Magic: A Journal Of Song
Paul Weller with Dylan Jones
★★★
GENESIS. £40
Jam/Style Council/solo eras discussed. Tangents taken.
The closest thing to a Paul Weller autobiography borrows the format of Paul McCartney’s Lyrics. It comprises 103 Weller lyrics from 1977’s In The City to 2021’s Still Glides The Stream, over 450 pictures (some caption The Jam’s drummer as Rick Butler), introductions to Weller himself (“beyond reproach as a songwriter… possibly without equal,” gushes Dylan Jones) and his albums (“The Cost Of Loving was a bit of a disaster,” admits Weller). Weller’s annotations can be trite (“I think Going My Way is one of the best things I’ve done”), but when he strays off-topic he’s a joy. Dreams Of Children berates The Jam’s audience (“We’d be singing about unity and the crowd would all be scrapping”); Beat Surrender details The Jam’s split (“My dad’s first words were ‘are you fucking mad?’”), and Glad Times finds him perched on the toilet, avoiding his children. Strangely sweet.