MEMENTO: 10 OF THE BEST FROM THE JAM

One of England's finest, The Jam entered my life with a great debut album and a gig at Derby's Kings Hall that ranks amongst the very best I've attended. It's a hard job choosing my 10 favourite tracks, but an enjoyable one. Feel free to list your own picks in the comments below.

1/ 'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight'. "I first felt a fist, and then a kick. I could now smell their breath. They smelt of pubs, and Wormwood Scrubs and too many right wing meetings". The song they always used to finish with before the encores, and my own favourite. Weller conjures up all manner of chills with this frightening tale of menace on the London Underground. Brutal and brilliant!

2/ 'A' Bomb In Wardour Street'. "If this is freedom I don't understand, 'cause it seems like madness to me". How right he was. Now, our streets are unsafe to walk at night, unless you have a guardian A looking over your shoulder. This track is pure dynamite as Weller spits out lyrics with the venom of a cage of Puff Adders. Far-seeing, and even more disturbing now.

3/ 'Going Underground'. "And the public gets what the public wants, but I want nothing this society's got". Weller on the attack again with this scathing indictment of governmental evils. Open your eyes now as then.

4/ 'Strange Town'. "I look in the mirror but I can't be seen, just a thin clean layer of Mr. Sheen looking back at me oh oh, ohoooooooh". Glorious anthem and just about the best song ever written about the loneliness of London.

5/ 'When You're Young'. "But you find out life isn't like that. It's so hard to comprehend, when you set up your dreams to have them smashed in the end". Part of their 'Golden Run' when every single was absolutely perfect, and every gig reached out and sucked you into a better place for 100 minutes. Savage, and beautifully written.

6/ 'That's Entertainment'. "A smash of glass and the rumble of boots. An electric train and a ripped up phone booth. Paint splattered walls and the cry of a tom cat, lights going out and a kick in the balls". Poetry set to music. Still gets to me, and that's what Weller intended.

7/ 'Town Called Malice'. "Stop dreaming of the quiet life, cos it's the one you'll never know". Memories of Woking for Mr. Weller, and A Love Supreme(s). Dynamite!

8/ 'The Eton Rifles'. "Sup up your beer and collect your fags, there's a row goin' on down near Slough". A call to arms for any impressionable young men who longed to take it to the upper-classes. By this time, they really were a force to be reckoned with.

9/ 'Thick As Thieves'. "We stole the love from young girls in ivory towers, we stole autumn leaves and summer showers. We stole the silent wind that says you are free, we stole everything that we could see". Stack this one up with Jonesy's 'Stay Free'. Great vocal and some of the most alive lyrics you'll ever hear.

10/ 'Butterfly Collector'. "There's tarts and whores but you're much more. You're a different kind cos you want their mind". You got hate mail! This song (b side of 'Strange Town') was always one of the highlights of their shows. You really would want PW on your side; even more so after listening to the lyrics on this.

11/ 'David Watts'. Ok, I am a dull and simple lad, cannot tell ele-ven from ten.... couldn't leave this one out. Cheers to Ray Davies, and to Paul and the guys for making it even more special.

I was lucky enough to see The Jam live on 14 occasions. Their 2 nights at Leicester De Montfort Hall will always reside in my top gigs list, and although I felt great sadness when they split, the memories they left behind are to be treasured.

PAUL WELLER KEEPS ON KEEPING ON

In just over half an hour from now, Paul Weller will take the stage at the Derby Assembly Rooms which is around 14 miles from where I live. In 12 days time, Weller will be 50 and yet it only seems like 5 minutes ago since he made his onstage debut in Derby with The Jam. In fact, it was the fag end of 1977 , just 6 months after their debut album IN THE CITY. Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler had been together as a group since the early 70s, playing cover versions from the likes of Little Richard and Chuck Berry. When Punk arrived, the group stood out from the majority of 'one chord wonders', displaying Mod sensibilities and a love of classic 60s rock. If IN THE CITY was indeed their 'punk album' (fast and loud), it also showed their roots were elswhere.

Their second album, THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD, was hailed by many as a disappointment, but I found it to be confirmation of an exciting band who were really getting into their stride. The rabble-rousing title track, the brilliant 'Life From A Window' and 'In The Street Today' showed us the group were moving at a pace towards a real humdinger of an album. After a few hiccoughs with regard to would-be album tracks failing to make the grade, Paul Weller caught fire. The result was the mighty ALL MOD CONS; one of the finest records to have come out of these fair isles. Thank God Polydor didn't pull the plug when things were on top because we would have been deprived of an absolute classic. Even what seem like lesser tracks ('To Be Someone', 'It's Too Bad') drag you into the mix , refusing to relinquish their grasp while the real meat is.... simply awesome. The Kinks' 'David Watts' ("I am a dull and simple lad. Cannot tell water from champagne") is a joy on vinyl and live onstage, with Weller spitting out the lyrics like a lizard on heat while 'A Bomb In Wardour Street' is even more relevant today than in 1978 when this album slapped us across the face. Here, Weller's lyrics warn us of a place where "the streets are paved with blood" as his Rickebacker drops depth charges in tune with the venomous delivery of those highly charged words. Even better, is their anthem: "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight"; a song that I've always had in the front of my mind when travelling on the London Underground late at night. Told from the POV of a victim of violence, this is an extremely potent account of the lawless breed that shatter the lives of others . Weller's slow storytelling, marking with an entirely vicious condemnation of racism and violence, magnificently culminates in a breathless conclusion as the victim realises that "They took the keys and she'll think it's me". One of the most chilling songs ever penned, and the one they always closed on live before the always magnificent encores. For me, The Jam never quite topped this album, but they did go on to record some truly stunning cuts with SETTING SONS, SOUND AFFECTS and THE GIFT all containing some great Jam standards.

Yes, the albums were all excellent, but The Jam on 45rpm were quite simply magnificent. From the nostalgic 'When You're Young' to 'Strange Town' (still the finest song ever written about the loneliness of London) to the socio-political 'Going Underground' ("It's the kidney machines that pay for rockets and guns"), the sublime 'That's Entertainment' ("A police car and a screaming siren, pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete, a baby wailing, stray dog howling") with its account of YOUR childhood, right through to the swaggering 'Precious' and the wake-up call that is 'A Town Called Malice' ("Stop dreaming of the quiet life, cos it's the one you'll never know"). Perhaps 'The Eton Rifles' was close to being their best? "Sup up your beer and collect your fags, there's a row goin on down near Slough" served as a call to arms for many an impressionable young man who dreamed of taking on the upper-classes and going to bed with a charming young thing. Together with The Clash and The Banshees, The Jam were probably our finest singles bands and, like the aforementioned groups, they were quite superb live. I was lucky enough to see them on 14 occasions, and they never let me down. I remember being almost heartbroken when they split up, but, years later, can see exactly why that decision was taken.

So, it's back to the present. We couldn't afford to buy tickets to see Mr. Weller's concert tonight and, to be honest, I haven't really been a fan of his solo career. He did do a short interview in our local paper and declared there would never be a reunion of The Jam with the original three members. "I just think certain things are best left as they are, so you have a sweet taste in your mouth and a good memory". I think he's absolutely right. Tonight, my mind won't be at The Assembly Rooms. Instead, I'l be back in a smaller venue called The Kings Hall, which was situated just 200 yards down the road from tonight's venue. That's where I first saw The Jam in 1977, and revelled in the sounds of a great band. Paul Weller, genius. Take a bow and enjoy your show!