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Adding Honourary Councillors Ben Watt and Tracey Thorne, from Everything But the Girl, Weller then-wife Dee C. The official UK debut arrived in March 1984 with producers Weller and Peter Wilson constructing a soulful and emotionally appealing disc that showed the outfit in an eclectic light with songs ranging from jazz soaked instrumentals – Talbot’s speciality – to perfect pop.
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As a taste of things to come, this is essential, since it includes the original and club mixes of “Long Hot Summer”, “Speak Like a Child” (their British debut, featuring Zeke Manyika from Orange Juice on drums) and classy items “The Paris Match” and “Money-Go-Round, pts. The results were a seven-track mini-LP made for non-UK markets, though it was imported in large numbers. We also have a cracking live album, the mid-period Home & Abroad, and plenty of compilations as well as the definitive 5-CD Box Set, The Complete Adventures of The Style Council, that includes the previously unreleased final album, Modernism: A New Decade from 1989, something most people only heard a decade after it was completed and delivered.įresh from The Jam, Paul Weller began rehearsing with Mick Talbot, drummer Steve White and guest vocalist Tracie Young (the protégée Paul helped launch, she had sung on The Jam’s final single, “Beat Surrender”) and made debut recordings in Paris, summer of 1983 under the name The Style Council, one influenced by the French modernist philosophers of the 20th century. They are prime examples of the uDiscover mantra since discovering them anew is a real pleasure.
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The big albums – Café Bleu, Our Favourite Shop, The Cost of Loving and the experimental Confessions of a Pop Group were all top twenty or better but while they acquired Gold and Silver status they had something of a connoisseur appeal and Weller was right when he said that people would appreciate them more in years to come. Their best-known singles, “Speak Like a Child”, “Long Hot Summer” and the sublime “My Ever Changing Moods” (a precursor to the styles of Weller’s solo career) kept Jam fans onside and drew in new listeners. Between 19 The Style Council enjoyed enormous success in the UK and Europe and made inroads into the American market.
THE STYLE COUNCIL PAUL WELLER MOD
With new partner Mick Talbot (a former member of Dexys Midnight Runners and mod outfit The Merton Parkas) he found the perfect foil, a gifted keyboards player with a penchant for Hammond organ and a sunny disposition. In other words, if he’d felt constrained or frustrated on occasion during his earlier stardom his promise to himself was to make great music. Featuring over 17 forewords and memories from former band members, there isn't a book on Paul Weller's career that goes anywhere near the detail held within Mr Cool's Dream.After Paul Weller parted company with The Jam in 1982 he wasted little time in moving into the deeper soul soundscapes that he wanted to combine with funk and synth-pop while keeping an open mind about the incoming trends: deep house, avant-garde or fusion jazz and even progressive elements of new wave. It is still the only book in existence dedicated to The Style Council and exhaustively covers every release, tour, story and more. This book interviews dozens of former band members, including exclusive Forewords or reviews from the 4 main players - Paul Weller, Mick Talbot, Steve White and Dee C Lee. Mr Cool's Dream, The Complete History of The Style Council is a fascinating trip into what Paul Weller was trying to achieve and why he HAD to split The Jam at their peak. "Painstakingly accurate" - Paul Weller, "A constant memory jogger for me" - Mick Talbot, "An excellent reference" - Steve White, "Love the book" - Dee C Lee. Iain Munn must be congratulated for flying the flag for Weller's least understood musical exploit: The ultimate fans eye view of Weller's seven year itch. Between 19, its as if Paul was happiest taking chances, usurping expectations, borrowing magpie-like from the past and remoulding it for the present (in true Mod fashion).
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Paul Weller wrote some of the best songs during his sabbatical with The Style Council - from savvy socially-conscious pop to effortless love songs.