The Jam’s ‘1977’ Box Set, Featuring ‘In The City’ And ‘This Is The Modern World’, Is Out Now
A new Jam collection, the 5CD 1977 box set, extensively revisits first two albums by the group, celebrating of the 40th anniversary of In The City and This Is The Modern World, which were both initially released within a frenetic 12-month spell during which The Jam became established as one of the most exciting groups to emerge from punk.
The Jam went on to have a phenomenal impact on pop music and wider youth culture. In their short career, they achieved 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the UK (including 4 No 1s) and released 6 ground-breaking albums and went on to influence a generation with their music, style, politics and inspiration.
Disc 1 features In The City, originally released in May 1977. A raw and powerful album that announced the arrival of The Jam, with their 18-year-old lead singer Paul Weller sowing the seeds for what was in store for the future. The Jam’s music at this time owed a lot to the harmonies of Motown, the energy of Dr Feelgood and The Who’s early records, but it also burned with the anger of punk. The album includes hit single ‘In The City’, live favourite ‘Art School’ and Paul Weller’s most ambitious early song, ‘Away From The Numbers’.
The box’s second disc includes an extensive, 11-song demo captured during February 1977, of which 6 tracks are previously unreleased. All the tracks would later be definitively recorded for In The City, save for the cover of The Who’s ‘So Sad About Us’ which was later re-recorded for the B-side to ‘Down At The Tube Station At Midnight.’
Disc 3 features, This Is The Modern World the follow-up album, released a few months after In The City in late 1977, complete with an iconic Gered Mankowitz cover shot of the band under London’s Westway. Though it divided the critics, this underrated titled paved the way for the refined brilliance of the later albums. The track list Includes the rousing hit single ‘The Modern World’ and some of Weller’s introspective early gems, ‘Life From A Window’ and ‘I Need You (For Someone)’, as well as ‘The Combine’, a track that indicated the direction of The Jam’s third album All Mod Cons.
Live, the box’s fourth disc includes a previously-unreleased capture of The Jam’s triumphant show at London’s Nashville Club in September 10th 1977, featuring material culled from the first two albums. This disc also revisits The Jam’s two blistering sessions recorded for BBC Radio One’s John Peel Show in 1977.
The final disc is a DVD featuring TV appearances from TV shows such as Top Of The Pops, Marc and So It Goes plus the Polydor promo videos from 1977. Included are performances of band’s first Top 20 hit ‘All Around The World’, a stand-alone single bridged the releases of In The City and This Is The Modern World.
1977 also includes a stunning 144-page book, featuring new liner notes, period photos and a wealth of cuttings, reviews and memorabilia from 1977. The five LP-style CD wallets come with printed inner bags. In The City will feature the US version of the LP inner sleeve, also using a Martyn Goddard out-take photo. This Is The Modern World will feature an alternative Gered Mankowitz cover image. The discs are housed in a rigid, lift-off lid box.
The Jam’s 5CD 1977 box set is out now. While stocks last, the uDiscover store has an exclusive bundle of the 1977 box set with a limited edition print, which can be ordered here.
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