Setting Sons

About

Setting Sons is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Jam, released on 16 November 1979 by Polydor Record. It reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart upon the first week of release, continuing the commercial (and critical) favour that had begun with their previous album All Mod Con. The sole single from Setting Son, "The Eton Rifles", became the group's first top 10 UK hit, peaking at No. 3. In contrast to its pop-oriented predecessor, Setting Sons features a much harder, tougher production, albeit with the emphasis on melody common throughout the Jam's discography. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller originally conceived Setting Sons as a concept album detailing the lives of three boyhood friends who later reunite as adults after an unspecified war, only to discover they have grown both up and apart. This concept was never fully developed and it remains unclear which tracks were originally intended as part of the story, although it is commonly agreed that "Thick as Thieves", "Little Boy Soldiers", "Wasteland" and "Burning Sky" are likely constituents; extant Jam bootlegs feature a version of "Little Boy Soldiers" split into three separate recording, possible evidence that the song was intended to serve as a recurring motif, with separate sections appearing between other songs on the album. The album was musically ambitious as well. "Little Boy Soldiers" consists of several movement, reminiscent of compositions by The Kink. "Wasteland" unconventionally features a recorder. Even more striking is Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones". The song was originally released as the B-side of the non-LP single "When You're Young" three months before the album's release; on Setting Sons it is re-recorded in an all-strings arrangement (provided by former Procol Harum and Whitesnake organist Peter Solley and credited to The Jam Philharmonic Orchestra, but played by session musicians), save a little electric guitar in the coda. According to the liner notes of the Direction Reaction Creation box set, the revamping of "Smithers-Jones" was suggested by drummer Rick Buckler. The liner notes also imply that the album was a somewhat rushed effort, which may explain why the original underlying concept was not fully developed, as well as the inclusion of one cover song and two prior releases: "Smithers-Jones" had already been released; "Heat Wave" is a cover of the Martha and the Vandellas' Motown hit. Since "The Eton Rifles" was released in advance of the LP for promotional purpose, this leaves only seven entirely new original songs on the album. Setting Sons remains one of The Jam's most critically favoured work, alongside All Mod Cons and Sound Affect. AllMusic critic Chris Woodstra found that "Setting Sons often reaches brilliance and stands among The Jam's best albums" and, apart from "a number of throwaways and knockoffs (especially the out-of-place cover of 'Heat Wave' which closes the album)", is "an otherwise perfect album." .

via Last.fm

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