In the City (the Jam album)

In the City
Studio album by The Jam
Released 20 May 1977
Recorded March 1977
Studio Stratford Place, London, W1
Genre
Length 32:02
Label Polydor
Producer
The Jam chronology
In the City
(1977)		 This Is the Modern World
(1977)This Is the Modern World1977
Singles from In the City
  1. "In the City"
    Released: 29 April 1977

In the City is the debut studio album by British mod revival band the Jam. Released in 1977 upon Polydor Records, the album reached No. 20 in the UK Albums Chart.[1]

The album features the band's debut single and title track "In the City".[2][3] In addition, the album includes two cover versions, "Slow Down"[4] and the theme to the 1960s television series, Batman, the latter of which had also been previously covered by The Who, The Kinks and Link Wray.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
Pitchfork8.5/10[8]
Q[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[11]
The Village VoiceA−[12]

Upon the album's release, In the City received all-round positive reviews. Phil McNeil from the NME stated Weller's songwriting "captures that entire teen frustration vibe with the melodic grace and dynamic aplomb of early Kinks and Who". Brian Harrigan of Melody Maker was equally impressed, proclaiming that "Weller composed songs are anything but an embarrassment, he has a deft touch that places his material on a much higher plateau". In the Record Mirror, Barry Cain opined: "Armed and extremely dangerous The Jam stalk the decrepit grooves. If you don't like them, hard luck they're gonna be around for a long time. It's been a long time since albums actually reflected pre-20 delusions and this one does".

Weller's guitar style on the album is influenced by Pete Townshend and Wilko Johnson.[13]

Track listing

All tracks written by Paul Weller, unless otherwise noted..

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Art School"2:02
2."I've Changed My Address"3:31
3."Slow Down" (Larry Williams)2:39
4."I Got By in Time"2:07
5."Away from the Numbers"4:03
6."Batman Theme" (Neal Hefti)1:31
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."In the City"2:19
2."Sounds from the Street"3:14
3."Non-Stop Dancing"2:28
4."Time for Truth"3:10
5."Takin' My Love"2:15
6."Bricks and Mortar"2:37
Total length:32:02

Personnel

The Jam
Technical
  • Bill Smith – art direction, design
  • Martyn Goddard – front cover photography

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 276. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ paulweller.com
  3. ↑ yorkbarbican.co.uk
  4. ↑ mojo4music.com
  5. ↑ paulweller.com
  6. ↑ Woodstra, Chris. "In the City – The Jam". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2005.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  8. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (20 October 2017). "The Jam: In the City / This Is the Modern World / The Polydor Demos: February 1977 / Live 1977 + John Peel Sessions". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "The Jam: In the City". Q (190): 138. May 2002.
  10. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Jam". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 416–17. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  12. ↑ Christgau, Robert (5 September 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 27 February 2012. Posted in a revised version at "The Jam: In the City". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  13. ↑ Paul Weller: Sounds From the Studio ISBN 978-1-911-34639-5
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