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Paul Weller

Born in 1958 in Woking, Surrey, England

Paul Weller's Genre:

Alternative/Indie Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Biography

As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers ranging from his mod revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience -- by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the U.K., where he had previously been worshiped as a demigod. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council's, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums that were both critically acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans who had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.

Weller's climb back to the top of the charts was not easy. After Polydor rejected the Style Council's fifth, house-influenced album in 1989, Weller broke up the group and lost both his record contract and his publishing deal. Over the next two years, he was in seclusion as he revamped his music. In 1991, he formed the Paul Weller Movement and released "Into Tomorrow" on his own independent label, Freedom High Records. A soulful, gritty neo-psychedelic song that represented a clear break from the Style Council, "Into Tomorrow" reached the U.K. Top 40 that spring, and he supported the single with an international tour, where he worked out the material that comprised his eponymous 1992 solo debut. Recorded with producer Brendan Lynch, Paul Weller was a joyous, soulful return to form that was recorded with several members of the Young Disciples, former Blow Monkey Dr. Robert, and Weller's then-wife, Dee C. Lee. The album debuted at number eight on the U.K. charts, and was received with positive reviews.

Wild Wood, Weller's second solo album, confirmed that the success of his solo debut was no fluke. Recorded with Ocean Colour Scene guitarist Steve Cradock, Wild Wood was a more eclectic and ambitious effort than its predecessor, and it was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, entering the charts at number two upon its fall 1993 release. The album would win the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection the following year. Weller supported the album with an extensive tour that featured Cradock as the group's leader; the guitarist's exposure on Wild Wood helped him successfully relaunch Ocean Colour Scene in 1995. At the end of the tour, Weller released the live album Live Wood late in 1994. Preceded by "The Changingman," which became his 17th Top Ten hit, 1995's Stanley Road was his most successful album since the Jam, entering the charts at number one and eventually selling nearly a million copies in the U.K.

By this point, Weller decided to stop attempting to break into the United States market and canceled his North American tour. Of course, he was doing so well in the England that he didn't need to set his sights outside of the U.K. Stanley Road may have been greeted with mixed reviews, but Weller had been re-elevated to his status as an idol, with the press claiming that he was the father of the thriving Brit-pop movement, and artists like Noel Gallagher of Oasis singing his praises. In fact, while neither artist released a new album in 1996, Weller's and Gallagher's influence was felt throughout the British music scene, as '60s roots-oriented bands like Ocean Colour Scene, Cast, and Kula Shaker became the most popular groups in the U.K.

Weller returned in the summer of 1997 with Heavy Soul. Modern Classics: Greatest Hits followed a year later. Heliocentric -- which at the time of its release he claimed was his final studio effort -- appeared in the spring of 2000. The live record Days of Speed followed in 2001, and he released his sixth studio album, Illumination, in 2002. A collection of covers called Studio 150 appeared in 2004, followed by an all-new studio release, As Is Now, in October of 2005 on Yep Roc. Released in 2006, Catch-Flame! Live at the Alexandra Palace preceded Yep Roc’s mammoth Hit Parade box set. It was followed in 2008 by 22 Dreams, a two-disc studio epic that managed to touch on all of Weller’s myriad influences. His tenth solo album, Wake Up the Nation, was released in 2010 and it proved another success, earning a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize. Weller's next album, Sonik Kicks, arrived in the spring of 2012. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

AOL Radio Stations Paul Weller is Featured on (3)

The Current

The Current brings you the best authentic new music alongside the music that inspired it, from unique to universal, indie to influential, new to nostalgic. Broadcasting from the musical hotbed that is Minnesota, listen to The Current and you’ll see why we say, “Great Music Lives Here.” Find playlist, interviews and more at thecurrent.org.

Alternative Chill

Alternative Chill on Slacker Radio is the ultimate "Easy Listening for Hipsters." The station is a hybrid of Electronic Chill artists, singer/songwriters and Indie rock songs that dip into the ethereal. You can expect to hear Jeff Buckley, Thievery Corporation, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Nada Surf, Massive Attack, Air, Nick Drake, Portishead, Everything But the Girl and even some surprises like Billie Holiday or Pink Floyd! It's the perfect station to kick back and unwind, so, open a bottle of wine, light some candles and relax.

Paul Weller

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like The Stone Roses, The Charlatans UK, The Jam, Ocean Colour Scene, Stereophonics, Oasis, Kula Shaker, Travis, Supergrass, Blur and more.

