The band showed a diversity of musical styles. Singles "Speak Like a Child" (with its loud soul-influenced style), the extended funk of "Money-Go-Round", and the haunting synth-ballad "Long Hot Summer" all featured Talbot on keyboards and organ. Near the end of 1983, these songs were compiled on Introducing The Style Council, a mini-album initially released in Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States only. The Dutch version was heavily imported to the United Kingdom.
In 1984, the single "My Ever-Changing Moods", backed with the Hammond organ instrumental "Mick's Company", reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song remains Weller's greatest success on the American charts (including his efforts in The Jam and as a solo artist), while the group reached the peak of its success in the United Kingdom with the 1985 album Our Favourite Shop.
To Weller's fans, the decision to split up The Jam at the height of their commercial success was met with considerable controversy[citation needed]. Weller deliberately distanced himself from The Jam's sound and style, with his use of new musical arrangements and instruments in a much slicker, more heavily produced style. In the place of the Bruce Foxton-Rick Buckler rhythm section were drum and bass parts done entirely on synthesisers.
Structurally, many of the band's early singles were not far removed from The Jam's latter-day soul-pop efforts such as "Town Called Malice" and "Beat Surrender", but they were often criticised as overproduced, despite Weller's impressive songwriting[citation needed]. Also, many observers saw even the early albums as indulgent and overly experimental; Trouser Press called Café Bleu "too schizophrenic to be a good album".
The Style Council took a more overtly political approach than The Jam in their lyrics, with tracks such as "Walls Come Tumbling Down", "The Lodgers", and "Come To Milton Keynes" being deliberate attacks on 'middle England' and Thatcherite principles prevalent in the Eighties. Weller was also instrumental in the formation of Red Wedge with Billy Bragg. However, he later said that this began to detract from the music: "We were involved with a lot of political things going on at that time. I think after a while that overshadowed the music a bit"
In 1986, the band released a live album, Home and Abroad, and, in 1987, the album The Cost of Loving was launched, followed later in the year by the upbeat non-album single "Wanted", which reached #20 in the United Kingdom. However, Confessions of a Pop Group, released a year later, sold poorly. This led to their record label Polydor rejecting their final album (Modernism: A New Decade), which was heavily influenced by the contemporary house scene. A greatest hits album, appropriately called The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, was released internationally in 1989; it included the non-album single "Promised Land", which had reached #27 in the United Kingdom earlier that year.
In 1989 members of The Style Council went under the name of King Truman to release a single on Acid Jazz titled "Like A Gun". This was unbeknown to Polydor and the single was pulled from the shops only 3 days prior to release. Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller said "The pair offered to make a single for my new label, which I'd just started with Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson as a side project. Mick and Paul took pseudonyms Truman King and Elliott Arnold." [1]
The Style Council broke up in 1989. The cover of "Promised Land" (originally by Joe Smooth) was the only release which surfaced from the Modernism sessions at the time; however, the entire album was released in 1998, both independently and in a 5-CD box set, The Complete Adventures Of The Style Council. After the split, Weller embarked on a successful solo career (still featuring Steve White on drums, who had left The Style Council by the time Confessions of a Pop Group was released, having only played on a few of its tracks). Talbot and White released two albums as Talbot/White — United States of Mind (1995) and Off The Beaten Track (1996). More recently, Mick Talbot and Steve White have formed The Players with Damon Minchella and Aziz Ibrahim.
All of The Style Council's UK releases (including singles, 12" maxis, albums, compact discs and re-issues thereof) featured the work of graphic designer Simon Halfon, who often collaborated with Weller to hone his ideas into a graphic form. Weller and Halfon began working together at the end of The Jam's career, and continue to work together to this day on Weller's solo material.
Since 2007, the song "Walls Come Tumbling Down" has been used as the theme song for the German TV series Dr. Psycho – Die Bösen, die Bullen, meine Frau und ich.
A Stones Throw Away
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the boys in uniform, now you know whose side they're on
With backing, with blessing from earthly God's not heaven
A stone's throw away from it all
Whatever pleasures those who get from stripping skin with rhino whip
Are the kind that must be stopped before their kind take all we've got
With loving, with caring, they take great pride in working
Whenever honesty persists, you'll hear the snap of broken ribs
Of anyone who'll take no more of the lying bastards' roar
In Chile, In Poland, Johannesburg, South Yorkshire
A stone's throw away, now we're there
The Style Council's song "A Stone's Throw Away" is a powerful piece of social commentary that criticizes the actions of those in power who abuse their authority to oppress their subjects. The song starts by emphasizing the high cost of liberty in terms of the physical violence that can occur when those in power clamp down on dissidents. The imagery of "broken skulls and leather cosh" is vivid and disturbing, conveying the brutal reality of what can happen to those who dare to stand up to the status quo. The "boys in uniform" mentioned in the song are intended to represent the state's enforcers, whether they are police officers, soldiers, or other agents of the government.
The second verse goes on to describe the danger posed by those who seek to exploit others, whether for their own pleasure or their own gain. The "rhino whip" mentioned in the lyrics is likely a reference to the notorious "sjambok," a South African weapon that was commonly used by white farmers and police to beat their black workers and prisoners. The song calls for an end to such cruelty, arguing that those who engage in it are "the kind that must be stopped before their kind take all we've got." The third and final verse of the song highlights the ongoing struggle for human rights and dignity around the world, with specific references to Chile, Poland, and South Africa. By connecting these various struggles, the song emphasizes the universality of the human experience and the importance of working together to overcome oppression and injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
For liberty there is a cost, it's broken skulls and leather cosh
Freedom comes at a price, which is often the violent repression by those in power.
From the boys in uniform, now you know whose side they're on
The police or military forces are often aligned with those in power, rather than with the people they are supposed to protect.
With backing, with blessing from earthly God's not heaven
The support for those in power comes from earthly sources, rather than divine intervention.
A stone's throw away from it all
The violent repression and abuse of power is often very close to us, even if we choose to ignore it.
Whatever pleasures those who get from stripping skin with rhino whip
Some people take pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering on others, which is a troubling and dangerous behavior.
Are the kind that must be stopped before their kind take all we've got
If we don't intervene and stop those who enjoy causing pain to others, they will continue to gain power and take away our freedom and rights.
With loving, with caring, they take great pride in working
Those who work towards a peaceful and just society do so with compassion and pride in their efforts.
The stone's throw away from it all, all, all
The violent and oppressive forces are always close, and we need to confront them to make a better society.
Whenever honesty persists, you'll hear the snap of broken ribs
When people speak out against the lies and corruption of those in power, they often face violent repercussions.
Of anyone who'll take no more of the lying bastards' roar
People who refuse to be silenced by the lies and oppression of the powerful are often targets of violent retaliation.
In Chile, In Poland, Johannesburg, South Yorkshire
There are many places around the world where people have stood up against oppressive forces, including these specific locations.
A stone's throw away, now we're there
We must recognize that the oppressive forces are always close, and we need to act to create a just and peaceful society.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind