Aww this is lovely and thought-provoking! It’s fascinating to think of British punk and post punk in the context of post-war Europe. I am excited to be a new subscriber!
Dude! I can't believe I never knew this! I'm sitting here looking at my sole copy of Settings Sons, which is an original UK pressing. Doh! But wow, you have me sold on the US track order being the "right" one. Now I gotta go look at Carolina Soul to see if they still have the mint copy of SS I saw a few weeks ago but didn't buy, because I bet it's the US pressing!! (Also, I'm going to send this Substack entry to my friend who has a direct line to Weller and see if we can get a definite answer from The Modfather himself on which running order HE thinks is best! Ha ha ha!) 👊🏼
I distinctly remember a weekend in 1983 when I had been left alone by my mom, probably the first time I went multiple days in the house by myself. For my newly swinging bachelor pad, I went out and bought this album and blasted it cover to cover multiple times, and also, read the book Helter Skelter, really got into the story of how the Family got together. And at some point I started to get a very dreadful, horrified feeling about entering the adult world. I think this is what Pete Townshend meant by "hope I die before I get old" when he was fresh out of art college. I don't agree that the concept was abandoned though...i DID and DO hear Setting Sons (US) as a concept album, that connection was unmissable. Heatwave was like that little "I'm the Face if you want it babe" refrain that pops up in the middle of Quadrophenia right when things are getting all heavy. Sometimes you have to break the tension and pull out a "bawdy jig" or we'd all kill ourselves before it was over. This news that the UK track listing just throws it all around higgledy piggledy is shocking. How did that happen? America really GOT the Jams vision in a way that Britain totally missed. That one time. How bout that.
Cone to think of it the "Bawdy Jig" was often employed at the end of a tragedy, so, perhaps Heat Wave could work at the end of side 2 in that context, but to give up that killer finale of Soldier-Wasteland would be a terrible missed opportunity.
Thanks Dan for another great post! I shared it in a FB group where we post a picture of whatever current album we’re playing (obviously I shared Setting Sons, which I spun while reading this post)
Ahhh youthful friendship, I'm in deep. It's the drama and psychological pain of my rock and roll youth. Many pains and joys in all of that... now I'm 61 and still working on some of them
“Times were so tough, but not as tough as they are now….” The thing I’ve always been amazed by is how did a 20-21 year old Weller write such keen and mature observational songs? I don’t know but I’ve been listening to them for over 40 years and The Jam never get old to me. Thanks for a great piece!
Love that you and Tony are getting pints and talking and discovering The Jam track listing conundrum together. I feel I had a hand in this. And it makes me glad to know I put your two together - this read reenforced my belief in connecting the dots. I have a very vivid memory of listening to “Pretty Green” in the winter of 1984/5 driving to school in my 1982 Rabbit on cassette and thinking “Ok, what’s a Fruit machine”? And “Pretty green” pot? I had been to England and knew thru had different colored pound notes while we Americans ONLY had green dollars in all denominations. Had a good chuckle in 1987 when I lived in Guildford for 6 months playing “Big Banker” fruit machine in my local pub The Star putting my fiver in the fruit machine.
Yo Dan--you taught yourself how to read, but you taught me how to write. And you keep teaching me. Thanks--Dad
Aww this is lovely and thought-provoking! It’s fascinating to think of British punk and post punk in the context of post-war Europe. I am excited to be a new subscriber!
Right on, Ricky — and thank you for subscribing!
Dude! I can't believe I never knew this! I'm sitting here looking at my sole copy of Settings Sons, which is an original UK pressing. Doh! But wow, you have me sold on the US track order being the "right" one. Now I gotta go look at Carolina Soul to see if they still have the mint copy of SS I saw a few weeks ago but didn't buy, because I bet it's the US pressing!! (Also, I'm going to send this Substack entry to my friend who has a direct line to Weller and see if we can get a definite answer from The Modfather himself on which running order HE thinks is best! Ha ha ha!) 👊🏼
And you can further confuse/bum out the Modfather by showing him the CANADIAN track listing, which I just learned about this AM!
https://www.discogs.com/release/2809168-The-Jam-Setting-Sons
Ha ha! Crazy!
I distinctly remember a weekend in 1983 when I had been left alone by my mom, probably the first time I went multiple days in the house by myself. For my newly swinging bachelor pad, I went out and bought this album and blasted it cover to cover multiple times, and also, read the book Helter Skelter, really got into the story of how the Family got together. And at some point I started to get a very dreadful, horrified feeling about entering the adult world. I think this is what Pete Townshend meant by "hope I die before I get old" when he was fresh out of art college. I don't agree that the concept was abandoned though...i DID and DO hear Setting Sons (US) as a concept album, that connection was unmissable. Heatwave was like that little "I'm the Face if you want it babe" refrain that pops up in the middle of Quadrophenia right when things are getting all heavy. Sometimes you have to break the tension and pull out a "bawdy jig" or we'd all kill ourselves before it was over. This news that the UK track listing just throws it all around higgledy piggledy is shocking. How did that happen? America really GOT the Jams vision in a way that Britain totally missed. That one time. How bout that.
Cone to think of it the "Bawdy Jig" was often employed at the end of a tragedy, so, perhaps Heat Wave could work at the end of side 2 in that context, but to give up that killer finale of Soldier-Wasteland would be a terrible missed opportunity.
Spotify uses the UK album structure. I'm going to create a playlist with the US version after reading your piece. Thanks!
Yeah, all the CD reissues have followed the UK track listing as well.
Yeah--but now we know better!
Thanks Dan for another great post! I shared it in a FB group where we post a picture of whatever current album we’re playing (obviously I shared Setting Sons, which I spun while reading this post)
Right on! Thank you for sharing!
Ahhh youthful friendship, I'm in deep. It's the drama and psychological pain of my rock and roll youth. Many pains and joys in all of that... now I'm 61 and still working on some of them
“Times were so tough, but not as tough as they are now….” The thing I’ve always been amazed by is how did a 20-21 year old Weller write such keen and mature observational songs? I don’t know but I’ve been listening to them for over 40 years and The Jam never get old to me. Thanks for a great piece!
Love that you and Tony are getting pints and talking and discovering The Jam track listing conundrum together. I feel I had a hand in this. And it makes me glad to know I put your two together - this read reenforced my belief in connecting the dots. I have a very vivid memory of listening to “Pretty Green” in the winter of 1984/5 driving to school in my 1982 Rabbit on cassette and thinking “Ok, what’s a Fruit machine”? And “Pretty green” pot? I had been to England and knew thru had different colored pound notes while we Americans ONLY had green dollars in all denominations. Had a good chuckle in 1987 when I lived in Guildford for 6 months playing “Big Banker” fruit machine in my local pub The Star putting my fiver in the fruit machine.
Oh yeah, all props to you for putting me and Tony together! Kindred spirit recognize kindred spirits!