[2013-07-15] The Style Council "Classic Album Selection" 6-CD box set (Universal UK)

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 5:59 pm

Amazon USA
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CTJPEJM/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CTJPEJM/?tag=imwan-21

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:02 pm

Press release:

Quote:

The Style Council - Classic Album Selection (6CD)

This 6-CD set features all the band’s studio albums packaged in individual albums (no booklets), with rigid slipcase.

Tired of the constraints of the Jam, Paul Weller shocked fans and the wider media world and broke up the most popular British band of the early '80s, at the height of their success in 1982. Frustrated by their musical direction, he wanted to explore more soulful, jazz and R’n’B paths in his music. He formed a new band with keyboardist Mick Talbot and created a loose collective of musicians, added according to the style of music they were intending to produce, known as Honorary Councillors. Using American musical influences filtered through a fundamental European style, which harked back to some of the early roots of Mod culture, the band created a string of classic singles and albums.

The albums:

1. Introducing The Style Council

An extraordinary eclectic intro to the band - a round up of the first few British singles and b-sides.Features the Jam-styled Speak Like a Child (UK no. 4 hit), the radical departure of Long Hot Summer (UK no. 3 hit) and the hard-hitting political Brit-funk of Money-Go-Round.

2. Cafe Bleu

The official debut album released in March 1984, reaching number 2 in the UK album chart. An eclectic and ambitious album combining classic pop with jazzy/beat instrumentals and experimental theme throughout. Blue Note records were a big inspiration around this time. Features top-5 hits My Ever Changing Moods and You’re The Best Thing as well as perennial favourite – Headstart For Happiness - three of Weller’s finest pop songs.

3. Our Favourite Shop

Another diverse collection for the second full-length album and an overtly political statement from Weller - lyrical targets included racism, excessive consumerism and the effects of self-serving governments! No. 1 in the UK - the only Style Council album to reach that spot. Features the top-ten singles – Shout To The Top and Walls Come Tumbling Down, as well as some of Weller’s best songs - Come to Milton Keynes, Boy Who Cried Wolf and Down in the Seine. “I had a total belief in The Style Council. I was obsessed in the early years. I lived and breathed it all. I meant every word, and felt every action. Our Favourite Shop was its culmination.” Paul Weller 2006

4. The Cost Of Loving

Released in 1987, the album saw the group concentrating on a more extreme, urban-soul style, influenced by soul music pioneer Curtis Mayfield and by the contemporary House music scene of the time, including the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis sound. Includes top-ten hit It Didn’t Matter.Tracks from the album were included in the band’s surreal film Jerusalem.

5. Confessions Of A Pop Group

Probably the band’s most experimental and divisive album, with hints of Beach Boys, classical music (Weller was listening Debussy and Satie, amongst others around this time) and jazz influences.Songs such as the nine-minute title track and the ‘Three Piece Suite’ of The Gardener of Eden, an avant-garde mix of classical and jazz stylings, were new territory for The Style Council, and an even more radical departure from the sound of The Jam. Straight pop-oriented songs exist though – the hit single Life at a Top People's Health Farm, How She Threw It All Away and Why I Went Missing are regarded as lost Weller classics.

6. Modernism: A New Decade

Motivated by the underground club scene Weller chose another new direction for the last album – his take on the UK deep-house or garage scene. Featuring the gospel-tinged Promised Land - the band's final single, Sure Is Sure, which went on to become a big bootleg dance hit throughout Europe and the instrumental - That Spiritual Feeling - one of the key cuts of the then-new acid jazz scene. However upon its completion in 1989, it was rejected by the label Polydor, which led to the band breaking up. It was eventually released in 1998 on the box set, The Complete Adventures of The Style Council.

