Setting Sons

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Setting Sons is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Jam, released on 16 November 1979 by Polydor Records. It reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart upon the first week of release,[1] continuing the commercial (and critical) favour that had begun with their previous album All Mod Cons (1978).[2]

The sole single from Setting Sons, "The Eton Rifles", became the group's first top 10 UK hit, peaking at No. 3.[2]

Recording and content

In contrast to its pop-oriented predecessor, Setting Sons features a much harder, tougher production, albeit with the emphasis on melody common throughout the Jam's discography. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller originally conceived Setting Sons as a concept album detailing the lives of three boyhood friends who later reunite as adults after an unspecified war, only to discover they have grown both up and apart.[3] This concept was never fully developed and it remains unclear which tracks were originally intended as part of the story, although it is commonly agreed that "Thick as Thieves", "Little Boy Soldiers", "Wasteland" and "Burning Sky" are likely constituents; extant Jam bootlegs feature a version of "Little Boy Soldiers" split into three separate recordings, possible evidence that the song was intended to serve as a recurring motif, with separate sections appearing between other songs on the album. Weller's lyrics on the album were increasingly written from a socialist perspective, influenced by his reading of works such as George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Robert Tressell's The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists.[4]

The album was musically ambitious as well. "Little Boy Soldiers" consists of several movements, reminiscent of compositions by The Kinks. "Wasteland" unconventionally features a recorder. Even more striking is Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones". The song was originally released as the B-side of the non-LP single "When You're Young" three months before the album's release; on Setting Sons it is re-recorded in an all-strings arrangement (provided by former Procol Harum and Whitesnake organist Peter Solley and credited to The Jam Philharmonic Orchestra, but played by session musicians), save a little electric guitar in the coda.[5] According to the liner notes of the Direction Reaction Creation box set, the revamping of "Smithers-Jones" was suggested by drummer Rick Buckler.[5]

The liner notes also imply that the album was a somewhat rushed effort, which may explain why the original underlying concept was not fully developed, as well as the inclusion of one cover song and two prior releases: "Smithers-Jones" had already been released; "Heat Wave" is a cover of the Martha and the Vandellas' Motown hit. Since "The Eton Rifles" was released in advance of the LP for promotional purposes,[2] this leaves only seven entirely new original songs on the album.[6] Producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven has noted that Polydor wanted the album to be in the shops for the band's next scheduled tour, resulting in him feeling "enormously pressurised".[7]

International releases

The Polydor Canada LP release of Setting Sons is substantially different from the original UK version, and contains 12 tracks.

The Polydor US LP release in 1979 reversed the sides and inserted the single "Strange Town" as the second song on side two, between "Girl on the Phone" and "Thick As Thieves".

Album cover

The album cover art features a photograph of Benjamin Clemens' bronze sculpture The St John's Ambulance Bearers. Cast in 1919, it depicts a wounded soldier being carried by two ambulance workers. The sculpture is currently in the possession of the Imperial War Museum in London.[8]

Reception

Template:Album ratings Setting Sons remains one of the Jam's most critically favoured works, alongside All Mod Cons and Sound Affects. The Manchester Evening News praised the "excellent songwriting [and] imaginative and creative production".[9] The Globe and Mail noted that "Setting Sons isn't commercial new wave, a la Joe Jackson or Elvis Costello, but it is relentless and honest".[10]

AllMusic critic Chris Woodstra found that "Setting Sons often reaches brilliance and stands among The Jam's best albums" and, apart from "a number of throwaways and knockoffs (especially the out-of-place cover of 'Heat Wave' which closes the album)", is "an otherwise perfect album."[11] Setting Sons was ranked the fourth best album of 1979 by NME, with "The Eton Rifles" and "Strange Town" ranked at numbers one and five among the year's top tracks.[12]

Track listings

Original UK edition

All songs by Paul Weller except as noted.

