Editorial Reviews Music Review:
Music Review
Flute Concertos / Of Angels and Shepherds
If I Close My Eyes [CD-single]
Amazon.com
Unless you choose to invest in the five-disc Direction Reaction Creation box set, this 25th anniversary collection is the best Jam available. The 20-track retrospective heads chronologically from the debut "In the City" single to the farewell one-off "Beat Surrender" by way of the most notable chart hits and a sprinkling of classic album tracks. Although fans may quibble with the exclusion of peak-period singles "All Around the World," "Strange Town," and "When You're Young" (as well as the presence of the misanthropic "Mr Clean"), what strikes anew is the taut energy of the trio's playing, the bitter bile of Paul Weller's lyrics, and the sophisticated, hook-packed update of Britbeat from one so young (Weller was still only 24 in 1982 when he broke up the biggest band in Britain). --Garry Mulholland