Weller's already written half of the album to follow A Kind Revolution, which at this point he's imagining will be acoustic-based with some orchestration. "I wanna try and get it out for my 60th (in May 2018)," he says, with a characteristic sense of urgency. "I can't fuck about, man. I gotta get on with it. There's so much to do."

I’m hoping to work with Richard Hawley for the next record, I’m doing for next year, so I’m hoping to write this song with Richard. I’ve also asked Lucy Rose as well to do something with us, and Conor O’Brien from Villagers, so we’ll see.

We can now confirm that the Deluxe CD (and streaming formats) of Paul’s new album ‘True Meanings’ will contain 5 bonus tracks – including remixes from Richard Hawley, RaVen and The Reflex and instrumentals of Glide and Old Castles.

Paul Weller and the True Meanings of life

“HOW many does it hold?”

Paul Weller is trying to get a picture of Dingle’s St James’s Church in his mind.

Next month he will perform new album True Meanings with an orchestra at the Festival Hall at the Southbank.

There are no plans yet for an Irish date, but the ethereal home of Other Voices would seem a perfect fit, even if it only has room for…

“Thirty?” he says, laughing. “Why don’t we come around your house and play it instead? Get the fucking kettle on.”

It’s early September and down in the tube station at midday, London is on the move.

Above ground, in a secluded Soho courtyard, Weller is drinking coffee and discussing his 14th solo long player — a beautiful collection of 14 acoustic tracks.

Perhaps Conor O’Brien can convince him about the charms of the Dingle venue — which actually holds closer to 80 — in the future.

O’Brien co-wrote album opener The Soul Searchers and Weller admitted the quiet genius behind Villagers has been a big influence on him lately.

“Fucking hell, his new album is amazing,” he says. “He’s such a talented geezer. I love him.

“I’ve been a big fan of his since the first time that I seen him on Later (with Jools Holland) with his first record.

“He did a support with us a couple of years ago in America, so I got to know him a bit more through that.

“I just sent him some ideas, over the phone. He sent them back — to-and-fro until something happened.

“Which works better I think. I’ve tried to write with other people all sitting in a little studio or room and it’s really fucking… everyone’s too self conscious for that.

“It was great. And we didn’t even have to meet.”

Initially intended for release on his 60th birthday, Weller is at his most reflective on the new album, which also features collaborations with Scottish musician Erland Cooper.

There are stirring strings and gentle picking throughout, although Weller is keen to emphasise he is not following his old punk pal Shane MacGowan fully down the folk road.

“Shane, bless him. I’ve known Shane forever. Since about ’77. I first met him, during the punk days,” he says.

“He used to have a fanzine called Bondage and he wrote one of the first little bits about us as The Jam.”

MacGowan’s first forays on stage were with punk band The Nipple Erectors — later shortened to The Nips.

Weller produced one of their singles Happy Song and he remembers some wild nights on tour with MacGowan.

“I vaguely remember us doing the session. We did it up at the old Polydor place which used to be in Stratford Place. Tiny little studio up there,” he says.

“I didn’t even know it came out. I thought it was just like a bootleg thing.

“I remember they did one gig with us at the old Camden Palace and Shane was dressed as a Roman centurion.

“That was his latest guise.

“I don’t know if the whole band were dressed the same, but he was in the fucking toga and all that gear and just pelting bottles of drink and all the rest of it.

“He’s someone who did not give a fuck, definitely.

“I see him every now and again, every 10 years, but I can never understand what he’s saying.

“Has he had his teeth done yet? Yeah, well maybe I could understand him now!”

Paul Weller performs at Day Two of Victorious Festival, Southsea Seafront, Southsea, Hants on August 25th 2018

The new album was recorded in just three weeks at Weller’s own Black Barn Studio and also features contributions from Rod Argent of The Zombies and English folk veterans Martin Carthy and Danny Thompson.

There’s even a cameo from Noel Gallagher.

