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 enlarge | Artist: Paul Weller
Label: Universal / Island
Category: Music
List Price: £5.99
Buy Used: £1.49
You Save: £4.50 (75%)
New (55) Used (35) Collectible (1) from £1.49
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 1641
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Running Time: 41 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 731452427724
EAN: 0073145242772
ASIN: B000001E9W
Release Date: December 15, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 5 1 Next »
 Certainly not an easy option June 3, 2008
ModdyBoy67 (UK)
I've been best mates with my best mate(dur!...obviously!) for over 25 years. He got this album before me, and when he remarked to me that it was "obvious filler", we fell out, and he had to buy me several pints before I would speak to him again.
I really like it. It oozes class. Right from the opening riffs of Heavy Soul Part I through to Friday Street. The tracks that will live forever are obvious...Peacock Suit, Brushed and Friday Street, but there are other unforgettable songs in between, too.
Who else gives you a dozen anthems every time you buy one of his albums?
Rougher - but there's nothing wrong with that April 13, 2007
Magic Rat (uk)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Like the title says, this is "Heavy Soul". Paul Weller briefly discarded the pastoral imagery and folky lyrics of his first two albums and the often keyboard-driven listener-friendly rock of the predecesor, "Stanley Road" with the release of this heavy, loud, sometimes brash album.
Despite criticism from some of the content of this album, I feel one need look no further than concert favourites "Peacock Suit", "Friday Street", "Heavy Soul" and "Up In Suze's Room" for instant examples of some catchy, loud and pumping rock. Weller still plays these tracks today and with all their obvious verve. This is no reflective, introspective album. It is out there, full of pounding drums and heavy riffs, both rocky as in "Peacock Suit" and funky as in "the wonderful "Heavy Soul". The other (supposedly) weaker tracks are worth more than a casual put-down - "Science" and "Mermaids" are both instantly memorable, as is "Driving Nowhere". "Brushed" is a masterpiece of guitar feedback and riffery backed by insistent drums from the ever-reliable Steve White. "Golden Sands" is lyrically beautiful, as is "As You Lean Into The Light".
Granted this album is nowhere near the iconic classic "Wild Wood" but it is an absolute breath of fresh air and should not be dismissed out of hand. I don't think there was any "writer's block" in evidence here. That is too easy a cop-out. Weller just ploughed a slightly different furrow for an album - good for him.
 Beware this album includes half-songs.... August 25, 2006
Merry Terry
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Following on from the heady success of "Stanley Road", this album struck something of a sour note.
From the muddy opening chords of the title track to the heady rush of "Brushed", the well-rounded quality of "Stanley Road" seemed to be broken off leaving rougher edges.
The opening four tunes are of sound quality. "Up In Suze's Room" bringing a summery breeze to the heavier songs either side of it.
Where it starts to fall apart is on tracks like "Driving Nowhere" and "Golden Sands" - barely B-sides. Quality control issues or writer's block seemed to be an issue here for a songwriter of such stature to include these half-songs on an album. The same is true of "As You Lean Into The Light" which has potential to travel then grinds to a halt.
More impressive is the sharp "Science" and charming "Mermaids."
The smoky, apologetic ballad - "I Should Have Been There To Inspire You" - is an overlooked classic.
The sound is at time abrasive and a little discordant. There are some nuggets of tracks on here but as an album there's a handful of songs on here that don't cut the mustard and for an artist of Paul Weller's talent and stature it's reasonable to expect more.
Played over and over again October 21, 2005
Harlow Guthrie (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
....and I just can't get bored with it. An exellent album from Paul Weller. As usual an eclectic range of excellent songs from a very underrated performer. This man has got soul. He can get you rocking along with him one moment and then touch you with the sincerity of a wonderful ballad. He displays how he is influenced by many types of music - rock, soul, dub reggae,mod. Buy and enjoy for years.
Troubled Fourth Album from Weller September 13, 2001
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
To follow the multi-platinum success of the Stanley Road album, Weller strips back the production and takes his groove ridden angst to another new place. No compromise for chart action here. It's rumoured he was wrestling with personal demons while making the album and with the angry guitar slashes and impassioned vocals of the opening eponymous track and the rocking single "Peacock Suit", you can feel it. They really bristle with energy and vibes. In much the same way as his towering stage presence, a lot of Weller's recorded work has an astonishing physicality. His songs seem to squirm and push at the edges with real dynamic force. However the standout Track on Heavy Soul is "Up In Suze's Room", a smokey, hazy accoustic lope of a song which sees the protagonist getting wasted with his new love and loving it. Achingly fabulous. By this artist's impeccably high standards though, there are a couple of songs which don't really come across to the listener: "Heavy Soul II" is infuriatingly faded in as a stand alone instrumental. "Brushed" has a great voodoo groove and more of that sinewy dynamism but is never as exciting as the first four bars promise. "As You Lean Into The Light" lacks the warmth of Weller's usual sincerity and he sounds detatched and maudlin. Still, a fascinating album by this finest of singer songwriters and a worthy companion to this year's standout "Heliocentric" collection.
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