I remember back in about 1980, we were in a nightclub and this girl though I was in the Army. She asked me what regiment I was in and I said "Eaton Rifles". She believed me.
My older brother turned me onto the Jam in 1977 when I was 15 and I was hooked. I kind of felt like an isolated fan in America since most people I knew never heard of the Jam and they never made commercially here. Glad I saw them in 1982 in New York before they broke up.
@Geoffthebull haha every time this played in the car my dad would shout at passers by " the eating of trifle" cheers you've brought back a very happy memory mr bull
remember seeing these guys in Bournemouth - Bruce Foxton walked right past me while opening band was playing and I was was so stunned at how short he was.
This is a must view for young musicians, catchy, lively,melodic, instruments, the right amount of time for a song, hopefully we can get better songs written for the future.
This is via Radio X, an article on "The 50 Greatest Protest Songs" Speaking of the song Eaton Rifles by The Jam (1979) it states: "The trio’s second album had something of an anti-war theme, but Paul Weller’s lyric concerns a protest march for jobs in Slough that came into conflict with the local public school and its army cadets. When Old Etonian David Cameron claimed it was one of his favourite songs, Weller snorted: “It wasn't intended as a jolly drinking song for the cadet corps.” www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/music-changed-world-50-best-protest-songs/ Hope that helps.
Hopefully it'll be at least 24 years and I'll still be listening to them! So far it's been 5 days, but it's the best 5 days of music I've ever listened to! =)
My next door neighbour told me about the jam today, I'd never heard of him and he was shocked as I played bass! He told me to look them up (as if I'd be impressed) but omg I'm hooked on them! Have to keep listening to them!
The next generation really needs to remember that people can play their own instruments and do their own singing without the computer serving as anything other than the method of capturing what you can do yourself.
That's a Suzy Quatro reference, She chose The Eton Rifles as a favourite on Tracks Of My Years and admitted that she assumed eating trifles was some English expression at first.
Eton is a very famous school in England that allows the continuation of the old boy network to thrive and take the great unwashed into unwanted wars, hence rifles and a left wing band singing a political song about them. Eaton is merely an Americanism for dinner table, probably.
I saw Paul Weller the night before last at Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, capacity 2000 and it wasn't full. He did Eton Rifles and the (small) crowd went off. I remember bouncing around my bedroom to this and at 40 I still had it! He did all the Jam classics -including Carnation (one of my favourites) and I didn't even have to push to get to the front of the stage.... brilliant :)
The Jam just cut through the competition like a knife through butter,,,,the attitude,the style and the anger,,he was right to end it all in 82 before it became a parody and his views and allegiances changed ….
Weller is easily as good as McCartney and Bowie - but he is openly anti-establishment, and this makes a huge difference to the mainstream powers that be.
A laughable comment on so many levels. Cameron's top notch education obviously didn't teach him what irony means. And what would lay-about, right wing slob from Eton know about fighting?
Hard to believe the bird announcing the song is nearly 50 by now,..hate getting older but listening to The Jam has been a tradition for me since In the City!!! One of the most exciting trios and the best Brit band from the times.Cheers Hello-Hurrah!!!!
outstanding vid.......for us mortals here in southern california who were lucky to enjoy this music (and the entire mod scene) when it came out, this band changed everything and inspired whole groups and neighborhoods of kids in the beach cities and suburbs or orange county and los angeles. you would never know that now, and very few young people now even have any idea of this incredible band. ugh...middle age!!
I'm a Yank but the Jam (and the Clash plus a few other english bands) seriously changed my life in a really powerful way all those years ago. I get really fucking pumped up watching this again now! The Jam may have been too English for most Americans to get but they sure as fuck affected me in an extremely powerful and meaningful way. Anytime Mr. Paul Weller comes to my shitty town to play a show, you'd have to tie me down not to be there. Cheers from California.
I saw the Jam in 1979 (ye that's ages ago) I was 17 years old and and the amazing Paul Weller said 'this is our latest single' I had never heard the tune before and yes is was Eton Rifles - amazing piece of popular music history, anyway it was amazing to me now thinking about it!
I was nearly 16yrs old when this came out, now i'm a 45 yr old bastard and it still sounds as raw, dynamic and significant now as it did then, i'm Foxy from The Booze Brother's and iv'e just uploaded our version of this classic, please jam fans check it out...... 5 stars for a great video from Foxy!!....
Thanks, checked them all out, all the songs on my mp3, on the computer. Have just been droning all their songs out of my comp whilst doing college work. My friend doesn't seem to be a fan... yet =)