Hello,
Today's artists were an English punk rock/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their break-up in December 1982, saw the birth of today's 'crew'. .....N'Joy
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Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early '80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction. Weller wanted to incorporate more elements of soul, R&B, and jazz into his songwriting, which is something he felt his punk-oriented bandmates were incapable of performing. In order to pursue this musical direction, he teamed up in 1983 with keyboardist Mick Talbot, a former member of the mod revival band the Merton Parkas. The permanent lineup grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also collaborated with the group.
The band's early singles showed a diversity of musical styles. "Speak Like a Child" (with its loud soul-influenced style), the extended funk of "Money-Go-Round", and the haunting synth-ballad "Long Hot Summer" all featured Talbot on keyboards and organ. Near the end of 1983, these singles were compiled on Introducing The Style Council, a mini-album initially released in Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States only. The Dutch version was heavily imported to the United Kingdom.
The Style Council released their first full-length album, Cafe Bleu, in March of 1984; two months later, a resequenced version of the record, retitled My Ever Changing Moods, was released in America. It was their most successful album, peaking at number five in the U.K. and number 56 in the U.S. In the summer of 1985, the Style Council had another U.K. Top Ten hit with "The Walls Come Tumbling Down." The single was taken from Our Favourite Shop, which reached number one on the U.K. charts; the record was released as Internationalists in the U.S.
In 1986, the band released a live album, Home and Abroad, and, in 1987, the album The Cost of Loving was launched, followed later in the year by the upbeat non-album single "Wanted", which reached #20 in the United Kingdom. However, by the time Confessions of a Pop Group was released a year later, the group's popularity had largely evaporated. A greatest hits album, appropriately called The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, was released internationally in 1989; it included the non-album single "Promised Land", which had reached #27 in the United Kingdom earlier that year.
The Style Council broke up in 1989, after recording a house album (Modernism: A New Decade) that was rejected by their record label, Polydor . However, the entire album was released in 1998, both independently and in a 5-CD boxset, The Complete Adventures Of The Style Council). Paul Weller and Mick Talbot officially broke up the Style Council in 1990. In 1991, Weller launched a solo career which would return him to popular and critical favor in the mid-'90s, while Talbot continued to play, both with Weller and as a solo musician.
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"Long Hot Summer" is presented here in two versions. The opener is a spare,hand clap powered groove punctuated by pitch bent bass synthesizer. The second version has a more unusual stop/star drum beat,along with a meatier bass/guitar powered rhythm. "Headstart For Happiness" is an acoustic guitar and piano led melodically bouncy folk/pop number while "Speak Like A Child" has a gospel organ led uptempo Motown/Northern Soul style jam. "The Paris Match",which is done later in a whole different setting,is an acoustic guitar based number with a mild bossa twise.
"Mick's Up" is a soul jazz rave up-showcasing Talbot's bluesy gospel inflected organ soloing,complete with a club friendly audience noise atmosphere in the back round. "Money-Go-Round" delivers hard,heavy bass/guitar heavy post disco funk with a phat,heavy extended groove. This album was an enormous game changer. One where the UK post punk scene began to cross paths with it's post disco scene. As opposed to going with the pulsing,electronic synth pop of the era? Paul and Mick decided to go for a cleanly produced jazz/funk/soul sound that emphasized every instrumental part carefully and put a strong emphasis on both melody and groove. A fantastic debut to what Paul Weller's shinning era as a bandleader.
The Style Council - Introducing (flac 193mb)
01 Long Hot Summer (12 Inch Version) 7:03
02 Headstart For Happiness (First/ Early Version) 2:52
03 Speak Like A Child 3:20
04 Long Hot Summer (Club Mix) 6:57
05 The Paris Match (Early Version) 3:50
06 Mick's Up 3:13
07 Money-Go-Round (Parts 1 & 2) (Bert Bevans Remix) 7:47
(ogg mb)
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Style Council's first proper album Cafe Bleu was one of their better efforts, but it indicated the group's fatal flaw -- a tendency to be too eclectic and overambitious. Amidst the lazy jazz instrumentals, many of them courtesy of Mick Talbot, Paul Weller inserted several solid soul-tinged pop songs, including "My Ever Changing Moods," "Headstart for Happiness," "You're the Best Thing," and "Here's One That Got Away." However, that doesn't excuse the rap experiment, "A Gospel." The album was later released with a slightly different running order as My Ever Changing Moods in the U.S.; the American edition included the U.K. hit "A Solid Bond in Your Heart."
