All Mod Cons

The Jam were in love with the Who, and influenced the Police and the Clash. This 3rd album was the first of three brilliant 5 star albums, culminating with Sound Effects, with Setting Sons sandwiched in between.

I have no idea what this might be… “All Mod Cons” is ok, like a smoothed-out punk song or something. I can’t quite get into the stuttering tempo. But there are promising elements here. “To Be Someone” appeals to me quite a bit more. I’m warming up to this. Love the lyrics about a fallen rock star. Really good! “Mr. Clean” seems to be how the singer is angry at an office coworker. Interesting and catchy! “David Watts” continues the sort of odd tempos. And the song is intriguing… Is this a be careful what you wish for song? I’m not sure but I do like it. “English Rose” is a surprisingly tender song. I love the singer’s voice and the water and what I think is a great love song for England. I wasn’t expecting this but like it a lot. I love the music and lyrics of “In the Crowd” - and what’s this?! A warning about the government and media?! Interesting… and goes all psychedelic guitar at the end. This is a contender for my favorite track of the album. “Billy Hunt” is another catchy song with more cleverly descriptive lyrics. A threatening bionic man reference?! I like this. “It’s Too Bad” is a great little breakup song that’s quite happy sounding. Very enjoyable. “Fly” is a really great love song! The tender parts intersperse with exuberant outbursts. I love this song. There seems to be some hints of The Who or something in here. Wonderful! “The Place I Love” I love! ‘Not within a yard of those trendy do’s.” Is this song about hiding out with your pets? Really good song. “‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street” seems to be protest song with a beat you can dance to. Clapping! I can get into this. “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” is a great song. Terribly disturbing about a poor guy getting attacked in a tube station. Really good, and disturbing… I think I’m on the verge of loving this album. A second listen is in order but I find The Jam’s lyrics so vivid and the disjoints in the music held together with such great talent that I think I may love this album… …………………………………. My second listen really did cement my love of this album. After the third listen, I’m loving every song - even the first track which took me a few listens to warm up to. These lyrics have depth and paint vivid pictures. The Jam takes on class and society… with a sound blending dashes of new wave, The Who and The Kinks into something pretty special. I love this album!

Fucking hell I love this record.

Bri-ish innit

Easy 5 stars. The music is universal. i'm a brazilian guy and i was totally catch by it. Paul Weller was talking about the english society of late 70's and this is still sense to me being in another country and with another culture. The music speaks for itself.

Really enjoyed this semi-nuwave intro from the 70s to the 80s

Nice full album. No filler.

My favorite Jam album and one of my favorite albums, period! The 3 album run of All Mod Cons, Setting Sons and Sound Affects, is as good a three album run of any band, ever. This is the album where The Jam sound and Paul Weller's song writing reached their zenith. To Be Someone, Mr. Clean, In The Crowd, "A"Bomb in Wardour Street and Down in the Tube Station at Midnight are all incredible songs that alone would make this album worthwhile, all together they make for one of the best albums of the 80s, indeed of any decade. No band ever communicated more vividly what it was like growing up British. Maybe that kept North American fans at arms length, but for me if their lyrics and themes ever became TOO British, the musical interplay is universal and these three kids were the epitome of tight. A no-brainer 5 star album from my perspective.

Never listened to a full album by The Jam before (only greatest hits) and it did not disappoint. Very much a coming of age album and craft wise very much where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were with Damn The Torpedos. English Rose is superb, David Watts also. The best track for me is Down At The Tube Station at Midnight. Weller’s lyrics are outstanding and bassist is so underrated. Always been a massive fan of Weller’s. One of of best artists around, always evolving.

Pretty solid, but it left me with a craving for the Kinks.

I refuse to believe this isn’t a parody project created by Fred Armisen. English Rose is a beautiful song though.

