2009/04/29

John Weller's obituary, "The independent", courtesy of Alex McLaughlan


John Weller: Father of Paul Weller who managed his son for 30 years

For thirty years, John Weller managed the career of his son Paul, through the salad days and success of The Jam in the Seventies and early Eighties, the ups and downs of The Style Council and Paul’s re-emergence as a solo artist in the Nineties. Theirs was a unique father-son relationship in the music industry, built on John’s unwavering belief in Paul’s talent and shared values like hard work and pragmatism. John could be blunt, and once refused to have lunch in a record company’s executive dining room, remarking to the managing director: “I didn’t come here to eat, I came to do business.” But his bark was worse than his bite.

John’s success was all the more remarkable since he started in his forties after years working in factories, on building sites and driving a taxi. When The Jam signed to Polydor in February 1977, for a £6,000 advance and a six per cent royalty rate, John admitted he didn’t have a bank account and asked for cash instead of a cheque. A&R man Chris Parry duly went round to the label’s bank in Oxford Street and gave wads of £10 notes to Weller senior. He had been a successful boxer in his youth and proved single-minded when negotiating deals.

In 2001, when the industry bible Music Week compiled a supplement paying tribute to his father on his 70th birthday, Paul commented: “He is 100 per cent behind me. And once you have got that kind of support behind you, you are half-way there, in a way. You have still got to be creative and come up with good tunes but it helps so much when you’ve got someone like that fighting your corner.”

John Weller was born in Brighton in 1931 and grew up in various parts of Southern England, including Chichester, where he took up boxing at secondary school. He fought as a welterweight and, according to his son, won most of his 200 bouts. He left school at 14 and worked as a trainee journalist on the Chichester Observer. In 1949, he was called up for National Service and seemed to have found his métier. He became a physical training instructor and won the armed forces boxing championship.

He later moved to Woking, where he worked in a factory and met Ann Craddock. The couple married in March 1957 and, the following May, had their first child, named John William Weller, though the child became known as Paul. The Wellers also had a daughter, Nicola, in 1962. The family lived in a modest Victorian house on Stanley Road, a location later immortalised on Paul’s 1995 charttopping solo album of that name. Ann worked part-time, first as a cleaner and then as a secretary, while John put in shifts on building sites during the day and drove a cab in the evening. The couple indulged Paul’s love of music and obsessions with The Beatles, The Small Faces and The Kinks.

John bought his son his first proper guitar when he was 12 and Paul later taught his friend, Steve Brookes. In 1972, the teenagers played at their school, Sheerwater Secondary, and a lunch-time gig at a local pub organised by John. Named The Jam, after Paul’s sister surmised that it was a logical choice following on from Marmalade and Bread, they won a talent contest in Woking in 1973. For a while, Paul switched to a second-hand Hofner bass purchased by his understanding parents, but handed it to Bruce Foxton when he joined the line-up, which also comprised drummer Rick Buckler.

John did not bat an eyelid when his son left school in summer 1974 with two CSEs – English and Music – but, since the group were only making £15 each per week from gigs, he insisted Paul work on building sites with him.

John financed several demos – “Takin’ My Love”, “Makin’ My Way Back Home” and other Paul originals – sent cassettes out, bought and borrowed equipment and drove the group to engagements throughout 1975 as his son embraced Dr Feelgood’s energetic brand of R&B and revived the Mod look and the sound of Motown, Stax, Northern Soul and the early Who.

“He was vital in terms of encouraging us to keep on doing it,” Paul recalls. “And, more importantly, he was vital in getting us gigs and motivating us to play live. There were loads of times when we could have split up but he always pulled us back together again.”

