Reviews (page 2 of 9)
i was excited to see a Paul Weller album on her but i have to say i was a little disappointed. it was just "OK", nothing stood out for me to say WOW.
This sounded like every single solo guitarist that I have ever heard at a winery or bar on a nice sunny day. And you know why they all book artists like this? Because it is nice background music that no one is paying attention to but yet no one is hating. Somehow this guy got a record contract while the others have a tip jar, but honestly, you could sub any of them and I wouldn't know the difference.
I found it a little too boring for my taste . But I can see how someone could sit back and enjoy listening to it.
An overall solid album. I really enjoy his stuff
Bons morceaux
Review - this was not very good. I like The Jam. I've probably even heard some Style Council songs I like even if I can't recall them. But solo stuff? Woof. Saying this as someone who likes the show, this has all the worst markings of JoolsHolland-core. Some guy more famous in a band gets introduced as the guest of honour, and he comes out wearing a pork pie hat or something equally dumb. And he starts crooning way too much over a very very simple blues piano played by Jools himself and it's just shit and embarrassing. And you think wow this guy definitely needs his band mates round to hear him croon and say "mate what the fuck was that? Try singing it not shit next time". But his ego fucked with him and now he insists on being the only one making creative decisions, and he's not cut out for it bless him. Score - 4.5/10 Need to listen? NO
Olipahan aika tasapaksua enkä oikee sen kummemmin saanu kiinni mistää. Ei tää ny huonokaa ollu
Aluksi tuntui että läpsyttelyks jää, mutta oli siellä ihan yritystäkin.
Sillai tää jammimiehen soolomatsku on ihan onnistunutta, että ainakin eroo vahvasti orkkiksesta. Toki musana mennään semmosta suht "aikuiseen makuun" -tavaraa, että ei kauheesti hullutella. Peruskolkki.
Eipä ole koskaan tullut Wellerin soolokamaa kuunneltua, vaikka Jamista tykkäänkin ja mies kuitenkin ollut iso innoittaja Oasikselle. Ihan isolla mielenkiinnolla hyppäsin siis tämän levyn pariin. Ei nyt mitään mullistavaa kamaa, mutta ihan kuunneltavaa tavaraa. Yhden kuuntelun perusteella sanoisin että ihan yllättävän tuoreen kuuloista, vaikka ysärin alusta onkin. Ehkä tämän innoittamana tulee joskus muutakin soolotuotantoa kuunneltua.
Pretty decent.
I was like, this old guy, singing like an old guy, and then I looked him up and realized he’s 35 making this album. The fuck, dude. Rank this among the C-tier Costello and Clapton albums littering this fuckin’ list.
A look at the 70s and 80s through the lens of the 90s.
This one got lost for me, son, I don’t know where it went. In one ear out the other, I guess.
Pleasantly surprised, my only complaint is that this album drags just a bit for my liking
Paul Weller was a member of the band The Jam. I guess that's why this is included?
I was pleasantly surprised by this from the opening chords. Soulful rock in the mold of Robin Trower with some added flourishes. Not exactly original and sort of out of place in the 90s but it provided welcome vibes for my walk across town this afternoon. Way better than The Jam in any case.
If this was Wild Woody by Ron Thal it would be a 5/5. Also is this guy related to Robocop?
i guess perfectly pleasant and fine? lol...
Wild Wood Paul Weller 1993 Genres: Pop, Rock Styles: Alternative Rock, Mod, Acoustic, Pop Rock 1. Sunflower (★★★★★) -Contexto: Una canción sobre no poder desprenderse emocionalmente de una persona después de una separación. Weller recuerda la intimidad y los momentos compartidos mientras reconoce que la relación ya no tiene futuro. Aunque intenta afirmar que está "en control", la repetición obsesiva de cuánto la extraña revela lo contrario. La canción transmite esa sensación de seguir mentalmente atado a alguien que ya se fue, hasta el punto de afectar los días y las noches. -Fav 2. Can You Heal Us (Holy Man) (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Weller cuestiona la idea de que exista una figura espiritual capaz de curar o salvar a los demás. La canción expresa una búsqueda de respuestas y cuestiona a quienes se presentan como poseedores de una verdad superior. 3. Wild Wood (★★★★☆) -Contexto: El "bosque salvaje" funciona como metáfora de sentirse perdido en la vida. La canción transmite desorientación, pero también la necesidad de seguir adelante y encontrar nuevamente el propio camino. 4. Instrumental (Pt. 1) (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Interludio instrumental que prolonga la atmósfera introspectiva de "Wild Wood" y funciona como transición hacia la parte más personal del álbum. 5. All the Pictures on the Wall (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Una reflexión sobre una relación que se ha deteriorado y sobre cómo los recuerdos permanecen cuando la relación ya no es lo que era. Las fotografías representan un pasado feliz que ahora provoca nostalgia y arrepentimiento. 6. Has My Fire Really Gone Out? (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Weller se pregunta si ha perdido la inspiración, la energía y aquello que alguna vez lo impulsó como músico. Es una reflexión sobre el envejecimiento y sobre si su mejor época ya quedó atrás, aunque la intensidad de la canción sugiere que su fuego todavía sigue vivo. 7. Country (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Una búsqueda de tranquilidad y autenticidad lejos del ruido y la artificialidad de la vida urbana. El campo y la naturaleza representan un regreso a algo más sencillo, elemental y verdadero. 8. Instrumental Two (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Breve pieza instrumental que continúa el carácter pastoral y contemplativo del álbum. Funciona principalmente como transición entre las canciones. 9. 5th Season (★★★★☆) -Contexto: La "quinta estación" representa una etapa de transformación que queda fuera de los ciclos habituales de la vida. Weller reflexiona sobre el cambio, el paso del tiempo y la posibilidad de comenzar una nueva etapa. 10. The Weaver (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: La vida aparece como algo que cada persona va tejiendo con sus experiencias, decisiones, relaciones y errores. La canción habla de construir y reconstruir la propia existencia a medida que pasa el tiempo. 11. Instrumental One (Pt. 2) (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Un breve interludio instrumental que sirve como puente hacia el tramo final del álbum y mantiene su atmósfera contemplativa. 12. Foot of the Mountain (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: La montaña representa las dificultades y objetivos que todavía quedan por superar. Estar a sus pies significa reconocer que aún queda mucho camino, pero también aceptar el desafío de comenzar a subir. 13. Shadow of the Sun (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Una reflexión extensa sobre la juventud, los sueños de la infancia y el paso del tiempo. Weller mira hacia atrás y se pregunta qué ocurrió con las aspiraciones que tenía cuando era joven, mientras intenta aprovechar el tiempo que todavía tiene por delante. -Fav 14. Holy Man (Reprise) (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Retoma brevemente la idea de "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)". La búsqueda espiritual vuelve a aparecer, pero ahora funciona más como una conclusión que como una nueva pregunta. 15. Moon on Your Pyjamas (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Una canción tierna y paternal sobre contemplar a un niño y su inocencia. Frente a las canciones anteriores, centradas en el pasado y las dudas de Weller sobre su propia vida, aquí aparece la siguiente generación y el deseo de protegerla y verla crecer. 16. Hung Up (★★★★★) -Contexto: Weller describe a alguien atrapado en pensamientos y conflictos del pasado, incapaz de aceptar que una vieja lucha ya terminó. La imagen de un soldado que se niega a bajar el arma representa a una persona que continúa peleando incluso cuando la guerra exterior ya terminó. En el fondo, trata de estar atrapado en el propio pasado y de intentar poner fin a una guerra que todavía continúa dentro de uno mismo. -Fav -TOTAL = ★★★⯨☆ (3,78)
More 4.5 than 4 and I almost wanted to go 5 because I was surprised how much I liked it. I think it was that expectation violation that gave me the 5 thought but this is a strong (unexpected for me) 4. Really enjoyed it and sill be coming back to it.