Disc 1
1. The Style Council Long Hot Summer Extended/ Full/ 12 Inch Version
2. The Style Council Headstart For Happiness First/ Early Version
3. The Style Council Speak Like A Child
4. The Style Council Long Hot Summer Club Mix
5. The Style Council The Paris Match Early Version
6. The Style Council Mick's Up
7. The Style Council Money-Go-Round (Parts 1 & 2) Bert Bevans Remix/ Club Mix

Disc 2
1. The Style Council Mick's Blessings
2. The Style Council The Whole Point Of No Return
3. The Style Council Me Ship Came In!
4. The Style Council Blue Cafe
5. The Style Council, Tracey Thorn The Paris Match Album Version
6. The Style Council My Ever Changing Moods Album Version
7. The Style Council Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse
8. The Style Council A Gospel
9. The Style Council Strength Of Your Nature
10. The Style Council You're The Best Thing Album Version
11. The Style Council Here's One That Got Away
12. The Style Council Headstart For Happiness Album Version
13. The Style Council Council Meetin'

Disc 3
1. The Style Council Homebreakers
2. The Style Council All Gone Away
3. The Style Council Come To Milton Keynes
4. The Style Council Internationalists
5. The Style Council A Stones Throw Away
6. The Style Council The Stand Up Comic's Instructions
7. The Style Council Boy Who Cried Wolf Album Version
8. The Style Council A Man Of Great Promise
9. The Style Council Down In The Seine
10. The Style Council The Lodgers (Or She Was Only A Shopkeeper's Daughter) Album Version
11. The Style Council Luck
12. The Style Council With Everything To Lose
13. The Style Council Our Favourite Shop
14. The Style Council Walls Come Tumbling Down
15. The Style Council Shout To The Top USA Remix

Disc 4
1. The Style Council It Didn't Matter Album Version
2. The Style Council Right To Go
3. The Style Council Heavens Above
4. The Style Council Fairy Tales
5. The Style Council Angel
6. The Style Council Walking The Night
7. The Style Council Waiting
8. The Style Council The Cost Of Loving Album Version
9. The Style Council A Woman's Song

Disc 5
1. The Style Council It's A Very Deep Sea
2. The Style Council The Story Of Someone's Shoe
3. The Style Council Changing Of The Guard
4. The Style Council The Little Boy In A Castle / A Dove Flew Down From The Elephant
5. The Style Council The Gardener Of Eden (A Three Piece Suite)
6. The Style Council Life At A Top Peoples Health Farm
7. The Style Council Why I Went Missing
8. The Style Council How She Threw It All Away
9. The Style Council Iwasadoledadstoyboy
10. The Style Council Confessions 1, 2 & 3
11. The Style Council Confessions Of A Pop-Group

Disc 6
1. The Style Council A New Decade
2. The Style Council Can You Still Love Me? Extended Version
3. The Style Council The World Must Come Together
4. The Style Council Hope (Feelings Gonna Getcha)
5. The Style Council That Spiritual Feeling
6. The Style Council Everybody's On The Run Later Version
7. The Style Council Love Of The World
8. The Style Council Sure Is Sure

Greg Carrier · 25 Nov 2006

I have most of this stuff, all I need really, but this is pretty...

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:21 pm

Greg Carrier wrote:

I have most of this stuff, all I need really, but this is pretty...

I have it all too, a few times over, but that box will look so nice on the shelf. The original logo in the orange-on-black TSC colour scheme, complete with the "Keeps On Burning" crest.

Walter P · 20 Sep 2006

I just knew that Linda wouldn't be able to resist!

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:47 pm

You tease me, but Jimbo is PROUD of me.

Jimbo · 19 Jul 2006

Linda wrote:

You tease me, but Jimbo is PROUD of me.

I want one too.

Nathan_86 · 15 Jun 2007

After the "Complete Adventures" Box set, this one's a bit redundant, isn't it? I can't see anyone other than the Hardcore collectors getting this one.

And, like the way that "Complete Adventures" wasn't complete; this title's also a misnomer - I don't think there's a person in the world who'd rate Modernism or Cost Of Loving as "classic" 8-)

pghmusiclover · **Joined:** 15 Jul 2007 **Posts:** 3360

Nathan_86 wrote:

After the "Complete Adventures" Box set, this one's a bit redundant, isn't it? I can't see anyone other than the Hardcore collectors getting this one.