“He’s on it, but he’s playing keyboards,” says Weller.

“When I asked him to come down, he said: ‘You do realise that I can’t play keyboards?’ and I said, ‘You’re just the person we’re looking for. And he was.”

Cooper provides lyrics to Bowie, Wishing Well and the closing White Horses.

There are themes of mortality and loss across the album, moving from dark and introspective to upbeat and optimistic.

Weller’s recording of Black Is The Colour for the album ‘Studio 150’ would not be out of place here and he recalls the chaos connected with him covering the song made famous by Christy Moore.

“The first time I heard that song was in Scotland on tour and there was a wedding party who came back to the hotel bar afterwards. I was rotten as it was,” he says, lighting a cigarette.

“This wedding party were a mixture of Scottish and Irish and everyone was just singing around the piano.

“They all started singing that song Black Is The Colour.

“I really loved the tune, but I didn’t know who recorded it. Then a friend of mine from The Thrills said: ‘You should hear Christy’s version.’

“See how it works, man? From me being pissed up in a bar, hearing this beautiful song, to getting onto Christy Moore.

“At the same wedding do, they asked me to play ‘Broken Stones’ on the piano, but I couldn’t do because I was too drunk!”

The last decade have been some of the most productive in Weller’s illustrious career with the widely acclaimed 22 Dreams, followed swiftly by Wake Up The Nation, Sonik Kicks, Saturns Pattern and last year’s A Kind Revolution — along with songs for the film Jawbone.

This rich period has coincided with him quitting the booze and becoming a father for the eighth time after the arrival of Nova last year.

He admits to feeling more content, but the restless soul remains and he’s already looking to the next project.

That’s if he can find a quiet corner to write.

“I have to wait until everyone has gone to bed,” he says.

“Damon (Albarn) goes into the studio every day from nine to five, I couldn’t do that.

“It wouldn’t work for me. I tend to get an idea and record it on my phone and then I just keep chipping away.

“At the time I was doing ‘Aspects’ I thought this is the best song I’ve ever written and perhaps I could just stop now.

“But now I’m not sure. Maybe I could do better? It’s always like that, I guess.

“On the demo — I was there with my three sons — I was just trying to find a little quiet fucking spot, because I’ve got to get this down.

“So I finally went in to the toilet and shut the fucking door to get a bit of piece and quiet.

“I’m playing it and singing the song and then I can hear the bathroom door open and: ‘Dad, dad!’ That’s the way it is.”

Not that he would change any of it.

He’s hands on when it comes to nappies and mopping up broken biscuits.

The master of mod has even got a favourite Cbeebies show.

“Covered in worse than biscuits, let me tell you,” he says, laughing.

“All of that, man. Night Garden, the whole fucking trip. I’ve been watching In The Night Garden for a good 20 years or so, regularly with different generations.”

Brexit, Donald Trump and the rise of right-wing ideology have brought about a period of upheaval not seen since for decades.

Weller has distanced himself from politics since the Red Wedge movement in the 1980s and has given little thought to Trump.

“It’s just American showbiz man. Geezer with a big ego and lots of money,” he says.

He admits the ever-changing political mood is a concern, but remains positive about the future.

“You have to be optimistic and hope that the new generations will change it,” he says.

“I don’t buy into the thing that we’re a divided nation over here. I’m not having that. I think that’s all propaganda, because I can show you lots of instances where people are very much united.

“It’s difficult because we’re living in London, we’re so mixed here, far more integrated than the rest of the country, so you can live in a bit of a bubble.

“But maybe our bubble is right and that could be an example.”

The 60-year-old has never been afraid of career about-turns, but this is not the start of his Johnny Cash-stripped back phase.

Or a Val Doonican period, as jokingly suggested by Mojo magazine — although he is wearing a cardigan today.

The trademark barnet may be silver, but the soulful voice is better than ever and he’s intent on making the most of it.

“(The voice) has got better man. I don’t know how long that will last,” he says.

