The JAM vs The POLICE

[Stirling Moss]

We've got you on the run Wolfie!

We shall see, my son.
We've not even started a proper debate yet.





.

[The Modernist]

[
The Jam - A fake mod band with a clutch of great singles.
The Police - punk-inspired pop band (no more fake than The Clash) with a shed load of top notch tunes.

At least Sting's forays into jazz can't be labelled pseudish - unlike Weller's most embarrassing periods - Stinko did afterall earn his spurs in various jazz bands in Newcastle - both trad and modern.
.

You're embarassing yourself if you think The Police had any affinity, let alone any credibility, with either punk or jazz. You seem to like to talk a lot about fans of The Jam back then and stereotype them into one unthinking mass. Well if you're going down that route, here's one for you: I think you had bland, MOR taste which is why you were attracted to the watered down rock of The Police, you're vaguely embarassed about it now and still resentful you didn't have the cool taste of the other kids at your school.

[Jumper k]

Mmmm. Let me see. Both bands fronted by cunts of the highest order, both have horrible drummers, one band paying lip service to a load of old Mod tosh, the other paying lip service to a load of old Reggae tosh, one responsible for the Style Council, one responsible for Sting's solo career, one made bowling shoes a fashion statement, one made peroxide buzz cuts fashionable, one bands fans wore parkas with a target on them, the other fans should have and then they should have all gone to Bisley for a weekend.
Hard isn't it?

[The Slider]

Weller? Cool?

[The Slider]

Hard isn't it?

they excite you that much, eh?

[Jumper k]

Hard isn't it?

they excite you that much, eh?

That Bruce Foxglove don't arf give me the horn.

[Deebank]

[
The Jam - A fake mod band with a clutch of great singles.
The Police - punk-inspired pop band (no more fake than The Clash) with a shed load of top notch tunes.

At least Sting's forays into jazz can't be labelled pseudish - unlike Weller's most embarrassing periods - Stinko did afterall earn his spurs in various jazz bands in Newcastle - both trad and modern.
.

You're embarassing yourself if you think The Police had any affinity, let alone any credibility, with either punk or jazz. You seem to like to talk a lot about fans of The Jam back then and stereotype them into one unthinking mass. Well if you're going down that route, here's one for you: I think you had bland, MOR taste which is why you were attracted to the watered down rock of The Police, you're vaguely embarassed about it now and still resentful you didn't have the cool taste of the other kids at your school.

When you come from hicksville North Wales, and all your contemporaries are into tractors and Pobl Y Cwm the Police are quite an exciting prospect I can assure you, although I was too embarrassed to wear my Police regalia to heavy rock gigs, I'll admit to that.

I was never really arsed about what was meant to be cool though, and now it's even less important. With 20/20 hindsight Jumper K's post (apart from the bits about the drummers, both of whom are very good imo), is neareast the bull.

[The Modernist]

Shame we never got this to twenty pages.

[Deebank]

AN observation. Weller's and Sting's careers passed somewhere in the middle...

Sting, professional jazz musician sells out to become new wave superstar.
Weller, new wave super star goes crap in attempt to be taken seriously as professional jazz musician.
Both cunts obviously.

[Bungo the Mungo]

Shame we never got this to twenty pages.

We were good, tho', weren't we?

Once over.

[Deebank]

Shame we never got this to twenty pages.

We were good, tho', weren't we?

Once over.

Two words...


Bernie Clifton.

[Bungo the Mungo]

OH JESUS....!!

No way can I even attempt that.

[Deebank]

OH JESUS....!!

No way can I even attempt that.

Sorry, I was confusing Bernie Clifton with Lenny Bennet. Now I've cleared up the mistake it should be an easy job.

Anyway...

I liked the Police when I was 11... and I liked the Jam when I was 11, but I liked the Police more.

Now they are both largely irrelevent. Some people think that because the Jam were undoubedly 'cooler' in the UK 30 years ago according to the (now largely disdredited and ridiculed) 'hipsters' of the era - no great feat as the Police were a bit of a teenybopper band - this somehow still resonates down the decades


What gives the Police the edge for me is that they didn't go on to become The Style Council. Easy.

[The Prof]

The Police didn't really matter and had very little to say.

[johnnydefault]

What gives The Jam the edge for me is that they didn't go on to become Sting.

Remember kiddies - 'Russians love their children too'

[Brin]

Im not a fan of either,but, from what ive heard i'd vote for the Jam.

[The Great DeFector]

but the jam weren't punk!



just to get it in there if no one has said it yet.

[Johnny Dumfries]

can't believe the latest polling numbers here. Someones been at the fiddle.

[The Bicycle Tragedy]

THE FUCKING JAM

[Deebank]

They were supposed to 'mean' something which the Police never did and never tried to.

Well we can agree The Police were meaningless then. I'm glad we've reached a consensus after 17 pages!

Indeed, but the Jam also meant nothing.

They were also just another pop band with a couple of catchy tunes up their sleeves. Just because a couple of the dimmer SWP members at the NME (and Paulo Hewitt, but no one ever took much notice of him ) thought they were the vanguard of the revolution for five minutes does not raise them to some mythical status.

Incidently, is this the longest time taken for a response on BCB?