Paul Weller

Over the course of a career that extends back five decades, the songs of Paul Weller are woven into the tapestry of British music. His body of work stands comparison with formative heroes such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ray Davies – a canon that takes in a total of 28 studio albums. And while it’s tempting to dwell on past achievements – the Brit Awards, the Ivor Novellos and the number one albums (eight in total), Weller’s avowed credo leads him to view his creative past rather like a motorist might look in the rear-view mirror – foot on the pedal, in constant forward motion. 

For Weller it was that modernist outlook that informed his music as far back as his earliest recordings with The Jam. The trio he formed with Bruce Foxton (bass) and Rick Buckler (drums) achieved instant success with their 1977 debut single In The City. The album with which it shared its title has come to be regarded alongside Never Mind The Bollocks and London Calling as one of the musical lodestones of the punk era.