Studio 150

Weller puts his own unique spin on the tracks and I'd forgotten just how much I liked his voice.

Highlights are 'Wishing on a star' and ' Thinking of you'. I can't help playing 'Close to you' without think of Alan Partridge singing it in his series though.

The only low point is 'All along the watchtower' which is a bit of a stinker and the U2 version on "Rattle & Hum" is far better.

I was pleasantly surprised . Hope you will be too


Lazy, lazy, lazy!   January 9, 2005
Z. Encaoua
5 out of 10 found this review helpful

I'm sorry but I think a covers album from one the greatest singer-songwriters the UK has produced is lazy! I heard Paul had been suffering from writers block & so I guess a covers album might of seemed a logical thing to do. However I feel robbed I'd much rather of waited for original material than listening to Paul doing mediocre interpretations. Even Paul said whilst doing promotion for the album that originals are always better.... I certainly can agree with that.


One of The Best Covers   January 8, 2005
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

Superb mix of records interpreted by Paul Weller. Some suprises in there but something for everyone. For true music fans this is a must - it'll make you want to find out more about some of the original artists. Everyone will have there own opinion but I would urge anyone to be openminded and give it a go.


Song cemetery - King Midas in reverse   December 25, 2004
2 out of 16 found this review helpful

Every musician who records a cover version of a well-known song must accept the fact that his version will be compared with the original, or - as for example in the case of 'All Along The Watchtower' - with countless more famous versions. Weller - who has never been too original a musician - deserves one superlative, he's produced the most boring covers of them all, with his disillusioned, rusty voice, slowed-down tempo, lacklustre arrangements. Might as well forget about it - are there really people out there who buy this cemetery of songs?


Hmmmmmmmmmmm, more Muzak than Music???   September 19, 2004
K. J. Seal (London)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

As a Paul Weller fanatic, I'm still not convinced by this release. It's listenable, yes, but it is like an album of B-sides from singles perhaps and maybe a more suitable follow-on from the "Button-Downs" Disc on the 'Fly On The Wall' compilation. Weller has stated that this is something he wanted to do for a long time, and his new lable (V2) have given him all the freedom to do it. Maybe just a bit too much freedom perhaps. Sure, the songs are good, but re-working classics is never going to be a sure fire hit for someone who as written hundreds of classic songs in a career over 25 years old, especially from his solo years. He said that he didn't want to do songs from the likes of Small Faces, Kinks, The Who, The Beatles etc because he didn't feel he could add any more too them, but maybe he should've included a couple as that is what a lot of fans would love to hear - for example in the past he's played 'Tin Soldier' by the Small Faces on live sets, 'Magic Bus' by The Who is almost routine now as an ending to 'Bull-Rush'. Not that these songs should be covered for an LP, but we'd love to hear his voice covering those legends we hold him in the same regards as (Steve Marriot, Roger Daltrey, John Lennon). This is where V2 should have maybe showed more control and asked him to add a few more popular classics on there, in space of a very feeble version of the Bacharach and David penned song for the Carpenters, 'Close To You', and 'All Along The Watchtower' is always going to remembered as a Dylan or Hendrix track, this version doesn't compete on their levels.

The higlight for me was the opening track, 'If Only I Could Be So Sure', and 'Wishing On A Star' is good, covered almost along the same thematic lines as 'Broken Stones' on the Stanley Road album.

I await the return of his high standard in song-writing, hopefully this won't be a long wait. Maybe he needs to change his line-up a bit, as this is what made albums such as Wild Wood and Stanley Road such a success - the various sessioning from established musicians.