Style Council Cafe Bleu

Style Council's first proper album Cafe Bleu was one of their better efforts, but it indicated the group's fatal flaw – a tendency to be too eclectic and overambitious. Amidst the lazy jazz instrumentals, many of them courtesy of Mick Talbot, Paul Weller inserted several solid soul-tinged pop songs, including "My Ever Changing Moods," "Headstart for Happiness," "You're the Best Thing," and "Here's One That Got Away." However, that doesn't excuse the rap experiment, "A Gospel." The album was later released with a slightly different running order as My Ever Changing Moods in the U.S.; the American edition included the U.K. hit "A Solid Bond in Your Heart".

After leaving one of punk rock's all-time greatest bands, Paul Weller took things in a very different direction with the Style Council, which led to a wave of groans and moans from Jam loyalists who hung on Weller's every lyric. But steer away from the sneers and jeers and there are more than a few selections that Style Council performed that match those of the Jam…

In the wake of the demise of The Jam, Paul Weller joined up with former Merten Parka Mick Talbot for a string of hit albums that delivered some of the most memorable compositions of his career. Picking up where The Jam left off, The Style Council's musical mix blended elements of jazz, soul and R&B. To the punks, it seemed Weller had mellowed, but his lyrics were no less caustic and poetic. This collection of digitally remastered tracks brings 21 of their best together for a masterful compilation…

Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early '80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction. Weller wanted to incorporate more elements of soul, R&B, and jazz into his songwriting, which is something he felt his punk-oriented bandmates were incapable of performing. In order to pursue this musical direction, he teamed up in 1983 with keyboardist Mick Talbot, a former member of the mod revival band the Merton Parkas…

Released in 2013 through Universal U.K., Classic Album Selection is a sharp, no-frills box set that contains the original U.K. versions of the Style Council's Introducing the Style Council (1983), Café Bleu (1984), Our Favourite Shop (1985), The Cost of Loving (1987), Confessions of a Pop Group (1988), and Modernism: A New Decade (recorded in 1989 but not released until 1998).