A taste of Jam

THIS is true (for a change): two American kids in a record shop flicking through the albums arranged under "B". Ones turns to the other and says "Hey, did you know Paula McCartney was in a band before Wings?". Slightly down the scale from that is the time this column interviewed Green Day and young Billy Joe, when pressed about his Clash said "I didn't grow up loving The Clash, I grew up hating BAD". Kids these days etc; there's probably some youngsters out there who only know Paul Weller as the bloke who plays the guitar solo on Oasis's Champagne Supernova.

Not that you could fault them for that. Ever since Beat surrender it has all been downhill at speed, with no brakes on for Fur Paul. First we had the godawful Style Council and now we have the not quite so godawful but still a bit on the crap side all the same solo career. Sorry, but it all sounds a bit too much sub Traffic to me. I suppose it really isn't that bad, it's just that once upon a Top Of The Pops, Paul Weller was almost the be all and end all of music, and it all started with a song called In The City.

The Jam were great, a classic three piece with a dead cool mod swagger who specialised in pumped up power pop anthems, just how great they are is evidenced on the new Collection album. "Basically it's just a collection of B sides and album tracks but when you're talking about songs of the calibre of To Be Someone, "Pretty Green and Monday you're talking about the sort of B sides that the cumulative efforts of Northern Uproar, Heavy Stereo, 60Ft Dolls et al have yet to come close to on their A sides. Kicking off with Away From The Numbers (from 1977's In The City) and finishing up with Shopping (the flip of 1982's Beat Surrender) these 25 tracks are a reminder, as if we needed one, of what truly great popular music sounds like. Added bonus: this is the first time Liza Radley is available on CD. Extra added bonus: to tie in with the album, Paulo Hewitt's definitive book on The Jam, Beat Concerto is being re published, with a new foreword written by "Noel Gallagher. Full circle.

THERE'S a major indiefest taking place at The City Arts Centre, Dublin, over the next two weeks with all manner of gigs, discussions and seminars running throughout the day and night. Bands playing include Pillory (new and promising Belfast hardcore act), Bambi, Nurse Diesel (aka Pet Lamb) and Brooder (Waterford's answer to Green Day). Discussion topics include "what is indie?", "fanzines - any use?" and plenty more along those lines. People involved, among others, are the Hope Collective, The Dead Elvis and Blunt record labels, Cork's Music Resource Co op and the Anderstown Music Collective. Further information from 01 6770643.

EVEN I remember Damn You Peter Pan. Back then, they were sort of an art rock guitar driven outfit who had their own Internet label and had quite a following on US college radio. Then they disappeared, changed it all around, and have now re emerged with a new sound and a new collection of songs. "We started listening to the music that was going on around us," says Paul, the vocalist with the band, "and changed into more of an indie dance crossover band. Our influences range from Stereo MC's to Nick Cave and we're now using more BPM's, drum loops and lower frequencies in our music." They've got a new album finished and ready to go and are currently mulling over various major label offers to release it. You can see and hear for yourself when DYPP play the Temple Bar Music Centre on Sunday night.

FEAR not, Iggy Pop will definitely be among us next Monday and Tuesday night when he plays The Mean Fiddler. I think there's a few tickets left for Tuesday but you're better off ringing the Fiddler ticket hotline (01 4758555) for what could be a monumental gig ... Paranoid Visions (the original of the Dublin punk species) were as pissed off as the rest of us when The Pistols pulled their Irish dates - they were due to support them at The Point - but they too have got a Fiddler gig by way of compensation and they play next Wednesday night. They've also got a 20 track compilation, After The Faction, out in the shops ... I'm sure he hates the "godfather of rap" tag but it's quite accurate - Gil Scott Heron plays the Olympia tonight and if you're up for a bit of drum `n' bass, LTJ Bukem is in the Kitchen tonight. I heard him in Cream a while back but that story will have to wait until I'm good and ready ... Next week: the life and times of Sebadoh and an interesting little story about the upcoming In The City extravaganza.