Setting Sons

Recording and content

In contrast to its pop-oriented predecessor, Setting Sons features a much harder, tougher production, albeit with the overarching melodicism common throughout The Jam's discography. Arguably, this is the Jam's most thematically ambitious LP. Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Paul Weller originally conceived Setting Sons as a concept album detailing the lives of three boyhood friends who later reunite as adults after an unspecified war only to discover they have grown up and apart. This concept was never fully developed, and it remains unclear which tracks were originally intended as part of the story, though it is commonly agreed that "Thick As Thieves", "Little Boy Soldiers", "Wasteland", and "Burning Sky" are likely constituents; extant Jam bootlegs feature a version of "Little Boy Soldiers" split into three separate recordings, possible evidence that the song was intended to serve as a recurring motif, with separate sections appearing between other songs on the album.

The album was musically ambitious as well. "Little Boy Soldiers" consists of several movements, reminiscent of compositions by The Kinks. "Wasteland" features the unconventional instrument of the recorder. Even more striking is Bruce Foxton's "Smithers-Jones". The song was originally released as the B-side to the non-LP single "When You're Young" three months before the album's release, and is here redone in an all-strings arrangement, save a bit of electric guitar in the coda. According to the liner notes of the Direction Reaction Creation box set, the revamping of "Smithers-Jones" was suggested by drummer Rick Buckler.

The liner notes also imply that the album was a somewhat rushed effort, which may explain why the original underlying concept was not fully developed, as well as the inclusion of cover songs and prior releases: "Smithers-Jones" had already been released; "Heat Wave" is a cover of the Martha and the Vandellas' Motown hit. Since "The Eton Rifles" was released in advance of the LP for promotional purposes, this leaves only seven entirely new original songs on the album.

Album cover

The album cover art features a photograph of Benjamin Clemens' bronze sculpture, The St John's Ambulance Bearers. Cast in 1919, this sculpture depicts a wounded soldier being carried by two ambulance workers. This sculpture is currently in the possession of the Imperial War Museum in London.

Reception

The album remains one of The Jam's most critically favoured works alongside All Mod Cons and Sound Affects. The only song particularly singled out for negative criticism is the cover of "Heat Wave", which clearly owes more to The Who's arrangement than the original. As AllMusic put it, "Setting Sons often reaches brilliance and stands among The Jam's best albums, but the inclusion of a number of throwaways and knockoffs (especially the out-of-place cover of "Heat Wave" which closes the album) mars an otherwise perfect album." Nonetheless, AllMusic gave the album the full five stars.

It was ranked at number four among the top "Albums of the Year" for 1979 by NME, with "Eton Rifles" and "Strange Town" ranked at numbers one and five among the year's top tracks.

Chart performance

Setting Sons spent 19 weeks on the UK album charts, rising to No. 4. In the U.S., the album spent 8 weeks on the Billboard 200 album charts and reached its peak position of No. 137 in March 1980.

The 2014 rerelease also charted in the UK, reaching No. 97 in November of that year.

International releases

The Polydor Canada LP release of Setting Sons is substantially different from the original UK version, and contains 12 tracks.

The Polydor US LP release in 1979 reversed the sides and inserted the single "Strange Town" as the second song on side 2 between "Girl on the Phone" and "Thick As Thieves".

UK track listing

All songs by Paul Weller except as noted.

1. "Girl on the Phone"
2. "Thick as Thieves"
3. "Private Hell"
4. "Little Boy Soldiers"
5. "Wasteland"

1. "Burning Sky"
2. "Smithers-Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
3. "Saturday's Kids"
4. "The Eton Rifles"
5. "Heat Wave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)

Polydor Canada track listing

All songs by Paul Weller except as noted.

1. "Strange Town"
2. "Saturday's Kids"
3. "Little Boy Soldiers"
4. "The Eton Rifles"
5. "Girl on the Phone"
6. "Heat Wave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)

1. "Smithers-Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
2. "Private Hell"
3. "The Butterfly Collector"
4. "Burning Sky"
5. "Thick as Thieves"
6. "Wasteland"

Polydor US track listing

All songs by Paul Weller except as noted.

1. "Burning Sky"
2. "Smithers Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
3. "Saturday's Kids"
4. "The Eton Rifles"
5. "(Love Is Like A) Heatwave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)

1. "Girl On The Phone"
2. "Strange Town"
3. "Thick As Thieves"
4. "Private Hell"
5. "Little Boy Soldiers"
6. "Wasteland"

2001 re-release track listing

1. "Girl on the Phone"
2. "Thick As Thieves"
3. "Private Hell"
4. "Little Boy Soldiers"
5. "Wasteland"
6. "Burning Sky"
7. "Smithers-Jones" (Bruce Foxton)
8. "Saturday's Kids"
9. "The Eton Rifles"
10. "Heat Wave" (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
11. "Strange Town"
12. "When You're Young"
13. "Smithers-Jones (single version)" (Bruce Foxton)
14. "See-Saw"
15. "Going Underground"
16. "The Dreams of Children"
17. "So Sad About Us" (Pete Townshend)
18. "Hey Mister"
19. "Start"

Personnel