Happy Belated to the handsome, talented modfather Paul Weller, who turned 51 on May 25.
Weller has had quite a storied career, hitting it big in the UK with The Jam at the age of 19, unleashing a barrage of stunning singles from "In the City" to "The Bitterest Pill" in only five or six years. As with The Kinks, the Jam's Britishness didn't catch fire in the US, but they are justly revered in England as one of their best-ever bands.
After breaking up the band at the height of their popularity in 1983 or so, Weller formed the Style Council, a poppier band that allowed Weller room to stretch his songwriting gifts beyond The Jam's power-trio limitations.
Since the demise of the Style Council, Mr. Weller has delivered a steady stream of strong solo records. One of the best in recent years was 2005's As Is Now, which featured songs that were as strong as any in his career, including the hard-rocking, Jam-like "From the Floorboards Up" and the wistful, Randy Newmanesque "Here's the Good News."
As befits someone of his stature, Weller has also acted as an elder statesman of sorts to younger Britpop artists, collaborating often with Oasis's quarrelsome Gallagher brothers. It was Weller who played the memorable lead guitar on their epic "Champagne Supernova." And here he is dueting with Noel on a wonderful version of Oasis's underrated tune "Talk Tonight."
Cheers, Paul.
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