And, like the way that "Complete Adventures" wasn't complete; this title's also a misnomer - I don't think there's a person in the world who'd rate Modernism or Cost Of Loving as "classic" 8-)

Actually I rate "Cost of Loving" as "classic" -- it was the first album I ever heard by the Style Council, and it's still my favorite.

The Human Top · **Joined:** 29 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 1114

I own all this already too but it's tempting.

Their first EP is one of my favorite recordings EVER. It's the album that weaned me away from punk.

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:47 pm

Nathan_86 wrote:

After the "Complete Adventures" Box set, this one's a bit redundant, isn't it?

Unless it was ever fixed, Complete Adventures has an entire disc with intermittent crackling and distortion in the right channel. (Disc 4, I think it was. The one that opens with "Wanted".) I went through three or four exchanges before I finally gave up.

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

Time for an upgrade/expansion for me!

richman666 · 15 Nov 2006

I only own "My Ever Changing Moods" on LP and "The Singular Adventures" on CD, so this is something I will most likely pick up.

One question: If the packaging is just replicas of the outer LP sleeves, will I be missing anything important from the original packaging like lyrics or other artwork/liner notes?

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:39 pm

There was a series of paintings done for the Confessions album which was reproduced in the earlier CD booklet, and I assume that will be missing from this edition. Some of the albums originally included lyrics too. "The Cappuccino Kid"'s cod-beatnik liner notes were on the back covers of some of these releases so they should still appear on the new editions. I don't know how important these things might be to you, Rich ... there was nothing in TSC's packaging that rivalled, say, the White Album where we'd really feel cheated if the poster and photos weren't included.

richman666 · 15 Nov 2006

Thanks Linda. Unless all of the albums came with full lyric sheets, photos, liner notes, etc., a relatively bare-bones package will suffice (especially at that price). I can't say I love everything I've heard from TSC but I've wanted to own more of their albums, and this is a perfect opportunity to do that.

Renny · 26 Jun 2006

i have their box set and the b-sides compilation CD and i think it covers most of this.

question:

those of you that own the box set, is your booklet falling apart? i mean literally coming apart at the binding page by page.

it drives me crazy, everytime i open the booklet another page falls out.

Greg Carrier · 25 Nov 2006

I"m taking off my shoes and ordering this!

(Oops -- wrong thread.)

richman666 · 15 Nov 2006

I got my copy of this set yesterday, and I'm listening to Disc 1 as I type this. They did a very nice job with the packaging, especially considering the reasonable price. All six discs come in a gatefold mini-LP sleeve. I don't know how the credits compare to the original LP releases...each inner gatefold includes track listing with writer/publisher info on the left and one or more photos on the right, and the back cover credits are reproduced & relatively legible...but I'm very pleased. A small booklet would've been an enjoyable addition but it's the music that counts, and so far I like what I hear.

Whenever I get to my Jam/Style Council/Paul Weller series at my blog (maybe next year?), I will now have access to the bulk of The Style Council's output. Very pleased and highly recommended to anyone who's on the fence about buying it.

Linda · **Posted:** Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:18 pm

BTW, this is new remastering. Pretty much all of the problems that riddled the previous UK CD editions are gone from this box.

richman666 · 15 Nov 2006

Thanks for that info, Linda. Nice to know I'm getting to hear these in the best possible sound quality the first time through.

Greg Carrier · 25 Nov 2006

Got mine last week. Very nicely done. I love it.

The Human Top · **Joined:** 29 Jan 2011 **Posts:** 1114

I never noticed defects with the sound on my boxed set disc 4. I'll have to go back and check it out. As I remember that boxed set also had tons of typos in the booklet.

[2013-07-15] The Style Council "Classic Album Selection" 6-CD box set (Universal UK)

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