Almost perfect.
Kevin O'Conner | 04/15/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"After a fall 2006 release date was cancelled, I held little hope that this Deluxe Edition of Our Favourite Shop would see the light of day - at least, not without being substantially butchered from the originally published track listing.
I'm happy to say that the key extras are almost all included.
Disc 1 features two extra tracks. First is the so-called "USA remix" of "Shout to the top!", which we've been stuck with since the 2000 reissue (it also appears on The Sound of The Style Council). This mix is far inferior to the original, thanks to a different drum track; since the original version was included on the original CD release, and treated as though it were part of the album, I see no reason why it should have been omitted. Universal partly makes up for this by including the instrumental version of the original as the second (and last) bonus track on disc 1. I say "partly" because its inclusion illustrates just how dreadful that "USA remix" really is.
Disc 2 is the real reason any TSC aficionado should be buying this edition. All of the singles released in association with this album contained non-LP tracks. All of those tracks are here - including the club mixes of "The lodgers" and "Our favourite shop" from the "Come to Milton Keynes" 12-inch, and the live tracks that made up side B of the 12-inch of the rerecorded version of "The lodgers". (This includes "The big boss groove", which was originally reported to be the version from the Home and Abroad live album.)
In addition to these b-sides, disc 2 includes the two demo tracks and "A casual affair" from the 1993 odds-and-sods disc, Here's Some That Got Away. AND, the original 12-inch version of the Council Collective single, "Soul deep", finially makes its first appearance on CD.
Disc 2 is rounded out by four demos. "'Lodger'" has some dodgy harmony vocals, but, despite its roughness, has a little bit more soul than the album version. I could easily imagine someone like The O'Jays doing this one. The remaining three demos are not bad.
So, as far as the musical content goes, this may be the best Style Council reissue yet. Replace that hideous "USA remix" of "Shout to the top!" with the original, and it's pretty much perfect.
The overall packaging is typical for a TSC reissue. In other words, it looks good, but attention to detail is clearly lacking. The liner notes are better than usual, except that the writer constantly uses commas where semi-colons are more appropriate, making for some occasionally difficult reading. The track listing gets the parenthetical part of the title of "The Lodgers" slightly wrong (it should be "Or She Was Only A Shopkeeper's Daughter" - the original CD and the 2000 reissue both got it right). Finally, the copyright credits are way off - but I'll spare you the details.
In short: Even with a couple of minor flaws, this is an essential disc."
Some of Style Council's Finest Work
John Lydon | Chicago, IL United States | 06/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is some of the Style Council's finest work. Paul Weller's stinging social commentary stands is sharp contrast to the delightful melodies. My favorite is "Come to Milton Keynes." "We used to chase dreams, now we chase the dragon." Nothing like songs about herion to a catchy pop tune. All the songs are strong. This is one of those rare albums that we can put on, let play and enjoy all the whole thing. The extras on disk two are a wonderful bonus for the Style Council junkie.
When I played "The Standup Comic's Instructions" in the car, my ten year old boy exclaimed, "What is this music you are listing to?" Sweet! It's good for parents to shock their children with music every once-in-a-while.
I may be one of the few out there, but I love both the Jam and the Style Council. By 1983, I had enough of the mod/punk Jam kind of stuff. I liked the 180 degree shift to the Style Council and this is its finest work. The album holds up as well today as it did in 1985 when I bought it on vinyl. Enjoy.
Jack Lydon"
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MORTEN AASTAD | Oslo Norway | 08/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Due, probably, to my age, I first became aware of Paul Weller through the Style Council. Back in the mid 80's, the songs, the style, well, it all clicked for me. Later on I've become an even bigger fan of his work, having discovered The Jam and the solo work.
A lot of work has been made, both by Weller and critics, to put the Style Council well and truly behind us, in such a way I sometimes feel like there's something wrong with me, for liking this band.
Imagine then how glad I was when I saw this gem of a cd set. Just like they did on the Jam's All Mod Cons and Stanley Road deluxe sets, they've really pulled out all the stops on this one. There's lots to read and look at. The set looks really just as sophisticated as I'm sure Paul wanted the original album to look back in the day.
An even bigger treat here, are all the 12 inch mixes. It really feels like I lived in some far gone world, listening to these. Remember being 14 years old back in 1986, buying Maxi Singles? By bands like Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and even the Style Council? Wow... I really feel old now!
Even though the style has changed, and Paul is the bluesy, rockin' 'Modfather' now, I still think this album is entirely relevant. The lyrics may be coloured by the time they were made, but in so many ways, we haven't really moved on much these past 20-22 years.
A window to a different time for sure, but when you close your eyes and rediscover this great music all over again, I'm sure you will agree with me, it's a great journey to take, and a damned handsome cd set to own!"
Track Listings (37) - Disc #1