Fans of beloved British rockers The Jam are mourning the death of drummer Rick Buckler. Buckler passed away Monday, February 17, at age 69 after a short illness. The drummer laid down steady, sturdy, and sometimes kinetic backbeat on all of The Jam’s six studio albums, as well as their various EPs and singles.
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The Jam also featured singer/guitarist and main songwriter Paul Weller and bassist/singer Bruce Foxton. The trio emerged from the U.K. punk scene during the mid-to-late 1970s. While initially considered a punk act themselves, The Jam’s main influences included U.K. mod bands of the 1960s, especially The Who; other British groups like The Beatles and The Kinks; power pop; and Motown.
[RELATED: The Jam Drummer Rick Buckler Dead at 69, Two Weeks After Canceling Spoken-Word Tour]
Releasing their debut album, In the City, in 1977, The Jam quickly became one of the U.K.’s most popular bands. During their relatively brief career, the group scored 17 consecutive Top-40 hits. Four of those songs topped the U.K. singles chart—“Going Underground,” “Start!,” “A Town Called Malice,” and “Beat Surrender.”
The Jam broke up in 1982. At the time, Weller’s passion for R&B and soul influences inspired him to start the new group The Style Council.
The Jam’s catalog features many great songs beyond the tunes the enjoyed U.K. chart success. In commemoration of Buckler’s passing, here are four fabulous deep cuts by The Jam that I recommend you check out:
“Life from a Window” (1977)
“Life from a Window” appeared on The Jam’s second album, This Is the Modern World, released in November 1977. The song finds the group fully embracing its early-Who influences, with dynamic power chords that build and explode, lockstep with the drums.
Lyrically, the track features a 19-year-old Weller singing from the perspective of a disillusioned teen. The song’s protagonist observes the world from a distance, and reflects on how some people can let you down.
“The Butterfly Collector” (1979)
“The Butterfly Collector” originally was released as the B-side of The Jam’s hit 1979 single “Strange Town.” It later was included on a second pressing of the U.S. version of the group’s third studio album, All Mod Cons, and the Canadian version of the band’s fourth album, Setting Sons.
“The Butterfly Collector” is a melodic, mid-tempo rock tune. The song features caustic lyrics apparently directed at groupies who use men who play on bands.
“But I’m Different Now” (1980)
“But I’m Different Now” is one of the many excellent songs featured on The Jam’s fifth studio album, Sound Affects, which was released in 1980. Running under 2 minutes, the upbeat tune is a power-pop gem featuring adrenalized verses, and a rhythmic break section with a Latin flavor.
The song’s lyrics are sung from the perspective of a guy who, after previously being unfaithful to his girlfriend, now is professing his undying devotion to her.
“Running on the Spot” (1982)
“Running on the Spot” appears on The Jam’s sixth and final studio album, The Gift, released in 1982. The album was the band’s only full-length record to reach No. 1 on the U.K. chart.
“Running on the Spot” is a melodic, hard-driving rock tune with a biting message about society at the time. Weller’s lyrics are directed at young people who are angry about their lives, yet don’t work toward making positive changes in the world.
Musically, the track is highlighted by Buckler’s charging drum rolls and an infectious, repeated, lyric-free chorus section that goes “ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba.” Listen and you might find it hard not to sing along.
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