Between May 1977 and November 1979, the Jam released four albums and nine singles, a pace of output that peaked when Setting Sons was hurried along by a record company keen to capitalise on the band’s connection with Britain’s youthful masses. As a result, the album – intended as an Orwell-inspired concept – seems flawed next to 1978’s All Mod Cons and 1980’s Sound Affects, but captures why the young Paul Weller was (reluctantly) dubbed the “spokesman for a generation”. The still-relevant The Eton Rifles is the colossus here, but Thick As Thieves and Little Boy Soldiers show what a fast and furious roll they were on. This lavish 4CD edition includes singles, demos, a Peel session, a DVD, a storming live document from Brighton and beautiful 12” artwork. The whopping £85 price tag suggests it’s one for the completist for whom seven different versions of When You’re Young are not enough.
