It's been a Weller week. He's all over the meeja like a rash. He must have a very good PR company, is all.
As I was saying over at Simon's, all this attention, especially the very fine piece on him by Pete Paphides in Mojo, has encouraged me to dig into the recent solo stuff I'd ignored - 22 Dreams and Wake Up The Nation, specifically (thanks library). There are some very good things, as well as some silliness, on both....but I have become obsessed with this, playing it over and over...that Indian vibe (is it a sitar, or a guitar that sounds like a sitar?) and the co-vocal from the shockingly young then-future mother of his (latest) kinder which gives the whole thing an air of this, too.
I've just played it twice on the iPo walking to Sainsbury's and back (London Pride, two for £3.50, and some ginger for a daal).
Come out and play, come out and play....
Paul Weller - 'Light Nights' (2008)
The daal was tip top
ReplyDeleteAs has been commented both 22 Dreams and Wake Up The Nation are a bit v good in parts and a bit fillery in parts but there's enough good 'uns on each to make up for it. No Tears To Cry and Andromeda off WUTN are both up there with his best solo stuff and 22. There's a cracking late period comp to be made at some point.
ReplyDeleteGlad the daal was good. You want to try Deuchars bottled ale if you can find it. Laverly.
I'm abs with you re. those two WUTN songs.
ReplyDeleteAnd only the other night I was thinking 'The good stuff from all these albums'd make a fab playlist'
Deuchars you say? Hmm...
New album.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I've never been more uncertain in my life!
Agree about No Tears To Cry, SA. Stands up for standards that one.
All that fuckin knob-twiddling on the new lp sounds like an open day for Year 5 in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Stop it. Don't twist that dial Quentin. Put the stylophone down Annabelle. Be happy children.
Mrs Darce and I are big fans of Mr Weller. I've always particularly liked his more pastoral stuff. Caught a bit of his new stuff on the BBC red button t'other day. Hmmm - sounded a bit ordinary to me. Maybe need to give it a few more listens and as a whole album.
ReplyDeleteWild Wood is the one we keep going back too. It's one of those family albums. We always used to play it on a Sunday sat around the kitchen table having dinner when the children were young. They used to call it Wah Wah Woo and that's how it's been known ever since. On our 2nd copy of the CD now.
Four pints of excellent Young's Special in the pub last night watching Chelsea regaining some of their mojo.
Gotta find my way out
ReplyDeleteOf the Wah Wah Woo?
Loverly.
PS: I generally go for the Young's Ordinary, the Special sends me loopy.
Ornery's good too.
ReplyDeleteCheeky
ReplyDelete'All that fuckin knob-twiddling on the new lp sounds like an open day for Year 5 in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Stop it. Don't twist that dial Quentin. Put the stylophone down Annabelle. Be happy children.'
ReplyDeleteI love this.
'Four pints of excellent Young's Special in the pub last night watching Chelsea regaining some of their mojo.'
Not so happy about this. Sorry.
Englishmen talking about beer .... very funny!
ReplyDeleteCheers from Germany,
Dirk
Oakham Ales Citrus or Hooky Gold. Both specialist both bloody lovely. Trees off WUTN, brilliant.
ReplyDelete...saw him here in Fremantle, Western Australia about 18 months ago - Sea Spray was one of the highlights of the night (along with Wild Wood, Start and That's Entertainment). The Mrs sprained her ankle on the way out which put a bit of a damper on the evening.
ReplyDeleteHave You Made Up Your Mind is, as I've said in various places recently, one of my all time Weller favourites. Yup, alongside The Jam and TSC even. I love the song, the vocals, the rush of noise under the chorus, the wonky strings. It just gets me right here where it hurts. He really doesn't sound like somebody just paying the bills right now does he?
ReplyDeleteI really like 'Black River' and 'One Bright Star' also.
ReplyDeletei was waiting for bagpipes to come in when this started... scared the all sorts out of me to be honest. then i saw a photo of him in a vest and read about a twenty odd year old mrs and was even more frightened
ReplyDeletex
Fair comment
ReplyDeleteI still *heart* it, mind x
ReplyDeleteBeen listening to Richard Thompson has he ? Must have exhausted the John Martyn/Nick Drake thing.
ReplyDeleteArf. I still like it though.
ReplyDeleteStrange relationship I have with Monsieur Weller, given his influence on my youthful burgeoning delight in music. A neighbour (knowing my occasional predilection to his catalogue) burned me a copy of 22 Dreams. And I have to admit I have not once listened to it straight through. Which is odd. The occasional track pops up on Mr Shuffle (and I am often pleasantly surprised) but still it sits, a collection, unplayed as an album. A strange irony given the very man (if you ignore the 2 Abba Greatest Hit compilations) introduced me to the whole idea of sitting down to listen to a a full 33 listing.
ReplyDeleteAnyway.