Classic. Love this album, I should listen to it more. All Mod Cons is a great sharpe, short and sweet opener. Quick, in your face, top song To Be Someone is a great song The best is last. DOWN IN THE TUBESTATION AT MIDNIGHT OHHH OH OH OHHHH OH TUNE great album, great song

This is better than ok. A snapshot of suburban life (in the UK, in the late 70s), railing against the elite, celebrating working class joy, observing the world from street level. A few songs about the less glamorous aspects of stardom, or the banality of going with the flow thrown in, but none of the tracks are judgy or vicious like yours expect if the Jam leaned into punk more. A lot to enjoy. Easy 5 stars.

really like this. 60s/70s brits are the best. just look at those outfits!? gives me jam in a field vibes. dope guitar work.

Loved it - english rose was my favorite.

Their best

Perfect Friday album. Fun stuff!

They were pretty decent before this one as well, but this is where it really took off. It's the start of a brilliant run of albums with Setting Sons and Sound Affects coming after this. Especially love the last tracks on here; A' Bomb in Wardour Street and Down In The Tubestation At Midnight.

Really fun and bouncy album. Wanders sometimes into clash territory, some shades of police, sometimes all their own. Nice record

This was the last album I listened to before Helene hit Asheville like a week ago. I honestly don’t remember a thing about it but I do remember that adding a decade to the Brit Pop sound helped. I’ll go middle of the road to be safe.

Classic the jam. Down at the tube station at midnight is a good song.

Beginner’s rock. The singer is too punk-like for me. Forgettable. I liked the bass on “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” though.

Down In The Tube Station At Midnight's not only a fantastic finale but a useful reminder that most of the preceeding songs compare unfavourably. The big tumbling beat is there, as are Weller's sandpaper vocals and featherwight punk politics for city types--but the hooks, urgency or clarity to turn them into songs to remember are a rarity.

Bloody brilliant. The lyrics of Weller were just so clever and visceral. In "Down at the Tube Station..." he describes a group hanging around as smelling "like pubs, and Wormwood Scrubs, and too many right-wing meetings". (Wormwood Scrubs being an infamous London prison). Just incredible! The Jam were very popular in the UK and still get a lot of air play, but their depth and social commentary were so much more than just popular music!

Outstanding artistry! A joy to listen to. Why did no one tell me about The Jam? 4.6

Great. The Jam turning from "Punk" to superb pop.

A rollicking fun listen - energetic and competent performances, more than a healthy slice of Englishness, memorable songwriting.

It’s impressive how The Jam sounds. They are unique, like from a different timeline. When you analyze all the great albums they released and WHEN they did it you cannot think about any other word besides UNDERRATED. All Mod Cons has no skips. 4.5/5

1978 britishband, new wave, punk rock, mod revival, power pop

This definitely feels like the come-down from punk. There’s clearly punk elements in there, especially with A Bomb in Wardour Street, but it came across more like a power pop album. They look like mod revivalists and clearly like the who which definitely isn’t very punk. The tender moments are really sweet, English rose almost brought a tear to my eye, and then down in the tube station is an unexpectedly heart breaking note to end on. The energetic 3 piece approach is really appealing to me, and the rhythm section really drives the songs. It’s pretty mind blowing that the lads were only 19 when they produced this, although the album has a naivety in the way it wears its influences on its sleeve. Maybe an older band would start to doubt themselves if they sounded too much like other bands. It was a very pure album and I liked it a lot!

Didn’t listen this time but it’s always great

Brilliant album, one of the Jams best have to give it full marks.

In my top 5 albums EVER!!!

This was The Jam's third album and their first truly great one. There's not a duff track here, and all originals bar one. I think my favourite track is 'Down in the Tube Station at Midnight'.

Legendary album from a great band

Heard some Jam songs but never a full album, and it's exactly up my alley. Enjoyed every single song on here, the vocals, the basslines, the sharp guitars, it's all exactly what i like in my music. Also ends on the best song, couldn't ask for more here. Will be listening to all of their stuff in the very near future.

Lives up to its hype. Great album.

Superb tunes with excellent songwriting. My favourite album by the jam.

Awesome record!!