Aggressively fine. Very much dad music.
As always with Paul Wellers solo material perfectly fine but also incredibly dull.
This is a reasonable, somewhat impassioned collection of songs by someone I don’t care about at all.
Hard to rate as some songs are a bit boring while some other are excellent and really entertaining with super cool solos 3.5
Pleasant on the ears but nothing outstanding. Interesting to hear some of his solo stuff though.
Very much like Jeff Buckley
402/1089 second song in and i don’t dislike it musically but the religious aspect is a bit offputting for me title track is pretty good and actually sounds familiar. instrumental pt1 is a banger okay i wasn’t sure at times but this one wasn’t too bad in the end faves: wild wood, instrumental pt 1, 5th season, all the pictures on the wall /100
I definitely owned this at the time but don’t really remember it. Makes sense now as it’s a very forgettable album. The title track, plus the opener Sunflower are very good. The rest, I’ve already forgotten.
Some of the music of all time
Try as I might, I just can’t give a shit about this. Harmless, quintessential rock pastiches that didn’t impress or offend. Nearly every single song went in one ear and out the other, and without any pre-existing knowledge of Paul Weller—or the fact that this album was apparently a return-to-form for his career—I just found nothing here to sink my teeth into. The back-half was slightly better, but the only song here I'd say I truly enjoyed was "Moon On Your Pyjamas." Fav Tracks: Wild Wood, All the Pictures on the Wall, Country, Moon on Your Pyjamas Least Fav: The Weaver Score: 3.5
Painful Dad-"rock" that shouldn't be anywhere near this list. Had to go listen to The Jam afterward to remind myself that Paul Weller has/had talent.
I didn’t like this album. It wasn’t for me and I didn’t need to hear it before I died.
I’m not really sure what Paul Weller was trying to do with this album. It’s fine, pretty generic.
His best solo album. Probably his best album of them all. All the angst and grit of the Jam has been polished smooth and what remains is an album of great songs and sung by a singer you feel has seen a few things. It’s not perfect, but it’s an easy 4 for me.
Favorite track(s): Sunflower, 5th Season
Fine album - fun but forgettable
Weller är en begåvad låtsnickrare och en habil sångare. Jag gillade The Jam, hade lite svårt för Style Council och har helt missat hans solokarriär. Detta är bra, jag måste lyssna mer. En fyra
There are a lot of haters at the top of the reviews list for this one. I liked it - Weller has a way of shape shifting through genres without making you notice. Great listen.
Good moments, but let me bored out. Had not listen to Paul Weller before, won’t do it again
This was fine. Musically I liked it. It didn’t grab my attention completely though. I found the lyrics a bit underwhelming. It was fine, but not particularly special or spectacular. 3/5
this white boy got soul! so far he has eaten on every album i've listened to with him involved, i might have to start giving him his tens
Wild Wood isn't groundbreaking, but it's undoubtedly a great album. Artists such as Weller are incredibly fascinating to me for that reason. After a wobbly, half-successful experiment known as The Style Council, he picked a lane as a solo artist that suits his songwriting abilities the best and stuck with it for a decent while, but his music rarely, if ever, felt stale. While I wouldn't call his solo career complacent, far from it (he's trying loads of different stuff lately), it definitely feels like he settled into his own with Wild Wood. What amazes me is that, despite sticking to a fairly linear '90s singer-songwriter formula, this record still sounds so fresh, so full of life, even to this day. In any other hands, it would often potentially sound plain, but Weller has those unique quirks, particularly with his emotionally potent vocal delivery, that really makes it special. I don't want it to sound like the greatness of this album is based on vibes alone, though. It's also blessed with top-notch hooks, great mixing and interesting arrangements, so there's that. I saw him live, performing as a warm-up act for Blur's comeback on Wembley Stadium three years ago, and he was still electric at 65 years old. I'll be honest, the majority of the crowd didn't pay much attention to someone who was last relevant generations ago, but my friend and I had an absolute blast. His charisma and energy were still there, in full effect. Some artists carry an indescribable aura that you just can't learn, either you have it or you don't. Weller certainly has it. That's why I can always enjoy his work, even when it's at its weakest, and Wild Wood is certainly far from that. Stanley Road is his best, though. Favourite track: Hung Up
Where Weller gave up and decided to be Eric Clapton.
Muy bueno
Whilst there are a few songs of Paul Weller’s that I like even those start to become dull after a few minutes. This album doesn’t change my thoughts. Sunflower is a perfect example of this.
The most sterile and inoffensive rock album I’ve ever listened to.
I think I listened to this about 5 times because I couldn’t figure out if I liked it or not. I still don’t know. Some parts and the instrumentals I enjoy but then again I didn’t save anything so truly neutral???
wow, some people really trashed this album. I guess I'm one of the dumbasses who are glad to have listened to it. Lots of influences here, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Eric Clapton, etc. Totally enjoyed it.
The definition of Dad Rock. Not exactly bad, but I can't see anybody getting excited over this.
Rätt mysigt
#412 Well, well, well…wellity, wellity, wellity, if it isn’t Paul Weller. I don’t know why but I have a slightly negative opinion of him maybe driven by a breed of man that lives in Manchester (or maybe Stockport) with a certain haircut that supports City, and that his music is sort of up my street yet I never really was into it. It seems a lot of that is owed to the choice of lead single and title track, Wild Wood, not that it’s bad but it somewhat misrepresents the vibe on the album, which I actually enjoyed very much. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): 5th Season Rating: 7/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, that was bland and dull. Nothing really wrong about it, but there’s really no reason for you to ever listen to this album. Pointless run-of-the-mill music, that I will have no recollection of ever even hearing after this one time, to put it bluntly.
Pretty good album, nothing crazy but not bad by any means solid album
676/1001 2026.08.10 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Opening riff> chills. This was Weller at the absolute peak of his career (I adore The Jam, but this and Stanley Road are untouchable). Someone commented that he made this for himself, and I think that's why I love it so much. It's authentic, and unapologetic.
No bad, no my cup o tea
This album was the musical equivalent of a good IPA: refreshing, earthy, and full of flavor, with lots of bright hoppy notes.
Know it well - an example of Paul doing what he does well really well but I’m not sure it’s shines across the ages
Wild Wood sounds like it was recorded in the '70s, but not in a good way. For me, it falls flat.
Nothing special, just some solid music. 3.5/5
Never has such good musicianship been used so blandly. This album is well produced and well performed, but it has nothing that sticks out and grabs you. I listened through the whole thing, and suddenly it was over with very little impact sticking in my mind. I’ve never heard anything else by Paul Weller, but I hope the other things in his repertoire are more interesting.
Highly forgettable dad rock
This album made me feel nothing.
Listened, enjoyed listening and then realized about 30 minutes after finishing the album that I did not remember a single thing about it, not one single moment from one single song. Might have discovered the most neutral of neutral albums.
Musically, It's not bad. It has a very unoriginal sound, though. To an untrained listener, they would not be able to tell this artist apart from others who came way before that have the exact same music, voice, and singing style.
