POLL Mod Cons: best song on the Jam's All Mod Cons

Some pressings sub in The Butterfly Collector for Billy Hunt, so I included both.

Oh man. Putting this on right now.

In the Crowd

Some pressings sub in The Butterfly Collector for Billy Hunt, so I included both.

I may actually prefer "Billy Hunt," which I assume is an unpopular opinion, thought I don't actually know.

For me it comes down to “To Be Someone” vs. “Down in the Tube Station.” The latter has the energy and anger, the former the melodic melancholy. Hard call.

It's Too Bad is my favourite early (early = 77/78 i guess) Jam song so that

An embarrassment of riches but it's "Tube Station" for me as that mini-drama made a big impact when I heard it as a teen.

For me it comes down to “To Be Someone” vs. “Down in the Tube Station.” The latter has the energy and anger, the former the melodic melancholy

but has the former inspired an all-time great ILM thread?

"In the Crowd".

xp I’m aware that lots of people get “take-away curry.”

One of the things I love about about "In the Crowd" is that it kinda feels like it should be one of their quick little album tracks--think "Boy About Town" or "Ghosts"--but instead of trailing off somewhere after the two-minute mark, it goes into this quasi-psych bit that stretches the song out to five-and-a-half minutes, asserting its weight on the whole record.

xxxp never forget
"Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" by The Jam - What Does It Mean?

i was marching down the thread to make that link lol. it ruined the song for me but i think justifiably so. the lyrical rubbish defeats it's musical goodness, now as i sees clearly.

I was in a covers band until covid kicked it into touch..

One of the suggested covers was "Down in the tube station", which i never was that fond of: an impressive song, but. Anyway, I looked at the tons of lyrics I needed to learn precisely and wondered why. The bass dude basically said it was so the audience can do the "whoas" after I sang the title. That's showbusiness I guess.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

My brother had this when I was little, I feel the same melancholy from "The Butterfly Collector" that I did then; but I chose "Mr Clean" since it's on the album proper.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Quite surprised that "The Place I Love" got a vote and "Billy Hunt" and "English Rose" didn't.

English Rose is great but that "...from she" is jarring.

billy hunt has great energy but somehow— i shoulda listened to it before voting maybe