Paul Weller, Other Aspects, Live At The Royal Festival Hall (Parlophone Records) ****
LOOKING back over a career that spans more than 40 years, the latest live release from Paul Weller is a real piece of work.
Not presented chronologically, and eschewing some of the biggest hits of his career, this live acoustic performance is solid and tight – the kind of show you'd expect from someone who's been doing this most of his life, and has the talent to back up the back catalogue.
Weller performed two shows at the Royal Festival Hall in October 2018, and the second was recorded for this release, presented here with 25 tracks over two CDs and a DVD of the show.
The performance includes 11 songs from The Modfather's most recent studio release, September 2018's True Meanings, as well as tracks from The Jam, The Style Council and his own solo work, many of which are performed with new arrangements and up to two dozen musicians on stage at any one time.
The highlights are numerous, with A Man Of Great Promise a terrific opening to the second disc, while – in no particular order – Glide, Mayfly and an amazing reworking of The Jam's 1979 Private Hell are superb.
Weller's voice is, as always, impeccable. It sounds obvious to say, but nobody can perform his songs like him, and his guitar – occasionally the only instrument heard – is great. Not flashy, not boring, better than workmanlike, but unremarkably solid in a way that suits the songs.
Another of The Jam's tracks – Boy About Town – is reimagined here as almost a Sixties' organ and string-heavy pop tune that Petula Clark could have carried off perfectly (with a slight title change), while Indian-inspired instruments on Books turn it into something special.
Throw in nice, simple versions of Wild Wood and You Do Something To Me, and while it's a shame not to hear some of The Jam's bigger hits, you've got an impressive collection of laid-back, sentimental tracks that show off the skills of a great musician.
Dan Bean
Paul Weller plays Forest Live at Dalby Forest, near Pickering, on June 28
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