beatles covers and a number of compositions written by Weller and Brooks. In 1976 Brookes left the band and Weller and Foxton decided they would swap guitar roles, with Weller now covering lead vocals.
Career
The Jam: 1976-1982
Although The Jam emerged at the same time as punk rock bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash, The Jam better fit the mould of the so-called 'new wave' bands who came later. Also, being from just outside of London rather than in it, they were never really part of the tightly-knit punk clique.
Nonetheless, The Clash emerged as one of the leading early advocates of the band, and were sufficiently impressed by The Jam to take them along as the support act on their White Riot tour of 1977. The Jam went on to be far more successful in the singles charts than The Clash in the UK.
The Jam's first single "In the City" took them into the UK Top 40 for the first time in May 1977. Although every subsequent single had a placing within the Top 40, it would not be until the band released "The Eton Rifles", with Weller's politically-charged lyrics that they broke into the Top 10, hitting the No. 3 spot in November 1979.
From then on their blend of pop melodies, accompanied with Weller's lyrics, earning him the title of "spokesman of a generation", made them hugely popular, and in May 1980 they hit number one for the first time with "Going Underground". Originally, "Going Underground" was supposed to be a double A side with the psychedelic "Dreams of Children", but a mistake at a French pressing plant meant "Going Underground" was given 'A' status on the label[citation needed].
By the early 1980s, The Jam had become one of the biggest bands in Britain. They became the only band other than The Beatles to perform two songs ("Town Called Malice" and "Precious") on one edition of Top of the Pops (the feat would later also be equalled by Oasis and Manic Street Preachers). The Jam even had one single, "That's Entertainment", reach No. 21 in the UK singles chart despite not even being released in that country - it got there purely on the strength of the huge number of people buying import sales of the German single release. Weller, however, was eager to explore other musical avenues he felt he could not follow with the rigid three-man lineup of The Jam. Later Jam songs such as "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)" showed Weller attempting to write in a more melodic, soulful style, but which served to isolate fans expecting the punchy socially conscious verve of the band's earlier singles.
In 1982, Weller announced that The Jam would disband at the end of the year. Their final single, "Beat Surrender", became their fourth UK chart topper, going straight to No. 1 in its first week, a rare achievement at the time. Their farewell concerts at Wembley Arena were multiple sell-outs. Their final concert took place at the Brighton Centre on 11 December 1982.
The Style Council: 1983-1989
At the beginning of 1983, Weller collaborated with keyboard player Mick Talbot to form a new group called The Style Council. Weller brought in Steve White, who was 17 at the time, to play drums, as well as vocalist Dee C. Lee who had previously been a backing singer with Wham!
Free of the limited musical styles he felt imposed by The Jam, under the collective of The Style Council, Weller was able to experiment with a wide range of music, from pop and jazz to soul/R&B, house and folk-styled ballads. The band was at the vanguard of a jazz/pop revival that would continue with the emergence of bands like Matt Bianco, Sade, and Everything But The Girl, whose members Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt contributed vocals and guitar to the 1984 Style Council song, "Paris Match".
Though Weller noted that many of the early audiences they were playing to consisted of bemused Jam fans, as the band's popularity grew they began to attract a new fanbase, including females, which was at stark contrast to the general audience of Jam gigs. Many of the early singles performed well in the charts, and Weller experienced his first success in North America with both "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're The Best Thing" entering the US Billboard Hot 100. In Australia they were far more successful than The Jam having a number one in 1984 with "Shout To The Top" and many other top 40 singles.
Weller appeared on 1984's Band Aid record "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and was called upon to mime the absent Bono's lyrics on Top of the Pops. The Style Council were the second act to appear in the British half of Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985.
In December 1984, Weller put together his own charity ensemble, the Council Collective, to make a record ("Soul Deep") to raise money for striking miners. The record featured the Style Council plus a number of other performers, notably Jimmy Ruffin and Junior Giscombe. In spite of the song's political content, it still picked up BBC Radio 1 airplay and was performed on Top of the Pops, which led to the incongruous sight of lyrics such as "We can't afford to let the government win/It means death to the trade unions" being mimed amid the show's flashing lights and party atmosphere. Weller also rapped for the first (and, so far, only) time during the song.
As the 1980s wore on, the Style Council's popularity in the UK itself began to slide, with none of their singles after 1985 even reaching the Top 20. The Style Council's death knell was sounded in 1989 when their record company refused to release their fifth and final studio album, Modernism: A New Decade. With the rejection of this effort, Weller announced the Style Council had split, and although the final album did have a limited vinyl run, it was not until the 1998 retrospective CD box set The Complete Adventures of the Style Council that the album was widely available.
Early solo career: 1990-1995
Weller performing at V-Fest.
