436 Goodbye The Jam - Beat Surrender

Chart  entered  : 4  December  1982

Chart  peak : 1

My  opinion  that  the  Golden  Age  of  Pop  ended  with  the  fall  of  Ghost  Town  from  the  number  one  spot  wasn't  formed  until  years  afterwards. For  the  rest  of  the  eighties  I  would  probably  have  cited   what  this  single  represents   as  the  major  turning  point  and  I  suspect  that  there  are  many  ex-Jam  fans  out  there  who  think  that  things  have  never  been  quite  the  same  since  they  split  up.

The  Jam  are  the  first  act  to  exit  this  blog  on  a  number  one.  This  is  also  the  first  featuring  of   a  phenomenon  that  started  in  the  eighties  , the  self-conscious  farewell  single. A  couple  of  months  earlier,  Squeeze  had  announced  that  Annie  Get  Your  Gun   was  going  to  be  their  final  single  but  it  wasn't  written  with  that  in  mind  and,  of  course,  turned  out  not  to  be  their  last  single  after  all.

The  Jam  had  come  a  long  way  since  "In  The  City" but  at  one  point  it  looked  very  dicey  for  the  band. After  a  poor  reception  for  their  second  album "This  Is  The  Modern  World"  at  the  end  of  1977  , Polydor  rejected  the  follow  up  out  right  and  sent  the  group  back  to  the  drawing  board. Under  pressure  Paul  Weller  came  up  with  the  set  of  songs  that  formed  "All  Mod  Cons"  including  punk's  finest  three  minutes  in  "Down  In  The  Tube  Station  At  Midnight"  and  the  band's  future  was  secured. But  the  episode  changed  the  internal dynamic  of  the  band. The  bulk  of  the  rejected  material  had  been  written  by  bassist  Bruce  Foxton  and  he  never  recovered  his  position  as  a  twin  pole  of  the  group. With  his  dad  John  as  the  group's  manager  Paul  was  firmly  in  the  driving  seat. The  group's  commercial  success  increased  with  every  release  , bolstered  by  1979's  "Mod  Revival"  which  they  created  as  much  as  benefited  from , until  "Going  Underground / Dreams  of  Children"  became  the  first  single  since  Slade's  Merry  Christmas  Everybody  to  debut  at  number  one,  in  April  1980.

Thereafter  they  were  always  contenders  for  the  top  spot  but  there  was  a  glass  ceiling  to  their  achievements. Along  with  Gary  Numan,  they  pioneered  the  "fanbase  hit "  pattern  of  charting  high  on  first  week  sales  and  then  dropping  quickly  as  the  single  failed  to  make  many  new  converts. And  they  were  only  kings  of  the  heap  in  Britain. In  Australia  and  Canada  they  had  a  few  medium  sized   hits; in  America  they  were  forced  to  do  incongruous  support  slots  to  the  likes  of  Blue  Oyster  Cult  which  resulted  in  modest  placings  for  their  latter  two  albums   but  still  no  hit  singles.

Paul  got  frustrated  and  while  publicly  disdainful  of  contemporaries  like  ABC  and  Haircut 100 he  started  aping  their  moves. 1981's  "Funeral  Pyre"  - a  single  I  love  but  seemingly  no  one  else  does -  was  effectively  their  last  single as  a  trio. All  their  subsequent  hits  had  either  a brass  section, a  prominent  keyboard  part, strings, a  guest  vocalist  or  some  combination  of  the  above. At  the  same  time  he  put  aside  his  old  touchstones  - Who, Kinks, Small  Faces  etc  - and  began  listening  exclusively  to  black  music,  old  and  new.

