Reviews (page 8 of 9)
Funky and a treat to listen to.
I had never heard Paul before, and i was surprised at how bluesy this album was.
This is fine. It's rock, and it's not much else. I don't have much more to say. It was fine to listen to.
‘Sunflower’ is a good open. Vocals remind me of Phil Collins. Quite enjoyable. His music still reflects key the Jam influences, but his soul/easy listening twist takes it further. Not what I’d usually reach out to, but a good listen.
-"Sunflower" is a solid jam -"Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" and Has My Fire Really Gone Out?" both become great jams. Also, "5th Season gets into a full jam with keyboard and stuff -"Country" is calmer but has appropriate dynamic changes. Same with "Shadow Of The Sun" -"Hung Up" is fun as well -Only a couple songs that are a bit slow, overall very strong -THIS is how you do softer rock, with actual dynamic changes and not just being slow and boring for the entire album
128th album and this is the first one I bailed on halfway through. I can't take the shitty lyrics and how songs feel like they'd be at home in a non-denominational suburban Christian mega church. Barf.
Very good but need to spend more time with it again to cement 4 stars
Imagine my surprise when I enjoyed the first few tracks of this record, and found out it was one of the members of the Jam, a band I've gotten two albums from on this list. I've been extremely whelmed by the Jam's 60s pastiche, but for some reason, Weller's solo Clapton (and occasional Dylan) pastiche is really working for me. The album is a little bloated, and the old man "Maybe the world will fix itself" ("Moon in your Pyjamas"), first-attempt-at-writing-a-meanful-song lyricisim can grate a little. But it's overall solid. Favorite tracks: "5th Season", "Sunflower", "All The Pictures on The Wall"
Aor
A surprisingly good album. Felt like the guitar playing was well done. Paul’s voice is pretty calming and he does a good job lyrically with the songs. This felt like a very good average singer songwriter album. 6.6/10
The beginning of the mid-life 90s renaissance of one of Britain's more compelling singer-songwriters. Seemingly taking his trajectories (the failure of what was to be The Style Council's early 90s Madchester album) to heart, Paul Weller looked inward and turned up with a collection that ruminated on his prior and then-present fusions of his musicality. One can see where he would go with his next record, the timely and rollicking Stanley Road and one can't help but become entrenched by the ambition that some of the songs on Wild Wood inhabits, if they let it. A nice new chapter in a career full of them. Favorites: Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), All the Pictures on the Wall, Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, 5th Season, The Weaver, Foot of the Mountain, Shadow of the Sun, Moon on Your Pyjamas.
Good sounds for passive listening.
Great and versatile rock album. Can hear lots of different influences/directions in this one, from Britpop, Blues, Folk, Country. Slightly too long but never boring
Today a case of not what I wanted, but perhaps what I needed...day two of a Sunday hangover, lack of sleep and waking to hayfever irritation and strong grumpiness, I was hoping for something fresh, uplifting, something else...I got Weller's Wild Wood...by no means a terrible album, but the thought of the miserable old git deepened my funk. Stepping out to walk the dog, the album covered me with a blanket, told me to stop sulking and let go. His snarky moan warmed by soulful glow and a filthy band
I've never heard any of these songs before but the album still sounds familiar. Basic straight forward guitar rock travelling well worn rock and roll grooves. That said I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Might not be groundbreaking but it is certainly well done. I've decided what this reminds me of. Neil Young if Neil Young had a good voice.
For me, a tad dull
Brilliant. The drums are really interesting, and the rest of the music and lyrics really good too. Not the best Weller album, but very very good
Good enough that I'll be giving it another listen.
Boa vibe. Wild Wood e Country pode ser interessante revisitar.
2.5
Great album, somewhat reminds me of Yusuf Stevens Best Track: Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)
Sunflower certainly is a great song to kick things of. Weirdly Holy Man - Reprise sticks out to me more thant Can You Heal Us (Holy Man). Moon On Your Pyjamas is another fave. Certianly deserves a few more spins.
Mmm. Sounds like classic rock by some American band I've never heard of. Ok bit it's no Jam or Style Council. To answer Paul's question... his fire has gone out. (For this album anyway)
Yes it's fairly generic, yes it is straight up dad rock but I really enjoyed it. I'm not considering joining the middle aged weller cult just yet. There's enough of them round here and I have no desire to stand like a penguin with a broom up my arse in a pair of gazelles, a Fred Perry shirt, a Parker and possibly a baker boy hat over the long sided hairdo. Goldie lookin chain did a good one about the Weller cult when that whole sea shanty thing was a thing.
Weller, Weller, Weller huh! Tell me more, tell me more... Actually, Paul, don't tell me more ive heard enough.
Yeah, it's alright. Not exactly mind blowing or wild
Els primers discos de Paul Weller en solitari estan a l'alçada del millor d'Style Council (no de The Jam), tot i la clara diferència estilística. Aquí Weller reprén les seves influències més pretèrites i entrega un disc de folk rock molt consistent. 'Sunflower' és un dels millors temes de la seva carrera
I didn't quite enjoy this one
I do not think I was familiar with Paul Weller before this album.The album was alright. The dial did not move much throughout the album. I didn't hate it, but I also never reached a point that I thought I needed to relisten to any of the songs again.
Wonderful - so happy to be introduced to this artist!
Weller. (Rolls eyes) Its all very well composed and produced but its all a bit dull. I was never a fan of his voice through all his bands and this problem remains while solo. He tries to achieve some degree of soulfulness and it doesn't hit the spot for me. I like the twanginess of Sunflower. MEHfather. MEH rock.
I know this is meant to be a “classic” but I found it a bit dull tbh.
Great singer and song writer, so good!
Maybe not quite his best (I prefer Illumination) but a very high level of quality is sustained from start to finish and oh was it good to get the Modfather back to recording. It’s a fully worthy installment in the Weller canon, the rest of which certainly should not be slept on. 3.6 > 4.
