To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Jam’s final studio album and to mark the 30th anniversary of the bands startling split Universal release a super-deluxe box set of “The Gift” On November 19th 2012
“I was very proud of it – I thought it was another advance on what we’d done before”. Paul Weller – 2012
Surprisingly this was the band’s only No 1 album and marked the departure from the classic Jam sound to a more soul-influenced style, ushering in Weller’s ideas for the Style Council. “The Gift” includes the classic No 1 ‘Town Called Malice’ plus other highlights ‘Running On The Spot’ and ‘Carnation’ all still featured in Weller’s live sets today.
The Gift, released in March 1982 was The Jam’s final studio album, which Weller strove to bring as close to perfection as was humanly possible. Plenty of its songs number among The Jam’s best. It is also a fascinating glimpse of its time: of musical currents that were swirling around London and beyond. The Gift’s energy was not just focused on the state of society: it had a lot to say about where music was going, what had happened to the righteous fires lit by punk, and how to remain relevant and vital when music was taking some very rum turns indeed. The challenge it answered was simple enough: if blaring guitars and rock poses had run out of road, what could embody the kind of passion that The Jam were all about? The answer lay in the black music that had bled into their collective identity from the start, and a push to make it less of an influence, than a key part of who they were.
Looking back, some of The Jam’s associates have speculated about what lay behind his frantic drive to put everything he could into The Gift: increasingly of the belief that the group should break up, Weller was simply trying ensure that their last album should be their best.
The box set will be available from:
Amazon
2CD – http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/120912152431
SDE – http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/120912152459
Box set store http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/120912164514
Full details of the tracklisting, artwork and added extras and bonuses of the 4-disc box set listed below which includes a “Live At Wembley 1982” CD and a compilation DVD of videos, TOTP appearances and other Jam nuggets
The Jam – The Gift: 30th anniversary (‘The Gift and beyond…’)
• A ‘Super-Deluxe’ box set edition of The Gift album + last few singles (Great Depression, The Bitterest Pill, Beat Surrender)
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‘Gift-box’ ‘super-deluxe’ edition contents:
Cat Number: 3711933
• Four discs, in individual wallets
1. Disc 1 – original album re-mastered
+ 10 singles/b-sides from the period, up to the split.
2. Disc 2 – bonus tracks
15 demos & alternate tracks, 13 previously unreleased, re-mastered
3. Disc 3 – Live at Wembley December 1982
23 tracks, complete concert from the last ever Jam tour (previously unreleased), re-mastered
4. Disc 4 – DVD compilation
o Promo clips (Town Called Malice / Precious / The Bitterest Pill)
o Trans-Global Unity Express tour – live tracks from Birmingham show:
1. Town Called Malice
2. Carnation
3. Precious
4. Ghosts
5. Move On Up
6. Private Hell
7. Pretty Green
8. “Trans-Global Express”
9. The Gift
o
o Danish TV special (DR) The band play the Gift album live in small studio with audience (previously unseen officially)
o Top Of The Pops – 1982 – Town Called Malice / Precious
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• Outer box in original striped bag style cover – ‘The Jam – A Gift’!
• Hardback 72-page, full-colour book – including period and fan’s memorabilia, magazine cuttings (NME etc.), reviews, photos, new interviews (with Paul Weller and producer Peter Wilson)
• Foreword by Paul Weller and new essay by John Harris
• Set of postcard prints
• Replica 1982 tour programme
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Also available as…
• 2-disc deluxe digi-pak format
• Deluxe digital version
Limited Edition 10” Vinyl of Danish TV Concert recorded 23/4/82
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Super-deluxe box tracklisting:
Disc One – Original album / Singles & B-Sides
1. Happy Together
2. Ghosts
3. Precious
4. Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero
5. “Trans-Global Express”
6. Running On The Spot
7. Circus
8. The Planner’s Dream Goes Wrong
9. Carnation
10. Town Called Malice
11. The Gift
12. Precious (12”)
13. The Great Depression
14. The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow)
15. Pity Poor Alfie / Fever
16. Pity Poor Alfie (swing version)
17. Beat Surrender
18. Shopping
19. Move On Up
20. Stoned Out Of My Mind
21. War
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Disc Two – Demos & alternate tracks
1. Skirt (demo) #
2. Get Yourself Together (demo) Originally released on ‘Extras’
3. Ghosts (instrumental demo) #
4. Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero (demo) #
5. Running On The Spot (demo) #
6. The Planner’s Dream Goes Wrong (demo) #
7. Carnation (instrumental demo) #
8. Precious (demo) Originally released on ‘Direction, Reaction, Creation’
9. The Bitterest Pill (demo) #
10. Alfie (demo ‘2’) #
11. We’ve Only Started (‘old version’) #
12. Only Started (instrumental demo) #
13. Shopping (AKA ‘Paul’s demo’) #
14. Beat Surrender (demo) #
15. Solid Bond In Your Heart (demo) #
# Previously unreleased
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Disc Three – Live at Wembley (Dec. 3rd 1982)
1. Start!
2. It’s Too Bad
3. Beat Surrender
4. Away From The Numbers
5. Ghosts
6. In The Crowd
7. Boy About Town
8. So Sad About Us
9. All Mod Cons
10. To Be Someone
11. Smithers-Jones
12. That’s Entertainment
13. The Great Depression
14. Precious
15. Move On Up
16. Circus
17. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
18. David Watts
19. Mr Clean
20. Town Called Malice
21. But I’m Different Now
22. “Trans-Global Express”
23. In The City
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Disc 4 – DVD
Part 1 – Trans-Global Unity Express
Live video from Birmingham March 1982
Part 2 – The promo videos
1. Town Called Malice
2. Precious
3. The Bitterest Pill
Part 3 – Danish TV special
The Jam play songs from the Gift album. Recorded live in Studio 3,
TV-Byen, Copenhagen April 19 1982, broadcast April 23 1982.
1. Running On The Spot
2. Circus
3. Happy Together
4. Ghosts
5. In The Crowd
6. Town Called Malice
7. Pity Poor Alfie / Fever
8. Precious
9. Just Who Is The 5 O’clock Hero
10. The Gift
11. Move On Up
12. Trans-Global Express
Part 4 – Top Of The Pops
Recorded February 18 1982
1. Precious
2. Town Called Malice
