The Jam: Absolute Beginners EP (1981)




"This EP is more officially called The Jam, but it is record company Polydor putting two different singles and their B-sides together in one volume. ... Paul Weller and company, whether they sound more punk or new wave, consistently have something interesting going on. Inspired by the Colin MacInnes mod subculture novel of the same name, 'Absolute Beginners' features the line, 'I need the strength to get what I want,' which plays right into both the novel and The Jam’s ongoing themes of speaking up for the underclasses and those who are on the outskirts of mainstream society. ... 'Funeral Pyre' deals more directly with those in power who work against those below them. In the age of Thatcher, where the power of trade unions and other workers’ benefits programs were greatly reduced, the government presented their policies as being 'for the good of Great Britain.' ..."
Persephone Magazine (Video)
Post Punk Monk
Discogs
YouTube: Absolute Beginners (Live), Funeral Pyre (Live), Tales From The Riverbank (Live)

2009 March: The Jam, 2012 November: "Going Underground", 2013 January: In the City, 2013 February: This Is the Modern World, 2013 July: All Mod Cons, 2013 November: Setting Sons, 2014 January: Sound Affects (1980), 2014 December: Live At Bingley Hall, Birmingham, England 1982, 2015 March: "Town Called Malice" / "Precious", 2015 July: The Gift (1982), 2015 September: "Strange Town" / "The Butterfly Collector" (1979), 2016 April: "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" (1979).

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