Album review: From The Jam - Live!
Everybody knows The Jam's greatest hits. Not many can argue against them being one of Britain's biggest ever bands in one of British music's most important movements.
Birthday bashes, football stadiums, indie clubs. Their legacy can still be heard all around and they stand alongside the likes of Joy Division, The Smiths, The Clash, Stone Roses and Oasis as mouthpieces of their generation and idols to music lovers everywhere.
And for those looking for something a little different to the seriousness of departed leader Paul Weller should check out From The Jam - the live reincarnation featuring fellow Jam member Bruce Foxton and his pal Russell Hastings.
The music is just as passionate now as it was then, the live versions recorded here on this anniversary record sounding just as fun and raucous as their stage performances. Particularly when you can hear their audiences singing back to them.
There is something poetic about songs this big being performed this well for people who love them this much. The Jam and their contemporaries didn't just provide timeless hits, they helped to power a whole movement of discontent against the status quo. And no, not the band.
In a nutshell, this record shows how relevant anti-establishment bands still are in our time.
Highlights include an emotional rendition of The Butterfly Collector and a stomping Down In The Station At Midnight. The former is just as haunting as you can remember with those swirling guitars, while the throat punching chorus of the latter snarls with the same viciousness.
And the three-pronged finish of Going Underground, Town Called Malice and The Eton Rifles is worth the purchase alone.
All three would allow any one-hit-wonder group to dine out for the rest of their lives. So to have conjured all three up is pretty special.
Each delivers its own delicious and instantly recognised opening bars. And you know when hearing them that it is truly about to 'go off' with uncontrollable limbs and screeched sing-alongs. NB - perhaps avoid while driving!
The anger and frustration still seeps through the vocals, and Foxton's bass slamming remains superb.
Get this for your dad for Christmas. He'll love you for it.
Rating: 9/10
From The Jam are touring extensively throughout 2018. They first appear at Shrewsbury's The Buttermarket on January 19 before playing at Birmingham's Institute on May 17. They then play Bilston's Robin 2 on July 1 before returning to Shrewsbury for Lets Rock Shrewsbury on July 14.