All Stations

Paul Weller's Selected Discography (45)

Sonik Kicks

2012 Solid Bond Limited under exclusive license to Yep Roc Records201214 Songs

Wake Up the Nation

2010 Universal Island Records Ltd., Exclusively licensed to Yep Roc Records201016 Songs

As Is Now

2005 Yep Roc Records200514 Songs

Studio 150

2004 V2 Records, Inc.200412 Songs

Illumination [Bonus Tracks/DVD] Album Cover

Modern Classics: The Greatest Hits

Wild Wood (Remixes)

19993 Songs

Have You Made Your Mind Up [B-Sides]

DIGITAL20082 Songs

Artists Related to Paul Weller (50)

	The Stone Roses	Meshing '60s-styled guitar pop with an understated '80s dance beat, the Stone Roses defined the British guitar pop scene of the late '80s and early '90s.
	The Charlatans UK	For many years, the Charlatans UK were perceived as the also-rans of Madchester, the group that didn't capture the zeitgeist like the Stone Roses or the band that failed to match the mad genre-bending of the Happy Mondays.
	The Jam	The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the most impact on pop music.
	Ocean Colour Scene	Falling between the energetic pop/rock of mod revival and the psychedelic experimentations of Traffic, Ocean Colour Scene came to be one of the leading bands of the traditionalist, post-Oasis British rock of the mid-'90s.
	Stereophonics	A bright new noise in U.K. alternative rock in the '90s and into the new millennium, Stereophonics are comprised of vocalist/guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer Stuart Cable (until the latter's replacement by Javier Weyler).
	Oasis	Oasis shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994, becoming one of Britain's most popular and critically acclaimed bands of the decade in the process.
	Kula Shaker	By reviving the swirling, guitar-heavy sounds of late-'60s psychedelia and infusing it with George Harrison's Indian mysticism and spirituality, Kula Shaker became one of the most popular British bands of the immediate post-Brit-pop era.
	Travis	Along with Cast, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, and Embrace, Travis was one of the most prominent British trad rock bands in the mid- to late '90s.
	Supergrass	Like many other British bands of the '90s, Supergrass' musical roots lie in the infectiously catchy punk-pop of the Buzzcocks and the Jam, as well as the post-punk pop of Madness and the traditional Brit-pop of the Kinks and Small Faces.
	Blur	Initially, Blur were one of the multitude of British bands that appeared in the wake of the Stone Roses, mining the same swirling, pseudo-psychedelic guitar pop, only with louder guitars.
	Ian Brown	The frontman for one of the most revered British bands of the 1980s and '90s, Ian Brown symbolized the arrogant cocksureness of his mouthpiece, the Stone Roses.
	Ash	The Northern Irish punk-pop trio Ash were tentatively formed in 1989, when childhood mates Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton received guitars for Christmas and established a metal act named Vietnam.
	The Style Council	Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early '80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction.
	Pulp	Most bands hit the big time immediately and fade away, or they build a dedicated following and slowly climb their way to the top.
	The Verve	Long acclaimed as one of the most innovative and spellbinding bands on the contemporary British pop scene, the Verve finally broke through to a mass international audience in 1997 with the instant classic "Bittersweet Symphony.
	The Smiths	The Smiths were the definitive British indie rock band of the '80s, marking the end of synth-driven new wave and the beginning of the guitar rock that dominated English rock into the '90s.
	Cast	As one of the most traditional guitar bands to emerge during the Brit-pop era of the mid-'90s, Cast has weathered negative criticism from certain quarters of the media, who labeled them as mere revivalists.
	Elvis Costello	When Elvis Costello's first record was released in 1977, his bristling cynicism and anger linked him with the punk and new wave explosion.
	Manic Street Preachers	Dressed in glam clothing, wearing heavy eyeliner, and shouting political rhetoric, the Manic Street Preachers emerged in 1991 from their hometown of Blackwood, Wales, as self-styled "Generation Terrorists.
	Primal Scream	Primal Scream's career could in many ways be read as a microcosm of British indie rock in the '80s and '90s.
	Morrissey	As the lead singer of the Smiths, arguably the most important indie band in Britain during the '80s, Morrissey's theatrical crooning and literate, poetic lyrics -- filled with romantic angst, social alienation, and cutting wit -- connected powerfully with a legion of similarly sensitive, disaffected youth.
	Doves	Before embracing Brit-pop in the late '90s, Doves' three members -- vocalist/bassist Jimi Goodwin, guitarist Jez Williams, and drummer Andy Williams -- figured prominently in the Madchester scene, where they scored a Top Five single as part of the dance combo Sub Sub.
	Suede	Suede kick started the Brit-pop revolution of the '90s, bringing English indie pop/rock music away from the swirling layers of shoegazing and dance-pop fusions of Madchester, and reinstating such conventions of British pop as mystique and the three-minute single.
