From The Jam

THE JAM - BIOGRAPHY
START!
Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller and Steve Brookes formed “The Jam” while they were still in school in 1975; Brookes quickly left the band and they remained a trio for the rest of their career. In 1976, the band played gigs around London, building a dedicated local following.

In February 1977, the group signed a record contract with Polydor Records; two months later, they released their debut single, In the City, which reached the UK Top 40. The following month, their debut album, also called In the City was released, recorded in just 11 days!

Their second single, All Around the World, nearly broke into the British Top Ten and the group embarked on a successful British tour.

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!
During the summer of 1977, they recorded their second album, This Is the Modern World, which was released toward the end of the year. Modern World made it into the Top 40 in November, just as The Jam were beginning their first American tour. This Is the Modern World peaked in the British album charts at number 22. The band began a headlining tour of the UK, yet it was derailed shortly after it started when the group got into a nasty fight with a bunch of rugby players in a Leeds hotel! Paul broke several bones and was charged with assault, although the Leeds Crown Court eventually acquitted him. Bruce suffered cracked ribs.
The Jam departed for another American tour in March of 1978 on a mismatched bill opening for Blue Oyster Cult. It had limited impact on American fans, yet their popularity continued to rise in Britain. Bands copying the group's mod look and sound popped up across Britain and The Jam performed at the Reading Festival in August. The album All Mod Cons, released late in 1979, marked a turning point in The Jam’s career, illustrating that the bands song writing and arranging was becoming more melodic, complex, and lyrically incisive, resembling Ray Davies more than Pete Townshend.

Even as their sound became more pop-oriented, the group lost none of their tightly controlled energy. All Mod Cons was a major success, peaking at number six on the UK charts, even if it didn't make a dent in the US. Every one of the band's singles were now charting in the Top 20, with the driving Eton Rifles becoming their first Top Ten in November 1979, charting at number three.

Setting Sons, released at the end of 1979, climbed to number four in the U.K. and marked their first charting album in the US, hitting number 137 in spring of 1980. At that time, the Jam had become full-fledged rock stars in Britain, with their new Going Underground single entering the charts at number one. During the summer, the band recorded their fifth album, with the Taxman-inspired Start released as a teaser single in August; Start became their second straight number one. Its accompanying album, the ambitious Sound Affects, hit number two in the UK at the end of the year; it was also the band's high-water mark in the US, peaking at number 72.

That's Entertainment, one of the standout tracks from Sound Affects, charted at number 21 in the UK as an import single, confirming the band's enormous popularity.
Their summer 1981 single, Funeral Pyre, showed signs that The Jam were becoming fascinated with American soul and R&B. Rick’s iconic signature drumming in Funeral Pyre and Bruce’s driving bass line showed how this rhythm section formed the heartbeat and pulse of The Jam.

The next single was the punchy, horn-driven Absolute Beginners, which hit number four in the UK singles chart during the autumn later that same year. As The Jam recorded their sixth album, Paul and the rest of the band were under great pressure. In February 1982, the first single from the new sessions -- the double A-sided Town Called Malice/Precious -- became their third number one single and the band became the first group since the Beatles to play two songs on BBC's Top of the Pops.

The Gift, released in March of 1982, showcased the band's soul infatuation and became the group's first number one album in the UK. Just Who Is the 5 O’clock Hero hit number eight in July, becoming the group's second import single to make the UK charts.
BEAT SURRENDER!
Although The Jam was at the height of its popularity, Paul wished to move on and made the decision to disband the group. On the heels of the number two hit The Bitterest Pill, the band announced their break up in October of 1982. The Jam played a farewell tour in the autumn and their final single, Beat Surrender, entered the UK singles chart at number one.

Dig the New Breed, a compilation of live tracks, charted at number two in December of 1982. Bruce Foxton released a hit single Freak and a solo album Touch Sensitive and Rick Buckler played with his new band ‘Time UK’.

Immediately after the break up of the Jam, Weller formed the Style Council with Mick Talbot, a member of the Jam-inspired mod revival band the Merton Parkas. Paul then went on to achieve success with his solo career. In the UK the legacy of The Jam is apparent in nearly every British guitar pop band of the '80s/'90s/00’s, from the Smiths to Blur to Hard-Fi. More than any other group, The Jam kept the tradition of three-minute, hook-driven British guitar pop alive through the '70s and '80s, providing a blueprint for generations of bands to come.

NEWS OF THE WORLD!
In 2007 founding members of The Jam Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler decided to tour the UK to celebrate 30 years of The Jam: an historical event bowing to pressure from fans old and young alike. The band sold out a 20-date UK May 2007 tour. On the strength of the May tour, From The Jam have just announced a 21-date UK 2007 tour that will take in concerts from November 24th , finishing up at the Brighton Centre on December 21st 2007.

Factual Sources: Wikipedia / All Music Guide