1982  seemed  to  be  a  bright  year  for  the  band  when  their  sixth  LP  "The  Gift"  ( not  their  best  )  finally  gave  them  a  number  one  album.  In  August  1982  Paul  informed  his  father  and  bandmates  that  he  was  breaking  up  the  band; all  three  reacted  with  incredulity  and  dismay. The  news  was  kept  secret  for  weeks  and   didn't  affect  the  promotion  of  their  penultimate  single  "The  Bitterest  Pill"  ( apart  from  Bruce  walking  off  the  video  set  which  probably  explains  why  there  was  no  promo  for  this  one ). Paul's  intention  was  to  announce  the  split  on  the  first  episode  of  Channel  4's  The  Tube  at  the  beginning  of  November  but  the  need  to  advertise  the  farewell  tour  brought  it  forward  a  bit. I  read  about  it  in  Record  Mirror  one  Thursday  morning  and  my  friend  Sean  threatened  to  beat  me  up  if  it  were  true.

  It  was  the  major  music  story  for  the  next  few  weeks.  Record  Mirror  described  it  as  the  most  exciting  demise  of  a  band  since  the  Sex  Pistols.  A  farewell  tour  was  announced  which  had  to  be  extended  due  to  public  demand  and  an  inessential  live  LP  "Dig  The  New  Breed" was  issued  to  fulfil  the  band's  contract  with  Polydor.  The  choice  of  a  final  single  rested  between  "Beat  Surrender"  and  "A  Solid  Bond  In  Your  Heart"  ( later  recorded  by  the  Style  Council ).

The  Popular  take  on  "Beat  Surrender"  is  here  but  doesn't  cover  everything. For  one  it's  the  only  Jam  single  with  no  audible  guitar,  employing  a  rolling  piano  and  Hammond  organ  instead. This  led  to  some  rather  awkward  attempts  at  dancing  by  the  axe-less  Paul  when  they  performed  the  song  on  Top  of  the  Pops .  He  was  accompanied  on  vocals  by  his  new  prodigy  Tracie  ( Young ),  recruited  through  Smash  Hits  for  his  new  vanity  label  Respond. The  seventeen-year  old  wasn't  in  a  position  to  refuse  his  invitation  to  sing  on  the last  Jam  single  but  it  can't  have  been  a  pleasant  experience  being  dropped  in  amid  the  bad  vibes  generated  by  the  split.  She  does  add  something  to  the  record  but  looked  fairly  ridiculous  on  Top  of  the  Pops  , wearing   an  outsized  jumper  and  dancing  as  badly  as  Paul. Tracie  isn't  the  girl  on  the  cover  though ;   that  was  Gill .  Paul's  long  time  girlfriend  but  not  for  much  longer. Putting  her  on  the  cover  of  The  Jam's  last  single    now  seems  almost  sinister,   as  if  he  wanted  to  send  out  the  message, "And  you're  next  ! "

To  make  sure  the  record  reached  number  one  - not  that  there  was  much  doubt  it  would  - it  initially  came  as  a double  pack  single  with  the  extra  disc  containing  covers  of  "Stoned  Out  of  My   Mind", "Move  On  Up"  and  a  second  attempt  at  "War "  with  session  singers  Afrodiziak.  There  have  been  suggestions  that  Bruce  and  drummer  Rick  Buckler  didn't  actually  play  on  these  but  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  firm  basis  for  this. Bruce  and  Rick  have  had  the  consolation  that , Band  Aid  ( where  he  was  clearly  surplus to  requirements ) apart, |Paul  never  got  back  to  the  number  one  spot  without  them.

The  Jam  played  their  final  gig  at  Brighton  Conference  Centre  on  11th  December  1982  , a  rather  tense, emotional  affair  by  all  accounts  then  dissolved completely. It  seems  to  have  been  the last  time  the  trio  were  all  in  the  same  room  together. A  wave  of  re-released  Jam  singles  hit  the  charts  at  the  beginning  of  1983.

We'll  come  to  Paul's  next  move  soon  enough  so  we'll  concentrate  on  Bruce  and  Rick  for  the  rest  of  this  post. Both  of  course  were  taken  completely  unawares  by  Paul's  decision   and  had  no  concrete  plans  for  the  future. Polydor  were  not  interested  in  re-signing  them  in  any  capacity.