	The La's	When the La's released their debut album in 1990, it made immediate waves in the British pop scene, as well as American college radio.
	Dodgy	Dodgy never was taken seriously. Then again, they never wanted to be taken seriously. As the clowns of Brit-pop, Dodgy carved out a niche with their infectious, goofy punk-pop that alternately sounded like the early Who and the Stone Roses.
	James	As one of the first groups to be dubbed "the next Smiths," James became an institution on the British alternative music scene during the '80s and '90s with their pleasant folk-pop.
	Super Furry Animals	Super Furry Animals were one of the first post-alternative bands, fusing together a number of disparate musical genres -- including power pop, punk rock, techno, and progressive rock -- creating a shimmering, melodic, irreverent, and willfully artsy rock & roll.
	XTC	XTC was one of the smartest -- and catchiest -- British pop bands to emerge from the punk and new wave explosion of the late '70s.
	Gomez	Gomez are a five-piece British act consisting of Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitar), Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Paul Blackburn (bass, guitar), Olly Peacock (drums), and Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica).
	Echo & The Bunnymen	Echo & the Bunnymen's dark, swirling fusion of gloomy post-punk and Doors-inspired psychedelia brought the group a handful of British hits in the early '80s, while attracting a cult following in the United States.
	Starsailor	An indie rock quartet whose debut single, "Fever," earned them the title of "Britain's best new band" in February 2001, Starsailor continue the rich lineage of Travis, Coldplay, and other anthemic pop/rock bands.
	The Clash	The Sex Pistols may have been the first British punk rock band, but the Clash were the definitive British punk rockers.
	The Cure	Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late '70s, few were as enduring and popular as the Cure.
	Embrace	Following in the footsteps of Oasis and the Verve, Embrace became a minor pop sensation in post-Brit-pop Britain in the late '90s.
	Shed Seven	Britpop band Shed Seven officially formed in York, England in 1991, although frontman Rick Witter, guitarist Paul Banks, bassist Tom Gladwin and drummer Alan Leach first began collaborating in bands while still in their teens.
	The Bluetones	The Bluetones filled the gap that the Stone Roses left behind, providing graceful but muscular guitar pop with slightly psychedelic overtones.
	Squeeze	As one of the most traditional pop bands of the new wave, Squeeze provided one of the links between classic British guitar pop and post-punk.
	Radiohead	Radiohead were one of the few alternative bands of the early '90s to draw heavily from the grandiose arena rock that characterized U2's early albums.
	New Order	Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul.
	The English Beat	One of the earliest and most important ska revivalist groups, Birmingham's the Beat formed in 1978 (the band had to change its name to the English Beat in the U.
	Heavy Stereo	Heavy Stereo was among a number of British guitar bands signed in the wake of Oasis' worldwide popularity in the mid-'90s; in fact, their only album, Deja Voodoo, was released on Creation Records, the label that discovered Oasis.
	Inspiral Carpets	After the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets were arguably the third most popular band to emerge from the late-'80s/early-'90s Madchester scene.
	Happy Mondays	Along with the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays were the leaders of the late-'80s/early-'90s dance club-influenced Manchester scene, experiencing a brief moment in the spotlight before collapsing in 1992.
	World Party	World Party began as an outlet for the pop infatuations of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, previously best known for his tenure with the Waterboys.
	The Waterboys	Led by the literate singer/songwriter Mike Scott, the group's sole constant member, the mercurial Waterboys formed in London in 1981.
	U2	Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands of the '80s.
	Aztec Camera	For most intents and purposes, Aztec Camera is Roddy Frame, a Scottish guitarist/vocalist/songwriter.
	Keane	Keane's piano-driven pop/rock is created by vocalist Tom Chaplin, drummer Richard Hughes, and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, three childhood friends from the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England.
	The Specials	True innovators of the punk era, the Specials began the British ska revival craze, combining the highly danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude, and taking on a more focused and informed political and social stance than their predecessors and peers.
	Joe Jackson	In his 1999 memoir, A Cure for Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage, Joe Jackson writes approvingly of George Gershwin as a musician who kept one foot in the popular and one in the classical realms of music.