Love this album filled with classics like wild wood and sunflower especially loved the drumming, and the acoustic guitar. My favorite track was wild wood
I can't say I've followed Paul Weller's career in detail. I do like mostly everything I've heard from The Jam. Coming in sort of neutral. Not neutral anymore; this album is fantastic. At first listen, you get a laid back 70's California Rock feel adding Paul Weller's soulful voice (not a bad thing). But upon further listening, you hear much, much more and appreciate the complexity and maturity of this album as whole. "Has My Fire Really Gone Out" has a blues riff with a harmonica and a killer guitar solo. "Country" is softly acoustic sounding like something off Led Zeppelin III. I had to make sure it wasn't Blind Faith I had on listening to "Foot of the Mountain." Looking at Paul Weller's impressive discography, I'll need to check out more.
Very enjoyable album! I had never heard of Paul Weller before this, and I had only heard of his previous band, The Jam, by name (I couldn't tell you any of their songs). If you played this for me without knowing anything about the record or artist, I would have guessed it was made in the 1970's; it blew my mind when I found out it was from '93 as it does not feel like anything that was coming out at that time. It feels like bar music in the best way possible with strong vocals and instrumentation (especially the drums and acoustic guitars). It had some great rock-and-roll vibes that helped differentiate it from the folky blues genre; however, I will say it kind of fell into generic territory at some points even though the performances were strong throughout. "Country" was a favorite of mine upon first listen, but there were many highlights ('Sunflower, 'Shadow of the Sun', the instrumentals). I would love to listen to it again on a pair of nice speakers to see if any more detail comes out (especially the ending of "Shadow of the Sun"). 3.5/5. NOTE: Not sure why there is a Holy Man reprise when Holy Man does not appear to be a song on this album or the album before it. Weird.
Cool sounding album. Not my favorite but pretty interesting.
I enjoyed this - lovely acoustic sounds, clean production, a relaxing listen.
Nice sounds
This is the second album I've discovered from this project of the post-Jam pre-Britpop Paul Weller years (an era that I had previously heard nothing from) Just as the synth-pop Style Council was a far cry from the punk that brought Weller into the public consciousness, Wild Wood was another stylistic left-turn with a Pearl Jam-esque alternative rock album - it's not quite grunge but it's verrry early 90s. There's some really good stuff on here, and I have a lot of respect for Weller for delivering on such a wide range of genres so confidently throughout his career, but there wasn't too much in the album that really grabbed me
Pretty cool rock album. Nothing mind blowing but solid and interesting.
Some fine rock with nice vocals and horn instruments. I doesn't really excite me, though. A decent listen.
Not as good as I remember.
Not in the City. I bought this at the time but never play it these days.
OK, so Wild Wood itself is one of the best tracks of the early 1990s. The rest of the album, I'd take or leave. But Wild Wood is the tits, yo.
Decent rock
Música melódica. Tranquila muy atonal
Already listened to it
p705. 1993. 4 stars Elder statesman of Brit rock on top form. There is valid school of thought that says Paul Weller is a better songwriter than Elvis Costello, and they are right - there are more good tunes here than in the last 10 Costello albums. One star docked for the faux jazz wankage of the instrumentals - it didn't work with the Style Council, and it doesn't work here - and the vague worry that he is slowly turning into Eric Clapton.
I really like his voice, and the instrumentation here is honestly really great too. Fantastic, clear production. It's maybe not the most unique or original sound but it's executed incredibly well.
Good background album at work for the morning. I can recognize that it's really well made, but it's not something I'd listen to running on the treadmill or in the car. It's the exact kind of music I'd expect to hear as the perfect ambient noise at a cool local coffee spot or a small brewery
Boring dadrock
Apparently, in the mid 1990s, while I was listening to Smashing Pumpkins’ 'Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness'- a really great album- I entirely missed the king of melancholy, Paul Weller, and this, his even greater album, 'Wild Wood.' Man, oh man, this LP opens (‘Sunflower’) with the cleanest, tightest little trio you’ve ever heard: Weller on guitar, Marco Nelson on bass, and the stupendous Steve White on drums. (And a super cool little bridge, to boot. Weller has a nifty way with chords.) This is the way an LP should be recorded and produced. Look, I’m a sucker for old school punk, often (sometimes purposefully) played without a lot of skill, and unfortunately often recorded poorly. Weller, by contrast, has all the passion of punk but delivers it with elegance, a quality virtually unknown among punk rockers. Weller offers variety and versatility throughout, mixing crisp rockers with gorgeous acoustics, and little bits of jazz-folk and British tinged R&B thrown in for good measure. In fact, it’s the little bits of synthesizers and horns and organs and background vocals and such sprinkled tastefully here and there (but never too much, no wasted time or energy, nothing unnecessary) that really give this LP an extra pop. That, and drummer Steve White, who is simply extraordinary. There is simply far too much music going on here to possibly cover in a brief review. I could listen to this LP for the rest of the day, and tomorrow, and the day after that, and keep discovering hidden treasures, spotting new stars winking in the sky. You like Led Zepplin’s acoustic stuff? It’s there on ‘Country.’ How about Tom Petty? ‘Has My Fire Really Gone Out?’ Traffic? Check out the flute and horns on the reprise of ‘Holy Man.’ God, I love this album! Paul Weller is a triple threat. #1. An excellent guitarist, and instrumentalist in general, not unlike Paul McCartney; again, elegant, tasteful. #2. A rich, strong, deep voice that I so love in rock music but don’t often hear. His versatility is admirable, singing tenderly one moment, and then erupting with fury the next. The listener never doubts for a moment that he believes what he’s singing. His vocal integrity is beyond reproach. And, he’s on pitch. And, his diction is so clear that it’s unnecessary to have a copy of the written lyrics on hand for clarification. And, #3, how about those wistful lyrics? Allow me to offer a smattering of lines I would be proud to claim as my own: (‘Wild Wood’) ‘Day by day your world fades away, waiting to feel all the dreams that say: Golden rain will bring you riches, all the good things you deserve now… You’re gonna find your way out of the wild, wild wood.’ (‘Country’) ‘I feel the time we’ve yet to reach is not within our own belief. But I feel sure the time’ll come… ‘ (‘Foot of the Mountain’) ‘Sometimes a great notion can lead you astray, so weak to devotion, so strong to desire… At the foot of the mountain, such a long way to climb. How will I ever get there? Though I know I must try.’ (‘Shadow of the Sun’) ‘… chasing dreams across the fields in the shadow of the sun.’ (‘Moon on Your Pyjamas’) ‘Was that a shooting star I saw? It’s rare for me to make a wish at all. Because I feel that I can only hope, these dangerous times, we are barely afloat. And I hope the world will heal itself, and our worn out souls along with it, so that you will get the chance to say that you have seen a better day. You’ve got the moon on your pyjamas and the stars in your eyes. Sweet child, you’re a dream in disguise. Angels on silver strings hang from above. Let love and laughter shine wherever you go. Through your new eyes I’ve come to see how beautiful my life can be. And I’ll keep this wish this time, I think. And blow it in with a kiss upon your head.’ (Thank you, reader, for indulging me on that last lyric. It was just too beautiful to edit.) God, I love this album! Did I mention that already? And in case there’s any doubt left… I really, really love this album. I even love the cover pic of Weller and his guitar in the dark foreground, but set against a background of colorful, healing lights offering him solace from the troubled thoughts that keep (refer to last track) ‘hanging him up.’ 5/5 x 5 more (because I love this album)
Couldn’t finish.
