Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

So this should be great yes?

The Mod father returns with a piece of one sided piece of vinyl entitled "7 + 3 Is The Strikers Name". Seven & who is the what? What does that mean? No matter I'll put it on the deck.………..Shit me I've listen to it and I'm none the wiser, let's change the subject.

History lesson: - Back in the day between March '79 and March '80 Paul Weller The Jam & their record company Polydor assailed the single charts big style. First in March '79 they released "Strange Town" (not on an album), in August they released "When You're Young" (again not on an album) and just before the release of the "Setting Sons" LP in November '79 they released "Eton Rifles". With careful managing The Jam had progressed step by step up the single charts out of the top twenty and into the top 5. Then in March '80 the Jam & Polydor administered the coup de gras by releasing "Going Underground" (again not on an album). But Polydor weren't about to take any chances (this was the moment when they were going to put the past to bed - huh who needs The Clash). Just in case the Jam hadn't already created the right head of steam (which they had) Polydor would make sure with a little bit of hype! Just to make sure the single went to No. 1 Polydor gave away a free single with the first 100,000 copies. Strange this doesn't get a mention on that Wikipedia thing.
Hype at this time in musical history was delightful thing and everyone won. The artist got a hit, the record company could make out they'd done something, and the punter got a little something extra. [Unfortunately this nice bit of hype got outlawed and much later on with "Heavy Soul" Weller got involved with the HYPE TSARS but that's a story for another day.]

So back to "7 + 3 Is The Strikers Name" it's a strange track taken from Paul Weller's forthcoming album 'Wake Up The Nation'. It features the guitar work of Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine - oh dear) and is co-written with Simon Dine who is also in sole charge of production this time around. Its not a bad thing but then it's not great either, it's a sampler for the new album at best and in this time of recession you know what, for me it would have been a wonderful thing if it had been given away free with Paul Weller's new single 'Wake Up The Nation'/'No Tears To Cry' which is due for release on the 5th April. I would like to buy this new single especially after hearing it live back in 2009 but I spent all my KA$H on "7 + 3 Is The Strikers Name". Such is life - please send donations to the usual address.

The most amazing news about Weller's forthcoming album 'Wake Up The Nation' album is that Bruce Foxton is on it. Fuck me its really going to happen, I better go and see "From the Jam" one last time before they split, The Jam are going to reform! Bollocks to......"Let me just nip that in the bud right now. That will never, ever happen. Me and my children would have to be destitute and starving in the gutter before I'd even consider that.".......it was all talk

The Jam are going to reform!
I swear
Hey fellas
The Jam are going to reform!
Yeah I don't believe it
In a car jam?
Ah yeah positively absolutely