The Jam: About the Young Idea

The Jam - a Punk Mod Motown Power Pop trio from Woking, Surrey, England. Between the years 1977 and 1982 they would garner fanatical support and cement a reputation (justifiable) as a live band of astonishing power and skill. They would have four number one singles in the UK, three of which went straight in at number one, which was then a record for any artist. Upon their dissolution in 1982, all their singles were re-released, culminating in another record, that of having the most simultaneous top 75 singles (13) in the UK charts. It's fair to say that The Jam, considered by many to be the last great British singles band, deserve an extensive documentary...

To many of us, The Jam were our Beatles, the band that meant the most to us teenagers of the time, this is something that comes across well in Bob Smeaton's film. In the excitement of just having a well publicised film on The Jam, there's so much to rejoice, but with a major caveat that fans, those who lived it or have read and listened to everything to do with the band, there's so much left out. The story is well told, all principal players are involved via interviews, while fans get archive footage and photographs that gladden the heart. Nice to have fan participation as well, including Martin Freeman. Whilst the bond between band and fans (the sound checks involving fans a thing many big groups of today could pay attention to), bristles like a solid bond in your heart. However...

There are crucial areas of The Jam's history missed out, like the makers were only concerned with celebrating the name above everything else - ironically they failed to add the records I mention in the first paragraph. There is no mention of the problems the band had with wearing union flag suits, or having that flag draped over the speakers in the early days. There were at least two errors at pressing plants and arguments about what song should be the official single - things that affected two of their most famous singles (double A-Sides for Jam's sake), while their live gigs were often beset by violence, surely we want to hear what Weller, Foxton and Buckler have to say about that now?! About the Young Idea is incomplete, without doubt, but at least it exists and gives fans a chance to beam with glee, whilst simultaneously offering a glimpse to new interested parties of what a great band they were, and, crucially, what they meant to so many in those five years. 9/10

Did they really take the Murdoch shilling? The website is Sky Arts. This was shown on a Murdoch channel. Have they really sold out? All hope is lost. What next? Ken Livingstone writing a column for The Sun - oh he did! Perhaps everybody sells out in the end, and no walls come tumbling down. Dreams shattered.

This is a great documentary and has a lot of unseen footage! Really surprised by some of the guest stars in this film. I really learned a lot more about the band than I originally had before watching this great film. If you love The Jam and the post punk - mod era in British music, this is a must see documentary. It's incredible how it seems like it's just been a few years in time, but watching this will make you realize just how old you are and how much responsibility you have now.

I personally don't see how another review considered this to be a "Sell Out" by the band members. It may be the company that made this or someone who doesn't realize how things change as you get older and have to survive. During the time period that The Jam was at their heighth of popularity, the manager, promoter,and record label most likely got the vast percentage of the money being made from their album sales, concert tours, and overall their music. The music industry was not exactly fair to musicians financially during this time period, especially bands with bands like The Jam who where young and wanted a successful career. A lot of bands from this period just saw a record contract and didn't realize that they where basically signing away most of their profits. So you have to do what you have to do to make money "In The Modern World". Unless you start your own record label Like Led Zeppelin or The Greatful Dead, you get basically get screwed. Popularity and continuing to dominate the record charts for decades like U2, The Rolling Stones, or The Who, allows these artist the luxury of not to having to do things that they don't want to do. If your success is short lived and career essentially ends for most members, you have to do things you might not have dreamed of doing or even discredited at some point in your career in other to survive. Paul Weller has had a long career, I'm not sure about the other members, but the money these guys where making then is like working for minimum wage now. When you're young and you get a taste of success you think it will last forever and it abruptly ends. Excessive wasting of money especially when your very young and not getting a fair share of the profits from your own hard work leaves some musicians flat broke.

The cost of living as well as the short period of popularity in the era of The Jam's career as a band wouldn't have made them enough money to live off of into the late 2000's. Who knows which member or if any member retains the right to their music. With all the new repressings and sells of these reissues, The Jam may not be getting a dime off of these sells. Possibly Weller may have been able to hold onto ownership of the songs and royalties, but even the Beatles sold their catalogue and Micheal Jackson outbid Paul McCartney for the song rights. Eventually McCartney got them back, but it shows that the Rock Star life isn't always like that of U2 or even that of the the successful 90's era groups like Oasis. The price of everything is several times as much now as it was in the hay day of The Jam! Yes, when your young it's easy to say that you'll never do certain things or criticize the system but eventually you grow up and learn that you have to survive, even if it's making a documentary or a writing a newspaper column!

Henry Rollins from Black Flag is a prime example of what you have to do to keep the money coming in. He was a notorious antiestablishment punk with ideas of anarchy and just screwing off all day, now he's hosting a talk show! I'm quite sure at 18 years old he would have considered what he's now doing a "sell out"!

The Jam basically was Paul Weller. World famous in England, but outside of England it was a band that was only known by a small crowd of fans. At the start that is to say...

They made some hit singles and the world came to know the Jam.

I never cared for their music much at all. But I had a friend who liked them very much, so I got to listen to their music if I wanted to or not.

What I still do like to this very day, is the music Paul Weller made AFTER he left the Jam. Paul Weller is a brilliant musician and composer. Till this very day. I love his distinctful voice. I love his harmonies. I love the many new experiments he does on new records.

This documentary about the Jam though is only interesting for diehard Jam fans. As a music documentary it is only luke warm.