The Style Council - Cafe Bleu (flac 301mb)
01 Mick's Blessings 1:15
02 The Whole Point Of No Return 2:40
03 Me Ship Came In! 3:06
04 Blue Café 2:15
05 The Paris Match 4:25
06 My Ever Changing Moods 3:37
07 Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse 3:15
08 A Gospel 4:44
09 Strength Of Your Nature 4:20
10 You're The Best Thing 5:40
11 Here's One That Got Away 2:35
12 Headstart For Happiness 3:20
13 Council Meetin' 2:29
bonus
14 My Ever Changing Moods (12 Version) 5:44
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Our Favourite Shop, the Style Council's second proper album, was still quite eclectic, but it didn't seem as schizophrenically diverse as Cafe Bleu. Paul Weller had been able to incorporate his soul and jazz experiments into his songwriting, writing the fine "Walls Come Tumbling Down," "Come to Milton Keynes," "Boy Who Cried Wolf," and "Down in the Seine," which were some of his best songs for the Style Council. The occasional misguided experiment remained -- the stiff funk of "The Internationalists" and the self-righteous "The Stand Up Comic's Instructions" were particularly embarrassing -- but the record was more cohesive and stronger than the debut. In America, the album was released without "Our Favourite Shop" and retitled Internationalists.
The Style Council - Our Favourite Shop (flac 379mb)
01 Homebreakers 5:06
02 All Gone Away 2:15
03 Come To Milton Keynes 3:04
04 Internationalists 3:11
05 A Stones Throw Away 2:20
06 The Stand Up Comic's Instructions 1:31
07 Boy Who Cried Wolf 5:20
08 A Man Of Great Promise 2:33
09 Down In The Seine 2:46
10 The Lodgers (Or She Was Only A Shopkeeper's Daughter) 3:58
11 Luck 2:37
12 With Everything To Lose 3:57
13 Our Favourite Shop 2:55
14 Walls Come Tumbling Down! 3:26
15 Shout To The Top 4:20
bonus
16 Have You Ever Had It Blue (12 Version) 4:48
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"Life At A Top Peoples Health Farm" is an intense,horn fueled dance/pop-soul shuffle while "Why I Went Missing" is a sleek variation of the 60's southern soul ballad. "How She Threw It All Away" finds great comfort in their return to the Detroi type sound they'd utilized melodically so well on past albums with "Iwasadoledadstoyboy" is a hard synth bass heavy funk stomp. "Confessions 1,2 & 3" and is an elegantly swinging soul/pop piano number that launched into the slow crawling 9+ minute title song-with Camille Hinds slap bass solos being the star of that very funky show. "It's A Very Deep Sea","Changing Of The Guard" and the acapella based "The Story Of Someone's Show" are expansive jazzy ballad explorations while "The Little Boy In A Castle" is a improvised piano solo-having the album end with the romantic classic/doo wop based suite of "The Gardener Of Eden"
Paul Weller was growing progressively irritated with being a bandleader at this particular point,. I find that interesting since heading up this band really allowed him to expand his musical visions as far as he could take them. And this album,the final one they officially released,is a fine example. It's very much in the vein of what I'd call a late 80's re-imagining of classic American cinematic funky soul with a European flavor-full of classical strings,harps and still endowed with heavy bass,guitar and horn lines as well. The lyrical themes of this album are...esoterically question to say the least. But in every respect? It's a grand creative statement of rhythmic,melody and musical diversity that I strong recommend.
The Style Council - Confessions Of A Pop Group (flac 334mb)
The Piano Paintings
01 It's A Very Deep Sea 5:32
02 The Story Of Someones Shoe 3:40
03 Changing Of The Guard 2:49
04 The Little Boy In A Castle: A Dove Flew Down From The Elephant 3:01
05 The Gardener Of Eden: In The Beginning / The Gardener Of Eden / Mourning The Passing Of Time 10:29
Confessions Of A Pop-Group
06 Life At A Top Peoples Health Farm 4:18
07 Why I Went Missing 4:43
08 How She Threw It All Away 4:17
09 Iwasadoledadstoyboy 4:27
10 Confessions 1, 2 & 3 4:43
11 Confessions Of A Pop Group 9:26
bonus
12 Promised Land 2:50
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This is probably the album for you if you feel that there's a few things missing in your Jam, TSC & Weller collection. The music here has some great moments, some nice moments, and some "what were they thinking" moments, but it' really up to you which songs give you those thoughts. The first 2 songs "Love Pains" and "Party Chambers" will make you feel right at home, and it does sound like Paul & Mick had a ball recording those. The Whole Point2 is a alternate version from Cafe Blue, and I don't know why, but I liked it's lyrics a bit better. More magic electric piano from Mick as well. But things get a bit spooky with "Ghosts of Dachau". Imagine the person you most care about that is doomed to die, and you probably along with them. A great song makes you think, but few would dare touch a subject as victims of a nazi death camp. (shudder). But this song does it all justice. Songs 5, 6, & 7 are great lost songs, and should have maybe been included on the albums. I could go on, but with 22 songs to discover here, you won't know what you're missing if you don't get this. B-sides don't always have to be songs thrown away, and TSC prove that they could have been singles as well. Here's Some That Got Away is surprisingly enjoyable, proving that Paul Weller was at his best when he wasn't trying to make serious, self-important music.