In 1989, Weller found himself for the first time since he was 17 without a band and without a recording deal. After taking time off throughout 1990 to reconsider his musical direction, he returned to the road in 1991, touring as 'The Paul Weller Movement' with long-term drummer and friend Steve White. After a slow start playing intimate venues with a mixture of Jam/Style Council classics as well as showcasing new material such as "Into Tomorrow", by the time of the release of his 1992 LP, Paul Weller he had begun to re-establish himself as a leading British singer/songwriter once more. This self-titled album saw a return to a more jazz-guitar-focused sound, featuring samples and a funk influence with shades of The Style Council sound. The album also featured a new producer, Brendan Lynch. As well as rediscovering his passion for guitar, tracks such as "Here's a New Thing" and "That Spiritual Feeling" were marketed among the emerging Acid Jazz scene.
Buoyed by a positive commercial and critical success of his first solo album, Weller returned to the studio in 1993 with a renewed confidence. Accompanied by Steve White, as well as guitarist Steve Cradock and bassist Damon Minchella from the fledging band Ocean Colour Scene, the result of these sessions was the triumphant Wild Wood, an album hailed by fans and critics as one of Weller's finest. Recorded deep in the English countryside, it had the earthly, acoustic sound and style of the new "get out of the city" Weller, a man matured and now married with children[citation needed].
His 1995 album Stanley Road took him back to the top of the British charts for the first time in a decade, and went on to become the best-selling album of his career. The album, named after the street in Woking where he had grown up, marked a return to the more guitar-based style of his earlier days. Weller found himself heavily associated with the 'Britpop' movement that gave rise to such bands as Oasis, Pulp and Blur. Weller even appeared as a guest guitarist and backing vocalist on Oasis' hit song "Champagne Supernova". The album's major single, "The Changingman", was also a big hit, taking Weller to #7 in the UK singles charts. The album also featured a second popular single, the ballad "You Do Something To Me", which was his second consecutive Top 10 single, peaking at #9 in the UK. It also featured the #20 hit "Broken Stones" and a new version of 1994 single "Out Of The Sinking", which made #16. The album also featured the haunting "Wings of Speed", with lyrics inspired by the famous painting The Lady of Shalott.
The Modfather: 1996-2004
Heavy Soul, the follow up to the million-selling Stanley Road saw Weller twist his sound again. The album was more raw than its predecessor; Weller was now frequently playing live in the studio in as few takes as possible. The album stalled at number 2 in the official UK charts, mainly because a limited edition was deemed to have too many 'freebies' included to be chart-eligible. The issue was that the images featured in the booklet of the main release were separate in the limited version. This would also include a small but often unrecognised use of Gil Scott-Heron's "Lady Day & John Coltrane" on the track "Science". The first single, "Peacock Suit", which continued in this hard-rock vein, was the most successful released from the album, reaching #5 in the UK Singles Chart.
New Jam and Style Council 'best of' albums took his earlier career back into the charts, and his own solo 'best of' collection Modern Classics was a substantial success in 1998.
In 2000, he released his fifth solo studio album, and seventh solo effort overall, titled Heliocentric after the studio in which the album was recorded. There were rumours at the time that this would be his final studio effort, but these proved unfounded when he released the No. 1 hit album Illumination in September 2002, preceded by yet another top 10 hit single "It's Written In The Stars". Between these two albums he had also released a second successful live album, 2001's Days Of Speed, which contained live acoustic versions from his world tour of the same name. The LP included some of his best-known songs from his solo career and the back catalogues of his Jam and Style Council days. Weller had again found himself without a record contract and the tour provided him with the opportunity to view his works as one back catalogue.
In 2003, Weller teamed up with electronic rock duo Death in Vegas on a cover of Gene Clark's "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" which featured on the album Scorpio Rising.
In 2004 Weller released an album of covers entitled Studio 150. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK charts and included Bob Dylan's, "All Along the Watchtower". The album also contained the singles "The Bottle" originally performed by Gil Scott-Heron, "Wishing On A Star" by Rose Royce, "Thinking Of You" by Sister Sledge and "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot. This was a limited edition, coloured vinyl only, double A-sided 7", along with a cover of The Beatles' "Come Together". There was live concert film featuring the material, and accusations followed that perhaps Weller's handlers where trying to "pull a Rod Stewart" on his image.
Critical success: 2005–present
His 2005 album As Is Now featured the singles "From The Floorboards Up", "Come On/Let's Go" and "Here's The Good News". The album was particularly well received critically and in February 2006 it was announced that Weller would be the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BRIT Awards. Despite a tendency to shun such occasions, Weller accepted the award in person, and performed four songs at the ceremony, including The Jam classic "Town Called Malice".
In June 2006 a double live album titled Catch-Flame! with songs from both his solo work and his career with The Jam and The Style Council was released. In late 2006, the album Hit Parade was released. This collected together all the singles released by the Jam, Style Council and Weller during his solo career. Two versions of this album were released: a single disc with a selection from each stage of his career, and a four-disc limited edition, which included every single released and came with a 64-page booklet. However, the album did not include the new "Wild Blue Yonder" single, which was released on the same day. Paul Weller's song catalogue is published by BMG Music Publishing.