Bought this when it came out and still love it today. Great songwriting, slow acoustic followed by rocky tracks. This is a dad's-rock album but then that's what I am :-) I suspect a lot of the One-star votes come from young hipsters who've never heard of the Modfather.
A few really nice songs
This is really good. I might have to do it back to back.
Better than expected. Nice and bluesy
I really like the bass on this album. "All The Pictures On The Wall" was really the first song on the album that pulled me in. "5th Season" is also a great song with a good solo. "The Weaver" follows it up with a groovy vocal line. "Shadow Of The Sun" grew on me in the second half with the instrumental jam on the outro it just feels like jamming the homies and brings out good feelings. "Holy Man - Reprise" is also a good feeling jam track. The album ends kinda flat after that, but overall it is a very good album. Having a track called "Instrumental Two" and another named "Instrumental - Pt. 2" is a weird idiosyncrasy, but neither are essential to the album in the way "Instrumental - Pt. 1" is. Having a song that is a reprise of a parenthesised part of another song is also a strange naming convention but that's a good song so I can forgive it.
Really a mediocre experience. I dozed off mid day twice. There’s no sizzle even if the songwriting is okay.
Who dis?
weird as that it's paul weller, weirder that it's from the 90s. Feels like some shitey unknown soft rocker from the mid 70s. expected better.
An interesting album
Like many albums on this list, more varied than I would have expected
Dark western vibes
Light rock. Country-ish. Got about halfway through and just wasn't really feeling it. Wasn't holding my interest.
Yeah, pleasant enough. I preferred Weller as an angry young man in The Jam, and his smoother young adult of the Style Council. His solo stuff captures neither the passion of the former nor the soul of the latter.
This is good morning music. I am finding it a useful tool to focus my energy where I want it after a grumpy start this morning. All The Pictures On The Wall is a good tune. Shadow Of The Sun is another one.
An okay album a few entertaining songs and a above average album
With this album Weller found his authentic voice. (6/10) FT: Wild Wood, Sunflower
Really tough to devide whether it was a 4 or a 5 as its somewhere in between. There are plenty of fantastic songs here, Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), Sunflower, Wildwood, Country, Shadow Of The Sun and Hung Up. The instrumentation is really great, Paul Weller is a truely gifted songwriter and apart from a couple songs too many, this is really flawless. Personal enjoyment was also very positive here.
No doubt he's talented, but this was so. boring.
Började riktigt bra tycker jag. uppmot en fyra men sen blev det lite svagare. hade kunnat skala av det med några låtar. Men jag gillar ju paul weller generellt.
Yep, this impressed me alot more than I anticipated. Its a bit dad rock but turns out I quiet like that. The first song immediately got it turned up
Really enjoyed this
Pop rock que não empolgou.
Not bad…. Enjoyed this album
This is a fun rock album! Very 90's but I'm digging that.
This one took me by surprise. The name sounds familiar, but I don't think I've heard any Paul Weller before. I really dug this album, the first thing that popped into my head was white Stevie Wonder. Maybe because we just had Innervisions, but there are a lot of great grooves on here too, ones that aren't really typical of this style of rock. Regardless, this was a really cool album and I'll be keeping a lot of it in my playlist. Favorite tracks: Can You Heal Us, Wild Wood, All the Pictures on the Wall, The Weaver, Holy Man. Album art: A cool silhouette shot of I'm guessing Paul? I like this, it's dark and mysterious. 4/5
It's interesting to hear the same voice from The Jam singing in such a different style of music. I enjoyed the fairly timeless singer/songwriter vibe of this album. It went well with a lunchtime walk around the neighborhood.
I wasn't familiar with this album, but when I started to listen, it sounded familiar...maybe Paul Weller and the style of the music on this album is similar to artists with which I am familiar??? At any rate, on first listen, I really dug it all. The tracks were all this laid-back, chill rock. Just a nice listen. Then I played it again a little later in the day, and I was not nearly as impressed. It still sounded nice, but I didn't love it like I thought I did the first time. I may try another listen and change my mind again, but for now, it's just okay.
All the pieces are there for an album that I should like but somehow they're not adding up. I usually appreciate when I can tell an artist has created something with intention but this feels almost too controlled and sterile. There aren't any surprises and every song sounds kind of familiar even though I've never heard any of them before. I can imagine hearing this at an uncomfortable dinner party where the hosts seem much more grown-up and fancy than I. I think I would like most of the songs just fine if they shuffled up in a playlist but none particularly grabbed me by the feelings today.
I thought I knew The Style Council. The name is familiar, but when I listened to their hits from the 80s I didn't really recognize any of them. I was glad to have listened to a bit of them before diving into this album, as it was interesting to hear the difference 10 years made on this artist. Wild Wood is a solid, very well-done, consistently good rock album. The lyrics are really good. The music is spot-on. The vocals are very strong. I find it enjoyable. That said, nothing on here really stood out. It wasn't that all the songs sounded the same. They all had a consistent, high quality. None of the songs were unappealing. But I was left wanting a bit more from this as an album. Still, this is really good. I've got no real complaints. I will happily listen to this again. I'm sure that when any of these songs appear in a shuffle playback I'll enjoy them. I'd even dig hearing this in concert and grooving along - this would be perfect for an outdoor festival. If I hear any of these songs randomly in the future I'll note how good it is. I have fallen seriously in like with Paul Weller's Wild Wood album.