Très sympa, mais plus j'avance dans la liste plus mes attentes sont grandes malheureusement
On enchaîne les très bons albums
it’s bad 🫶🏻
Truthfully, I was expecting worse. This was actually decent. There’s nothing catchy or memorable about, but it was fine to listen to running errands around town. That probably wasn’t Paul’s objective in making the album, but I don’t hate it.
Positiv überrascht, aber bisschen lang isses...
Kannte bisher nur "Stanley Road" von ihm, das ich mag. Das hier gefällt mir auch sehr. Neuentdeckung!
This was very well produced, well thought out, refined and an overall well done album, but I'm completely surprised why it's on this list... I like this, I really do, and can think of a ton of people who would love it. Clean songwriting, strong blues influence, a little bit of edge...That said, it feels very expected, doesn't seem to push the envelope in any way, and from my (brief) research, doesn't seem to have shaped any cultural conversations around important albums that have made a global impact. This is totally fine music which I appreciate but don't feel like it had any place on this list.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this album as I’d never heard of Paul Weller before. Turns out he’s the guitarist and vocalist in the Jam, which is another band that has been introduced to me through this list. Overall, I enjoyed this album. Solid guitar playing, good singing, great production. But, did we really need to have some Paul Weller solo work on a list of albums to hear before you die? Honestly, we probably would have been alright just sticking to the Jam’s albums.
Wow this album encompasses so many styles. It sounds british, but also southern rock at some points and then the next song could be britpop and then the next would be 90s alternative. Good stuff 3.5/5- probably could go higher on more listens
I'm mostly familiar with The Jam, the mod/punk rock band Paul Weller was the front man before. His music seemingly mellowed out overtime, and didn't live up to my expectations. Wild Wood is seen as a dividing line (specifically not a bridge metaphor) between the influence of Grunge music in the UK and the emerging Britpop movement. Neither of those two have any influence on Wild Wood, as it sounds more like a typical rock record without too many thrills to it. I'm going to spare writing another rant of how UK-centric this list can be. The Jam were not as impactful on American music like The Clash or Queen were, but that early punk energy was certainly shared with the CBGB crowd. As said earlier, Paul Weller sort of went more of a mature path while keeping his working class upbringing in mind. I definitely liked parts of this album, but absolutely not all of it. Some of it was just too slow or uninteresting to my chaotic and violent-minded American brain. I'd say my favorite on this record is Has My Fire Really Gone Out? The best parts are the first half of the record while the second half dozes off too much for my tastes. Paul Weller is an important guy for one country on the list but doesn't really need to have his imprint on here more than his best stuff with The Jam.
This was an absolute snooze for me. Also half of my drive to work I was confusing Paul Weller with Peter Weller so I was just thinking "Wow right after the Robocop movies he must have decided he was going to do a music career". I never learned enough about The Jam to know anyone's names. They had some okay songs. I'm sure The Jam will be on here somewhere if this album is on the list.
Oye, es rock noventero clasicón pero el disco me ha entrado estupendamente, suena grande y autoral y es muy entretenido de escuchar. Sorprendente.
I'm sorry, who? What? This seems like someone I should already know about because my parents listen to him. Maybe I'll recommend this record to them.
Cool discovery. I didn't find it bland like I read others say. He reminded me of chris stapleton, eric clapton and seal in different moments.
Quite fun
Cannot point to a single moment on this album that made me think "Wow, that's something I really needed to hear before I die!" That's admittedly a pretty high bar, and on a list this extensive there's bound to be some that meet it more than others, but this one is just a completely forgettable milquetoast experience for me.
That sounds like something of a KBCO Studio C album.
Aye this still holds up pretty well
I liked this back in the day but it bored me silly on a listen now.
Musique de fond, en plus l'album est infini
Weirdly kinda reminded me of Dave Matthews
Enjoyed it, but won’t seek it out again
wow it’s a classic rock solo album by a guy in a classic rock band amazing and sounds like classic rock but wait it’s from 1993!!! glad I could listen before I die!!! solid 2 because I’m generous
🌲🌻🪡🎸🏔️
Very Weller
This is a good record with a nice, chilled vibe whist also retaining the interest all the way through. Good stuff.
A great album and a really enjoyable listen. I love how at the time Weller got a return to prominence by latching on to Britpop in a cool uncle kind of vibe.
Years ago I had a first date who took me to see Paul Weller at the Albert Hall (think she had corporate freebies), which was nice of her. It was, however, an unremarkable date (we didn’t meet again) and I don’t recall being blown away by the gig. Which pretty much sums up my attitude to Weller’s works. I’m really not that keen. That is, EXCEPT, this album. I haven’t listened to this in years. I wish it hadn’t been so long, as I love it now as much, maybe more, than I did when it came out. It strikes some hitherto unknown blend of poppy, soul and 60s/70s rock nostalgia that just sits in some kind of unique sweet spot for me. Not a bad song on this one, and such a nice chill vibe. What is bugging me is I can’t remember if aforementioned date liked Weller. I have a vague recollection she wasn’t that arsed either. Which probably set the tone all round. Anyway, matters not.
Midrate pop songs with a well-mixed instrumental assembly. Not sure why I had to hear it.
Pretty good but the instrumental bits are more my style than the rest of the album I think
Fantastic vocals. Unexpected combo of rock + blues + soul + folk. Couple of the tracks are skippable, then a couple nice ballads, and then bangers giving me Chicago vibes (good flutes in Holy Man?. Saved several tracks.
If beige was a sound. I can't get past these absolutely generic lyrics.
Trop lent
I’ve been a fan of Weller’s work in The Jam (two albums in the 1,001) and Style Council (one album), so had hopes for this. Fine, nothing special.
Couple good songs. Was better than I expected
Saturday, 18 July, 2026 Great album. Firmly entrenched in middle aged dad rock. But as a middle aged man, I loved it.
Hard pass. 2
Not sure who this is exactly, but this album seems derivative and twenty years older than it is.
This is definitely quite a departure from the other stuff I know Paul Weller from (the Jam, obviously.) This is not any mod revival stuff and instead features mainly singer-songwriter, acoustic-leaning rock songs, with a couple 'weird' tracks thrown about the album. I personally find the lyrics a bit numbing, it just - most of the time - sounds like a bunch of sentimental nothingness put together. Even though it sounds a bit harsh, It just falls short about 90% of the time for me. I do how admire a bit how Weller gave up on the Jam at their peak, and did his own thing, but when it comes to the actual solo stuff by him, I don't think it's for me. Highlight Song/s: "Instrumental (Part 1)" and "All the Pictures on the Wall"
The Jam album was better
For me, it's like listening to an old friend.
Weird. If I didn't have the date it was released I would think it was about 20 years older.
mediocre
Actually really enjoyed this. High 2s.
Album #121: Wild Wood - Paul Weller Genre (W): Rock Singles: Sunflower, Wild Wood, Hung Up I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: This was a pretty boring album. I don’t have anything to say about its dullness. Favorite songs: Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, The Weaver
Really impressed. Didn't think I would like it this much, but I ended up liking a lot of the tracks on here. The first half was definitely stronger than the second, but there weren't any skips for me. The guitar sounded amazing Favorite track(s) Can You Heal Us (Holy Man) Wild Wood All The Pictures On The Wall Country Shadow Of The Sun
I'm not familiar with this music. The name Paul Weller rings a remote bell but I couldn't say why. He has a good voice. Nice bluesy feel to the music. Good amount of soul, groove, and emotion. I find this music engaging and interesting. Has My Fire Really Gone Out? features a nice layered jam - I find that satisfying. I liked Holy Man - reprise too. The overall mood, sound, approach of Weller on this album grew on me as the album continued. A very good sign of a work that has lasting value. I'd say this deserves no less than four stars.