“I don’t know why and I don’t even want to question it really. I’m just glad that it happened

“I think I’ve still got my same range, but it’s stronger. Tone is better on it. Like them old violins, know what I mean?”

Like a Stradivarius with the volcanic ash and all that?

“Not as good as that. But that sort of thing. Volcanic hash maybe!” he says.

Paul Weller Shares 'White Horses,' Explains Doing an Acoustic Record at 60



Turning 60 made Paul Weller "reflective" and quieter -- at least for the moment, as evidenced by True Meanings, the latest album from the former Jam and Style Council frontman.

The set, whose "White Horses" premieres exclusively above, is Weller's first acoustic-based album, sporting string arrangements and a gentle, moody, pastoral flavor he's never explored before. "It was just something different for me, very different from what I've done before," Weller tells Billboard. "I thought it was a good age to do it; If I'm ever going to do an acoustic record, as such, I thought 60 was a good time for it. It seems the sort of thing a 60-year-old would do -- get it out of my system, I suppose. There's also a little part of me that just wanted to write some 'normal' sort of songs, I suppose."

Ironically, acoustic guitar has long been part of Weller's writing process even if the eventual songs wound up making considerably more noise. "All my songs, or most of them, were written on acoustic guitar," Weller says. "I used to live in flats, and you can't make too much noise so you did whatever worked. Way back in the Jam days I'd write at home on acoustic because it's quieter and I try not to wake everyone up. I prefer electric guitar, but that was the way I wrote since way back at the beginning."

Weller, who co-produced True Meanings mostly with Conor O'Brien, had actually been stockpiling songs for an acoustic album. The track "Gravity," for instance, dates back about five years ago. "It wouldn't have fit on any of the albums I've worked on subsequently, and there were other songs that were the same way," he explains. "Gradually there were more and more of them, so I just built up these ideas along the way. It's kind of been thought about off and on since that time, and this is the result of all that."

In addition to the strings, True Meanings features guest appearances by Rod Argent, Noel Gallagher, Little Barrie, Lucy Rose and British folk icons Danny Thompson and Martin Carthy. More surprising is that four of the 14 tracks feature lyrics by others -- including "White Horses," one of three by Erland & the Carnival's Erland Cooper. "I just wanted to get some different perspectives, really. I’ve been too uptight and selfish, or possessive in the past. But that's a long time ago, and I don't feel like that now. There was enough I wanted to say lyrically, but I found I was repeating myself sometimes, so Erland and Conor are just people I really admire as lyricists and songwriters. The album is called True Meanings, but I didn't feel it had to be just my true meanings. It can be other people as well."

Between the three them, Weller feels that True Meanings delivers a particular message.

"It's that life can be beautiful," he explains. "Whatever ups and downs, there's always some beautiful moments in life. It's reflective, 'cause you realize how quickly time goes, and the clock's ticking. You learn to appreciate things more. I think you learn to see how very fleeting this physical life is, so enjoy it as much as you can."

Weller will be presenting True Meanings, which comes out Sept. 14, with a pair of special orchestral shows on Oct. 11-12 at London's Royal Festival Hall. No full tour is planned behind the album, however, and Weller expects to be back to his noisier pursuits in the near future. "It's the new record, not a new direction or whatever," he says. "I've sort of started on the next record; I think it'll be really interesting but I can't say too much about it because it might not turn up like that. I just feel like there's so much to do, still, and so many possibilities musically and creatively. Maybe the older you get, the more you want to do. I don't know, but I'm not thinking too much about it. I'm just doing it."

From Weller's Twitter:


Amazon's tracklist doesn't show these bonuses yet, so we'll see.

Confirmed. My Deluxe Edition CD arrived from AmazWAN yesterday, and the bonus tracks are listed as:

The Soul Searchers (Richard Hawley Remix)
Aspects (Raven Remix)
Mayfly (The Reflex Revision)
Glide (Instrumental)
Old Castles (Instrumental)