Paul Weller’s best albums — and his worst
27. The Style Council: The Cost of Loving (1987)
Swapping soul, jazz and folk for Eighties R&B was a bold but commercially unsuccessful move, and sub-par songwriting only made matters worse.
26. The Style Council: Modernism: A New Decade (1989)
Swerving into deep house on this, the band’s final outing. Their label was appalled, and nixed it (Modernism was finally released as a stand-alone album in 2001). Jam fans doubtless run a mile from it, but there’s something enduringly fascinating about this most abrupt of left turns.
25. Studio 150 (2004)
A hit-and-miss eclectic collection of covers, including versions of songs by Nile Rodgers, Burt Bacharach, Tim Hardin, Neil Young and Gil Scott-Heron.
24. Paul Weller: Heliocentric (2000)
A relatively uninspired affair, save for the lovely and unashamedly sentimental Sweet Pea, My Sweet Pea.
23. Paul Weller: Heavy Soul (1997)
He went full dad-rock on this follow-up to Stanley Road, and it suffers as a result.
22. The Jam: This is the Modern World (1977)
They rushed this, and it sounds like it. But the seeds of future genius are there, if you search for them.
21. Paul Weller: Illumination (2002)
Front-loaded with three absolute beauties, this overlooked album also contains the brilliant, Jam-recalling It’s Written in the Stars.
20. Paul Weller: A Kind Revolution (2017)
Melodies that are prettiness itself, and a gravelly vocal turn from a certain Boy George.
Weller performing in 2018
19. Paul Weller: Stanley Road (1995)
As retro as the involvement of Steve Winwood and Noel Gallagher — and a cover by Peter Blake — suggests, this remains the biggest commercial success of Weller’s solo career.
18. Paul Weller: Fat Pop (Volume 1) (2021)
Pop, reggae, blues, folk and soul, and traces of Ian Dury, Roxy Music and Bowie circa Ziggy —it’s all here, plus the lilting acoustica of In Better Times.
17. Paul Weller: As is Now (2005)
The last album he released before pressing the warp speed button on 22 Dreams, As is Now is another underrated release, full of crackers such as From the Floorboards Up and Come On / Let’s Go.
16. Paul Weller: Paul Weller (1992)
Overshadowed by the album that came after it (the lauded Wild Wood), this solo debut is an unsung gem.
15. Paul Weller: Saturns Pattern (2015)
Rock, psychedelia, balladry, experimentation: yet more kaleidoscopic beauty.
14. Paul Weller: Sonik Kicks (2012)
Another album that swerves down endless tangents, this continued his remarkable run of artistic inventiveness and daring.
13. The Style Council: Our Favourite Shop (1985)
Calling out Thatcherism, racism and more, Weller sounds invigorated and impassioned on STC’s second studio album.
12. Paul Weller: On Sunset (2020)
Pastoral pop, Sixties Bowie, musical theatre, Scott Walker and, yes, techno are among the many touchstones here.
11. The Jam: The Gift (1982)
Their final album includes the sublime Ghosts, which offers a sharp insight into Weller’s state of mind as he prepares to bring down the curtain.
10. The Style Council: Confessions of a Pop Group (1988)
Loosely conceptual, inspired as much by Debussy and Satie as political rage and disillusionment, this was met with confusion, even disdain, at the time. Some 33 years on, Confessions deserves serious reappraisal.
9. Paul Weller: 22 Dreams (2008)
He quickened his pace here, roaming far and wide on a record that was a clear statement of intent. From hereon in, Weller has maintained an extraordinarily high standard.
8. The Jam: In the City (1977)
A snap-and-crackle debut, equal parts homage and tyro energy – and containing one of Weller’s finest early songs, Away From the Numbers.
7. Paul Weller: Wild Wood (1993)
The album that put him back on the map, critically and commercially, after a spell in the wilderness.
6. The Jam: Setting Sons (1979)
The stepping stone between All Mod Cons and Sound Affects, this captures the band as they get used to greatness.
5. The Style Council: Café Bleu (1984)
A change of band, image and genre: Weller as boulevardier, intent on prioritising a soul aesthetic with effortless elan.
4. Paul Weller: True Meanings (2018)
Cut from the same cloth as his second solo album Wild Wood, this is Weller as master melodist, containing some of his most haunting songs.
3. Paul Weller: Wake Up the Nation (2010)
Mining Dusty Springfield, Bowie, the Beatles, glam-rock and more: the second instalment of Weller’s late-career renaissance.
2. The Jam: Sound Affects (1980)
Their fifth album included Start!, That’s Entertainment and Pretty Green: this was the Jam on fire as the new decade began.
1. The Jam: All Mod Cons (1978)
The leap between the band’s second album and this, their true masterpiece, is across a chasm, and ushered in Weller’s first golden age.