Mid. Boring. No place on this list. The only half interesting moment is "Holy Man (reprise)"... Why not bring that vibe to the full song?
Not bad.
chill. groovy. riffs. jam.
Finally got an album that I haven’t heard and something that I wouldn’t seek out. Over all the compositions were good. Too many acoustic songs for my liking but overall would give it a second listen
I liked this. It's simultaneously anachronistic and idiomatic of 90s singer-songwriter. Eclectic blend, motivating arrangements, and more than just I-IV-V drivel.
Decent blues rock record for a contemporary artist. Never heard of this guy before but it’s a familiar sound as he was influenced by some of the early rock greats, but it’s decent.
I might have to get the book so I can understand the rationale for some of these albums being included. Perhaps there was a category for best super market background album? Even then, it's hard to believe this was the best.
Not my thing. It is too close to country for my liking and in general boring.
A couple of good songs and the rest is listenable
Nothing particularly special but some good songs. Close to a 4
Very good. I will definitely listen again.
as far as paul weller goes, this wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be but it was instantly forgettable
Not worth listening to again.
I'll admit that the first vocals I heard had me worried I was in for an hour of classic rock radio slop, but I was pleasantly mistaken. Still not 100% sold on the vocals but the instrumentation was too good to pass up
James Taylor meets Eric Clapton. Sad album from the earlier works.
Perfectly fine, but it's not exactly the Jam is it.
Perfect
The book authors' British bias is showing again. This is alright, but it is definitely not worthy of being on this list. Sunflower was a great track, but the rest weren't anything special. Decent, easy listening rock and roll but not "must listen to before I die" great. (3)
Mod father is doing well.
This was a wild ride. I'd never heard of Paul Weller before today, but I think I really like his stuff. His voice (both literally and metaphorically) is really interesting and varied and he reminded me of Rick Astley and Lou Reed at times. I couldn't really pin down his style or genre, which I kinda enjoyed, and I was humming along and enjoying listening pretty much the whole time. I'm not sure if I'd listen again, but I've developed a healthy respect for it. Four stars.
Enjoyable stuff. Nice variety of vocals and backing music, at times sounded like something Damian Albarn would come up with but then more conventional in other moments. Lots of good songs and felt an easy listen. Benefit of the doubt 4.
I listened to the deluxe version of the album, which may have been a mistake as it ended up being a 43-track monster. It was a constant hit-and-miss situation. While it is certainly far from bad, I couldn't help but feel that some of it was entirely dull. It's a major complaint I have with these songwriting "legends": they create so-called brilliant tracks purely on the merit of their lyrics / poetry. On the title podium track, "Wild Wood," the lyrics take centre stage. NO...they need to step back to the middle of the stage and let the acoustic-blended rock/folk shine. This is especially true when your vocals are the equivalent of a mono brow; it makes all the lyrically led songs bleed into the exact same groove, and you just get annoyed by the moderate funk going on behind it. Otherwise, when done well, they create a nice, chilled rock vibe without feeling lazy. "5th Season" though (even on the second disc) is about as good as it gets, serving as an example of a much better blended, musically talented track. It has a bright, rustic production with a great soul to it. Just a fantastic jam of musical talent. Almost certainly deserves to be on this list and a question of taste in my opinion as lots to like objectively.
An album that treads a line between great and annoying. Between artistic and pretentious. I had to listen twice through in an attempt to formulate an opinion. On the one hand, there is loads of good stuff in here. It's interesting varied musically, the production value is great and everything sounds awesome. You can hear the great musicianship throughout. On the other hand, it feels a bit self congratulatory and you can feel his ego coming through the music. This was so close to edging into the higher marks, but I think the deciding factor was the lack of bite or edge. It was all a bit clean and polished. I prefer a bit of grit to my rock music.
Kinda nice at times. It's weird to me that this is the guy from the Jam. Even though I kinda liked this album, it's definitely pretty lame to go from the Jam to this. Favorite track: Sunflower
Throughout the album, I am getting hints of the Duane Allman Band, but the comparison is weak. It is good rock, but no greatness there. 2.5/5
70s punk/mod/rock band 80s pop idol 90s singer songwriter Almost like a glory hunter.....? This album is drippy and I've heard it dozens of times. Should've stuck with the Jam.
Another album I'm guessing is on here because it came out when the guy who made the list was in his 20's. 1,001 albums is a lot of albums and I guess you've got to have some stuff like this on there, but this was very instantly forgettable. Certainly not bad, though.
Not my cup of tea as the Englishman would say. The Jam are great but that’s it for me.
Great guitar and vocals. Just a little too long but long live The Jam
This was so forgettable. The first song teased something different and unique but the rest did not follow suit
This is the first album since I started this project that I had never even heard of prior to listening! Funny enough, by total coincidence I heard Paul Weller's band, The Jam, for the first time ever yesterday while listening to the Butthole Surfers' influences playlist they have on their artist Spotify page. I actually really liked what I heard from The Jam! This... not as much. Now I will say some tracks (Wild Wood, All The Pictures On The Wall) have a little bit of a Cat Stevens feel and I like those a lot. They don't have the overwhelming modern elements many other tracks lean a bit too much on that to me make it feel much less intimate and much more like pretty much any other early 90's easy listening/folk-rock. I can definitely feel that Weller has some Motown/Soul influences, which I can appreciate, especially in the bass parts. MUCH more neo-soul in the back half of the record. I will always appreciate this movement in music though, mainly because it led to the much-deserved rise in popularity of Nick Drake's music. Overall the album does make me nostalgic despite having never heard it before, it reminds me of something my parents would have had in their big 5-disc CD player that always played while cleaning the house on a nice spring day with the windows open. This album would fit in well amongst their Van Morrison, Ben Harper, Cat Stevens, and Harry Connick, Jr. (A note though - there is one song on this album that falls squarely into the category of "songs that enrage me with no real justifiable reason," and that is Moon On Your Pyjamas. Oh my god. It feels like an original song in a made-for-TV feel good family movie in the absolute worst way)
Ok, pojma nimam, kar je super, da mam spet neki neznanega (po hitrem wiki, se sicer podučim, da je Paul iz meni ljubega banda, The Jam! Kot najstnica sm še majco mela, ki sm si jo sama nardila, ker kle okol valjda nism dobla The Jam majce). Se pravi, ne tok nepoznanega. Kul. "Sunflower", prvi komad, je dejansko hud. "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" mi je tekom komada ratal tud zmer bl všeč. Mi je pa podobn vajb vse skp, k drugi solo male albums po razpadu banda, ha - k Beatle albumi po Beatlih ipd. Je pa zelo of the time sounding, in a bad way. Produkcija sicer zveni dobr, sama glasba zveni amazing, hudo se sliš vsa glasbila, bolj mislim stil glasbe. Vsak komad bi bil loh uporabljen za sountrack nekega TV filma iz early 90s & zvenel bi kul, človek bi po možnosti v momentu še komentiral, "kul komad", sam po bi pa takoj pozabil vse detajle komada, ker so kinda forgettable. Un k velikrat napišem, vse se blenda skp, nič ne izstopa posebej. Spet vajb, da bi sred Amerike šla v nek lokaln pajzl in bi nek random lokaln band igral svojo muzko. Fajn, ampak not memorable. Na določene momente me, sploh vokal, spomne na Joe Cockerja. Mja, na tej točki ("The Weaver") sm že bored & annoyed, da je 55 minut enakih komadov.
