Last night, on my government-approved amble around the village, it occurred to me that being in lockdown like this... well, it's a bit like going back to the Seventies, isn't it? Not much traffic on the streets. Hardly any contrails criss-crossing blue skies. Audible birdsong. Much less choice in the shops. Actual shortages. And opening hours? Well, the shops haven't quite closed on Sundays yet, but I can't make a late-night jaunt to the 24hr supermarket at the moment either, so...
I know it's a strained analogy. But it gives me an excuse to post this Seventies track, the appropriately indoors-sounding Life from a Window, from The Jam's oft-maligned second album. Weller wrote this when he was 18, for Christ's sake, and I have always loved it. Have a listen.
And since we're talking about four decades ago, I pretty much have to add this too, Cast Out in the Seventies, in which Gene don't help themselves with the Smiths comparisons - listen to that intro...
The second Jam LP arrived a mere six months after the first, which is going some at any stage of a career. The band were probably on the road solidly for the whole period too. Remarkable really.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just? Yes, there are a couple of dips in TITMW, but it's a solid enough album for a fledgling band. And without the critical backlash, All Mod Cons might have been very different, and probably worse, I reckon - the band were forced to change, to grow. There's probably a case to be made for taking the best bits from In The City and TITMW and making one really excellent debut album...but that's a post for another day...
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