THE JAM – THE GIFT Super Deluxe Box Set – released on November 19th Music News by Editor - September 21, 20120 “Better stop dreaming of the quiet life – Cos it’s the one we’ll never know” To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Jam’s final studio album and to mark the 30th anniversary of the bands startling split Universal release a super-deluxe box set of “The Gift” On November 19th 2012 “I was very proud of it – I thought it was another advance on what we’d done before”. Paul Weller – 2012 Surprisingly this was the band’s only No 1 album and marked the departure from the classic Jam sound to a more soul-influenced style, ushering in Weller’s ideas for the Style Council. “The Gift” includes the classic No 1 ‘Town Called Malice’ plus other highlights ‘Running On The Spot’ and ‘Carnation’ all still featured in Weller’s live sets today. The Gift, released in March 1982 was The Jam’s final studio album, which Weller strove to bring as close to perfection as was humanly possible. Plenty of its songs number among The Jam’s best. It is also a fascinating glimpse of its time: of musical currents that were swirling around London and beyond. The Gift’s energy was not just focused on the state of society: it had a lot to say about where music was going, what had happened to the righteous fires lit by punk, and how to remain relevant and vital when music was taking some very rum turns indeed. The challenge it answered was simple enough: if blaring guitars and rock poses had run out of road, what could embody the kind of passion that The Jam were all about? The answer lay in the black music that had bled into their collective identity from the start, and a push to make it less of an influence, than a key part of who they were. Looking back, some of The Jam’s associates have speculated about what lay behind his frantic drive to put everything he could into The Gift: increasingly of the belief that the group should break up, Weller was simply trying ensure that their last album should be their best. The box set will be available from: Amazon 2CD – http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/120912152431 SDE – http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/120912152459 Box set store http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/120912164514 ‘Gift-box’ ‘super-deluxe’ edition contents: Cat Number: 3711933 · Four discs, in individual wallets 1. Disc 1 – original album re-mastered + 10 singles/b-sides from the period, up to the split. 2. Disc 2 – bonus tracks 15 demos & alternate tracks, 13 previously unreleased, re-mastered 3. Disc 3 – Live at Wembley December 1982 23 tracks, complete concert from the last ever Jam tour (previously unreleased), re-mastered 4. Disc 4 – DVD compilation o Promo clips (Town Called Malice / Precious / The Bitterest Pill) o Trans-Global Unity Express tour – live tracks from Birmingham show: 1. Town Called Malice 2. Carnation 3. Precious 4. Ghosts 5. Move On Up 6. Private Hell 7. Pretty Green 8. “Trans-Global Express” 9. The Gift o o Danish TV special (DR) The band play the Gift album live in small studio with audience (previously unseen officially) o Top Of The Pops – 1982 – Town Called Malice / Precious —————————————————————————————————- · Outer box in original striped bag style cover – ‘The Jam – A Gift’! · Hardback 72-page, full-colour book – including period and fan’s memorabilia, magazine cuttings (NME etc.), reviews, photos, new interviews (with Paul Weller and producer Peter Wilson) · Foreword by Paul Weller and new essay by John Harris · Set of postcard prints · Replica 1982 tour programme —————————————————————————————————- Also available as… · 2-disc deluxe digi-pak format · Deluxe digital version Limited Edition 10” Vinyl of Danish TV Concert recorded 23/4/82 —————————————————————————————————- Super-deluxe box tracklisting: Disc One – Original album / Singles & B-Sides 1. Happy Together 2. Ghosts 3. Precious 4. Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero 5. “Trans-Global Express” 6. Running On The Spot 7. Circus 8. The Planner’s Dream Goes Wrong 9. Carnation 10. Town Called Malice 11. The Gift 12. Precious (12”) 13. The Great Depression 14. The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow) 15. Pity Poor Alfie / Fever 16. Pity Poor Alfie (swing version) 17. Beat Surrender 18. Shopping 19. Move On Up 20. Stoned Out Of My Mind 21. War —————————————————————————————— Disc Two – Demos & alternate tracks 1. Skirt (demo) # 2. Get Yourself Together (demo) Originally released on ‘Extras’ 3. Ghosts (instrumental demo) # 4. Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero (demo) # 5. Running On The Spot (demo) # 6. The Planner’s Dream Goes Wrong (demo) # 7. Carnation (instrumental demo) # 8. Precious (demo) Originally released on ‘Direction, Reaction, Creation’ 9. The Bitterest Pill (demo) # 10. Alfie (demo ‘2’) # 11. We’ve Only Started (‘old version’) # 12. Only Started (instrumental demo) # 13. Shopping (AKA ‘Paul’s demo’) # 14. Beat Surrender (demo) # 15. Solid Bond In Your Heart (demo) # # Previously unreleased —————————————————————————————— Disc Three – Live at Wembley (Dec. 3rd 1982) 1. Start! 2. It’s Too Bad 3. Beat Surrender 4. Away From The Numbers 5. Ghosts 6. In The Crowd 7. Boy About Town 8. So Sad About Us 9. All Mod Cons 10. To Be Someone 11. Smithers-Jones 12. That’s Entertainment 13. The Great Depression 14. Precious 15. Move On Up 16. Circus 17. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight 18. David Watts 19. Mr Clean 20. Town Called Malice 21. But I’m Different Now 22. “Trans-Global Express” 23. In The City —————————————————————————————— Disc 4 – DVD Part 1 – Trans-Global Unity Express Live video from Birmingham March 1982 Part 2 – The promo videos 1. Town Called Malice 2. Precious 3. The Bitterest Pill Part 3 – Danish TV special The Jam play songs from the Gift album. Recorded live in Studio 3, TV-Byen, Copenhagen April 19 1982, broadcast April 23 1982. 1. Running On The Spot 2. Circus 3. Happy Together 4. Ghosts 5. In The Crowd 6. Town Called Malice 7. Pity Poor Alfie / Fever 8. Precious 9. Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero 10. The Gift 11. Move On Up 12. Trans-Global Express Part 4 – Top Of The Pops Recorded February 18 1982 1. Precious 2. Town Called Malice