6/10. Buen disco, entra con un temazo y después es bastante consistente. No mucho más que agregar.
Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - Great return to form for Weller. I'm not a big fan of The Style Council but this is closer to the level of The Jam. Sunflower and Wild Wood are both brilliant, classic tracks early on. The next section is also strong, with Has My Fire Really Gone Out? Country and The Weaver are great too. Shadow Of The Sun is fantastic and the Holy Man reprise is a great touch. Moon On Your Pyjamas is really good and Hung Up wraps things up nicely. Fantastic album.
Decent 4
Uninspiring.
It’s all good but not memorable
felt average
4/5
Very enjoyable album but the middle part isn’t that great.
4/5
Bland, feels like "Rock paint by numbers". Nothing wrong with it, but also nothing really right with it either.
So underrated by me but really enjoyed
I love this album. I think it’s his best solo album.
The third incarnation of Mr Weller and a return to some of the things which characterised the sound of the Jam.
Whether it’s with the Jam, Style Council or on his own, Weller always delivers. Calmed me down while sat in a very long traffic queue to get into Warwick university
One of those albums that's a soundtrack to an important stage in your life and therefore difficult to be objective about. But it still sounds fresh after all these years. Love the mature songwriting and retro rock vibe. A nostalgic 4*
I don't enjoy this version of Weller, he can be much more experimental.
You can’t be naming your instrumentals like this
I enjoy this album, but it didn't stand out to me as very unique. It was a good listen, but I would not call it a must-listen. I'm still going to give it a decent rating because I did enjoy the music quite a bit, Paul Weller's voice is very good. My mom would like this one. Favorite track(s): "Country," "5th Season"
What an incredible album. you first turn it on and you think into yourself : This is 1993 grunge, metal, Hip hop, all kinds of new and exciting genres are popping off under the umbrella of alternative music.And this guy's decided to come out with a mid seventies, pop rock album. But as you listen, you realize that every track has been poured over deep instrumentation, thought provoking lyrics, and there's a moment in every track where you think to yourself is this the same song that started a few minutes ago. It may be a bit long, but i'm gonna give it an extra star because of how much I just thoroughly enjoyed pretty much every moment of this.
Immaculate vibes, but a little messy.
This reminds me of the Todd Rundgren album I had on here. Really good guitar based almost-progressive pop music.
Fun to bike to
I'm convinced that modern albums written in vintage styles are some of the best music out there. The 70s got a lot right about music, and when that ethos is refined by modern production and sensibility, the product is often exquisite. This album sounded like a 70s album. It had the same soulful quality found in Derek & the dominoes and many other albums we've heard from the time. The instrumentation and songwriting were very good. I was surprised to learn this was one half of Style Council, because I found Weller's sound to be different from what I knew of theirs, but I think the talent for composition is carried over. Everything is just in such good taste; would love to listen again
Very glad to see this one pop up! Had forgotten that I own this CD, possibly because it's filed under "W" in my tall CD rack, which means it's near the bottom. ;) I've been a big fan of Paul Weller since discovering The Jam in college, and then The Style Council came along in 1982, in a totally different (but also good) direction. This one (from 1993) initially escaped my notice, but I have a vague recollection of hearing (at some point - later) that it's good, and picking it up somewhere, probably a used CD store. But, to be honest, I haven't listened to it much. I've listened to it 2 or 3 times today, though, and/but I'm having a little difficulty rating it. It's very good, but I don't think great. Not sure if it's the record's fault, or if I'm just unfocused today, but it has tended to recede into the background, a little bit. But I suspect it would hold up pretty well to repeated listens? And, as I said, the overall quality is very good. And the variety, too. I like the 2 little instrumentals, as a way to . . . mix things up? Cleanse the palate? It's between a 3 and a 4, and I'm gonna perhaps give in a little bit to nostalgia, and transferred positive feelings from The Jam and The Style Council, and give it a (low) 4.
say it with me! BRIT. BIAS. It's okay. Nothing too interesting or inventive. My favorite parts are the instrumental passages.
I first heard this in the late 90s and loved it. At the time, even though I was a fan, I didn't clock the absolute devotion to Traffic on display. And really that whole class of 70s British rock. But it's a well crafted homage that still sounds like Weller at its core. These days im more a fan of The Jam or Style Council but still enjoyed this one a great deal
Pretty solid
Cool guitar sound, as well as the overall recording quality. Unfortunately, the songs don't offer anything special
Middle aged man fever dream material
This isn't bad, it's just soooooooooo boring... Honestly this is probably closer to 3, but it is just so boring and I'm so not in the mood for this right now. High 2
Not bad. Not immediately striking, but the guitar playing is great. Gives me Ben Harper vibes.
Basic and bland. Nothing that stands out but ok as background fodder. 3/5
I enjoyed the album overall and it made me want to go search for some music from his group The Jam. Album was a little long for my taste, but it was a nice listen.
Like a cross between Cat (Yusuf) Stevens and Bob Segar
I was surprised
Not too bad. Rock with kind of an indie blues feel to it?
Goooooopd
Well, that was bland and unremarkable. The short instrumental tunes were honestly the best part of this album.
nice enough
Pleasant
Paul's a fine player and the music is pretty groovy; very easy to kick back & listen to. Would pair nicely with a nice cold one while sitting around the campfire. But it also feels a tad unremarkable at times, and (arguably) does not belong on this list.
This is a hard one for me. There were spots on this where I thought certain songs or even the whole album were going to be great. But it never quite lived up to what I was hoping. Portions of songs were very good, and just when I thought it might soar, it just didn't. There's elements in here that are similar to other artists I like such as Marc Cohn (especially All the Pictures On the Wall), John Hyatt, or Jack Johnson. I just didn't feel like it ever was as complete as I was hoping. Still, a solid effort and worth listening to.
Pretty decent easy listening mellow rock. Wasn't familiar with the artist or his band the Jam prior to this list. Enjoyed Wild Wood, Has My Fire Really Gone Out, and Shadow of the Sun.
4.5
This is one of those albums where I don’t understand the low rating of, but at the same time I kind of do. Sure, this isn’t a very 90’s sounding album, but it was really good regardless, so whatever. That’s such an odd complaint that I saw more than a few times. If this is something you’d hear in a doctors office, send me to that doctor immediately, I’ll pay them extra. Not going to lie to you, this album surprised the hell out of me. Never heard of Paul Weller before, and I do agree with the review that says you probably don't need to listen to every album that England ever released between the years of 1960-2020, but this one really hit me in a good way. Love his voice, love the guitar playing, and just love the overall vibe. You could consider this both a positive and a negative, but for being released in the early 90's, this was unique for sure. I'd have guessed it was released in like the 70's or something. It's kind of timeless in that sense. This guy was in 2 other bands I've never heard of before, so I kind of want to compare and listen to what he sounded like back in the day, as this album came out much later in his career. While others have mentioned how unremarkable this album is as a whole, I strongly disagree. I thought virtually every song was catchy as hell, and found this easy to play on repeat, with a terrific production, and a great sound overall. I had many favorites on this album that I added to the usual rotation, but the ones that really stood out to me are "Has My Fire Really Gone Out?", "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)”, "Sunflower", and my personal favorite song on the album, "Shadow Of The Sun". Something specifically about the guitar solos just hits perfectly. It's not that I dislike the singing, the singing is fine. Arguably it's the weakest element of the album, keeping it from a 5. Whenever the guitar hits though, it's unbelievably good and keeps me coming back for another listen. I will be checking out more from Paul Weller, and I'm very glad to have heard this today. Excellent album here.