The Style Council - Here's Some That Got Away (flac 438mb)
01 Love Pains 3:20
02 Party Chambers 3:19
03 The Whole Point II 2:49
04 The Ghosts Of Dachau 2:47
05 Sweet Loving Ways 3:31
06 A Casual Affair 3:24
07 A Woman's Song 2:31
08 Mick's Up 3:09
09 Waiting On A Connection 3:05
10 Night After Night 2:58
11 The Piccadilly Trail 3:44
12 (When You) Call Me 2:55
13 My Very Good Friend 3:38
14 April's Fool 3:01
15 In Love For The First Time 3:38
16 Big Boss Groove 4:39
17 Mick's Company 2:48
18 Bloodsports 3:33
19 Who Will Buy 2:42
20 I Ain't Goin' Under 3:17
21 I Am Leaving 3:36
22 A Stone's Throw Away 1:50
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Today's artists were an English punk rock/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their break-up in December 1982, saw the birth of today's 'crew'. .....N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early '80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction. Weller wanted to incorporate more elements of soul, R&B, and jazz into his songwriting, which is something he felt his punk-oriented bandmates were incapable of performing. In order to pursue this musical direction, he teamed up in 1983 with keyboardist Mick Talbot, a former member of the mod revival band the Merton Parkas. The permanent lineup grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also collaborated with the group.
The band's early singles showed a diversity of musical styles. "Speak Like a Child" (with its loud soul-influenced style), the extended funk of "Money-Go-Round", and the haunting synth-ballad "Long Hot Summer" all featured Talbot on keyboards and organ. Near the end of 1983, these singles were compiled on Introducing The Style Council, a mini-album initially released in Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States only. The Dutch version was heavily imported to the United Kingdom.
The Style Council released their first full-length album, Cafe Bleu, in March of 1984; two months later, a resequenced version of the record, retitled My Ever Changing Moods, was released in America. It was their most successful album, peaking at number five in the U.K. and number 56 in the U.S. In the summer of 1985, the Style Council had another U.K. Top Ten hit with "The Walls Come Tumbling Down." The single was taken from Our Favourite Shop, which reached number one on the U.K. charts; the record was released as Internationalists in the U.S.
In 1986, the band released a live album, Home and Abroad, and, in 1987, the album The Cost of Loving was launched, followed later in the year by the upbeat non-album single "Wanted", which reached #20 in the United Kingdom. However, by the time Confessions of a Pop Group was released a year later, the group's popularity had largely evaporated. A greatest hits album, appropriately called The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, was released internationally in 1989; it included the non-album single "Promised Land", which had reached #27 in the United Kingdom earlier that year.
The Style Council broke up in 1989, after recording a house album (Modernism: A New Decade) that was rejected by their record label, Polydor . However, the entire album was released in 1998, both independently and in a 5-CD boxset, The Complete Adventures Of The Style Council). Paul Weller and Mick Talbot officially broke up the Style Council in 1990. In 1991, Weller launched a solo career which would return him to popular and critical favor in the mid-'90s, while Talbot continued to play, both with Weller and as a solo musician.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
"Long Hot Summer" is presented here in two versions. The opener is a spare,hand clap powered groove punctuated by pitch bent bass synthesizer. The second version has a more unusual stop/star drum beat,along with a meatier bass/guitar powered rhythm. "Headstart For Happiness" is an acoustic guitar and piano led melodically bouncy folk/pop number while "Speak Like A Child" has a gospel organ led uptempo Motown/Northern Soul style jam. "The Paris Match",which is done later in a whole different setting,is an acoustic guitar based number with a mild bossa twise.
