Paul Weller- The Paul Weller Creation and Continuum Discussion

It's really galling isn't it? Part of the same continnum of regret that includes mom throwing out our comics and baseball cards growing up,eh? What we know today is so valuable in retrospect,isn't it? That's why that expression: "youth is wasted on the young" is so potent! What was rubbish then becomes gold decades later. Hey at least you have that autographed LP of Confessions in your voluminous collection!

 

Nope it's one I'd love to get hold of. In fact I'm now upset with Wil for not seizing the day and grabbing an armful and being possibly open to bribes. Wil, it's up there with Guy's mistake of not grabbing "black vinyl" Strange Town's (joking obviously).

 

Into Tomorrow is a really good positive song, which was a great way to kickstart Weller's solo career, it is a shame that at the time few were listening as this song is as good as anything that was released as a single from Wild Wood and it would have been great if Paul had started his career with a big hit.

Here's A New Thing does indeed have that TSC vibe around it, the transition from TSC to PWM was quite natural, a progression in the same way that the latter Jam singles and Speak like a child were connected. PW might change a lot, but taking his output as a whole, the changes are quite fluid.
That Spiritual Feeling I always quite liked this track, and thought the solo version to be very interesting, I only heard this for the first time last October when I got Fly on the wall, and was initially surprised to hear it, very nice track though.
Into Tomorrow (Original 8 Track Demo) very polished demo, which was almost good enough to be released in this form, however, I am glad he added that additional layer of gloss to the finished product.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd4LsDVdmW4

 

On the Go-discs version, I find the covers interesting. I am not that familiar with Neil Young, so Ohio was new to me, but obviously I know DLMD inside out and thought Paul's rendition was not bad, although it always feels strange hearing such a familiar song covered, and rarely do they improve on the original.
Odd that the cover versions were not included on the Deluxe edition of PW.

 

"Ohio" was probably ignored because of the version on Wild Wood deluxe, but I'd agree Don't Let Me Down could have been included.

 

Thanks for posting the link, I meant to that this morning, it's a worth watching and apparent how nervous Weller is. I stil smile at the "you can bury me a mod" quip, it's a bit *****ty how that particular quote has made it onto T-shirts and bumper stickers in the UK.

 

Has this been released anywhere else other than this promo? I didn't realize that it's a different version to the later release. I would love to hear it.

Are the other tracks on the promo the same versions as released in the UK?

 

I didn't realise there was two versions of Ohio.

 

I can't find it on YouTube but there's a full version of this performance of Tin Soldier in existence without the credits, etc. It's low quality and timecoded but worth watching.

 

That show will be covered in the coming week! I have something on that so let's hold back a bit.....

 

Let's save Ohio, too. It's coming ,it's too early to talk about these things BUT they will be covered in full ,trust me on that one!

 

But you already made the post about the promo single, Butch!

 

There is an advisory for the promo single ! I basically said that the other songs are not up for discussion right now. Go back and read my Proustian post on Into Tomorrow my friend! And the US CD didn't come out in 91,either. That was for the collectors out there.

 

Marcel is correct. it's how I read it, a tease and a silence...gonna be a long decade...

 

I don't know that Marriott ever stopped working---he stopped writing, that's for sure. He worked tirelessly in the clubs as far as I know throughout the '80's. But the drink/drugs effectively extinguished his creative fire. Once you get past the early '70's, it was pretty much a case of diminishing returns till his death.
I've often wondered what it would have been like for him had he lived through Britpop. After all, he was only 44 when he died, still a young man (Look at this way: Weller's age in 2002).

I believe Weller had an aversion to meeting him (if one believes the Hewitt book) because he didn't want to be disillusioned or disappointed, but the way things played out in the '90's, I think it would have been inevitable that they would share a stage together at some point. A wonderful image, when you think about it.

 

I'm still waiting on that Jam box set! Untrue mate, despite all the issues surrounding me on a regular basis, it will going at mach speed!HAHAHA... There are no teases from me...remember Marc Almond's line from His live album: "you never thought you were gonna get it DID YOU!"

 

Remember that comment from Steve about Weller something to the effect of how can I not like me? It was sad about how Steve came to his end. His Packet Of Three came to literally undo himself in the end!

 

so true...and in a few more long waiting days the world will have some Variete...i can hardly contain myself...cause I never thought we was gonna get another proper Almond disc...

 

DJW do you think that almond will ever cover Into Tomorrow or TSF from the early Weller movement? Can you picture a duet between Wellie and Marc on Into Tomorrow with a piano and vocal arrangement?! It might be the height of camp.....

 

Oh don't tempt me, the thought of Weller and Marriott singing Tin Soldier or, for me, Afterglow on stage together would have been a monumental occasion.

An old friend met Marriott after a Pack of Three gig in Liverpool and also being a massive Weller fan was having a drink with Weller one night and had to recount the entire 5 minute conversation they had - word for word. Apparantly Weller was like a wide-eyed fan.

It's interesting Tom that Weller avoided meeting Marriott, given his aquaintance with Terry Rawlings, John Hellier (lovely man btw) I'm assuming it would have been easy to organise.

 

Funny about Stevie though. Wellie had no problem meeting Townshend who so profoundly influenced him. I wonder if Wellie was fearful of Stevie slagging on him for stealing his style, his music, his attire and his bloody haircut! And it's funny because not only did Wellie nick from Stevie(during his Small Faces years) in the Jam and TSC, he also mined some of the same terrain from the beloved band, (in America that is)Humble Pie as well.


But I had heard that if you want to really score points with Wellie, mention Chairman of The Board, that really floats his boat!

 

Butch I take your point but I don't see Marriott and Townsend in the same league, in terms of importance. Marriott is the true "modfather", to quote that awful phrase, Townsend in comparison was just playing at it, as a marketing ploy.

I know scores will disagree but Marriott is the icon.

 

I'm sure it could have happened on many occasions. Someone please correct me if I'm remembering this incorrectly, but in the Hewitt book there's a story that at some point someone close to Weller spoke with Marriott and mentioned how big a fan Weller was. Marriott's response was something like "Well, tell the c*** to come out to a bloody show then," or something like that.
Recently I exchanged emails with a writer from whom I was seeking some info for an article on Gene Clark (He had met/interviewed Gene on a few occasions). He told me some rather unpleasant, at times downright sad and pathetic details of Gene's life shortly before his death, and I sort of recoiled in horror at what I had been told.
He wrote me this in response:

Presumably Weller was aware of this by instinct.

 

OMG, I so disagree mate. Them's fighting words! Pete is the real Modfather mate! He was The Face,bro. The smart clothes, the tunes and he wrote a bloody rock opera about a bunch of Mods called Quadrophenia,you might have heard of it! Nah to me Pete is the Modfather pure and simple. This desrves another thread actually...I see you outside the pub I take it then?

BTW Helio...how mod was Humble Pie? Not very actually.....


But staying within the theme, it was interesting how Paul was an Acid Jazzer and a house guy even still during this Into Tomorrow phase. He was not quite the Don. But with this single one could sense a latent rockness creeping in again.