'... mixed with nostalgia, but it's a dream that I'll always hang on to, that I'll always run to, won't you join me by the riverbank?'
This semi-psychedelic love letter to his childhood in the fields of Surrey is a song I never get tired of and shows Mr Weller, even as the sharp mod and angry young man of the early 80s, could hit the nostalgia button as well as the next man. Especially when childhood is compared to the travails of adult life- 'now life is so critical, life is too cynical, we lose our innocence, we lose our very soul'
Wonderful stuff. And not a million miles in tone and tune from his solo comeback (as the shortlived Paul Weller Movement) in 1992, Into Tomorrow. At one point I saw the 12" of this in Vinyl Exchange for £40. I was one of the few who bought it when it came out.
7 comments:
'Into Tomorrow' is one of my favourite Weller songs. I remember somebody wrote in an Italian music mag that he was (and is) one of the few who could play soul songs with the intensity and ferocious guitar playing of rock.
I bought the 12" when it came out, and the video of the Paul Weller Movement, which has some bloody great performances in it. Even if it's Henry from Rock School on bass and Max Beesley on keys.
Here's A New Thing off the b-side is one of my favourite Weller in soulboy mode moments, and I think the first solo album is superb. It's the soul influences still apparent that make it for me. When he went more trad rock for the rest of the decade I got bored. In fact apart from some singles I was bored until Floorboards Up.
I've got that video too. Open swith a version of Small faces Tin Soldier doesn't it?
That's the one, I really like that version. There's a brilliant version of the Style Council b-side Piccadilly Trail on it too, and I think Bitterness Rising that ended up on the first album.
Think I might listen to the first album on one way home tonight.
I bought the 7" when it came out, the second last piece of Weller I ever bought the final one being Kosmos.
40 quid is a bit excessive as there must be thousands of unsold copies in warehouses out there. Bloody criminal as it is head and shoulders above some of the pish that came later and sold loads more!
he played the talking loud sunday afternoon jazz thing low and was astounding out of nowhere kind of low and almost scared. bizarre witnessing a rebirth but awful glad i did
x
2 of his finest songs.
It's easy to forget how low he was up to the 're-birth' ally. Confidence shot and self-belief wavering.
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