Already listened to it
Good album, title track is the standout
it was a little slow? and just meh. it was nice and soothing but just snooze worthy.
OK I was expecting The Jam (which would have been good) but instead I got.... something warmer and bluesier that sounds like excerpts from a 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar offshoot? Which to be clear is a compliment... So I don't think there's anything remotely groundbreaking or revelatory here, but who cares - it's a bit of a straight-up rock album with good if uncomplicated production. Every other song seems to harken back to something familiar... I'm hearing a bit of Traffic, Faces, and CSN in here. My only criticism: ... it's too long. This kind of album/music doesn't lend itself to much more runtime than ~40 minutes; it's not prog, most of the songs follow a fairly standard rock structure. Again: none of this is bad at all. It's just that it's better to leave 'em wanting more rather than something along the lines of "hmm...3 more songs...ok...." Still, it's an excellent rock record that I think suits a lot of palettes and grows on you. 8/10 4 stars.
i do like this album!!!
No, just no. This boring crap is not worthy. This is just another beneficiary of the list maker’s UK bias. I fail to see how this makes the cut and yet Weezer’s debut album doesn’t. WTF?!?!
one of wellers best
You know when you’re at an art and food festival and you have to walk past the small stage where some band is playing to get to where you really want to be
A pleasant little romp that my wife liked a lot more than me. Somewhere between a 2 and a 4 for me, depending on the track. Looking at my past week of ratings, it is nowhere near as good as a lot of my 4s (Paul Simon, etc). It's also better than a lot of my 2s (The Jesus and Mary Chain), so I think a 3 is the most fair thing. Kind of a Bruce Springsteeny vibe.
Ok I guess
Some wholesome sounds here, Good to put on as background aura, Nothing too crazy. 5/10
Look, I loved Weller well before the masses searched him out due to Oasis + Stanley Rd radio airplay. This has one of my favourite tracks on - and is just glorious to listen to from start to finish. Not a masterpiece, but in many ways perfect
My dad loves it
decent album, has its own sound pulling from rock but also a bit more slow pace
Easy to listen to. No song really stands out for me. I enjoyed it but I’m not sure if I will listen to it again. Favourite songs: - Sunflower - Wild wood
really cool album, 9/10 I like his style it sounds familiar tho, I should look him up to see what other stuff I know from him
Tja, prettige stem maar een beetje saai ofzo
Twee keer geprobeerd, maar Paul is een beetje een saaie baas...
Goeie plaat en toffe songs.
Ik kende een paar nummers maar nog nooit het hele album gehoord. En dat beviel me uitermate goed! Lekkere vibe, en meneer Weller heeft een heerlijke stem. Ga ik nog eens vaker luisteren.
Ik word altijd een beetje week van de stem van Paul Weller.
It says that Paul Weller was part of a punk / new wave band called The Jam. I am a bit mystified by the term 'Punk'. If I hadn't looked him up I would've thought he was part of the New Orleans / Nashville tourist scene. And I've tried listening to The Jam but couldn't get in to it. The Jam fits into the 80's Yuppie Thrash category. I do like PWs voice. As far as Wildwood goes, this is the perfect album to listen to while you go 37mph in a 35 zone.
For once the 1001's overamplification of British music paid off. I didn't know anything about Paul Weller, or the Jam. And knew very little about the Mod revival of the 70s and 80s. I still don't know what the Jam's music was like, but I can at least say that what the "Modfather" (yes, really) evolved into as a solo artist is pleasant enough. Nothing on "Wild Wood" is groundbreaking, but Weller has a good voice (much more so than many of his contemporaries from other British rock subgenres in that era), and the blues and soul elements are nice. But overall, it's just good and nice - I wouldn't seek it out, but also wouldn't change the station.
This album was a pleasant surprise. I can imagine throwing this on with people over. It’s interesting enough to set a good mood. It’s not so in your face that it’ll drown out conversation.
not so wild
Jag tyckte det va ganska tråkigt tyvärr och glömde bort å lyssna
oinspirerande och ljummen musik(?) Välproddad dock. Bra ljud
Alltså det är ju inte dåligt, men det är ju väldigt tamt? Måste man verkligen höra det här innan man dör? Kan man inte lyssna på vilken som helst rockgubbe?
fy fan jag älskar gubbar med gitarrer!!!!
Couple of lovelies
Sunflower sympa, le reste écoutable mais pas transcendant
Love this album, it just shows the versatility of Weller. He is able to deliver so many different genre of music and with so much style.
Nothing poor but nothing stand out. It felt like background music after a while. Dont feel I will be rushing back.
This album is only mediocre. There is nothing particularly bad about it, conversely, there's nothing great either. It sort of fades into the background with no really memorable tracks. If it was a bit shorter it might have made more of an impact with some songs. Some songs felt like filler songs. Overall an OK album to listen to when doing something else but wouldn't be drawn back to it for any particular reason.
The only redeeming feature was some good guitar bits which still weren't that impressive to me... Needless to say I hated this album. Dull as fuck dad rock.
I haven't listened to this, I intend on listening to it but sadly won't be able to tell you my thoughts because I'm posting this, because I want to see today's album because everyone keeps talking about it and I'm getting fomo, also in these modern times it's so hard to delay gratification is it?
Well you know what I was bracing myself for hating this but I didn't as much as I expected to. I've generally found PW a bit of a wet flannel, but this had more spunk (a spunky flannel?) than I had expected
This was BORING. I think this is just Paul Weller needing to pop out another album so his dad fans don't forget about it. It had some nice guitar bits in places but they were very isolated and the whole sound of the album was dull as dishwater.
Someone called this dentist rock and now I can't unhear it. I know his credentials but wow yes this is such dentist rock.
Absolutely loved it, he has such a great voice.
It was okay. Some songs are interesting but I think the album is a couple songs too long. Some good guitar work but it sounded a bit generic at times.