Brookes left but becoming a threepiece and seeing the Sex Pistols in July 1976, and supporting them in Dunstable in October, seemed to concentrate The Jam’s minds and give them a punk rock edge. However, even if he excelled at talking promoters into booking The Jam at London venues like the Nashville Rooms and the Hope & Anchor, John was not in the same league as the Pistols’ svengali Malcolm McLaren or the Clash impresario Bernie Rhodes when it came to selling his son’s group to the majors, though a great gig at the Marquee helped convince Chris Parry. Indeed, Parry was so impressed with “In The City”, The Jam’s yet to be released debut single, that he picked up an option for four albums in as many years and upped their royalty rate to 13
per cent. He also introduced John to an accountant and to a music business lawyer, helping assuage some of his concerns.

“At the time, he was a bit worried,” Paul said. “I think he thought that, because he had no experience of the record business, he might have held us back, so he wasn’t even sure if he was going to proceed with it. We said no way, we’ve come this far together, we’re staying together. From then on, he just learned as he went along.”

In May 1977, “In The City” made the Top 40 and The Jam became the first “punk” band to appear on Top Of The Pops, though their Rickenbacker guitars and sharp suits owed just as much to the Sixties. Their first album, also called In The City, reached the Top 20 and, despite a slight hiccup with This Is The Modern World, their rushed second album six months later, they became the British group with the biggest domestic following of their generation. The Clash and The Police had a greater impact internationally but The Jam’s espousal of the Mod image and attitude in turn brought about a full Mod revival in the UK.

By 1982, Paul was struggling with his status as the spokesman of his generation and feeling his bandmates couldn’t make the transition to a more expansive, soulful style, broke up The Jam at the height of their fame. “He was gutted, mortified,” said Paul of his father’s reaction. “He thought I was barmy. Like any good manager, he was saying there’s lots more money to be made here, boys. But it wasn’t right for me. I think it took 15 years for him to get over it.”

John invested as much time and energy in making the Style Council, his son’s next project, successful. He probably gave Paul too much of a free reign, allowing him to launch his own imprint, Respond, though the label scored a Top Ten hit with Tracie’s “The House That Jack Built” in 1983, the year the Style Council’s blissful “Long Hot Summer” went Top Three.

They bought the old Philips recording facility in London’s Marble Arch, which became known as Solid Bond Studios, but, like Respond, it became a financial liability and was sold in 1990.

The previous year, Polydor had rejected the fifth full-length Style Council studio album, the house-influenced Modernism: A New Decade, and John fought Paul’s corner, lifting head of Polydor David Munns out of his chair during a particularly fractious meeting and telling him: “You don’t talk about my son like that.”

But Paul was without a deal, and father and son released “Into Tomorrow” on their own Freedom High label in 1991, and self-financed Paul’s first solo album. John touted the tapes around and refused to take some of the paltry deals on offer. Andy McDonald of Go! Discs stepped in and the Paul Weller album reached the Top Ten in 1992, inaugurating a purple patch which has continued until now, taking in three No 1 albums and three Brit Awards for Paul, now an elder statesman of rock in the Eric Clapton, Van Morrison or Steve Winwood vein.

“It’s all been a gamble, but it’s certainly paid off,” John said. Even after major surgery in 1994 he was a constant, hands-on, silver-quiffed presence on tour. “He has the constitution of a rhino,” Paul said in 2001. “He loves the buzz, the roar of the crowd. He loves being on the road, he loves gigs. That is quite rare in most managers. Most managers sit behind a desk and collect the cheques. He doesn’t.”

John relished helping his son reach the top for the third time, then took a back seat in 2004. He liked to play cards. He loved Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. But most of all, he loved his family and believed his son was one of the greats. Theirs was a solid bond.


Pierre Perrone


John Weller, pop manager: born Brighton 28 November 1931; married Ann Craddock 1957 (one son, one daughter); died 22 April 2009.

The kids will be alright for sure!




2009/04/28

John Weller's funeral.


From The Paul Weller Website..

