Yay! TSC!!!!

Classic tune!

I liked the way that TSC had political lyrics set to pop tunes. The Lodgers was all about the Margaret Thatcher government in the 80's and a reminder that whilst she resided at No 10 she was just lodging there and could easily be removed.

Herein lies the problem with TSC. Great ideas - biting political commentary set to pleasant breezy tunes - but more often than not they didn't quite come off. The best Weller agitpop TSC songs Money-Go-Round, Confessions (aka War on the Bullshit Redux ), Homebreakers, Walls Come Tumbling Down, Internationalists, The Big Boss Groove had great driving tunes. The failures - Come to Milton Keynes, Right To Go (TSC should NEVER have dabbled with hip hop - leave that to The Clash), With Everything To Lose, and yes, The Lodgers, had harsh lyrics set to lift music. The only time the really pulled this off was with The Whole Point of No Return.

Actually, of those mentioned, Walls Come Tumbling Down and Internationalists have better tunes than they do lyrics.

Happy 2008 Pacey!

Yep I understand where you're coming from. I agree that The Lodgers is quite a twee tune, I just mentioned that as an example as it's the featured tune on the thread. I think some of your points are valid (Right To Go being the worst "tune" they EVER recorded) but I thought Milton Keynes was a good song and Internationalists is a boring tune with crap lyrics. Each to his own eh?

A Happy New Year to you too Shapey!

And whilst I'm here I may as well give another plug to my pal Munnsy's TSC book "Mr Cool's Dream". A revised hardback edition is due in May 2008. Buy a copy for the TSC fan in your life

http://paulwellerbook.com/default.aspx

pacey68 said:

Basically, I'll be buying it for myself

pacey, I have The Complete Adventures

It's in my Top 10 list of my all time favorite albums
I'm trying to decide which Paul Weller album I should buy first. The record store near me has most TSC, Paul Weller, and The Jam albums and collections on CD and vinyl

pacey68 said:

I got it - on your recommendation, and a fine read it is too. Gracias. Also got the Hewitt book on Weller ... oh dear. More warts than all. No wonder Weller ended playing Thick as Thieves again. He should've done Burning Sky instead though.

By the way, Pacey, I said Internationalists was a great tune with duff lyrics. Weller trying to be The Redskins (remember them?).

Milton Keynes had great lyrics though: "We used to chase dreams now we chase the dragon/Mine is the semi with the Union Jack on". The good people of Milton Keynes were pissed off with TSC for that one. They should've moved out. The place is a shithole.

bboy87 said:

His first, self titled solo album is my fave... it all went a bit too earnest for me after that.

Shapeshifter said:

Yes I remember The Redskins, great band. I saw them supporting Billy Bragg in 84 during the miners strike. Their album "Neither Washington Nor Moscow" is brilliant.