Keine Ahnung wie das auf der Liste gelandet ist, niemand MUSS das hören, totally unremarkable
Paul never topped The Jam, but he's one of the greats.
I've always loved the wild wood remix by Portishead! And I still only prefer the remix. I've heard this album once or twice and I this listen has reminded why it never sticks in my head, and why I'm not a huge fan of it!
I swear I will listen to it later.
Really boring. KEEP THESE WHITE MEN AWAY FROM THE ACOUSTIC GUITARS
I guess Paul Weller is kinda well known. I wasn't in the know. It's Joe Cocker-ish, very pleasant. Fantastic voice, great production. This is a pleasant surprise. I'm seldom a fan of slow songs coming out jams, so Moon On Your Pyjamas was a bit too shmaltzy. Nice wrap up with Hung Up. A solid choice if you enjoy to Joe Cocker and all of his adjacent sounds. the guitar work is solid as well.
Relatively bland acoustic pop, which apart from some decent guitar work is uninspiring.
This album seems to be consistently good, but it doesn't exactly make it special. It feels like it needs some nostalgia attached to it to give it that extra umph
All very samey
It’s OK, you know. I don’t know.
Great
Excelente álbum, me encantó
Overall Rating - 3.07/5 (6.13/10). Nothing particularly memorable, but not bad. A pleasant listen.
super !!
This was alright, nothing too special. I still enjoyed it though. For some reason, the short instrumental tracks were some of the more interesting parts of this album.
I expected a lot more from Mr Weller, but this was pretty meh.
3.5
2.5
*Wild Wood* This is about as 70s as it gets... But with a 90s production. Paul definitely found his inner Seals & Crofts, and dare I say a bit of Nick Drake influence on this album. I can't call this "essential", but it is a very good album (8.25) ★★★★
Nice pop/rock. 4 stars
I thought this was kind of a boring album. I generally like Paul's stuff with the Jam and dislike his stuff with the Style Council, but this is like a weird third option that kind of sounds like a British Blues Traveller or something. 2.5 stars.
3.5
It isn’t very good in the dark, dark wood. The Wild Wood on the other hand is great. After the disintegration of Style Council where they tried to submit a deep house record to the label and got rejected and a pretty flat, unremarkable soul-heavy self-titled solo debut in 1992, Weller really goes back to his roots here and weaves a super rich, earthy blend of classic rock, moody mod and even a bit of folk that ever so presages the entire Britpop movement. Lots of Beatles. Lots of early Steve Winwood. Pinch of Zep. The eerie title track is an obvious go-to stunner but The Weaver is an especially walloping mid-album highlight and the vintage guitars and keyboards just sound fantastic and crunching throughout. 4.5 stars. This and Stanley Road should both be in the book.
The Jam are self proclaimed to be the biggest band in the 70s British punk scene... Now, I didn't experience the 70s British punk scene first hand, but I absolutely listen to a lot of 70s punk, and that listening almost never involves The Jam while I do listen to a lot of British bands like The Clash to Gang Of Four to Crass to The Damned to The Slits (and so on and so forth down into the depth of less mainstream bands who don't claim to be the biggest band in the 70s British punk scene). So I think Paul Weller, who was a big part of The Jam, may have an over inflated view of himself and his worth, and it also seems this list is only contributing to that over inflation. This album is nothing special in any way.
Oh, wild, you say?
Pretty enjoyable!
Pretty good. A lot of Soul and R&B thrown in which makes it much more listenable than other Brit Pop/Rock.
2026.05.20.
Could probably name you two tracks from this album after three relistens. 2.5, rounding up
Before I die? This couldn't be more 3/5. 1993, by the time the book was released it was well known this album wasn't destined for a list like this. Can we be serious with some of these UK picks? I don't know if I could be more biased if I tried to making a list like this, "why not all 4 Harvey Danger albums"
It sounds fine, but not much was resonating with me. Dad Rock wasn’t having its moment yet…
Really enjoyed the first two tracks, rest of album was a bit meh
album #56 when sunflower started, i got SO excited because wow...that must mean this will be a banger! unfortunately, it was dull as dishwater for the rest of the album lol. does not deserve it's place on the list, i am afraid! much love to paul weller though ꩜ average track rating: 2.6/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): sunflower ꩜ least favourite track(s): all of the others lol ꩜ album rating: ★★⯪☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,033 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 31 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 12 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 44
Ihan jees. 3,25/5.
...
Leuk album. Luistert makkelijk weg.
Pretty enjoyable overall but not very memorable for me. I would relisten to it at some point.
Some of these songs were great. Some of these songs strayed too close to the John Mayer zone. Moon On Your Pyjamas was an abomination.
Bom
Helt grei kl 16 festival musikk
3.5 y termina muy bien
not the best Weller but still decent
1993? Wow! This guy should have been huge. No idea how the US slept on him. Guess we were busy with grunge.
Ok! Some 90's blues rock, that'll work for today! Ok, the production is good, I wonder when the album will start to shine... Ok... I'm still waiting... This is so vanilla milk toast... The instrumental tracks were about the only thing that actually stood out to me... The rest of it all floated away during my dull Saturday morning walk. The lyrics were blah, the voice was ok sometimes, but not really. All in all, it was just Ok.
Holy Man is a banger. The rest is lame
Pretty nice
I dug the first song, then the rest kind of just became slow and quiet. Put me to sleep. It is still subjective and it is art, so I won't dock it points.
Has a nice deep voice and good delivery. Reminds me of Jon Hiatt.
i like the passion behind this one. not my usual cup of tea but a nice listen overall. was surprised to hear some more alternative sounds mixed in there.
I enjoyed this one!
Not for me. Kind of boring/generic rock. Nothing really special.
What great rainy day album to hear on a rainy day! Who knew? This album has made it to my purchase list of vinyl to look for. I enjoyed raw sound of his voice and the laidback approach to his music.
Boring music for old people
I've always been a fan of The Jam and somewhat of Style Council but have never listened to Paul Weller solo. I really enjoyed this sounds a little like a Traffic record. 3.5 stars
Nice folk tinged British classic rock sound, not what I expected from Mr. Weller at all.
I enjoyed this album - very 1970s rock.
It is yet another dull record from the British Isles. It has cool guitars and some interesting moments but it is not a noteworthy album by any means. 7/10 [DROP]
Unexpected but not unwelcome. 3.5
No bad songs but a little boring. Nothing really stuck out to me. But didn't feel the need to turn it off it was more like background music. Sometimes it got a little more exciting but overall a little bland
Сара 3 Марко 3,5/4
There’s a fine line between mellow and mind-numbing, and this album sprints past it. Every track blurs into the next in a fog of nothingness, like being trapped in a lukewarm cup of herbal tea. Wild Wood isn’t bad in an interesting way unfortunatelty it’s just bad in the most unforgivable way: completely, crushingly forgettable.
a really smooth rock album, with some folk and gospel influence. wikipedia just lists it as "rock". huh. a pleasant surprise, this one. this album came out in the 90s but the musical stylings in place legit make it sound like this album came out in the 70s. sounds like something that would play on a yacht rock fm radio station. very smooth sailin' all throughout... i think i got more productive working on stuff as i listened!
luv! great sunday listen
I've never been so bored listening to an album. And I don't mean bored like"Oh I've heard this type of stuff before." No, I mean bored like "There isn't a single solitary nanosecond of anything interesting going on here." ZERO STARS
I'm afraid the problem with Paul Weller is that he's terribly boring. This is a long way from offensive, and at its absolute best sounds a little like a poor man's Cat Stevens or Van the Man, but it's so bland it beggars belief. All the songs are almost identical, his voice never alters mood or style and it's very long. I don't hate it or anything, because it can't inspire that level of emotion.