John Weller
27th Apr 2009

We have received lots of request for information regarding the funeral of John Weller and how you can pay your respects. The Wellers are touched with the level of support from you at this time. The Funeral of John Weller will be on Tuersday 5th May in Woking, anyone wanting to send cards or flowers please send to:


LODGE BROS FUNERAL HOME, WEST BYFLEET,
SURREY, KT14 6LG
(By 12 noon on the 5th May)


OR DONATIONS TO : ALZHEIMERS SOCIETY,
CENTRAL OFFICE,
DEVON HOUSE, 58 ST KATHARINES WAY,
LONDON, E1W 1JX
(PLEASE INCLUDE A NOTE DONATING IN MEMORY OF
MR JOHN WELLER)

ONLINE DONATIONS CAN BE MADE AT
WWW.ALZHEIMERS.ORG/DONATE

If you want to send any emails to the family please contact
nicky@paulweller.com

Sixth USA Canada tour, The Jam, Vancouver 1982.



New file for the part 2
Kerrisdale Part 3

Thanks always to dazzz1 for upping this on Dime and to andyc343
Artwork by Manu!

Notes from the dime's uploader:
This is the final concert from the North American leg of the Trans-Global Express Tour in 1982 promoting The Gift LP. The sound is a bit boomy and distant, but quite
listenable. Paul was clearly not a happy man during this tour, but he put in a solid performance on this night, probably because it was the last date in America!

2009/04/27

Thanx for the twins...


We had messages and gifts from all over the world from John's Canvey Island, to Ian S' Scotland via Heavysoul Brutha's Virginia!
Much much appreciated!

2009/04/26

Purple Hearts, The Mick Taylor's review.

Hi all, been listening to the Puple Hearts today and the album "Beat That!". To be honest I'd not heard a lot of PH stuff until John Hellier sent me this cd this week and i was impressed, a few Who and Kinks influences and well worth a plug here to advertise the up and coming gig at the 100 Club (only a few tickets left so hurry). First, a bit of a biography...

The story of London, England mod revivalists the Purple Hearts begins in 1977 when teenagers Jeff Shadbolt, Simon Stebbing, Bob Manton, and Nicky Lake dubbed themselves the Sockets to sneak their way onto a bill opening for the Buzzcocks, even though none of the four had the ability to play an instrument. Each member of the quartet chose an instrument — Shadbolt chose the bass, Stebbing the guitar, Manton stuck with just vocals, and Lake picked up drumsticks — and they feverishly threw together a set of original songs while trying to learn their instruments. A matter of weeks certainly isn't enough time to master a musical instrument, but the Sockets played their gig anyway, much to the amusement of the Buzzcocks and the audience, and the bandmembers found that they very much enjoyed performing. They enjoyed it so much that they continued to play a handful of gigs as the Sockets, but in May of 1978 both the name changed (to the Purple Hearts) and the lineup changed when drummer Gary Sparks replaced Lake.

By 1979, the Purple Hearts began to enjoy some success touring with contemporaries Secret Affair and Back to Zero, and directly afterward they signed with the Polydor Records subsidiary Fiction. Fiction released their debut single, titled "Millions Like Us," and it charted in the U.K., peaking at number 57 — their highest charting single. It was followed by two more charting singles in 1979 and then the release of their first full-length album, Beat That!, in early 1980, but that proved to be a high point for the band as the mod revival fad burned out and Fiction dropped the Purple Hearts midway through the year. A few other 45s were released via different small labels, but the bandmembers decided to take some time off and didn't resurface until 1985 with the live album Head on Collision Time, followed a year later by Pop-ish Frenzy, after which they split up for good.

PURPLE HEARTS LIVE AT THE 100 CLUB
Sunday 21st June. Tickets £15. Support: Long Tall Shorty. Tickets Here

2009/04/25

From Ian J. Andy Crofts and Andy Lewis, "All you need is love" & "Fool on the Hill"



Andy Crofts and Chris Ketley from The Moons messing around at home recording a version of Fool on the hill by the beatles. Cups of Tea supplied by Deathhouse......

2009/04/24

Maybe the best way to say goodbye to John? Another Glasgow's Jam Boot. "And the best fackin band in the world!"





