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.
The Stand Up Comics Instructions
The Style Council Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hold your own and they'll hold their's,
Hold their glasses - can't hold their beer
Tell 'em the one about the fucking queer.
Do the one that always works,
'Bout the lazy blacks that don't like work,
And once you got 'em, keep 'em there
Raise their spirits! Raise their cheer!
Do that one that never fails,
'Bout the gang of white thugs and the Asian male,
And once you got 'em, they'll be with you!
See this lot's loyal, through and through.
Tell Irish jokes and you can't miss,
Do the building site one and how they're all thick.
Keep 'em laughing - you'll have it made,
We're a friendly lot and you'll be well paid.
But keep 'em laughing don't let it stop
Or the truth might catch up and spoil the plot.
The Style Council's song The Stand Up Comics Instructions is a satire on the world of stand-up comedy. The lyrics describe the keys to success for a stand-up comic, which is essentially to appeal to the prejudices and stereotypes of the audience. The singer instructs the comic to do the jokes that always work, which are mainly racist and homophobic jokes. He emphasizes the importance of keeping the audience laughing and making them feel good, even if it means sacrificing morality and decency.
However, the lyrics also suggest a deeper message about the dangers of comedy that relies on negative stereotypes and perpetuates harmful attitudes. The final lines caution against letting the truth catch up and spoil the plot, indicating that the laughter and entertainment provided by the comic is ultimately based on falsehoods and ignorance.
Overall, The Stand Up Comics Instructions is a powerful commentary on the problematic nature of comedy that exploits stereotypes and encourages discrimination. It challenges both comedians and audiences to question the impact of their words and actions and strive for more positive and inclusive comedy.
Line by Line Meaning
Get 'em laughing - keep 'em there,
Start with making them laugh and make sure they continue laughing throughout the show.
You hold your own and they'll hold their's,
If you perform well, the audience will hold up their end of the deal by staying engaged and entertained.
Hold their glasses - can't hold their beer
The audience may not be able to handle their drink, but they can handle a good joke.
Tell 'em the one about the fucking queer.
A crude joke that pokes fun at a marginalized group of people.
Do the one that always works,
Stick to a tried and true joke that has worked in the past for guaranteed success.
'Bout the lazy blacks that don't like work,
A racist joke that perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Black people.
And once you got 'em, keep 'em there
Once you have the audience's attention, make sure to keep them engaged and entertained.
Raise their spirits! Raise their cheer!
The goal is to bring joy and positivity to the audience through humor.
Do that one that never fails,
Stick to a joke that has worked every time without fail.
'Bout the gang of white thugs and the Asian male,
Another joke that relies on harmful stereotypes and perpetuates racism.
And once you got 'em, they'll be with you!
Once you have the audience on your side, they will continue to support and enjoy your jokes.
See this lot's loyal, through and through.
The audience is loyal and will stick with the comedian if they continue to make them laugh.
Tell Irish jokes and you can't miss,
An example of a joke that often works well and is not as harmful as other jokes that rely on harmful stereotypes.
Do the building site one and how they're all thick.
Another example of a joke that relies on a stereotype and perpetuates disrespect for certain professions and types of people.
Keep 'em laughing - you'll have it made,
If the audience is continuously laughing, the comedian will have a successful career.
We're a friendly lot and you'll be well paid.
The audience and industry values a comedian who can make people laugh, making it a lucrative career.
But keep 'em laughing don't let it stop
The most important thing is to keep the audience laughing and engaged.
Or the truth might catch up and spoil the plot.
If the comedian relies too much on harmful stereotypes and jokes based in truth, it may catch up to them and ruin their success.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind