Setting Sons

The Jam: Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton, Rick Buckler.
Additional personnel: The Jam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Engineers: Alan Douglas, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven.
Includes liner notes by Wayne Olsen.
Britain's a funny place, but not always in the literal sense. While apparently placid on the surface, in reality England has always had issues with class, race, and socio-political turmoil. In 1980 Margaret Thatcher had taken power as Prime Minister, and the youth culture that had usually reserved its disdain for the dominant Labor party had a compelling new target. Not so coincidentally, in 1980 The Jam released SETTING SONS, their strongest and most political album to date.
If The Jam's first three albums are a tribute to the resiliency of British working class youth, SETTING SONS is a call to arms. In the context of politically informed songs such as "Eton Rifles'" and "Burning Sky," even a cover of the Motown chestnut "Heatwave" seems to take on political connotations. The albums centerpiece, the haunting mini-epic "Little Boy Soldiers" leaves no doubt as to the intensity of Weller's ire, with its sarcastic references to shooting to kill for "Queen and country," and lambasting of United States support for Thatcher ("God's on our side and so is Washington"). Luckily the usual Weller hooks are there as well, so it's safe to hum along even without knowing what the fuss is all about.