There's a mispelling on the second one and Manu Corrected it as fast as he could! Chose your fav'
Flac, Lossless, thanx to the original Uploader on dime, StevieWilson

Part one
Part two

"This is another of my old tapes dusted down and uploaded for your pleasure! Sound is decent enough but gets a wee bit too loud in parts, overall a good show. Fighting in the crowd during a couple of tracks, makes for interesting listening!

DONT SELL, DONT CONVERT TO MP3, PLAY IT LOUD AND KEEP THE JAM GIGS COMIN!" Stevie Wilson

2009/04/23

John Weller by Whitey (From Cpt Stax).


It wasn't unexpected to get the news that John weller had passed away , it was a beautiful sunny morning in fact , but the news still stung even though the anticipation existed . I finished work today , a day peppered by texts and calls , I missed the call that mattered but made ammends and spoke to the one person I needed to speak to , I raised a glass at dinner and reminisced with my beautiful partner of days of travel and nights of glory that followed , and after a little to much wine the drowsiness lifted and the harsh reality that someone very special had passed hit me , I wanted to say that , with my emotions bubbling very much to the surface , I wanted to remember those decades and shows and nights that we all spent together , indestructible , laughing and making the music of our dreams , wide eyed vagabonds not quite believing . I remember the day on arriving back from sydney, John telling me it was all over and he had enough of " this lark " , that was 24 odd years ago , and how many amazing times were to come , I remember the night with a bottle of champange that tasted like heaven ( the proceeds of a card game ) chewing the fat with the big man , " so john " I asked " who's your favourite singer ? " a sip of rum and coke " paul weller " I went further " who's is your favourite song writer ? " paul weller " , .. " Ok " favourite guitarist ? . " Paul weller " .. " best drummer ? " " Easy , you whitey " ... " Best band ? " ... " Well " he paused , " its this fucking band aint it , and then its the jam " ... Pure pride , pure belief , I remember just a few years back when I first introduced my then new girl to the gang , everyone was on best behaviour , gig time comes and sally gets pride of place next to john a pint sized glass of rum and coke is thrust into her hand without question , the gig began , we s weated and played and sang and created to the best of our abilities as we did every night and sally swore as the final chords died there were tears of pride in his eyes as he turned and said " my boy and your fella , two hundred songs at the drop of a hat , any day of the week " at that moment she also fell under the spell . As life goes on and people depart this world I strongly , strongly believe that the effect of a passing is a reflection of your own mortality , of your own reflections and life and the unwanted glimpse of a mirror held up to your own future . John is in a better place , and my thoughts are with Ann and Nicky and my brother Paul , wonderful memories stretching back to boy hood for me , I'm not ashamed to indulge either as I remember John , by the way the one question that wasn't answered " paul weller " " steve white " or anything related to the world he adored was ? " Who's the greatest fighter " and with the same pride that all the other questions were answered " easy , Rocky Marciano " , thanks John for leading the way as we made some amazing music .

Whitey

2009/04/22

John Weller Passed Away This Morning. So Sad About Us.


tributetojohnweller@live.fr if you want to let a word.

John Hellier will pass the mails to Wellers.

Time for silence and respect.

Chris' new post.

Enjoy the Chris' new post on Paul Weller News!


Paul Weller and Johnny Marr live at Coachella. Huge thanx to Chris and Heavysoul Dave!

It's here

2009/04/21

A private matter...


The point is not gossiping around Weller's family or intruding a so private matter. Don't do it if you don't feel it. It's just respect... just a way to collect our mails and it will stay private, of course, a very limited access. I just have to check it's not junk mails (I had one yet...).
The Wellers will just know this mail box exists and they'll be free to open it or not. A fellow splinterite wrote to me "We care so much that we want to show our love and support in an appropriate way. John's a big character who is never shy of calling the odds, but for me, at the moment it feels right to let the family know the strength of love out there in the Weller fan family in a strong, close-knit way."
Can't say it in a better way...