Bruce  had  the  benefit  of  a  girlfriend,  Pat,  who  worked  in  the  industry  for  CBS  and  managed  to  rustle  up  a  backing  band  and  a  solo  deal  with  Arista  which  of  course  meant  he  had  to  pick  up  his  pen  again,  having  only  written  a  couple  of  songs  across  the  last  four  Jam  albums. His  first  effort  was  "Freak"  in  July  1983  a   blustery  R  & B  stomper  inspired  by  The  Elephant  Man  with  a  barnstorming  production  by  Steve  Lillywhite  that  completely  buries  the  slight  song. It's  an  exhausting  listen  but  little  lodges  in  the  memory  bank  afterwards. The  Jam  fan  base  dutifully  rewarded  him  with  a  number  23  hit  and  thus  an  energetic  Top  of  the  Pops  appearance  but  he  needed  to  come  up  with  something  much  better.

The  second  single,  "This  Is  The  Way"  in  October  1983 , was  an  improvement  with  more  melodic  content  though  Lillywhite's  production  still  seems  over  the  top  for  Bruce's  introspective  musings. Arista  were  already  doubting  their  wisdom  in  signing  him  and  the  record  stalled  at  number  56  after  a  meagre  promotional  effort.

Jam  fans  had  another  single  to  buy  that  month  as  Rick  resurfaced  in  The  Time  UK,  a  new  band   he'd  put  together  from  musicians  hoping  to  get  a  leg  up  from  the  association.  Ex-Tom  Robinson  Band  guitarist  Danny  Kustow  was  the  second  biggest  name  among  them.  There  was  widespread  scepticism  about  their  chances   but  "The  Cabaret "  is  a  decent  slice  of  loud,  tuneful  power  pop  ( written  by  singer  Jimmy  Edwards )  and  reached  number  65  in  the  charts. The  single  was  released  on  the  independent  Red  Bus  label  and  the  band  took  up  a  residency  at  The  Marquee  while  they  shopped  around  for  a  major.

Bruce's  third  single  was  "It  Makes  Me  Wonder" in  April  1984, a  dreary  state-of-the- nation  plodder  window-dressed  with  harmonica  from  Judd  Lander. It  limped  in  at  number  73  and  got  no  higher. It  was  the  last  appearance  for  either  of  the  "drone  members"  in  the  singles  chart. It  didn't  augur  well  for  Bruce's  album,  "Touch  Sensitive",  released  the  following  month. Bruce  himself  has  said  he  was  rushed  into  it, his  songs  waved  through  by  the  label  anxious  to  cash  in  on  the  Jam's  brand  loyalty  before  it  dissipated.  It's  not  atrocious  , just  a  rather  characterless  mid-eighties  funk / pop  set  with  an  unsympathetic  production. The  next  single  "S.O.S,  ( My  Imagination ) "  is  sprightly  enough  and  may  have  done  better  if  chosen  as  the  lead. The  closing  track  "Writing's  On  The  Wall"  addresses  The  Jam's  split  and  is  the  most  interesting  musically  even  if  Lillywhite  overdoes  the  phasing  and  the  chorus  shamelessly  cribs  from  Nights  In  White  Satin.  The  album  reached  number  68  in  the  charts. Once  "S.O.S."  had  failed  to  chart  he  and  the  label  parted  company.

Ironically  Arista  then  signed  The  Time  UK  who  released  their  second  single  "Playground  of  Privilege"  nearly  eighteen  months  after  their  first. It's  probably  the  most  Jam-like  song  any  of  the  three  have  recorded  since  the  split,  with  a  catchy  tune  and  a  lyric  berating  the  establishment. Though  it  got  Single  of  the  Week  in  Record  Mirror  and  they  appeared  on  Saturday  Superstore   it  was  too  late. Even  Weller's  Style  Council  saw  their  sales  start  to  slide  that  year  and  interest  in  the  former  drummer's  band  was  minimal. They  put  out  one  more  single  "You  Won't  Stop" a  tuneful  plea  for  social  justice  with  a  liberal  smattering  of  horns  and  a  distinct  resemblance  to  The  Style  Council's  Speak  Like  A  Child.  The  band  called  it  a  day  at  the  beginning  of  1986.