3.5 stars. Just good tunes
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Sunflower, Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, The Weaver, Hung Out Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Pleasant enough, doesn't feel necessary though. 2.5 rounded down because I was never blown away.
God is a witness, I've tried to listen to this album twice, and there are some good tracks, like Instrumental Pt-1, Instrumental Pt-2, and Instrumental 2. But I think in comparison to his band The Jam - Setting Sons 1979 it's straight-up boring stuff to fall asleep to. Not my cup of tea
Bland
7/10
Meh. Weller's solo stuff might as well be Eric Clapton without guitar show offs.
It seems like the first rock band ever, except most rock bands do everything they tried to do better lol. They had good ideas but the execution was pretty poor to be honest. Only 2 songs were decent imo, the rest were a chore to listen to. I respect the attempt though
First few tracks are beautiful, but it quickly falls off in my opinion. Still, some great songwriting
Some tasty licks but overall it didn't do much for me
Dad rock. Boring.
Not bad but not very exciting to me... Country attracted my attention... Moon on Your Pajama is good too
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Hanging tree,
Mostly a dull affair. There's a couple decent, songs, emphasis on decent, but nothing to write home about. Music to eat unbuttered toast to with a glass of room temperature water on the side.
I think I'm running out of ways to say, "This isn't completely terrible, but why is it on the list?" If this album is on your list of essentials, you might want to take a step back and ask if your list is too big. Best track: Country
Rock más que correcto. Me ha gustado.
Vaya rollazo. No le pongo un 1 porque estamos en Adviento y mi misión de hoy es decir cosas bonitas. Diré que la lista de canciones de después está bien :D.
Album #2 I'm not terribly familiar with The Jam or The Style Council (but my dad sure is). I do know that they massively influenced the 90s Britpop movement which is a period of musical history near and dear to my heart. With that said I was definitely curious to get stuck in given that this album was released right at the onset of that movement. What jumped out to me first was how this album sidesteps the trends of the era it was released in, and how confidently it wears the style and sound from a couple of decades prior. It's clearly not for the kids and I can respect that conviction. I'm also quite blown away by the quality of the production, which manages to even put a lot of modern rock albums to shame. You can hear the hard work and care that was put into crafting every inch of the soundscape. This shines through particularly well through the instrumental interludes which are a highlight of the album for me. As far songwriting goes, the first few tracks were leading me to believe I was just hearing another breakup album. Whilst there is nothing wrong with that, it also doesn't strike me as particularly inspired. Fortunately, the record took a surprising turn into a darker and more primal tone, which I have a lot more appreciation for. "5th Season" strikes me as a good example of this tonal shift. The only negatives are that the album is a little long and I feel like a few of the acoustic cuts drained my interest a little such as "Country" and "Foot of the Mountain". A less is more approach could have served well here. To summarise, "Wild Wood" is a very solid rock singer-songwriter album. It doesn't do anything to push forward its genre, but it is an extremely solid representation of it. Favourite Track: 5th Season (and the instrumentals) Least Favourite Track: Country
Great times! So varied and interesting and smooth. I'm impressed by the range on display and really dug some of these tunes.
Quite a bit of a letdown, unfortunately. The first few tracks had me bobbing along to a sound that was familiar but just novel enough. Then the music found its level: I would use "AOR". Finally, the length killed my remaining goodwill. Wild Wood is a good sounding album, but it's wrapped in too much packing material.
nice
Paul Weller at his creative best. Personally I prefer his Jam days, but this is still an excellent album.
Pretty enjoyable music.
Good and enjoyable to listen to but nothing stood out.
Nice rock
Surprisingly good.
Why? Why was this generic, forgettable album made? This was the auditory equivalent of unsalted fries. I can't remember a favorite track because I can't even remember the names of any of the songs. Nothing is actively bad here, but that's almost worse. Four bar phrases with the same melody blend into a Godfather-length album. I'd rather rewatch the Corleone saga than sit through this ever again. Dreary sameness. I guess in theory I see how this could be someone's thing, but it's definitely not mine.
I actually liked this album. I've never heard of Paul Weller before but I did know of the Jam. Pretty interesting, easy listening album. More my wife's speed than mine, but I do like it.
Good, but nothing that stood out for me
3.5
Pretty good
If I was in a Wild Wood, I’d listen to it
Ik vind dit wel geinige muziek. Klinkt heel aangenaam en toegankelijk. Maar ook weer niet heel bijzonder verder. ***
Don't know why I hadn't heard this one before. I was a big big fan of Uh Hun Oh Yeh!, a couple of years earlier (never heard of the Jam or the Style Council at that time by the way). If I had tried it back then I would probably have found it very sophisticated and, well, a bit boring really. Listening to it now, I also think it's very sophisticated and a bit boring. 6/10
I heard this as a student 25 years ago and wasn’t keen but I enjoyed it more than I expected this time. A little bit too MOR at times but overall not bad
Not a fan, sorry. Sounds like sub-par Eric Clapton
First listen. Seems like a good album, but nothing special for me. 2/5.
J’aime tomber sur de bon album comme ca que je n’avais jamais entendu ni meme entendu parler. Ca vaut vraiment la pein . 4.95
again, just does nothing for me
Dadrock.
Bit him drum. But some great stuff
I've never heard of Paul Weller before. However, this was some excellent filler music for Radio Paradise.
This was a pleasant surprise, not really sure on who he was (and am embarrassed to say so). But I will check out more by Weller and the Jam.
Ehh.
The USA didn't have an appetite for this one and neither do I. I find it hard to believe this was the birth of the Brit pop sound. Nevermind...
interesting album with some known songs
Great album - rock solid tunes, a great marriage of the mod sensibility to folk and Britpop. Love it.
So boring 2/5
This was pretty good! IDK really what it reminded me of, kinda like some of the Steve Windwood's solo career stuff? Sent to Dad but didnt find anything specifically that I loved
This was not too bad, except for all the short instrumentals. Just a full albums of great songs !!!
Not really sure why, but I really like this. Melodic, coherent, with just the right amount of energy when needed.
Though it gets a bit long towards the end, there's enough strong songs and soulful/passionate performance, that i really enjoyed Paul Weller's delivery and the overall album.