I love the complete britishness of it, and the mod sound. Its bit rock, a bit punk and plenty of energy and sass. Fly is probably the only song that is forgettable, the rest being interesting and compelling enough to sign along from start to finish. Down in a Tube Station has an incredibly engaging lyrics/vision and is its own masterpiece of a song. Love this album and the Jam.

I can still never believe Paul Weller wrote so many lyrically incisive and musically brilliant songs by the age of 20.

Surprisingly great! Loved it.

Previously, I rated The Jam's, Sound Affects, 5 stars and All Mod Cons is just as good, if not better. The Jam's debut album, In The City, clearly was influenced by early Who, and whose raw Mod sounds showed flashes of R & B, Soul, as well as punk. By the third record, the Jam's sound have evolved and matured and the best comparison would be the songwriting and imagery of Ray Davies and the Kinks. The obvious is they covered the Kinks, David Watts, but it goes beyond that with Paul Weller refining his wordplay and tightening up the band. The results are spectacular with a collection of brilliant songs resulting in the Jam's best album and most satisfying. I've ranked most the Kinks albums on this list, 5 stars and the two best Jam albums aren't that far behind as far as quality and enjoyment. I also learned, All Mod Cons is abbreviated for all "modern conveniences" and the album cover photo is a visual joke with the band members posing in a bare empty room...haha..

Early pop punk. Lots to love and sounds like inspo for Midwest emo, Green Day, etc

One of the easiest five stars yet. Such a distinctive and addictive sound, and the lyricism is fantastic. The political commentaries are beautifully described and I love when Weller's brilliant, spikey cockney accent is used to sing incredibly sweet love songs like English Rose or The Place I Love. In so many songs, the bass acts at the lead guitar and the lead as the rhythm. It complements Weller's gritty voice perfectly. I only knew English Rose and Down In The Tube Station... before I listened and as soon as the the first track All Mod Cons came on I knew it'd be five stars. The album is 37 minutes of pumping cockney poetry and I could listen to it forever.

Brilliant. Great tunes with great lyrics. Mini stories. A classic.

Excellent. They seem like really cool dudes

I wasn't expecting to love this one but, man did I ever. The other album from The Jam on this list is a disappointing collection of rip-off songs. THIS one, on the other hand, is freaking wonderful. I didn't realize that I knew this album but I recognized pretty much every song. And I loved them. It's punk, it's pop, it's new-wave... but it's the best of all those things instead of the worst. I don't know. I loved every minute of it. Loved it so much, I listened to it three times in a row.

Brilliant album, made even better by the contrast to my previous day's album by Limp Bizkit. Hints of the Beatles, the Kinks, The Who and The Clash along with their own style. I knew of the Jam and their most famous songs but most of this was totally new to me. I shouldn't have spent so many years out off by tragic middle-aged dads and their 'Well-end' haircuts. Will definitely put this in rotation in future.

Can't believe I've never heard this before. I love it, the bass sounds so good. Great songs.

"All Mod Cons" is the third studio album by British band the Jam. New wave, mod revival and punk rock. Yeah, I picked all that up in the first song. The album title refers to a British idiom on housing advertisements "all modern conveniences" and a pun on the band's association with the mod revival. The band is Paul Weller (guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals) Bruce Foxton (bass, vocals) and Rick Buckler (drums). After a commercially disappointing second album, this album reached #6 in the UK and had wide-spread critical acclaim. Drums and a rockin' guitar open "All Mod Cons." You get a dose of Weller's melodic guitar, a highlight throughout this album. He is taking a shot at fake friends and record executives. The band covers the Kink's "David Watts." This is a much faster version. Foxton on lead vocals with Weller on backing vocals. They make almost a singalong. A piano adding to the music. "In the Crowd" shows the heartfelt side of Weller as he sings about losing your individuality. It starts out as a more of a pop song and then rocks out. A searing guitar solo outro. The band comes out blazing on the second side with "Billy Hunt." This is in punk territory. Weller yowling. Buckler gets the percussion and cowbells going on "A' Bomb in Warfour Street." A prominent bass. Layered guitars. This sounds a lot like their contemporaries at the time, the Clash. A story about a guy going to interview and it getting derailed by a bomb threat. Speaking of derailed and the Clash, the album closes with the wonderful "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight," a song about a young man getting beaten up by right wing thugs at Tube Station. There's eerie train sounds. Weller might have saved his best melody for last with melodic layered guitars closing it out. This a fabulous album. The music is melodic and all band members shine. Nice mixing and production with all instruments very clear. Most the songs are short. The songwriting and lyrics are top notch with Weller telling stories and his innermost feelings on some things. Ah, very similar to the band they cover, the Kinks. There's hard rockers, punk songs and even some I would put in the ballad category. Not bad song or a dull moment. A very high recommendation.

