Studio 150

by

Paul Weller

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I have been a fan of Paul Weller's since 1982, when I first got into the Jam. Being a Weller fan in the US has never been easy, with little or no radio play, NO US TV coverage (hello, MTV?!) and years in between tours (if you can call 6 cities a tour). Things have gotten better in recent years with his newer cd's and even dvd's being available here. Which brings us to Studio 150; this is an amazing cd! We all know of Weller's habit of cover versions as B-Sides, but an entire cd worth is heaven! I for one am glad he didn't do the "obvious" covers (Beatles, Who, Kinks, etc.). This collection shows just how diverse his musical tastes are, and kind of explains alot of his song choices from the whole of his career. The Jam were a paradox,with raw power-driven songs like "Eaton Rifles", "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" and "Going Underground" being balanced out by beautiful ballads such as "English Rose" and the pre-Style Council cafe' jazz of "Shopping". Then of course, the Style Council had R&B, soul and jazz influences galore. Weller's solo career found him returning to his guitar, but also keeping a tight grip on his R&B influences. (Weller has one of the most soulful voices of ANY singer - EVER!) The songs on Studio 150 are an intermission until the next studio album per se.Alot of interesting song choices here, with songs made famous by the Carpenter's, and Neil Young. Many obscure songs that I for one had never heard before. The highlight of the cd for me is definitely his version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain". There have been many versions of this song over the years, including one by Elvis. Weller's version puts them all to shame. The sparse arrangement and soulful vocals are a spine-tingling combination that brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. Simply amazing! Do yourself a favor, and buy this cd; it is testimony of Weller's amazing talent and incredible voice, nearly 30 years on. Keep on, Paul! Jeff Koger

Big weller fan here- from the jam through the early council years- and of most of his solo output. Even managed to catch him twice in concert. This cover record is a fair offering from weller- a couple of tunes done well and others just going through the motions of stanley road or heavy soul era gruffness. Not essential in anyway but if you get it used it looks nice stacked next to his massive output and makes for a good listen with some track skipping.. Some of the better tunes actually come with the bonus disc- so try to get that one. Otherwise its pretty typical weller-strong muscianship- a steady voice-some blue eyed soul- but hes done it better before. Hes been on a roll the last couple of years- the new ones out in october- lets hope hes learned to stop being himself so much and embraced some new sounds instead of retreading the past. Still he is the modfather so nothing but respect for the woking wonder!