{ Lick That Riff! }

Alright Guys! And Girls Just starting a new post series called…. HERO WORSHIP!!!! So we can celebrate our guitar heroes in one place. Now I’m not going to pass this off as my own content as it’s not. It’s all going to be taken from Total Guitar with a little bit of commentary from me afterwards.

So this weeks Hero worship starts off with a little known British guitarist called the Modfather! Paul Weller!!!!!

What Total Guitar Said:

You Know Him By His: Soulful voice, incendiary guitar style and love of fine tailoring

Greatest Moment: His Rickenbacker 330 guitar and AC30 amp at melting point on ‘Thick As Thieves’ from The Jam’s ‘Setting Sons’ Album.

Paul Weller is simply the finest songwriter this country has ever produced. His skill of turning social commentary into hit records with his band The Jam made him the natural successor to the previous keeper of the flame, the Kinks’ Ray Davies. Listening to Jam songs like ‘Town Called Malice’ and ‘Funeral Pyre’ is proof that a three-minute pop song can actually say something of significance.

The now classic image of Weller beating the life out of his Rickenbacker guitar, dressed in a black suit and bowling shoes is still one of the most potent in British rock history. Weller idolised Pete Townshend and used the powerchords, feedback and sound effects of his hero to put his guitar through hell. The Jam also had one of the finest rhythm sections in bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Butler. Together it all made for an incredible live performance.

Weller sensationally broke up the Jam at the height of their popularity in 1982 to pursue a different musical direction with pop soul outfit ‘The Style Council’, where his guitar took a backseat. But when he reinvented himself as a solo artist in the early 90′s he went on to produce the amazing ‘Wild Wood’ album – a showcase for his excellent guitar playing.

But the Jam will always be Weller’s finest hour, and if you want to know why playing guitar in a band is still the coolest thing in the world – Just look at this picture.

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What a Legend! Now I don’t agree with some of the things said in this article but then that’s what music is about. I don’t believe he was the best British songwriter ever, but he was bloody good!

His Jam days were his best and he has never recaptured that great songmanship of those days. But hey, who knows, there have been loads of bands getting back together recently and The Jam could very well be the next to jump on the band wagon. Lets hope so!