91.67 5 stars

Excellent

Consistent Brit rock fun. Great listen. Will play again.

cuz when you know you know 🖤

Tchê baita álbum, anos setenta, muito agradável

Fits my music taste perfectly. Meaningful lyrics, great instruments

if music on this list can make me smile, even ironically, it gets a point. At my high school there was wall with either The Jam or The Stems grafiti on it. Given how many mods I knew then, I am surpised I dont know this music so much. (obviously it was deeply cool at the time), i find iconic happy crazy light sound. I find it playful, in the way Elmer Foodbeat is, without the poignant and extremely crude French lyrics. So yes, there's a warmth to the guitar style, and something proulsively mindless to the poppy repetition. Funny to discover these at age 50, feeling my teen rebeliousness rising, I am putting this in the cool pile. Oi! babbabbababah! yeah why not, a fiver for ya.

This album doesn't contain the biggest songs of The Jam but it's solid, I can see how this album inspired bands like the Kaiser Chiefs, The Cure, The Libertines, The Smiths etc This is the first (of hopefully many) which is simply just outstanding.

Fantastic album, excellent songwriting.

I bloody loved this. Every song was good or great, will deffo listen to again

Surprisingly strong album. Really compelling and listenable melodies without betraying its punk routes. One I would not have found by myself, so thanks 1001!

This is good; its fairly aged but would have been my jam in 78 (5/5??)

Great album

Quality absolute quality

I like the catchy hooks and melodic pop-punk. To me, this LP sounds a bit like early Who, but there’s also a Motown influence, and Weller apparently listened to The Kinks for hours to aid his creativity. The song-writing is strong, every song sounds like it could be a single, so even with three instruments you don’t tire of the sound quickly. Ballads like “English Rose” and “Fly”, very unusual for a punk band, hint that Paul Weller would be exploring different musical avenues in the future.

A great punk rock album.

Wow! I sort of knew most of the tracks but have never played the whole album so had never associated the songs with each other. As a whole the effect is oretty stunning. Makes me want to go back to 1978 and hear for the first time in context.

Definitely the best jam album (5/5)

Wow, another one I was not expecting to love so much. I gave a previous album of theirs three stars but this is an easy five. Very solid work and ahead of its time.

VOE VITTU!!! VITUN HYVÄ ALBUMI SAATANA MUTTA MITÄ NÄYTTÄÄ SIVUSTON GENRET!! NEW WAWE, PUNK VOE VITTU!!! TUO PUNK NEW WAWE LEIMA TULEE JÄÄMÄÄN PERSEESEEN KUIN POLTTOJÄLKI TAI AATUN ISONENILLE TEETTÄMÄT NUMEROSARJAT!! JA SEURAUKSET VIELÄ PAHEMMAT!!

cool

Definitely one of those "I've done myself a disservice by not listening to this before" moments. One of the things I'm most looking forward to with this project is finally addressing some of these blind spots. Both The Jam and Paul Weller's solo stuff are things I've long been aware of but never really taken the dip on, save a compilation appearance or two from Weller that I don't recall disliking, but also never liked enough to push me deeper. This album rips! I'm pretty sure 25 years ago me would have enjoyed this immensely as well. I didn't take any sort of listening notes since I was cooking for the family while I listened to it, but I absolutely loved it from start to finish and will definitely be revisiting it again, likely tracking down a vinyl copy and eventually dipping deeper into their catalogue. The version on Stupify has the UK and original US track listing, which features "Billy Hunt" instead of "The Butterfly Collector." While I enjoyed the whole album immensely, I found myself particularly enjoying the back half of both sides the most, especially "'A' Bomb in Wardour Street" and "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" to close out the album.

