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The Jam to reform!


framheim

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I could kind of understand The Undertones carrying on without Feargal Sharkey because he wasn't the songwriter. Similarly The Stranglers had enough strength in other departments to carry on without Hugh Cornwell. But The Jam were such a massive, influential group and they were Weller's band. It's like the Rolling Stones going on tour without Mick Jagger.

Apparently the new frontman, Russell Hastings is a Weller impersonator and plays in a Jam tribute band. That's just creepy and wrong.

That is well wrong. I wonder if it the guy from the Jamm/ Paul Weller experiene. He is very good.

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Very few bands have got away with the loss of the major player. The only one that I can think of are the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB) - one of my favourites. I suppose it's even more poignant in their case because the whole outfit was named after the late Alex!

They've done well on the nostalgia circuit because the lead singer plays in tribute to Alex rather than try to replace him - and the band still have 66% of their original stage appeal in the form of Chris Glenn and the brilliant, brilliant Zal Cleminson.

...but to get back the original point, the Jam without Weller? - it's like Frank without Sinatra!

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my word i was gonna put a post up about i wonder who the next band from days long gone by was gonna reform. didn't see that one coming! but its not really a reformation - you just can't have the jam without weller - he wrote 95% of the songs, they were as has been said his band. i really can't see this gathering too much excitement, it doesn't really count as a reformation - more a couple of middle aged men desperate to trade on past glories. next!

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Are the other members of The Jam allowed to do this in terms of legalities?

I'd have thought that they would need permission from Weller to use his songs as they will no doubt be making money out of this.

Erm why would they need permission to do covers - if that wass the case covers bandswould be in trouble, as would tribute bands ! They will make money off it and the usual PRS money will go to Weller, he probably thinks its great he gets paid without having to do anything.

There are a few bands who have lost major players and went on strongly, my own favourite Marillion, Genesis, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple etc.

I have to disagree about the SAHBs sadly, i'm a big fan, and have seen various incarnations of them since Alex died, starting with the Party Boys in 94 - and the first time they reformed properly at the Frankie Miller show - and sadly I feel they've become a very bad tribute act in the last few years, churning out the same sets pretty much (with a few changes) not really trying anything different or to step out of where they were. Zal and Hugh are still phenomenal musicians but seem to be going through the motions for money, they dont seem to enjoy it or get anything from it, shame.

Cheers

Stuart

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Erm why would they need permission to do covers - if that wass the case covers bandswould be in trouble, as would tribute bands ! They will make money off it and the usual PRS money will go to Weller, he probably thinks its great he gets paid without having to do anything.

That's what I meant. I just thought he wouldn't allow them as it tarnishes The Jam's name. It's not just like any old cover band, they are forming and calling themselves The Jam. They won't be using another name so that is why I thought that Weller would have something to say about it.

In some muddled up way that makes sense.

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I have to disagree about the SAHBs sadly, i'm a big fan, and have seen various incarnations of them since Alex died, starting with the Party Boys in 94 - and the first time they reformed properly at the Frankie Miller show - and sadly I feel they've become a very bad tribute act in the last few years, churning out the same sets pretty much (with a few changes) not really trying anything different or to step out of where they were. Zal and Hugh are still phenomenal musicians but seem to be going through the motions for money, they dont seem to enjoy it or get anything from it, shame.

Cheers

Stuart

I agree in principle - they ARE two steps from being their own tribute band, but I'm just so happy to have finally seen them live - Zal was the reason up picked up the guitar in the first place - that I am a bit blinded by the fact.

Having said that - they are still a great live act and the new arrangements for the songs work well.

I guess that if you hadn't heard of them before or not seen footage of Alex on stage(absolutely fucking spellbinding), then I think you might have different opinion.

Jam without Weller - Nah, sorry.

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Oh yeah. Oops.

At least you guys reformed through a desire to make music and not to boost the pension fund. And it's not as if the Dawntreaders were a Lorelei tribute band...or were they? ;)

Heh, 'you may think that, I couldn't possibly comment'...

But yes, in our case it was purely for the fun of playing together. We might do maybe two or three gigs a year, there's certainly no financial incentive. Even if everyone else hated us and we couldn't get a gig anywhere, we'd still do it for ourselves. The long term plan being to have a set of mostly new stuff, with some obvious old classics chucked in. Not a reformation, a continuation...

Anyhoo, back to The Jam - the financial situation is interesting. And quite complicated. There's PRS, then there's PPL (and I think MCPS). I don't even pretend to understand it all, but from what I can gather PRS is payment to the writer for the performance of a piece of work i.e. whoever is credited as songwriter gets cash because it has been played in public. This depends on how the credits were shared in the old days, but I'd imagine Weller would get the lions share of this. PPL is the registering of a particular recording. In this case the 'reformation' might lead to more people going into the shops and buying the old albums, so all three of them (and anyone else who played on the recording) should benefit, again depending on the original arrangement. The record company get half, and all the performers split the other half. I can't see Foxton/Buckler making a fortune out of this, really.

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I can't see Foxton/Buckler making a fortune out of this, really.

The intention seems to be to popularise their own songs by enticing people in with Jam tunes and then playing their own stuff at them. Rick Buckler's The Gift has been doing this for a while now and they're going to chuck in some of Foxton's tunes as well.

Doubtful they'll make a fortune, but with a string of sold out dates coming up they certainly won't lose any money by trying.

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i see they have sent an invitation to weller to join them i doubt he'll take them up on their offer. i believe they're billing themselves as 'from the jam'

rick buckler retired from the music business for years - i remember seeing him on 'after they were famous' a few years back and he was restoring antiques for a living! after a short and not very successful solo career foxton twanged bass for stiff little fingers - i'm assuming he's left them now to concentrate on this.

good luck to em - they should call it the 'money for old rope' tour!

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PPL is the registering of a particular recording.

MCPS (mechanical copyright protection society) collects royalties for the recordings (i.e.sales), PPL (phonographic performance limited) collects royalties for public performance of the recorded works(e.g. radio, pubs,clubs).

Probably just a momentary lapse of concentration on your part but I thought I'd explain for eveyone's benefit.

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MCPS (mechanical copyright protection society) collects royalties for the recordings (i.e.sales), PPL (phonographic performance limited) collects royalties for public performance of the recorded works(e.g. radio, pubs,clubs).

Probably just a momentary lapse of concentration on your part but I thought I'd explain for eveyone's benefit.

Ah yes, thank you. The PPL/MCPS thing was always a bit murky for me. Hey, as long as someone keeps sending the cheques...*

*aye, right...

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The Gift played the Lemon Tree last year and were okay. As someone who followed The Jam around back in the day, it was difficult to know what to feel, on one hand it was good to see someone that meant so much in my youth back behind a drum kit, on the other hand, as someone who isn't keen on tribute bands, it was sad it to see him reduced to that to earn a crust.

Seeing the two of them together will probably be doubly as sad, but I'll still go.

There's as much chance of Freddie Mercury rejoining Queen on stage again as there is Weller playing with the Gift, so for those who missed The Jam seeing 2/3rds of them on stage will be as close as it ever gets, so it will make someone happy somewhere. And if it keeps the wolves from their respective doors, all the better.

PS. That post was not made by me.

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