The Jam --
Snap! (full double disc
album)
Released October, 1983, reissued
2006 --
Polygram Records
"Released
...just after
Paul Weller disbanded the band at the peak of their popularity, Snap! was the first greatest-hits album from the
Jam. At the original 29-track length and sequencing, Snap! is nothing short of a masterpiece, a record that briskly and bracingly tells the story of one of the great rock bands. This isn't just an introduction, it's a narrative, tracing the rapid rise of the Jam from nervy, confrontational teenage punks to sharp modern pop purveyors to stylish soul-inflected rockers. Since this is a compilation, their growth is more dramatic and evident than on their individual albums, and since a lot of this growth happened on
singles that didn't reach the LPs -- particularly the brilliant middle years, when Weller was spitting out classic singles like "
Strange Town," "
When You're Young," "
Going Underground" and "
Dreams of Children," while leaving such remarkable numbers as "
The Butterfly Collector" and "
Tales from the Riverbank" as
B-sides -- this is necessary to get a complete picture of the band; after all, even the farewell singles "
The Bitterest Pill (I
Ever Had to
Swallow)" and "
Beat Surrender" were not on the swan song
The Gift, although their presence would have improved it considerably. So, as a way to get these, some of the band's very best songs, Snap! is essential. Arguably, it's even more essential for how it captures the essence of the Jam so completely...and what is here tells the full story of the band at a breathless pace. For neophytes, it's a flawless introduction, but it's something more than a mere primer: it is a thrilling, addictive listen, so good that it stands as the definitive Jam album and one of the greatest greatest-hits albums of all time." -
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All
Music
Disc 1
1. "In the City"
2. "
Away from the
Numbers" 2:19
3. "
All Around the World" 6:23
4. "
The Modern World" (
Single Version) 8:48
5. "
News of the World" 11:21
6. "
Billy Hunt" 14:49
7. "
English Rose" 17:55
8. "
Mr. Clean" 20:42
9. "
David Watts" (Single Mix) 24:12
10. "'A'
Bomb in
Wardour Street" (Single Version) 27:07
11. "
Down in the
Tube Station at
Midnight" (
Single Edit) 29:43
12. "Strange Town" 33:45
13. "The Butterfly Collector" 37:35
14. "When You're Young" 40:46
15. "Smithers-Jones" (Single Version) 44:00
16. "
Thick as Thieves" 47:00
Disc 2
17. "
The Eton Rifles" (Single Edit) 50:42
18. "Going Underground" 54:11
19. "Dreams of Children" (US
Edit) 57:07
20. "
That's Entertainment" (
Demo Version) 1:00:07
21. "
Start!" (Single
Version) 1:03:23
22. "Man in the
Cornershop" 1:05:54
23. "
Funeral Pyre" (
Remixed Version) 1:09:05
24. "
Absolute Beginners" 1:12:36
25. "Tales from the Riverbank" 1:15:29
26. "
Town Called Malice" 1:19:02
27. "
Precious" (Single Edit) 1:21:57
28. "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)" 1:25:31
29. "Beat Surrender" 1:29:07
The Jam: Paul Weller (vocals, guitars),
Bruce Foxton (bass, vocals),
Rick Buckler (drums)
All songs written by Paul Weller, except "News of the World" and "Smithers-Jones" by Bruce Foxton, "David Watts" by
Ray Davies, and "Funeral Pyre" by Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton & Rick Buckler.
Producers -
Vic Smith,
Chris Parry,
Vic Coppersmith-Heaven,
Peter Wilson, the Jam
All lyrics and music are the intellectual property of those listed. If you enjoy the music, please honor the rights of the owners to receive compensation for their gifts and effort - purchase their work.
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- published: 22 Apr 2014
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