Knew the Jam but didn't know any of the songs here, but what a great album. Very of the time but not in a detrimental way. 4.6

Beat sound

banger. added to library

Tight, subversive, and catchy. I love this album and love the band.

1978?! Wow - the audio quality on this is sublime. And the songs are really catchy! New fan of the Jam.

Là c'est sexy. Là c'est vendeur.

#manifested

Love it

relentlessly fun album every track felt so engaging 10/10

Love it

I’ve never really understood what the whole “mods and rockers” thing was, but maybe you had to be there at the time. As far as I know, the only song by The Jam that I already knew is A Town Called Malice which doesn’t appear on this album. And my dad will take any opportunity to tell anybody that he once smoked a joint with Paul Weller when he used to work festivals. Songs I already knew: none Favourite after listening: To Be With Someone (Didn’t We Have A Nice Time), Down In The Tube Station At Midnight Overall: 9/10 I might not understand the whole mod scene, but the album definitely stands out as great many years on. It definitely doesn’t feel like an album from 1978 as many modern indie bands still sound very similar to this. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight certainly sounds like it could have been released within the last decade. Bruce Foxton has some excellent bass riffs throughout, and I absolutely intend to learn some of them myself to play at home, and maybe pretend that I’m in the know and totally understand what a mod is.

Heard this plenty of times, so another easy 5 from me. David Watts, Down in a tube station, Bomb in wardour street are highlight tracks LOVE THE JAM AND PAUL WELLER <3

This is such a snap shot of late 70's English life. Weller's story telling is backed up by a very tight band. Song after song - it sounds like a Best Of.

Love this album. Inventive musicians playing great songs with Smart lyrics.

I had never heard them before and it is awesome! It’s like, in between the clash and cars. It’s great.

BILLY HUNT BILLY HUNT BILLY BILLY BILLY PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREF: RIEN

This is a brilliant album, not a bad song in the lot. What I enjoy about it is seeing how the Jam is evolving musically, to a more nuanced and sophisticated sound. The punchier style the band developed on their first two albums is still in there, but it has matured, with confident, melodic hooks, and surprising forays into psychedelia and jazz-pop. Paul Weller's ability to craft a lyric has developed tremendously here too, with vivid imagery and sly social commentary. I could listen to this all day. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, It's Too Bad, In the Crowd, Fly, To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time), English Rose, Mr. Clean, All Mod Cons, David Watts, 'A' Bomb in Wardour Street, The Place I Love, Billy Hunt

Yeah, this hits the spot

I wanna be David Watts

Un dels discos més creatius en un dels períodes més creatius. És la sublimació del so de The Jam en la seva primera etapa. I aquesta sublimació és d'una excel.lència i exuberància gairebé màgica

The Jam: great singles throughout but also a real album band who made a string of 5-star albums including this one.

Some corking tracks on here. Worth 5 stars for David Watts alone.

This band is “The Beatles” if they were punks, and I have no problem with it. None at all. 5 Stars

One of my all-time faves. I bought this at the time and played it constantly so of course it gets maximum stars. I guess it's aimed at predominantly young angry men in 1978 but it's still fresh and poetic, raucous and rocky even now. It has real classics - 'Down in the Tubestation' and 'English Rose' which are suprisingly poles apart but even the 'fillers' are gold: 'Fly' is the least listened track in Sp*tify but again IMO one of the best tracks on the album.

ace

It's The Jam m8. Clear Beatles influences dotted which I'd not noticed before. Down In The Tube could well be the best British track of all time.

Fun listen