Polished and engaging, great road listening!
3/10
A blantantly inoffensive record with a few decent - good songs that get a nod out of my life. Sort of like Woodface, but with added swagger. See you later down the line (5/10, 2/5 on this scale)
3/5. I wasn't familiar with this artist prior to this listen. I'm pretty impressed, especially given the poor reviews that pull down this album's rating. It's not a bucket list album by any means, but the songs are all decent and the production is pristine. The genre is pretty safely blue-eyed soul, swinging between rock and singer songwriter influences from song to song. Some really good blues rock riffs offer some higher energy when you're tired of some of the perfectly executed but remarkably standard genre main stays. Although I do agree with many negative reviews that there are certainly other albums more deserving of being in this book than this one, I feel bad to see people calling this painfully plain — "room temperature water and unbuttered toast" — because I do feel this album does have merit well beyond the average in ways that most people will struggle to appreciate. I speak mainly of the arrangement and production. As mentioned prior, these are executed perfectly. Organ, piano, brass, woodwinds, guitar, vocals, synth, everything comes together with laser precision. The mastery here is more scientific than it is artistic. It's understandable that lots of people don't appreciate it when listening to music, but the mastery is there all the same.
A new artist to me, I didn’t find or feel anything remarkable here.
Weller doing another change of direction. Leaning even further into his soulful side
Singer-songwriter: 80 eme album =>2/5 J'avais trouvé 'All Mod Cons' de The Jam dynamique mais peu original (noté 2/5), là l'album n'est pas du tout original (absolument aucun intérêt). En plus il est très mou, très ennuyeux et trèèèès long. Pas désagréable par ailleurs, il passe en musique de fond sans problèmes.
I had never before heard of paul weller but this album truly surprised me! Loved pretty much every single track and this is one I'd love to come back to.
Meh
Pleasant, but unmemorable the next day
good
some super not high but decent notes, kinda like a rollercoaster for kids where the climax is a tiny hill
5/10 What do I know about Paul Weller apart from the “Wellend” haircut and his work with The Jam? Not a lot, really. He’s always embodied his “modfather” persona in my mind and it’s not an aesthetic that’s particularly drawn me in at any point. I was actually quite surprised by this album, because I wasn’t really expecting its blend of lightweight soul and 70s rock, and it was a pretty pleasant listen. I found myself toe-tapping along to a lot of it, it had some nice grooves and the performances across the board were pretty strong. It was also really well produced, with everything coherently laid together and presented in a very easy to digest tone. Unfortunately, it also just wasn’t very exciting or memorable. It was in no way bad, but even after three listens, nothing really stuck with me. I enjoyed it a reasonable amount while it was playing, but nothing hooked me, or stuck out to me as special in any way. It was kind of like a sonically updated take on 70s rock, but designed to be played in home furnishing stores. There was no edge, no bite and not really any particularly memorable hooks. His voice is pretty nice, but he doesn’t do anything interesting with it and ultimately, it all just felt a bit empty. After 3 complete listens, the only thing I can remember at this point is the melody from the final song, which was actually one of the more memorable across the album, but I have no real desire to go back through this again, particularly at it’s over-long running time of over 50 minutes. I did decide that 15 tracks was enough, and ducked out of reviewing the bonus track, so that probably tells something of a story. 90s album runtimes have a lot to answer for. Sunflower - Quite a pleasant start, it’s got a decent groove and swagger to it with an edge of insistence in the drums. Some of the background instrumentation seems a little unnecessary. Some nice bits of guitar, but nothing overly hooky. It’s ok, but there’s nothing in there that really grabs me. I think it just sounds a bit generic like an updated on 70s blue-rock with 90s production. Can You Heal Us (Holy Man) - This is a nice, smooth bluesy soul number. The verses are really good, but I don’t really like the chorus at all. It loses the flow and easy groove of the verses and feels too stilted and straight. The guitar and bass lines in the verses re great, and his voice is great too. Really earthy and warm. Shame about that crappy chorus though. Wild Wood - Again, there’s a nice swagger to this, but ultimately, I find it a bit dull. It’s ok and the performances are all good, but it just doesn’t really say anything to me or have any particularly memorable moments. It just feels like it happens until it stops happening. Instrumental (Pt 1) - This has a decent blend of parts, but it doesn’t really progress anything and just sort of sits here being fairly pleasant but not actually going anywhere. The most exciting bit happens when a sax starts coming in… during the fadeout. A very strange inclusion and pretty much unnecessary on an album that’s too long. All The Pictures On The Wall - This has got a little bit more to it. There’s decent developments and it has a great groove that’s built well across bass, guitar and drums which dance around each other nicely. The brief additions of the organ add an extra bit of flavour too. I can’t say it’s particularly memorable or something I’m likely to hurry back to, but I’m quite enjoying my time with it for now. Has My Fire Really Gone Out? - It’s another modern take of a 70s bluesy rock number. Again, this feels competently executed, but there’s nothing there in the composition that grabs me beyond it being a pleasant listen. There are no edges to grip on to, and when he does ramp it up with a bit more intensity, it’s way too splashy and jars against the fairly easy listening tone of the rest of the track. This is all just a little on the beige side for me. And I’m not sure what the weird bass pulse at the end has to do with anything. Country - This is just bland. There’s not any of the swagger or groove present on the rest of the album, it feels somewhat emotionless, and there’s still nothing in there that I can grab on to. It just repeats itself for three and a half minutes, but just doesn’t speak to me in any way at all. Instrumental Two - Another unnecessary instrumental to bulk up the running time? There’s some nice little bits of production in here, but it just feels tacked on. 5th Season - A decent groove again that pulses along quite nicely. There’s some really good playing on here, with the guitar, piano and harmonica adding some really nice pieces of tonal rhythm into the piece. This one is actually pretty good. There’s nothing particularly hooky about it, but it’s carried really well by the playing and the general groove across the band. But the most engaging parts are definitely the instrumental sections. The Weaver - This reminds me of something that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s inoffensive, the playing is solid and it’s actually got a half decent chorus. The feel and groove of this one is pretty good and it’s one of the hookier efforts on the record thus far. There were still bits where I felt like it drifted a little though, so I’m still not completely convinced. The cadence of his delivery and some of the melodic motifs he used were quite overused too, which was a shame. Instrumental (Pt 2) - Ooooh, the second part of the first unnecessary instrumental track? Yes please. /s Foot Of The Mountain - This is similar in vibe to Country from earlier, much more sparse than much of the rest of the album, but again, I don’t really connect with what he’s trying to portray with this. It kind of just sounds a bit like one of those performances you’d hear from one of the better singer songwriter performances at an open mic night. Shadow Of The Sun - This is a bit rambling and feels pretty easy-listening. Fairly pleasant, but a bit empty. As with much of the album, the performances are of really good quality, it’s cleanly and coherently produced, he’s a good singer, but it just doesn’t really do anything for me. And I’ve no idea why this track has to be seven and a half minutes long. Holy Man (Reprise) - In an already too long album, we get a reprise to the second track on the second to last track. It’s pretty good, as it was the first time we heard it. Moon On Your Pyjamas - This is a bit odd, it feels like the weakest vocal performance on the album, despite being one of the most exposed songs due to the clean nature of a lot of the instruments. There are just moments where his vocal doesn’t quite deliver the control he’s shown elsewhere. It’s actually quite a nice song, even if it’s a tad cheesy, and melodically it actually feels like one of the stronger tracks on the record. A nice way to end.