Great find for the exact type of music I really am into at the moment
Booooooo. Dentist rock for sure
So many British men in this list. “Blue eyed Soul” This album was fine, if a bit generic sounding. Themes of world peace, leaving the city to go live in the country. Just mostly getting tired of all men here.
Probably his best stuff on this album
Entonces esto es protopunk? Todos mis respetos.
Love! Been too long… What an opener with Sunflower and it just keeps going. Wildwood is another of my favourites. In fact the album is one of my favourites!
Was already a fav, but nice to hear it again.
boring
Doesn't super sound like something that came out during the 90's. Could have convinced me that it came out in the 70's by the sound of some of the songs. Overall, I am not a huge fan of the album, it didn't super stand out to me, but it was fun to listen to. Which is it's own merit.
I really liked this album and I had never heard of paul welled before. I really like his blues rock sound and it sounds like a precursor to modern blues rock bands such as the black keys. Fav songs: can you heal us, wild wood, holy man reprise
Really good background music
Finding new artists like this is the reason I love this list so much
had a good vibe!
Sunflower was a strong open, very 90s with some grunge elements. Peter has a strong voice. Can You Heal Us transitions into a bit more of a bluesy direction and very religious lyrics. Each song has a unique flair to it, he's not just one sound, but there is common ground that ties it all together in subtle ways. Never heard of this artist before but was a big fan. Added a few songs to the playlist. I said it already but his voice is excellent.
pretty funky
calmo e melódico e groovy
-sunflower is in the same vein as another 90s hard rock but what is it -the song can you heal us (holy men) is more my style feels similar to Tracy chapman I dig it -the opening track feels very different then the two follow up. the cowdoy feel on wild wood I really enjoy -what is up with the funky instrumental this album keeps switching it up on me -has my fire really gone out is fucking sick that solo at the end is nutty -the goes back to more of that sound from the first track I. not as into it as the other tracks. 2 stars feels too low the album had some cool tracks but ultimately I wasn't super interested in a majority of it idk
Not really my style, but with that said not a bad album. He does what he set out to do well I just don't love it.
Good album , not great , not bad .
eh
Solid musicianship, great songs. Fave track - either the title track or "Sunflower", I reckon...
Actually thought this was better than I was expecting it to be. Recognised a few tracks, like Wild Wood. Clearly a really talented musician. Had no idea he used to be the frontman for The Jam. Tricky to rate, I probably wouldn't go back and listen again but it was clearly decent, just not so much my 'Jam'...
Just a fantastic kick-back and play around guitar record. One minute you are jamming to a kick ass blues-style solo, and the next you are hearing beautiful confessions from the neck of a 6-string. You can tell this was an album Weller really wanted to make for himself, it's so different from anything he ever did with The Jam or Style Council. To me, this solidified his place as a rock legend. His lyrics and storytelling are Paul Simon and Joe Cocker level, and there's just so much instrumentation that goes into these songs that sound like they came straight out of the 70's. The whole album is a work of art, there truly isn't any bad song that I could name. Favorite Song: All The Pictures On The Wall Least Favorite: Foot Of The Mountain
If Van Morrison debuted in the 90's, this is the album you'd get. The album is fine, to me it just sounds likes a really good band at a farmers market.
I mean....the album itself is fine in isolation.....but this is the main driving force behind The Jam making a collection of songs that are polished melodic and maybe even slightly middle aged? If you're going to listen to one Weller album....it wouldn't be this one.....and it wouldn't be a Style Council one either
Sounds like Paul Weller. Functional and competant. Very 90s. Not exciting or interesting in any way. 2/5.
Disco bastante plano y que no me ha transmitido nada. Buena voz, buenos acordes, pero muy poco variado. Daba la sensación de que no avanzaba el disco. Algo más de variedad en las canciones se hubiese agradecido
There's nothing specific I can point to about Paul Weller's music that I dislike, but at the same time there's really nothing that stands out to me either. It's good, but doesn't blow me away like it apparently does for some people. 3 stars.
This album was okay, but ultimately didn't hold my interest. Weirdly, if I hadn't known when it was recorded, I would have assumed it was from the 70s. 3/5
Pas grand chose à dire sur cet album si ce n'est qu'il était extrêmement agréable. Lorsque je lance un album en soirée, il m'arrive très souvent de lancer une partie d'échecs pendant l'écoute. Ce fut le cas cette fois-ci. Je vous copie ci-dessous le déroulement de ladite partie qui fut au passage ma trois-mille-cent-soixante-et-unième : 1. e4 e5 2. d3 Nc6 3. a3 Nf6 4. h3 d5 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bh4 Bf5 8. Nc3 Qd7 9. Nf3 O-O 10. Be2 Nd4 11. Nxe5 Qe6 12. Bg3 Bd6 13. Nc4 Bxg3 14. fxg3 Rfe8 15. O-O Nxe2+ 16. Nxe2 Qxe2 17. Rxf5 Qe6 18. Rf1 Rad8 19. Nd2 Qb6+ 20. Kh1 Nd5 21. c4 Ne3 22. Qf3 Nxf1 23. Rxf1 Re7 24. b4 Rde8 25. g4 Re1 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kh2 Qg1+ 28. Kg3 Re3 29. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 30. Kh2 Qxd2 0-1 Comme vous avez pu l'observer, j'ai commis plusieurs erreurs grossières mais la victoire est bonne à prendre à une période où je manque cruellement de confiance.
Cet album obtient la note de 4 uniquement car Elvis Costello s'est vu attribuer un 4 à une époque d'extreme faiblesse de ma part, pour un album bien moins impressionnant. Je vous resitue le contexte. Alors que je lançais l'album Brutal Youth de Elvis Costello, avec mes yeux innocents d'auditeurs ne comptant qu'une dizaine d'albums généré, je sentis tout d'un coup une presence derrière moi, dans le centre commercial de Auchan Lac. Je me retournais, et aperçu un homme portant un chapeau cachant ses yeux enlunnetés, ainsi qu'un long impermeable. Cet homme me fixait intensement, amis je ne pu discerner sa personnalité. Un peu apeuré, je décidais de partir m'asseoir quelques bancs plus loin. Ce mysterieux interlocuteur continua de me suivre, et ce jusqu'à ce que je finisse l'ecoute de l'album. C'est alors que tout s'accelera. Au moment où je saisis mon téléphone pour accorder le 3 que cet album moyen meritait, l'homme à l'imper se rapprocha de moi, et avant même que mon pocue ne presse la troisième etoile, il l'agrippa, et me susurra à l'oreille "Es-tu sûr? Tu veux rejoindre Ray Charles?". Sous la pression de cet homme effrayant, je dû m'astreindre à attribuer à Brutal Youth la note de 4/5, extrêmement généreuse au vu du contenu proposé.