The double album 22 Dreams was released on 2 June 2008 with "Echoes Round The Sun" as the lead single. Before recording this album, Weller had decided to part company with his existing band, resulting in the replacement of everyone except Steve Cradock. As well as Cradock, the new band consisted of Andy Lewis on bass, Andy Crofts of The Moons/The On Offs on keys and Steve Pilgrim of The Stands on drums. In November 2008 the box set Weller at the BBC was released in various formats, most notably as a 4-CD set and as a download which included multiple bonus tracks. A DVD, Weller at the BBC, was also released. The DVD contained more than 30 tracks, none of which were included in the various audio formats.
After winning a BRIT award at the 2009 ceremony, there was controversy at the bookmakers when it was discovered a suspiciously high number of bets had been placed for Weller to win the "Best Male Solo Artist" award, for which James Morrison was T4's favourite. It was reported that they had lost £100,000 in the event, and that as a result would not be taking bets for the awards in the future.[5]
Personal life
Soon after the formation of The Style Council, Weller and Dee C. Lee, Style Council's backing singer, formed a romantic relationship. The couple married in 1988 and divorced in 1994. They have two children, Son Natt and Daughter Leah. He also has a daughter Dylan by a short-lived relationship. While he was recording at the Manor studios in the mid 90's, he met and became romantic with Samantha Stock, 12 years his junior. They have two children, a Son Mac and a Daughter Jessie. In December 2008, Paul left Samantha after 13 years and moved in singer Hannah Andrews, 27 years his junior who he met through his work on his 22 Dreams album. She sang backing vocals and toured with his band.
On April 24, 2009 Paul's Father and long time manager John Weller died. An imposing father and son team, John Weller helped guide his offspring's career almost from the moment he picked up a guitar. The Jam formed in Woking, and after settling on their classic three piece line up, John Weller became their manager. John died from pneumonia after a month-long stay at the Runnymede Hospital in Chertsey. He was 77.
Influences
Weller has stated a wide range of influences throughout his musical career, frequently listing The Small Faces, The Beatles and The Who, as well as 1960s and 1970s soul music.
During the Britpop explosion in the mid-1990s a number of fledging bands cited Weller and The Jam as a major influence. These included Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene and Blur. As a new generation of bands emerged, Weller was again noted as an influence by bands such as Hard-Fi, Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy and The Rifles.
Legacy
- Weller has won a total of four BRIT Awards, with three for Best Male Solo Artist (in 1995, 1996 and 2009), as well as receiving the Lifetime Achievement award in 2006. At the presentation, he played his solo tracks "From The Floorboards Up", "Come On/Let's Go", "The Changingman" and also The Jam's "Town Called Malice".
- Four of The Jam's singles reached No. 1 in the UK charts, with three going straight to No. 1, a rare achievement at the time. These were "Going Underground", "Town Called Malice" and "Beat Surrender". "Start!" entered at No.3, then climbed to No.2 then hit the top spot one week later.
- In 1983, The Jam broke The Beatles' record of seven singles in the Top 100 simultaneously. The Jam placed 14 singles in the same week. This happened when Polydor rushed to re-release their entire back catalogue following the bands' split.[citation needed]
- Paul Weller declined to receive a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list of 2006.[6]
- Weller and Steve White helped set up a cancer support website called checkemlads.com following a chat with a fan Philly Morris who was going through cancer treatment in 2003. Checkemlads.com is now a registered charity, supported by Weller and White.
- His influence upon the 1990s generation of British guitar bands, coupled with his love of 1960's Mod-era music, had earned him the affectionate nickname "The Modfather".[7][8] In 1995 he collaborated with Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney to form a one-off 'super group' called The Smokin' Mojo Filters, releasing a charity version of The Beatles' hit "Come Together" in aid of Bosnian children.
- In British national radio station Virgin Radio's poll in December 2002 to find the top 100 British artists of all time, the Style Council came in at No. 97, Weller as a solo artist at No. 21 and The Jam at No. 5.[9]
- A number of Paul Weller's songs have appeared on film and television. In film, The Jam song "Town Called Malice" is used in Billy Elliot; The Style Council song "Have You Ever Had It Blue" features in the film Absolute Beginners. The Style Council song "Shout To The Top" appears on the soundtrack to the 1985 film Vision Quest. His solo hit song "You Do Something to Me" appears in The Truth About Cats & Dogs as well as having a prominent role in the 2007 BBC Drama Recovery starring David Tennant. "Everything Has a Price to Pay" is heard in the film Face starring Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone and Phil Davies. Weller's cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" appears on the soundtrack to the film Hollow Reed. On television the Jack Dee comedy Lead Balloon includes the Noel Gallagher-penned "One Way Road" from Studio 150. Paul's cover of Dr. John's "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" appears on the soundtrack for the HBO television show The Wire.
Discography
Albums
References
- Munn, Iain (2006). Mr Cool's Dream. The Complete History Of The Style Council. Wholepoint Publications. ISBN 0-9551443-0-2.
- Munn, Iain (2008). Mr Cool's Dream. The Complete History Of The Style Council (Hardback). Wholepoint Publications. ISBN 0-9551443-1-8. Wholepoint
- Reed, John (2002). My Ever Changing Moods: Fully Revised and Updated. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8866-8.
