THE JAM – ALL AROUND THE WORLD 7″ – Nr MINT/EXC+ A1/B1 UK PUNK MOD PAUL WELLER

The Jam – All Around The World
(Polydor Records  1977  2058903)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from the odd light pop/crackle on side 2)
Centre hole has been dinked for juke box – 173 written on label – spider in centre

Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– some wear to edges, mark in top right corner and 173 written bottom right corner

The Jam were an English punk rock/new wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the “angry young men” outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes, and they incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock and R&B influences rather than rejecting them, placing The Jam at the forefront of the mod revival movement.

They had 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, “That’s Entertainment” and “Just Who Is the 5 O’Clock Hero?” remained the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift, hit number one on the UK album charts. When the group split up, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100.

The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight”, “The Eton Rifles”, “Going Underground” and “Town Called Malice”.

“All Around the World” was a single released by The Jam on 15 July 1977 and reached No. 13 in the UK Singles Chart.

The single was backed by the B-side, “Carnaby Street,” and was released between the debut album, In the City, and the band’s second album, This Is the Modern World.

The song is often erroneously thought to be featured in Abigail’s Party, coming from the party held next door by the unseen title character. The song is question was “Natch” by a session band called Midas Touch, featured on the library music LP Heavy Group Activity / Light Group Activity (1974).

The song was also featured in A Year in Yellow, a documentary aired on Sky Atlantic, about British cyclist Bradley Wiggins attempts to win the 2012 Tour de France. Wiggins, who is a self-confessed fan of The Jam, can be heard listening to it in his hotel room in the days leading up to the Tour.

Track listing