Paul Weller

Paul Weller (born John William Weller May 25, 1958 in Woking, Surrey, England, UK) is a British singer / songwriter who has been one of the biggest influences on British popular music for more than a quarter of a century, fronting two highly successful bands, The Jam and The Style Council. In the UK, he is recognised as something of a national institution, yet because much of his songwriting is rooted in British culture, he has remained essentially a national rather than an international star.

Solo career

In the early 1990s, Weller disbanded the Council and went quiet for a few years, before returning to prominence as one of the major influences behind the mid-1990s 'Britpop' movement that gave rise to such bands as Oasis and Blur, both of whom were heavily influenced by The Jam in particular. Weller even appeared as a guest guitarist and backing vocalist on "Champagne Supernova" of Oasis's seminal 1995 album (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, perhaps the defining moment of Britpop . In particular, Weller was an important influence in the development of Ocean Colour Scene, and members of that band, particularly guitarist Steve Cradock, often played in Weller's backing band.

Related Topics:
1990s - Britpop - Oasis - Blur - Champagne Supernova - 1995 - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? - Ocean Colour Scene - Steve Cradock

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However, his role was not purely that of a mere influence: his own 1995 album Stanley Road (named after the street in Woking where he had grown up) took him back to the top of the British charts, and went on to become the best selling album of his entire career. It marked a return to the more guitar-based style of his earlier days, albeit with a more grown-up mature edge than the sheer adrenaline rush The Jam had provided. The album's major single, The Changingman, was also a big hit, taking Weller back into the Top 10 of the singles charts. (Weller's detractors, however, noted that the song's descending guitar riff bore a strong resemblance to the one used on the Electric Light Orchestra's debut single, 10538 Overture).

Related Topics:
Woking - Electric Light Orchestra

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His influence over the 1990s generation of British guitar bands, coupled with his love of 1960s Mod-era music, had earned him the affectionate nickname 'The Modfather', and the late 1990s saw him cement his position as one of Britain's major musical figures. In 1996 he collaborated with Oasis's guitarist / songwriter Noel Gallagher and none other than Paul McCartney to form the 'super group' Smokin' Mojo Filters, releasing a version of The Beatles' hit Come Together. New Jam and Style Council 'best of' albums took his earlier career back into the charts, and his own solo 'best of' collection Modern Classics was a substantial success in 1998.

Related Topics:
1996 - Noel Gallagher - Paul McCartney - The Beatles - 1998

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The year 2000 saw the release of his fifth solo studio album and seventh solo effort overall (as well as the Modern Classics compilation, there had also been the 1994 live album Live Wood), called Heliocentric. There were rumours at the time that this was to be his final studio effort, but these proved unfounded when he released the No. 1 hit album Illumination in September 2002, preceded by yet another top ten hit single It's Written in the Stars. Between these two albums he had also released a second successful live album, 2001's Days of Speed, on which he performed acoustic versions of some of his best-known songs not just from his solo career but from The Jam and Style Council back catalogues as well.

Related Topics:
2000 - 1994 - 2002 - 2001

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His most recent album is Studio 150, a collection of cover versions of songs including a cover of the classic Bob Dylan song, "All Along The Watchtower".

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On July 18 2005, Paul Weller released his most recent single "From The Floorboards up" to be featured on the new album "As is now" due out October 10, 2005.

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