Listenable, but nothing stood out as spectacular. I could see this as daytime bar background music.
Feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had an album this uninspiring, so that was at least one good thing to come out of this.
Had a gorgeous time at Osborne House on Wednesday. Real V&A vibes for some absolutely obvious as fuck reasons. Bumped It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back in the car. I imagine I couldn't have picked an album further from this one.
Very "Jam" like without sounding exactly like The Jam. I really enjoyed this. Moon On Your Pyjamas was a really good song.
It may not seem like much but the rock compositions on here is super compelling. Like, fantastic riffs and backing rhythm makes this album a crazy-good listen. The stylings are also uniquely great, pulling from some folk, some soul, and maybe even a bit of funk. To that extent, I think this goes from a forgettable one-and-done rock album to a well-polished piece of work. I still take issue with the longer runtime, although I did not find it was excruciatingly overlong like some others on this list. You could potentially trim a few songs here and have a really great album on your hands, but the overall product is still worth a listen.
Good songwriting, great guitar work, what's not to like?
Where has this music been all my life? That's right, it's been humbly hiding away from me, as it could've continued to do for as long as it wished. I wouldn't have complained about never knowing this album exists. I even have a hard time finding descriptors for this album. It's unmemorable but inoffensive and didn't hurt my ears. Wild Wood (the title track) is a solid track, though. Shadow of the Sun sounds like it could play at the end of an episode of House M.D. and I wouldn't look it up later.
A really interesting album one I like. I am a HUGE fan of the Jam, at least through Sound Affects. This was not at all what I expected. I would never have recognized even Paul's voice had I not known it was him. Nothing like The Jam, not even like The Style Council. Sounds more like a Van Morrison album. But I did like it and I'll listen more while lamenting the loss of one of my favourite bands. I'm going to give it 4 🌟
Meh
Good classic rock.
Never heard until now. About what I expected. Good guitar driven, singer-songwriter album. Nothing that gave me chills, but nothing that made me want to turn it off. Would revisit.
3.75
Cool jammish rock, new to me.
4/5 - Solid for what it is but nothing remarkable
Me encantó este disco. No se como no lo habia escuchado antes, mas allá de Wild Wood que es conocidisimo. No tengo notas porque tengo que escuchar como 4 discos en un dia para catchupear.
Suena bien y se deja escuchar pero tampoco me pareció memorable
Best straightforward rock I've heard so far in this journey. Some fast, some slow, some hard, some soft. Didn't feel like skipping a track.
Super long. There's definitely some gems on this album, but with so many tracks it starts to sound kind of samey, and many of the non-standouts start to become boring. Another new day is rather groovy and a departure from most of the rest of the album. The instrumentals as a whole tend to be a lot different from all the other songs, and I think some of the strongest tracks on the album.
pleasantly surprised. never heard of paul weller.
Finally an album I already know. This and Stanley Road and you have the best of Paul Weller, prove me wrong…
I have never ever heard of this album or artist. Curious to listen! Update: digging the instrumentation but not pa-paw's lyrics. Some real boomer shit here. Update 2: Shadow Of The Sun is a cool jam, mostly because there's no lyrics in the back half. Final Update: Way too long, not very compelling most of the time.
The artist and the music was new for me. There were elements of Weller's voice (and sometimes the music) that reminded of Steven Stills, with occasional shifts to something similar to the lead singer from Collective Soul. The music was fine, but nothing stood out on my first listen.
The kind of rock music that I might not realized existed if it played in the background somewhere. 6.8/10
Chill, but forgettable rock music that seems to be religiously inspired. This album is more popular across the pond than in the US.
Gutes Album, melodischer Sound, gut hörbar
Pretty solid album, good guitar work and vocals, good melodies and harmonies, all that. Personally, I don't like his voice thaaat much, but it's just my taste, and aside from that there wasn't much to complain about. Maybe it sounded a little generic at times, but I'm not up in arms over it.
Good Overdriven Guitar Tones
Eh
Muito interessante, não conhecia o cantor. Achei agradável, me lembrou Snapshot do Roger Glove e me deixou com vontade de ouvir novamente o album do baixista do Deep Purple.
18th June 2021 Started listening on Friday but had to finish on Monday as we went away up to Leicester for the weekend to visit Adna and Joe. Slightly better bit of dad rock. Not that memorable for me to be honest. 2.5 if I could.
*i love him *he has a folk twang, blues additions, with the classic rock electric guitar *each song is very him, but completely different which i like
It's good, it was a warm welcome to Paul Weller discography. should listen more? no doubt
Very Nice....could not give this album the listening time it deserves. Will have to listen again.
One of his best.
I liked him a lot anyway but there were some real gems in here.
Meh
OK, jusy not my bag man.
I don't love it, I don't hate it
Nice sound, but it's actually boring.
Jääkligt tradit, hade satt 2,5...
A lot of this album is forgettable for me despite loving Paul Wellers other work. Fav song: the weaver
.
Loved this so much. Went straight back for a second listen and a third the next day! Have heard of Paul Weller, but didn't recognise his music at all. My favourite Artist on here (so far) that I'd never listened to.
I thought this was really good & definitely something I’d like to revisit. “Shadow of the Sun” stuck out, and really that whole tail end of the album
Very enjoyable. Released in 1993, but the songs could have been released in 1973. It just has a sound that is not tied to the era it was released. It sure as hell ain't grunge.
I like the Jam and I don’t mind the Style Council but Paul Weller’s solo stuff has always just felt a bit naff to me. Don’t mind a couple of tracks on here but not really an album I’d ever choose to put on (unless maybe I was having some sort of ‘dad rock’ themed party).
