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Monday 29 April 2019

Vinyl #33 - The Jam

"When You're Young"/"Smithers-Jones" (7" single)


Back in the days when bands regularly recorded and issued singles that were not included on albums, The Jam were one of the finest exponents of this fine thing to do.

'When You're Young' is arguably their finest 'stand-alone' single (although 'Strange Town' may run it close). A brilliant slab of Weller's anger-pop, a paean to youth, a celebration of not-being-old. 

Released in August 1979 just before my 17th birthday, it spoke directly to me and I lapped it up. Look at the picture sleeve, how young do Paul, Rick and Bruce look? The latter in classic mod black Fred Perry polo, Paul in paisley shirt a la Small Faces.

This was The Jam at their prime.

The B-side 'Smithers-Jones' is unusual in that it was written and sung by bassist Bruce Foxton (apart from the coda which Weller barks out). It's a very endearing tale of work and commuting, apparently based on his father as he undertook the daily slog to London only to be made redundant. This is the band version of the song, interestingly an orchestral (yes, orchestral!) version appears on The Jam's seminal near-concept album 'Setting Sons' released some three months later.

Here's the music: