The Jam - The Very Best Of The Jam (CD 1999)

Considering The Jam lasted less than 10 years, there are over 25 compilation albums of their material available. This is probably the better of them if The Jam are less familiar to you, than to those who grew up in the late '70s/early '80s and witnessed their chart success.

The Jam provided a unique slice of British working class life, thanks to some spot-on observational lyrics from Paul Weller. Each one of their three-and-a-half minute songs tells a story as well as providing some great pogo-ing fodder. Somewhat ironically, The Jam were lumped in with the punk movement of the late '70s, - despite wearing the sharpest suits and looking more like Mods. However don't let this put you off if you're not keen on punk because The Jam probably defined the punk-rock ethic more than punk bands did at the time, and sounded better than most punk bands.

A highly recommended collection from the band who brought us classics like "That's Entertainment", "Going Underground", "Eton Rifles"......the list is endless and thankfully most of it is on this CD.

I wanted some music that the jam had done and i found this cd which was the very best of the Jam. This album is very good and i like all the songs on it as they are the one's i know and i can sing along too.

If you like the Jam and want a good mix cd this is the one to get.

This is why i brought it.

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED IT,I JUST DID'NT GET AROUND TO IT UNTIL NOW,I'VE JUST LISTENED
TO IT AND IT BROUGHT BACK ALL THE GREAT MEMORIES AS A TEENAGER LIVING IN THE 70s,
I WILL PLAY THIS OFTEN,ONLY HOPE I DONT WEAR IT OUT........BRIANYATES2008

As you can see this a 'very best of...' album. Having all The Jams albums I like to keep this one in the car, my original one being pinched by a vindictive ex, but that's a whole other story.

What can I say about The Jam and their music that hasn't been said a thousand times before? I can tell you what it meant to me in those heady days of my youth. I was 10 years old when 'Down in the tube station at midnight' was released 1978. It was my first taste of The Jam and although I was too young to know why I absolutely loved it.

In 1982 'A town called Malice' was released, by then I had been listening to The Jam and others of this genre for 4 years. I had become politically aware through the due diligence of a politically minded Father and I was angry. By the time I was 15 my friends and I were bound for Maggie's scrapheap and we knew it. We had nowhere to turn and no hope. Instead of career days at school we had lessons on how to sign on and directions from the Job Centre to the dole office, our teachers knew where we were headed so they took it easy for a few years.

In the midst of all this youthful despair and angst we had each other and music. The 'gang' I was apart of was made up of misfits. There was a couple of rockabilly, a couple of rude boys, mods, and skins, all in all there was about 15 of us, all from differing families, from the well to do to the desperate but we all had one thing in common, our love of music. We all had different tastes but somehow we were tolerant of each other, there was a kind of mutual respect for music where there was none elsewhere. It was a blissful time, although I had no idea of that then. It was a time of walking home from a 'disco' at the YMCA, hand in hand with the prettiest girl in the school. Our clothes clammy from a night of jumping around, (some may call it dancing). It was a time of kissing in the moonlight, heart pounding, lips quivering. It was a time of acting cool knowing full well you were failing miserably. It was a time of despair, yes, but it was also a time of first love, which to my mind makes up for it.

It was a wonderful time to be growing from a boy to a man, I wouldn't change it for the world. Nor would I change the music that was its accompaniment.

This album is a great snap-shot of great band. In no way can you call it definitive but it's certainly contains some stupendous tunes. This is the kind of album I would recommend to someone as their entrance to a particular band, era or genre.

I would certainly recommend this to any teenagers, you have plenty of reasons to be angry now, just as we did then.

I should have got this ages ago, all the best songs the Jam have ever done, but thats only what i think.This brings loads of memories floating back to the last couple of years at school the early stuff like IN THE CITY, NEWS OF THE WORLD, DOWN IN THE TUBE STATION AT MIDNIGHT, DAVID WATTS..all class. Theres no down sides to this cd .. only just played this & i feel like getting the old vespa out...10/10..money well spent

tO PLAY IN MY CAR ON WAY TO WORK . Always liked the Jam but only the best of tunes Something different from my past so good memories .

The Jam - The Very Best Of the Jam.
If you are a fan of The Jam this is the cd for you and if your not give it a try I promise you will not be disappointed.
With 21 tracks packed into one cd this is more than value for money.
This cd brings back all my childhood nostalgia and much more,
With all the classic tracks like Modern World, News of the World, Going Underground, and Eton Rifles mixed with all the others it make for great listening.
If you’re not into all this manufactured pop of the 90’s and 2000 give it and go and listen to some great lyrics and songs that have a beat to them.