Couple of good tracks but doesn't make me want to keep listening
Un disco muy cálido y agradable. Me gusta este Weller más maduro.
idk about this. I liked Sunflower and Wild Wood, but overall it was too country-folksy ish
Fine I guess, not insulting or bad just didn’t really excite me
Big meh, the best song was the 1st one because the guitar was nice but or else it was p boring
Actually a very nice little album, never heard of it before. Good vocals. Would listen to that again.
3/5
La verdad lo escuché un poco distraído, pero me llamó 5th season lo suficiente para voltear a ver como se llamaba la canción. Creo que es lo que describiría como música "agradable", o sea no muy "wow, cuánto me mama", más bien como "no me molesta escuchar esto, tiene ondita", siento que es música que pondrían en el Toks a un volumen moderado y pues supongo que he ahí también el mood del día
Great album, great songs!
That was boring, wasn't it? Such a thin sound, uninspired songwriting, strange attempts at a cod-funk sound that never works - and Weller really sounds tired on this, doesn't he? A couple of tracks aside, this feels like a dull man doing dull things
Really boring. Not my taste
A couple of very good songs, but otherwise but great
Really liked the groove on this bluesy, rock album. Out in 1994 (English singer-songwriter) and has that jam band feel but not in an obnoxious way.
I only listened to disc 1 because this album was really long. Some songs were catchy but nothing too special.
Not particularly wild. Extremely wood, though.
8/10 rockero pero chill
It was enjoyable - not bad but not great. Seemed like middle-of-the-road kind of album. 6/10.
Schön
Meh pero un poco nice porque después de escucharlo se puso una canción aleatoria de pa'i y me gusto bastante.
Uy, voy a decir esta vez que este disco me gustó mucho, aunque quizá no sea buenisisisísimo. A mí me movió y es, creo, una buena mezcla de rock con country (muy acertado el título para la canción que suena más a ese género). No conocía a Paul Weller ni de nombre, pero sospecho que uno de mis hits de adolescente, Butch Walker, sí lo conoce. Disfruté la escucha, tres veces y me convencí de que estoy ante un disco al que quizá regrese varias veces y que me dan ganas de escuchar más de Weller. Sonidos suaves, ligeros, dulces, con uno que otro momento explosivo y de repente una que otra buena letra. Mis favs: "Sunflower", "Has My Fire Really Gone Out?", "5th Season" y "Shadow of the Sun". También destaco buenas canciones de apertura y cierre. 9/10
Ikke noe forhold til Paul Weller. Og kommer heller ikke til å ha det i fremtiden, basert på dette kjedelige og flate albumet.
Really solid album. This is the kind of band I would love to see in a bar or smaller venue and just have a great time with some friends. Favorite tracks: “Can You Heal Us,” “Has My Fire Really Gone Out?,” “Foot of the Mountain,” and “Shadow of the Sun”
Very forgettable album for me, not a bad one, just not one I’ll remember when all is said and done
enjoyable but quite forgettable
The opening track, "Sunflower", might be my favorite on the album. I've spent more time trying to decide if he sounds like Dave Grohl (currently leaning toward "not really") than trying to decide if I like the album, so it gets a 3. Thank goodness these reviews are anonymous
Got like four songs in and lost interest
Veldig kult! Gitaren er helt klart frontfiguren her, og den er kul nok, men trommegroovene var ofte veldig mye bedre enn det jeg hadde forventet. Det var mye mer funkinspirert enn det wikipediaen gav inntrykk av. Trodde dette skulle bli en standard singer/songwriter type deal. Noen ganger blir den litt vel lik nyere Bob Dylan og Paul Simon, men det er ikke dumt i seg selv. Kanskje det er dette moderne s/s har utviklet seg til. Svak 4
I know Weller’s background is legit, but this… it just sounds like dentist rock to me. If I was a dentist? I’d rock out so hard to this on the drive home from work in my Audi. Trust me, there are days where I wish I was a dentist! Alas, today is not one of those days.
3 - hab kei meinung zu pw
Insgesamt nicht schlecht, wenn man Hitradio RT1 steht oder auch mal nen pfiffigen Roadtrip durch die Hammerschmiede / Firnhaberau im Auto von Mama und Papa wagen will. Perfekte Musik für alle die es gerne mal nicht so schnell und aufregend wollen, sondern bei Nirvana an Heavy Metal denken und es deshalb nicht hören. Ich sage nein, aber komm, besser als Talking Shit is der bumms. Sorry Paul. 2*
Wir wissen alle: godfather of britpop. Britpop lieben wir. Aber gibt mir gerade vor allem Hippie-Revoluzer-Vibes. Aber es ist Pandemie und ich kann nicht einfach auf die Straße rennen. Deshalb bleibe ich zuhause und hör es mir wahrscheinlich nicht nochmal an.
Naja rock halt kp
Greit håndverk men neppe en plate jeg kommer til å høre igjen
ehhhhh
Got too "blue eyed soul" for me, but parts of it I liked. Impossible not to appreciate his guitar playing. Not sure what it means, if anything, but hearing strong similarities between this and Audioslave. For evidence, listen to "Sunflower" and "Dandelion" by Audioslave back to back. The similarities between the guitar playing and singing styles is striking.
I can't handle the voice
4 stars
Actually a good album
Did not listen
Sweet and rocky and bluesy. Mama likey
Nice, maybe I will return
Big fan of The Jam and Style Council. Not listened to much of his solo stuff though. It's alright.
Meh
[WHO IS THIS MAN? A perfect album. Not Crosby Stills and Nash perfect though. Perfect with an edge. So listenable] - This was my original review notes after first listen this morning. Listened again on the way home and still think it's great but not as great as that. Interesting how my first impression suffers from second listen scrutiny.
Ended up liking it more than I thought I would. 3.5/5
Not 4 me
Weller habe ich zum Zeitpunkt, als dieses Album erschienen ist, als Vorband zu Grönemeyer live gesehen, der ihn überaus schätzt. Ich kann mich an die Musik überhaupt nicht mehr erinnern und befürchte, das hat Gründe. Netter, in Teilen mehr als einschlägiger Singer-Songwriter-Pop mit Ohrwurm-Gefährdungen. Eben so keine 4 Sterne.