(This is not a link)

Paul and John Weller.

Of course, we all know how important he was for Paul Weller and so, for us in a way. When Paul was completely bored by school he bought him an amp and he was the first to believe in Paul’s abilities and talent. “A christmas present of a guitar from his father put the seal on things. For the first year he just left under his bed, only dragging it out to pose in front of the bedroom mirror and conjure up the images of success that it would bring him” etc (Paolo Hewitt, The Jam, A beat concerto)… (John Weller: When he was a kid we spent so many hours together that I would have thought we would have been both fucked up by now. Father and son or not, even mates can go off each other if they spend too much time together. But evidently it didn’t come to that” (…) We spent load of time together, going out throught the woods and that. Even when I was on the cabs, I used to take him out with me on jobs. I had him standing behind me and when he had been standing for so long, he could hardly bend his legs.” So I’ve thought to create a mailbox tributetojohnweller@live.fr to write anyone thoughts about John. Send your message to this box and a copy to the Splinters’ one for everyone. The John’s box will be filled by this kind of message only. I will manage to make the mails going to Paul Weller’s family (By John Hellier, Bax, etc.) Peace and Respect to John. I met him in 2001 in Brussels in the cafeteria with Paul. After a short and warm discussion with Paul, I talked to John and I thanked him, he was really a generous and warm man and with that very unique voice he allowed me to come to the balance (I was probably very close to John McGivern!). During the opening act, a guy named Sharko, I could see father and son sittin on the stairs, discussing about the music they were hearing at that moment, cool and in a very close attitude. Believe me or not, they look so close, I kept this memory in mind as well as the gig… Take five minutes if you feel it to tell the Wellers' family how we love him. Best. Yann


2009/04/20

The other Canvey Island's stars!



As anyone, I Thought John Hellier was the one and only Canvey Island star! But there was the good Dr too. Pub rock, nervous and shakey guitarist, Black suits, white shirts, don't you think a band called the Jam nicked them two or three things?
Paul have said than "Floorboards" was clearly dedicated to Wliko Johnson.
Julian Temple (Strummer's and Pistols' documentaries) will produce and be the director of "Oil City confidential" about the Pub Rock's kings of Canvey Island.

Dedicated to John, of course!


2009/04/18

Quadrophenia - The Rock Opera : About the Show!



ABOUT THE SHOW

Romantic. Lunatic. Tough Guy. Hypocrite. Can you see the real me?

Set in London and Brighton at the height of the Mod era, QUADROPHENIA is told through the eyes of Jimmy, a hedonistic style conscious teenager searching for a place to belong and a girl to love. Misunderstood by his parents and stuck in a dead end job, he sets off on a trip to Brighton that will change his life forever. This compelling coming of age story is brought to life in this original stage adaptation of the legendary album. The evocative world of sixties Britain provides a colourful backdrop to Jimmy’s journey. Pete Townshend’s stunning score pulsates with life and brilliantly captures the excitement of a nation on the brink of change. Rolling Stone magazine and VH1 have named Quadrophenia one of the 100 Greatest Albums of all Time. The album was released by The Who in 1973 and was followed by the iconic film in 1979. An exhilarating theatrical experience for rebels and adolescents of all ages!

MUSIC, LYRICS AND CONCEPT by PETE TOWNSHEND

Watch the trailer


An Ian S. info. ;)

2009/04/13

Paul Weller in Osaka, April 8. (Flac)



Huge thanx to ShinKane, original taper and uploader! Manu is working on the definite cover.
Paul Weller in Osaka Part 1 song 1 to 6 th
Paul Weller in Osaka song 7 to 13
14 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 27 (End)