Bruce  had  continued   to  tour  fruitlessly  trying  to  revive  interest  in  his  LP.  He  recorded  a  one-off  single   for  Harvest  "Play  This  Game  To  Win",  a  colourlesss  modern  rock  track  that  completely  passed  me  by  at  the  time. He  then  reunited  with  Rick  and  Edwards  to  form  the  band  Sharp  but  no  major  label  was  interested.  They  released  one  single,  "Entertain  Me"  on  an  independent  label , a  decent  piano-based  pop  tune  about  entertainment-as-anaesthetic   let  down  by  some  very  pedestrian  drumming; Rick  having  a  real off-day. Both  these  singles  were  released  in  November  1986  which  wasn't  all  that  smart.

When  Sharp  failed  to  make  any  headway  Rick  joined  a  group  called  The  Highliners  though  he  wasn't  on  their  1988  single  "Henry  the  Wasp "  ( assuming  it's  the  same  band ). He  also  owned  a  recording  studio  in  Islington  and  was  involved  in  producing  The  Family  Cat's  debut  album  in  1989.  At  the  same  time  he  started  working  as  a  furniture  restorer.  Bruce  dropped  out  of  the  public  eye  for  the  rest  of  the  decade  as   his  wife  Pat  was  diagnosed  with  bowel  cancer.

Bruce  had  long  been  friends  with  Jake  Burns  from  Stiff  Little  Fingers  who'd  split  at  the  same  time  as  The  Jam  to  much  less  fanfare. The  band  reformed  in  1987  but  in  1990  bassist  Ali  McMordie   dropped  out  and  Bruce  got  the  call  to  replace  him.  He  stayed  with  them  for  fifteen  years  recording  five  albums , on  which  he  had  about  half  a  dozen  co-writing  credits.  There  are  some  decent  songs  amongst  them  , "Beirut  Moon" from  the  first  album  "Flags  and  Emblems"  about  the  plight  of  hostage  John  McCarthy ,  is  particularly  good.  They  were  all  released  on  small  labels  and  didn't  chart  but  I  suppose  the  band  must  have  made  a  living  from  touring.

Stiff  Little  Fingers' experience  was  common  to  all  the  punk  bands  that  re-formed  in  the  late  eighties / early  nineties  - Buzzcocks, Sham  69, X-Ray Spex  et  al. None of  them  thrived. For  one  thing  there  was  a  distinct  lack  of  radio  support. All  of  the  original  champions ( save  Peel  of  course )  of  "new  wave"  music - Mike  Read, Richard  Skinner, Peter  Powell, David  Jensen - had  moved  on  and  in  place  of  Janice  Long  in  the  evenings  you  had  Nicky  Campbell  playing  Van  Morrison  and  Carole  King. When  Radio  One  had  a  "More  Music  Monday"  in  1988  where  they  cut  out  all  the  banter  between  records , Simon  Bates  devoted  a  whole  half  hour  to  new  wave  music  - all  big  hits  of  course  - and  apparently  the  switchboard  hummed  with  complaints.  Beyond  that  it's  hard  to  know  why  these  bands  attracted  such  a  meagre  proportion  of  their  original  audience. Perhaps  the  demographics  meant  their  old  fans  were  now  too  busy  with  babies  and  mortgages  to  notice  their  return  or  maybe , peculiar  to  punk, there  was  a  sense  of  betrayal  that  the  original  mission  hadn't  been  fulfilled  and  we'd  been  left  to  endure  Phil  Collins  and  Howard  Jones. In  the  case  of  Stiff  Little  Fingers  they'd  always  been  suspect  as  punks, more  a  metal  band  with  short  hair  and  politicised  lyrics. The problem  was  there  was  a  new  band  from  Blackwood,  Wales  with  the  same  formula   and  people  will  always  go  with  the  fresher  faces  given  the  choice . It's  intriguing  to  speculate  how  a  reunited  Jam  would  have  fared  at  this  point. I  would  guess  not  very  well  given  that  Paul  himself  had  a  distinctly  rocky  patch  around  this  time  before  Britpop  raised  his  profile  once  more.    