Lives it!! New favourite
Boring
This album was like a brick wall for me. Country music from a guy from England. Just not my thing. Although it's being a little hypocritical because I love the Canadian 80s bands that would purposely sing with British accents.
2/5 Hm.
On Wild Wood, Paul Weller trades the sharp edges of his past for a warm, rootsy glow, crafting a soulful throwback that leans heavily on pastoral moods and ‘70s-inspired textures. It’s not exactly a thrill ride—Weller sticks close to a mellow lane throughout—but there’s a quiet confidence in how these songs settle in and breathe. “Sunflower” opens things up with shimmering, arpeggiated guitar work that feels instantly inviting, while “Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)” taps into a dusky, vintage soul groove, even if its horn section frustratingly waits until the song’s final stretch to fully bloom. Elsewhere, “Has My Fire Really Gone Out?” drifts into a folky, almost rustic space, its harmonica adding a worn-in charm, and “Foot of the Mountain” channels the introspective spirit of Nick Drake with its gentle strum and hushed melancholy. It may lack dynamism, but Wild Wood is a cohesive, quietly rewarding listen that finds Weller more interested in feel than flash—and mostly succeeding on those terms.
Nothing to get too excited about. No bad songs but no real standout songs either.
No me gustó :(
Love this album. Listened to it as lot back in the 00's. Great to hear it again
Not bad vocals, and songs.
Cool! I'd never heard anything from Paul outside of The Jam... great, another discography to explore. 4 stars
I never heard of Paul Weller. Seems like British alt rock. It's easy listening. The title track (Wild Wood) is decent.
Not so much a "bad" album, but there was nothing about it that would hook me and make me revisit it. So, just, why?
Like everyone else, this was painfully dated and dad rock in feel - from the raspy vocals to the Johnny Lang-pretending to be BB King-but not even as famous as Johnny Lang overall vibe. The instrumental tracks were best, and 'Country' was okay but this was otherwise pretty mediocre - and borderline annoying in its mediocrity.
Knowing nothing about Paul Weller, his songs have a sharpness to them. They have a bit of bite, as if Paul really knows what he is singing about. Definitely one to explore more.
Album #71, Paul Weller, Wild Wood, ⭐⭐ This is going to be a harsh review for a decent album, but I just don’t get it. I like Paul Weller, or at least I respect him anyway. I really like The Jam. He’s a legend for his work with them. But could somebody some context? Was this a big album? Was it a significant album? I’ve read online that it was his comeback, but I kind of just feel a little bit like, so what? It’s not a bad album, but it’s nowhere near as good as other albums on this list. There’s nothing particularly interesting about it. I can hear the influences. I can hear Van Morrison, Neil Young, Eric Clapton. I can hear The Band. But I just don’t know why I wouldn’t rather be listening to them than this. Very little of it grabbed me. It’s too long, and it commits the mortal sin that’s pretty much unforgivable. It bored me. I was quite bored throughout, and looking back on it, I don’t really recognise or remember any of the songs. The only one that really dug its hooks into me was “Pictures on the Wall”, which I thought was a lovely tune. Paul Weller has a good voice, very soulful, and it suits the music well. Songs take little turns into jazzy territory and there are a few small electronic touches throughout, but more or less very little interesting happens on the album. Maybe I don’t know enough about his solo career to understand if this was a big shift from The Style Council and The Jam. I’m just not sure about the context behind it. This is the first time I’ve really questioned an inclusion on the list. Even albums I didn’t like, like Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent, I could understand why they’re here because they were cultural phenomena. This one, I don’t get. I hate awkward silences. When I have people over, I always stick on music in the background that’s easy to ignore, just so the room never goes dead quiet. I usually go with Bill Callahan, who I really like, but I’ll keep this one in my back pocket because it’s perfect dinner party music that nobody has to pay attention to. To steal a phrase from The Simpsons, it’s a perfectly cromulent album. But it’s not an album I felt I needed to hear before I die, and that’s not what I got into this for.
I didn't know if I would like this album, but it has been surprisingly great! There is a great and cohesive structure, not redundant at all and with so many enjoyable and sometimes even beautiful songs. I am not a big fan of the instrumental songs of this record, but I can't deny they create an atmosphere that builds the album up, making it a bit more varied and interesting too. So, I've found this listening one very pleasant one. And I've really enjoyed this album so much.
We live in an imperfect world. The US sport of American football is only open to 32 teams, and yet the winner each season has the title of world champions. 20 years ago, someone decided to write a book called the 1001 albums to listen to before you die - a bold but foolhardy undertaking, but sure, why not fella. Go for your life. People moaning about this being too British , too middle of the road, not enough ‘insert niche music sub-genre’ - can do one. Enjoy (or not) music you would not ordinarily listen to - surely that is the point of this. The debate is good, highlighting preferred albums is good, if you like this - you might like that is good. Bemoaning the construct while dedicating almost 33 months to this endeavour seems pointless to me. If that floats your boat, fine. If not stop and go back to listening to music you know you know you like.
This album was so boring and uninteresting that I forgot I even listened to it this morning. Legit almost started it again, but thankfully remembered just before I did
I have never heard of Paul Weller! Who is this? Not really my cup of tea. Sounds like something I'd listen to in a coffee shop and not mind I guess. That's harsh. But this is fine. It's fine?
Yeah I really liked this one. Reading about it, some point to it as the bridge from grunge to Britpop. It sounds more like a throwback to Neil Young/60s folk rock with some 90s influence to me, but either way I enjoyed it.
Pleasantly surprised, my only complaint is that this album drags just a bit for my liking
Chill singer/songwriter music
The Modfather at his prime period of his solo albums
I'm a big fan of The Jam and Paul Weller as a British artist is of quite some import, however, we don't need this album on the list. This is right at in the middle of Brit-pop and added more cap doffing by the new bands to Weller, but really, everyone loves his first band and just kind of has this on Radio 2 in the background. Best Tracks: Sunflower; Wild Wood; 5th Season
I love this album, particularly “Wildwood” beautiful melody and words, the rest of the album is fairly good too, Weller on good form
Mid mid-70s rock from the mid-90s.
Really good artist. I have never heart anything from him
Not someone I'm familiar with, but I really enjoyed this one. Sounded soulful and earnest. Can see myself adding it to the weekend afternoon rotation.
An okay album, J liked Wild Wood the most.
Another reviewer on here said that this album sounds like something Paul Weller made for himself, and that sounds accurate. He is clearly enjoying himself. There is range and excellent musicianship. This is probably more interesting for guitar players.
No. 386/1001 Sunflower 4/5 Can You Heal Us 3/5 Wild Wood 3/5 Intrumental - Pt.1 3/5 All The Pictures On The Wall 3/5 Has My Fire Really Gone Out? 4/5 Country 3/5 Instrumental Two 3/5 5th Season 4/5 The Weaver 4/5 Instrumental - Pt. 2 NR Foot Of The Mountain 4/5 Shadow Of The Sun 4/5 Holy Man - Reprise 3/5 Moon On Your Pyjamas 3/5 Hung Up 4/5 Average: 3,47 Unoffensive singer-songwriter record. Was nice to listen to, but nothing that really got me out of my seat.
meh