April 8, 2009
@Namba Hatch, Osaka, Japan

01. Wild Blue Yonder 02. All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You) 03. Out Of The Sinking 04. 22 Dreams 05. The Changingman 06. From The Floorboards Up 07. Have You Made Up Your Mind 08. Sea Spray 09. Porcelain Gods 10. Invisible 11. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) 12. One Bright Star 13. 111 14. All On A Misty Morning - Magic Bus 15. (?)Sunshine Makes Me Happy -Vo. Steve Pilgrim 16. Don't Go Changin (The Moons) -Vo. Andy Crofts 17. You Paint Your Picture (Steve Cradock) -Vo. Steve Cradock 18. Come Away With Me -Vo. Andy Lewis 19. Wild Wood 20. Echoes Round The Sun21. Come On Let's Go 22. -encore1- 23. You Do Something To Me 24. Broken Stones 25. Shout To The Top 26. -encore2- 27. Eton Rifles

2009/04/12

He's what you can call a Friend!


A man who gives you, for your birthday, his original copy of "Down..." and the very rare flexi "Move on up"... he deserves to be called a friend, don't you think?

Down in the Tube Station at Midnight - Single

Written By Paul Weller
Released 21/10/1978
B Side - So Sad About Us (with a pic of Keith Moon) / The Night (Bruce Foxton's song)
Album - All Mod Cons
Chart Position - 15


2009/04/09

Connett: Waging War on the obvious. The very excellent Mike Cobley's review.

Sometimes, you're about to write your own review and you read one who buries your project straight away, like this one! But I really want to promote this very good MOD lp. Connett is really more than a bunch of influences! You killed me, Mike!


Connett may have dropped the Darron J. and rightfully regrouped himself under the guise of a full band member of a very talented quartet, but some things remain true ... he's still a driven writer and frontman and clearly won't be swept under the carpet before he's had his rightful brush with success. Take Connett's newly released debut album, "Waging War On The Obvious". Just seven tracks in length, but just the right duration for the band to state its case. Lead track "Son" has already gained many-a-column-inch after gaining patronage from none other than Paul Weller. The main-man took the time and trouble to ring Connett central and deem "Son" a "lovely piece of work". And how right he was too.

It's a blistering opener. Carrying all the front and swagger of band lead by a man who"s been slowly edging upwards since he took his career by the neck and branched out solo in 2001.
By summer 2006 he had such killer tunes as "Soul Clean", "Ego Ascending" and "Early in The Morning" and just needed a suitable stage for them to drift from tape to a collective consciousness. It wasn't for want of trying that things didn't move at the speed they should have. Even The Sun newspaper was onboard when "Problem Page" was penned by Darron J. on behalf of the rag's resident agony aunt.

Now with new guitarists Stu Farnham & Glen Fuller chopping out better lines than a backstage Keith Richards, Darron now has the musicians to compliment his songs. The mini-album"s second track, "Running Miles", skips along with all the youthful vigour of an at their peak Kinks. It"s stepped in the claustrophobic energy of the council estates of Shepherds Bush, from whence Darron emerged. A cousin, no less, to Dove's Black And White Town". That good.

"Lou" is a mod anthem with a Ray Davies storyboard and a melody from the palette of Marriott. Surely made with the airwaves in mind. A nice acoustic foot-tapping Small Faces a-like "Perfect Melody", is a paean to a summer romance. When all looks sweet and winter's blemishes are still a season away. It"s also, possibly, a love letter to the ultimate tune. "Lazy Sunday", maybe! And that"s just the highlights of "Waging War On The Obvious." A real Mod pick-and-mix that will have you feasting on its delights over & over & over again.

Find out for yourself what's so hot about Connett's "Waging War On The Obvious" by checking out their space

Catch Connet in Brighton @ Volks Bar, as part of the NUTS Brighton Weekender, on Saturday 29th August @ 1pm.

2009/04/08

Weller Live on German Radio (Courtesy of Martin Beck. Thanx!)




DeutschlandRadio Kultur will broadcast the iTunes gig tomorrow April 8th from 20.03 til 21.30 Central European Summer Time.

There is a live stream, check the right hand side of the website mentiones above.

Greetings, Martin Beck