Paul Weller: Stanley Road - 1995

 

After 1994’s bucolic, late 60s-early 70s Traffic-influenced Wild Wood album, Paul Weller’s third solo album was more of the same, to a certain extent. 

Personally, I find this album more accessible, its tunes more melodic, less scratchily gritty (if that makes any sense whatsoever!), and there a bit more of a sort of tuneful commerciality about it. The title is the road in which Weller grew up in, in Woking, Surrey. I have been to Stanley Road (it is near the railway line to London) and it doesn’t quite “go on and on” as Weller says in the title track, although as children, all roads go on and on, don't they? 

The inner cover is a collage of iconic images, a bit like used on the inner sleeve of The Jam’s All Mod Cons and on the rear cover of The Style Council’s Our Favourite Shop. It is still a largely guitar-driven album, but there are lighter, more melodious moments than on Wild Wood and more use of piano, keyboards and also some extended jams in a few places, that are not as irritating as some have suggested. I find the album a lot less intense and introspective than its predecessor. 

The album kicks off with the rocking, riffy The Changingman, in which Weller tells the world that he is, indeed, attempting to change his image, musically, at least. It is a tough, solid rock with lots of hooks, both musically and vocally. Porcelain Gods is a shuffling rocker with some acerbic lyrics that is one of those that “jams” a little at the end, before segueing into an impressive cover of Dr.John’s Walk On Gilded Splinters. 

A highpoint of the album is the ballad You Do Something To Me, usually featured in concert DVDs with shots of “loved-up” couples gazing into each others’ eyes as the sun goes down. It is a good song, and one that is liked by not just Weller fans. Woodcutter's Son is a rustic-themed song with those Traffic riffs that one would expect to be on Wild Wood alongside tracks like The Weaver. Time Passes is an often-forgotten tender, piano-driven love song. 

Stanley Road is also led by piano, but this time it is a rocking, driving one, the beat sort of matching Weller’s “it goes on and on” lyric. Broken Stones breaks the mould from the previous album, and harks back to some of the tuneful, catchy, almost soulful rock of the first album. It is an insistent, keyboard-backed simple melody and an infectious feel to its vocal. 

Out Of The Sinking is a cornerstone of the album, and a live favourite, full of alluring guitar work and affecting quieter pieces. It is a bit of a dark-ish track, though. The mood is brightened, however, by the light, funky pop of Pink On White Walls. 

Whirlpool's End is the other comparatively extended track. It is full of dark lyrics and a dense, grungy guitar sound. All rather impenetrable, despite the “sha la la” chorus refrain. For some reason, Weller often plays it as an encore at live gigs. I have always been unsure as to why, as it is a bit of a bleak number, to be honest. The sparse piano ballad, Wings Of Speed, ends what has been, on the whole, a brighter album than the previous one. The sound quality on the album has always been pretty good. A slight improvement in clarity than on Wild Wood.