In  the  early  nineties  it  came  to  Bruce  and  Rick's  attention  that  they  weren't  receiving  much  money  from  the  sale  of  Jam  merchandise. John  Weller  was  in  charge  of  collecting  it  but  wasn't  disbursing  it  to  their  satisfaction.  They  eventually  took  him  to  court  which  gave  Paul  a  justification  for  continuing  to  shun  them.  While  the  court  case  was  proceeding  ( they  eventually  won  )  they  published  the  book  Our  Story  in  1994, an  attempt  to  set  the  record  straight  after  Weller  acolyte  Paolo  Hewitt's  book  A  Beat  Concerto  had  done  its  best  to  minimize  their  contribution. The  critical  reception  was  frosty, most  reviewers  deeming  it  flimsy  and  unilluminating,  a  verdict  that  both  seem  to  tacitly  accept  now.

After  that  there  was  nothing  to  report  until  2005  when  Brce's  departure  from  SLF  was  announced. As  Ali  McMordie  returned  to  the  band  there's  been  speculation  that  Bruce  was  bumped  but  it  seems  to  have  been  amicable  enough. Around  the  same  time  Rick,  encouraged  by  the  reaction  to  his  setting  up  a  website  for  Jam  memorabilia  , started   gigging  with  a  band  called  The  Gift  playing  Jam  material.

Bruce  formed  a  band  called  the  Casbah  Club  with  Mark  Brziecki  from  Big  Country  and  got  some  support  dates  with  The  Who.  In    June  2006  he  bumped  into  Paul  backstage  and  a  ten  minute  conversation  ended  with  an  embrace.  He  then  accepted  Rick's  invitation  to  join  The  Gift  and  shortly  afterwards  they  changed  their  name  to  From  The  Jam  and  started  touring  as  a  serious  venture.  Paul  was  publicly  invited  to  participate  but  I don't  suppose  they  seriously  expected  him

In  2009  Paul  learned  that  Pat  Foxton  was  seriously  ill  and  got  back  in  touch  with  Bruce. Her  death  was   closely  followed  by  that  of  John  Weller  and  the  two  became  close  friends  once  again.  At  the  end  of  the  year  Rick  informed  the  others  by  email  that  he  was  quitting  From  The  Jam ,  a  move  that  has  been  widely  seen  as  a  reaction  to  Bruce  and  Paul's  rapprochement  although  he  has  denied  that  in  his  recent  autobiography.

Bruce  went  on  to   play  on  a  couple  of  tracks  on  Paul's  2010  album  "Wake  Up  The  Nation "  and  appeared  with  him  at  the  Royal  Albert  Hall  for  10  minutes  at  which  the  crowd  went  apeshit. From  The  Jam  then  decided  to  record  their  own  album, raising  funds  on  the  internet. It  was  recorded  at  Paul's  studios  and  he  played  on  several  of  the  tracks. It  was  released  under  Bruce's  name  probably  in  deference  to  Paul's  sensitivities  about  a  Jam  reunion. "Back  in  the  Room"  is  an  intriguing  record  ,  sort  of  reimaging  what  the  group  would  sound  like with  modern  recording  techniques  and  most  of  it  is  pretty  good , especially  the  single "Number  Six",  without  being  earth-shattering.  I  hadn't  appreciated  just  how  much  singer  Russell  Hastings  sounds  like  Paul.

A  second  "Bruce  Foxton"  album  "Smash  The  Clock"  is  due  to  be  released  in  March  next  year. Speculation  about  a  full  Jam  reunion  never  really  goes  away  despite  a  pretty venomous  war  of  words  between  Paul  and  Rick  conducted  through  the  press. Rick  published  an  autobiography  earlier  this  year  and  in  an  interview  on  BBC 1  acknowledged  that  he'd  be  mad  to  turn  down  an  invitation  to  re-form  so  I  guess  the  ball  remains  in  Paul's  court .