"Mick's Up" is a soul jazz rave up-showcasing Talbot's bluesy gospel inflected organ soloing,complete with a club friendly audience noise atmosphere in the back round. "Money-Go-Round" delivers hard,heavy bass/guitar heavy post disco funk with a phat,heavy extended groove. This album was an enormous game changer. One where the UK post punk scene began to cross paths with it's post disco scene. As opposed to going with the pulsing,electronic synth pop of the era? Paul and Mick decided to go for a cleanly produced jazz/funk/soul sound that emphasized every instrumental part carefully and put a strong emphasis on both melody and groove. A fantastic debut to what Paul Weller's shinning era as a bandleader.
The Style Council - Introducing (flac 193mb)
01 Long Hot Summer (12 Inch Version) 7:03
02 Headstart For Happiness (First/ Early Version) 2:52
03 Speak Like A Child 3:20
04 Long Hot Summer (Club Mix) 6:57
05 The Paris Match (Early Version) 3:50
06 Mick's Up 3:13
07 Money-Go-Round (Parts 1 & 2) (Bert Bevans Remix) 7:47
(ogg mb)
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Style Council's first proper album Cafe Bleu was one of their better efforts, but it indicated the group's fatal flaw -- a tendency to be too eclectic and overambitious. Amidst the lazy jazz instrumentals, many of them courtesy of Mick Talbot, Paul Weller inserted several solid soul-tinged pop songs, including "My Ever Changing Moods," "Headstart for Happiness," "You're the Best Thing," and "Here's One That Got Away." However, that doesn't excuse the rap experiment, "A Gospel." The album was later released with a slightly different running order as My Ever Changing Moods in the U.S.; the American edition included the U.K. hit "A Solid Bond in Your Heart."
The Style Council - Cafe Bleu (flac 301mb)
01 Mick's Blessings 1:15
02 The Whole Point Of No Return 2:40
03 Me Ship Came In! 3:06
04 Blue Café 2:15
05 The Paris Match 4:25
06 My Ever Changing Moods 3:37
07 Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse 3:15
08 A Gospel 4:44
09 Strength Of Your Nature 4:20
10 You're The Best Thing 5:40
11 Here's One That Got Away 2:35
12 Headstart For Happiness 3:20
13 Council Meetin' 2:29
bonus
14 My Ever Changing Moods (12 Version) 5:44
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Our Favourite Shop, the Style Council's second proper album, was still quite eclectic, but it didn't seem as schizophrenically diverse as Cafe Bleu. Paul Weller had been able to incorporate his soul and jazz experiments into his songwriting, writing the fine "Walls Come Tumbling Down," "Come to Milton Keynes," "Boy Who Cried Wolf," and "Down in the Seine," which were some of his best songs for the Style Council. The occasional misguided experiment remained -- the stiff funk of "The Internationalists" and the self-righteous "The Stand Up Comic's Instructions" were particularly embarrassing -- but the record was more cohesive and stronger than the debut. In America, the album was released without "Our Favourite Shop" and retitled Internationalists.
The Style Council - Our Favourite Shop (flac 379mb)
01 Homebreakers 5:06
02 All Gone Away 2:15
03 Come To Milton Keynes 3:04
04 Internationalists 3:11
05 A Stones Throw Away 2:20
06 The Stand Up Comic's Instructions 1:31
07 Boy Who Cried Wolf 5:20
08 A Man Of Great Promise 2:33
09 Down In The Seine 2:46
10 The Lodgers (Or She Was Only A Shopkeeper's Daughter) 3:58
11 Luck 2:37
12 With Everything To Lose 3:57
13 Our Favourite Shop 2:55
14 Walls Come Tumbling Down! 3:26
15 Shout To The Top 4:20
bonus
16 Have You Ever Had It Blue (12 Version) 4:48
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
"Life At A Top Peoples Health Farm" is an intense,horn fueled dance/pop-soul shuffle while "Why I Went Missing" is a sleek variation of the 60's southern soul ballad. "How She Threw It All Away" finds great comfort in their return to the Detroi type sound they'd utilized melodically so well on past albums with "Iwasadoledadstoyboy" is a hard synth bass heavy funk stomp. "Confessions 1,2 & 3" and is an elegantly swinging soul/pop piano number that launched into the slow crawling 9+ minute title song-with Camille Hinds slap bass solos being the star of that very funky show. "It's A Very Deep Sea","Changing Of The Guard" and the acapella based "The Story Of Someone's Show" are expansive jazzy ballad explorations while "The Little Boy In A Castle" is a improvised piano solo-having the album end with the romantic classic/doo wop based suite of "The Gardener Of Eden"
Paul Weller was growing progressively irritated with being a bandleader at this particular point,. I find that interesting since heading up this band really allowed him to expand his musical visions as far as he could take them. And this album,the final one they officially released,is a fine example. It's very much in the vein of what I'd call a late 80's re-imagining of classic American cinematic funky soul with a European flavor-full of classical strings,harps and still endowed with heavy bass,guitar and horn lines as well. The lyrical themes of this album are...esoterically question to say the least. But in every respect? It's a grand creative statement of rhythmic,melody and musical diversity that I strong recommend.
