JAM

JAM formed in Woking, Surrey in 1972 with Paul Weller on guitar and vocals, Bruce Foxton on bass, and Rick Buckler on drums. They started playing shows around London's pub circuit, drawing from the sharp, economical rock of The Who and The Kinks. Their first album, 'In The City,' came out in 1977 and caught the energy of punk while keeping a cleaner, more melodic approach.

Songs like 'News of the World' and 'The Place I Love' showed Weller's knack for writing about everyday British life with a direct, observational style. The band dressed in sharp suits and played with a tight, urgent sound that connected with a growing mod revival audience. They weren't trying to reinvent rock music so much as refine it into something precise and pointed.

By the early 1980s, JAM had become one of Britain's most popular bands. Tracks like 'Pretty Green' and 'To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time)' were radio staples, blending catchy hooks with lyrics that often touched on class and social friction. The band called it quits in 1983 while still at a commercial peak, with Weller moving on to form The Style Council shortly after.