Side one
  1. "Girl on the Phone" – 2:55
  2. "Thick as Thieves" – 3:38
  3. "Private Hell" – 3:49
  4. "Little Boy Soldiers" – 3:32
  5. "Wasteland" – 2:50
Side two
  1. "Burning Sky" – 3:30
  2. "Smithers-Jones" (Bruce Foxton) – 2:59
  3. "Saturday's Kids" – 2:51
  4. "The Eton Rifles" – 3:57
  5. "Heat Wave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) – 2:24

Polydor Canada edition

Side one
  1. "Strange Town"
  2. "Saturday's Kids"
  3. "Little Boy Soldiers"
  4. "The Eton Rifles"
  5. "Girl on the Phone"
  6. "Heat Wave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
Side two
  1. "Smithers-Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
  2. "Private Hell"
  3. "The Butterfly Collector"
  4. "Burning Sky"
  5. "Thick as Thieves"
  6. "Wasteland"

Polydor US edition

Side one
  1. "Burning Sky"
  2. "Smithers Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
  3. "Saturday's Kids"
  4. "The Eton Rifles"
  5. "(Love Is Like a) Heatwave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
Side two
  1. "Girl on the Phone"
  2. "Strange Town"
  3. "Thick as Thieves"
  4. "Private Hell"
  5. "Little Boy Soldiers"
  6. "Wasteland"

2001 CD edition

  1. "Girl on the Phone"
  2. "Thick as Thieves"
  3. "Private Hell"
  4. "Little Boy Soldiers"
  5. "Wasteland"
  6. "Burning Sky"
  7. "Smithers-Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
  8. "Saturday's Kids"
  9. "The Eton Rifles"
  10. "Heat Wave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
  11. "Strange Town"
  12. "When You're Young"
  13. "Smithers-Jones (single version)" (Bruce Foxton)
  14. "See-Saw"
  15. "Going Underground"
  16. "The Dreams of Children"
  17. "So Sad About Us" (Pete Townshend)
  18. "Hey Mister"
  19. "Start"

Personnel

The Jam
Additional musicians
  • "Merton" Mick – piano
  • Rudi – saxophone
  • The Jam Philharmonic Orchestra – cello, timpani, recorder
  • Pete Solley – score for strings
  • Uncredited fans of the band – crowd vocals on "The Eton Rifles"[14]
Technical
  • Vic Coppersmith-Heaven – production
  • Alan Douglas – engineering
  • George Chambers – assistant engineering
  • Bill Smith – art direction, design
  • Andrew Douglas – front cover photography

Chart performance

Setting Sons spent 19 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, rising to No. 4.[15] In the United States, the album spent eight weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and reached its peak position of No. 137 in March 1980.[16]

The 2014 re-release also charted in the UK, reaching No. 97 in November of that year.[15]

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Chart (1979–80) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[17] 70

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 100,000 

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference UKchart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 277. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference RSGuide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bonner, Michael (25 May 2016). "The Making Of "The Eton Rifles" by The Jam". uncut.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam p. 130
  6. ^ The Jam & Paul Weller: Shout to the Top Template:ISBN pp. 49-51
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Classic Tracks: The Jam 'The Eton Rifles'". Sound on Sound. March 2007.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martin, Gavin (13 January 2009). "Bring the Jam's Setting Sons sculpture back on display". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jasper, Tony (4 January 1980). "A Jam session". Manchester Evening News. p. 16.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Niester, Alan (19 January 1980). "Setting Sons The Jam". The Globe and Mail. p. F4.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."1979 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bonner, Michael (25 May 2016). "The Making Of "The Eton Rifles" by The Jam". uncut.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Buskin, Richard (March 2007). "Classic Tracks: The Jam 'The Eton Rifles'". soundonsound.com. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  15. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Jam". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference USchart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 153. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ^ Script error: No such module "cite". Select albums in the Formats field. Type Setting Sons The Jam in the "Search:" field.

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