The Style Council - Confessions Of A Pop Group (flac 334mb)
The Piano Paintings
01 It's A Very Deep Sea 5:32
02 The Story Of Someones Shoe 3:40
03 Changing Of The Guard 2:49
04 The Little Boy In A Castle: A Dove Flew Down From The Elephant 3:01
05 The Gardener Of Eden: In The Beginning / The Gardener Of Eden / Mourning The Passing Of Time 10:29
Confessions Of A Pop-Group
06 Life At A Top Peoples Health Farm 4:18
07 Why I Went Missing 4:43
08 How She Threw It All Away 4:17
09 Iwasadoledadstoyboy 4:27
10 Confessions 1, 2 & 3 4:43
11 Confessions Of A Pop Group 9:26
bonus
12 Promised Land 2:50
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
This is probably the album for you if you feel that there's a few things missing in your Jam, TSC & Weller collection. The music here has some great moments, some nice moments, and some "what were they thinking" moments, but it' really up to you which songs give you those thoughts. The first 2 songs "Love Pains" and "Party Chambers" will make you feel right at home, and it does sound like Paul & Mick had a ball recording those. The Whole Point2 is a alternate version from Cafe Blue, and I don't know why, but I liked it's lyrics a bit better. More magic electric piano from Mick as well. But things get a bit spooky with "Ghosts of Dachau". Imagine the person you most care about that is doomed to die, and you probably along with them. A great song makes you think, but few would dare touch a subject as victims of a nazi death camp. (shudder). But this song does it all justice. Songs 5, 6, & 7 are great lost songs, and should have maybe been included on the albums. I could go on, but with 22 songs to discover here, you won't know what you're missing if you don't get this. B-sides don't always have to be songs thrown away, and TSC prove that they could have been singles as well. Here's Some That Got Away is surprisingly enjoyable, proving that Paul Weller was at his best when he wasn't trying to make serious, self-important music.
The Style Council - Here's Some That Got Away (flac 438mb)
01 Love Pains 3:20
02 Party Chambers 3:19
03 The Whole Point II 2:49
04 The Ghosts Of Dachau 2:47
05 Sweet Loving Ways 3:31
06 A Casual Affair 3:24
07 A Woman's Song 2:31
08 Mick's Up 3:09
09 Waiting On A Connection 3:05
10 Night After Night 2:58
11 The Piccadilly Trail 3:44
12 (When You) Call Me 2:55
13 My Very Good Friend 3:38
14 April's Fool 3:01
15 In Love For The First Time 3:38
16 Big Boss Groove 4:39
17 Mick's Company 2:48
18 Bloodsports 3:33
19 Who Will Buy 2:42
20 I Ain't Goin' Under 3:17
21 I Am Leaving 3:36
22 A Stone's Throw Away 1:50
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
11 comments:
FYI - the Uploaded link from your Multiup pages are now pointing to a suspended account. You're not alone in this. UL seems to be cleaning house of late.
Another nice collection! Particularly the ones that got away...thanks.
What can I say There's plenty of choice left
Fuck yeah! The Style Council are so under-rated. If punk was as much a youth movement as it was a style of music, Confessions of a Pop Group is one of the most punk albums in Weller's career. Just such a fuck you to everything that was going on at the time. God, I love this band. Good call on the bonus track for Our Favorite Shop.
Just letting you know re the UL, Rho. Thought you might want to know if you didn't.
thanks for the reviews. You've always been about the music. Not just a rubber stamp.
Ha, small drive crash. Could you re-up The Style Council? Thanks!
FYI zippy link to ..Introducing says expired.
Hello, forgot to enter the new Introducing link--it's there now... Njoy
Thanks as ever Rho!
Hey Rho - would love a repost of The Style Council – Here's Some That Got Away if you find the time.
Loving all the Fax albums in recents posts! Thanks!
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