I was just mapping out the rest of his career.  But I
would wholly agree with you -- I think Style Council
began its artistic descent -- after what was called
Internationalists here, the decline phase ramped up.

Mike Bennett
--- Stewart Mason <craigtorso@verizon.net> wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael Bennett" <mrhonorama@ameritech.net>
> > And then he could have kept going --
> >
> > That he was going to mate R & B and soft pop
> styles
> > with unwieldly lyrics that were wholly
> incompatible
> > with the form, sing soul music that highlighted
> the
> > inadequacy of his voice, and then embark on a solo
> > career that sounded like warmed over Traffic
> featuring
> > lengthy guitar solos bereft of creativity.
> 
> Well, yeah, but that came later.  Up through "Have
> You Ever Had It 
> Blue," I would put the Style Council track for track
> up against the 
> Jam.  I don't buy the argument that there was a
> strong drop-off in 
> quality, at least through the 1983-86 era.  (Though
> admittedly, the 
> bizarre reconfiguring of the records between the US
> and the UK, where 
> each of the first three albums had not only a
> different name, but 
> entirely different tracklistings, did make it
> awfully confusing for me 
> at the time.)
> 
> And when you think about it, from ALL MOD CONS to
> "Have You Ever Had 
> It Blue" was a remarkably strong eight-year stretch.
>  Admittedly, I 
> haven't given a damn about anything Paul Weller has
> done since then 
> (Dude, an acid house album?  What the hell were you
> on?), and there's 
> no question that he's always come across as a
> supreme dick in 
> interviews, but that's still an impressive feat.
> 
> S
> 
> 

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