The Gift (Super Deluxe Edition)

The Gift (Super Deluxe Edition)

By the time of The Gift, Jam leader Paul Weller was feeling sufficiently hemmed in by the power-trio format. In response, his songwriting either broke past The Jam's usual style into Motown-fueled funk or wandered without aim in passive disdain for his current surroundings. There was a reason Weller moved on quickly to his next band, The Style Council. The Gift remains the most critically dividing album of The Jam's succinct career. In this super-deluxe edition, the record's limitations are superbly muted by an expansive upgrade that includes the 12-inch version of "Precious," the Beat Surrender EP, ample demos and alternate takes, and a live concert from Wembley Stadium on Dec. 3, 1982. Among the extras, a version of Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" flows with passion, while Edwin Starr's "War" is too stiff to be effective. The live show should remind fans why The Jam mattered. The group bashes through The Who's "So Sad About Us" with an ease that's second nature. "All Mod Cons" and "To Be Someone" blister as the perfect one-two punch, while "That's Entertainment," "Mr. Clean," and "But I'm Different Now" never lose their fighting spirit.

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

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