Great Rock Albums of 1982: The Jam- The Gift

Now onto The Jam's 1982 album "The Gift." If I had been listening to The Jam back in the day and heard this album when it came out after listening to their previous albums, I would have immediately accused them of selling out. "The Gift" marks a departure from the hard, aggressive punk sound that they had been known for. I mean the opener for instance, "Happy Together" sounds more like a happy top 40 song then a traditional Jam punk anthem. However, the song does break with the precedent set by the other albums I have covered for 1982 and is not the hit single. Surprisingly enough, the big single from the album and probably their most successful song, "A Town Called Malice" is probably the closest song to The Jam of old on the entire album and probably why it's a good song. At least they tried to keep to their traditional roots somewhat. The rest of the album, although not bad lacks that kick I liked about their previous albums. Paul Weller was trying to stretch out a little and you got to respect that but for me, it just doesn't excite me the way the earlier Jam material did.

Track Listing:

1. Happy Together

2. Ghosts

3. Precious

4. Just Who is the Five O'Clock Hero

5. Trans Global Express

6. Running on the Spot

7. Circus

8. The Planner's Dream Goes Wrong

9. Carnation

10. A Town Called Malice

11. The Gift

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="aligncenter" width="224"] The Jam[/caption]

Paul Weller- guitar, lead vocals

Bruce Foxton- bass, backing vocals

Rick Buckler- drums

While "The Gift" would go to number one, it would also lead to the break up of the band. Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler wanted to stick to the more punk sound while Weller wanted to branch out more. It appears that this disagreement might have shone through on the album because while it goes to new places, it does so without the angry conviction that had gotten The Jam to where they were in the first place.

Next post: Toto- IV

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