The Jam – Luegra

It is getting depressing that, every week, it seems that I am writing a personal eulogy for some musical artist that passed away the previous week. This past week was no different, but hurt a bit more because of the band the man was in as well as how long it took for the internet press to announce the death.

Rick Buckler was the fantastic drummer for the British punk-rock band The Jam. He passed away at the age of 69 on February 17. Unfortunately, I did not learn of his passing until a few days ago. This is the sad state of the modern press, especially with the speed that news can travel on the internet. Music news outlets like Rolling Stone are too worried about what today’s stars are wearing now instead of teaching today’s youth about where the music came from.

Buckler was an amazing drummer to say the least. Coming out of the mid-1970s British punk-rock boom, The Jam was not the typical three-piece unit. While most trios were just making basic beats and heavy distorted guitars with Neanderthalic thumping bass lines, The Jam gave groove to its speed. I have already praised the work of bassist Bruce Foxton in a previous blog (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/04/06/underrated-punk-rock-bassist-bruce-foxton/). Buckler made the drum kit an actual third musical instrument, not just the sound of someone banging on garbage cans. His fills were perfect, and he accented guitar and bass lines with perfection. Great examples are the band’s songs “In the City” and “Down In the Tube Station At Midnight.”

As the 1970s moved into the 1980s, The Jam’s sound matured, being influenced less by punk attitude and more into The Beatles and Motown. Buckler’s drumming style moved right along with the stylings, from the simplicity of “That’s Entertainment” to the R&B textures of “Town Called Malice.” One could be floored by Buckler’s continuous drum roll in “Funeral Pyre.”

Sadly, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Paul Weller chose to disband The Jam in late 1982, which shocked Buckler. He didn’t speak to Weller for over 20 years, despite a number of public photo and television exhibitions dedicated to the band that they both made appearances. He performed in a few other bands in the 1980s and 1990s, some being semi-tribute bands to the original The Jam. By the year 2000, he pretty much retired from the music scene to become a carpenter and cabinet maker.

The Jam was one of my first loves of the punk-rock movement. They didn’t dress the part, instead going for the suit-and-tie look onstage that was heavily influenced by the 1960s bands The Who and The Kinks. As a bassist, I was enamored by Foxton’s bass playing, and as a frustrated hack drummer, I was blown away with what Buckler was doing on his kit. While I would have loved to see a Jam reunion, it was not in the cards. For Buckler, I am glad that he was able to leave his love of drumming behind and take on another love of woodworking.

Thank you, Rick Buckler, for giving me some of the best musical memories in my youth.

Chew on it and comment.

I came across this online article last week from Consequence regarding the 100 greatest bass players (https://consequence.net/2024/04/100-greatest-bassists-of-all-time/11/amp/). The survey tried to cross most genres (rock, pop, blues, jazz, R&B), but like any opinion list or survey, I disagree with much of it. I would probably agree with the top three (James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, Jaco Pastorius), but after that, it is totally off as far as I am concerned. Flea above Geddy Lee and John Entwistle? Dee Dee Ramone even on the list? Pleeeze!

This got me thinking about some of the bassists that influenced me in my early years of playing the instrument in my first band doing oldies with my cousin, my first punk bands, and through today recording my own bluegrass, folk, and Americana songs. Over the next few weeks, I want to look at a few bassists from the punk era that were a lot more expertise on the four-string than the usual punk bass players just plunking eighth notes with down strokes and a pick (like Dee Dee).

The first bassist I will cover is Bruce Foxton of The Jam. From 1976 to the band’s break up in 1983, Foxton handled the bass chores with an intensity that was rarely seen in the first wave of punk bands, let alone any rock/pop band in general. Originally a guitarist, he switched over to bass when the band went from a four-piece to a three-piece. Listening to the band’s first single, “In the City,” instead of following the opening guitar chord progression, Foxton does a descending bass line. Rumor has it that the Sex Pistols borrowed the bass line and used it on their single “Anarchy in the UK” and released the song before The Jam could release their single.

Foxton was never content with just playing the root note on a chord progression. Like most three-piece bands (Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who), the bassist provides a melodic line along with a pulse to the song. Foxton was no different. While the debut album In the City has some moving bass lines, it was on the second album This is the Modern World, that he really started to show his prowess. Songs like “The Modern World” and “London Girl” show what talent he had on his Rickenbacker 4003 bass. Be it him or the production, that sound, along with those great bass lines, were distinctive and powerful.

Then comes All Mod Cons. While the entire album is bass-friendly, it is the song “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” that Foxton is at his best. In fact, the bass line IS the song! I remember thinking that I was a god when I finally got that bass line down pat. He does EVERYTHING on that bass! This is literally one of the best bass recordings ever in rock history!

The following album, Setting Sons, continues with some great bass lines, especially “Smithers-Jones” in which the bass basically carries the entire song, and “Eton Rifles,” with Foxton again working with the vocals instead of the guitar. But it is with Sound Affects in which Foxton, and the whole band for that matter, put aside their Who/Small Faces/Mod influences to use The Beatles as a primary influence. This is blatantly obvious with “Start!”, which definitely rips off the bass line form The Beatles’ “Taxman,” but moves it even further. Another great bass groove comes with “Man in the Corner Shop.” Finally, there is “That’s Entertainment,” which Foxton makes the song move like a bus traveling down a deserted city street at midnight.

The band’s final studio album, The Gift, has Foxton heavily influenced by Motown. One listen to “Town Called Malice” will convince you. Other bass line treasures on the album include “Ghosts” and “Precious.” This was followed by two single releases, Beat Surrender” and “The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow),” both of which show Foxton doing his best Motown/Stax bass work.

After The Jam’s breakup in 1983, Foxton would join Stiff Little Fingers from 1991-2006, as well as play in some other short-lived bands. However, it is his work with The Jam that he is best known. The bass lines were amazing to say the least, and live, he was as animated as a marionette with tangled stings. The Jam were one of the most influential punk rock bands of the late 1970s/early 1980s, but were just a footnote in the US. That is a shame. Yes, while the band’s lyrics were British-centric, the band’s overall musical sound was addictive to say the least. They had a raw energy, pushing the sound of the 1960s to a new height. At the very least, seek out a The Jam compilation, or if you can, any othe original albums. Foxton was a maestro on the bass.

Chew on it and comment.