SINGLE FILE
The 10 tasty 45s currently stacked in Paul Weller’s inner jukebox. Notes by Ted Kessler.
JON LUCIEN Search For The Inner Self (Ampex, 1971)
A permanent entry in Weller’s Top 10, his signed original 7-inch of this rare, deep soul groove is among his proudest possessions. No offers, though: Weller won’t sell.
SAM FENDER Leave Fast
(Polydor, 2018)
Spiritual relative of The Jam’s That’s Entertainment describes a young man’s fear of being stuck in a small town amid “broken fridges and torn-up sofas” beyond his leave-by date.
CHILDISH GAMBINO This Is America (RCA, 2018)
Actor Donald Glover’s powerful rap-gospel statement about American gun violence and institutional racism provides philosophical inspiration for Weller’s That Pleasure on Fat Pop (Volume 1).
THE CORAL Dreaming Of You
(Deltasonic, 2002)
One of James Skelly’s earliest compositions for the Wirral-ites details teenage longing as a glorious sing-along soul-shanty. Showcase for the nascent skills of guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones.
ESTHER PHILLIPS Home Is Where The Hatred Is (Kudu, 1972)
Phillips’ tender cover of Gil Scott-Heron’s original from the same year squeezes even more confessional soul from a tale of a junkie’s quest for peace: both had skin in that game.
THE FATBACK BAND (Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop (Polydor, 1975)
Released in the teeth of the New York disco storm, the deep funk call-and-response of Bus Stop was a massive hit on dancefloors, but failed to gain the chart traction it was ultimately designed for.
KATHRYN WILLIAMS Heart Shaped Stone (One Little Indian, 2013)
A lush, stringdrenched tale about searching for love and the subsequent ebb-and-flow of a relationship from the honey-voiced English singer-songwriter, a big Weller favourite.
THE HEADHUNTERS God Made Me Funky (Arista, 1975)
The jazz-funk sextet’s Survival Of
The Fittest LP was the first without Herbie Hancock on keyboards, but it did produce this magnificent nineminute funkathon with The Pointer Sisters boosting the choir.
LEE MORGAN Search For The New Land (Blue Note, 1966)
Hard bop thrills from trumpeter Morgan plus Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and more on this pairing of The Joker and Mr Kenyatta (drawn from the contemporaneous
Search… album) on an unusual 331/3 rpm 7-inch.
THE STROPPIES Cellophane Car (Tough Love, 2019)
An infectious reading of the one-fingered keyboard text (à la The Velvet Underground) by these key players on Melbourne’s alternative scene. Hear it on our Weller-curated CD!