Sound Affects

Noted musical influences on Sound Affects include post-punk groups such as Wire, Gang of Four, and Joy Division and, particularly evident in Rick Buckler's drumming, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. Paul Weller has freely admitted that the Beatles' Revolver was a major influence on much of the material on Sound Affects.{{cite book |title=The Mojo Collection |publisher=Canongate Books |edition=4th |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-847-67643-6 |page=457}} At the time of its release, he said that he considered the album a cross between Off the Wall and Revolver.{{cite web |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/05249-the-jam-sound-affects-review |title=30 Years On: The Jam's Sound Affects Revisited |website=The Quietus |date=8 November 2010 |access-date=17 January 2017 |last=Siebert |first=Valerie}}

"Start!" is built around an almost exact copy of the bass-line from the Beatles' "Taxman", the first track on Revolver, and includes a homage to its guitar solo. "Pretty Green" includes a funk bass-line and rhythm with melodic guitar breaks and psychedelic sound effects.

The front cover of Sound Affects is inspired by the series of Sound Effects albums created by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and features pictures of a taxi cab (likely an Austin FX4), a telephone box, a hearse, the phrase 'From the cradle to the grave' (associated with the welfare state), and Dungeness B power station, among others.

The back cover of the album features an excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem The Masque of Anarchy.{{cite web |title=From Paul Weller to Peterloo |url=https://phm.org.uk/blogposts/from-paul-weller-to-peterloo/ |website=People's History Museum |access-date=1 August 2022 |date=1 March 2019}}{{cite web |title=The Masque of Anarchy |url=https://leedsunilibrary.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/the-masque-of-anarchy/ |website=Leeds University Libraries |access-date=1 August 2022 |date=8 April 2020}}

Sound Affects sold over 100,000 copies and spent 19 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, rising to number two in late 1980.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14105/jam/ |title=Jam |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=14 February 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/8128/The-Jam-Sound-Affects/|title=The Jam: Sound Affects|website=sputnikmusic.com|access-date=7 February 2021}} In the United States, the album spent 11 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and reached its peak position of number 72 in February 1981.

The album features the group's second UK number one single, "Start!". Polydor pushed for "Pretty Green" to be the first single released, but Weller insisted on "Start!". This involved consulting a few of the band's friends as to what they thought the best release would be. Weller had Polydor A&R man Dennis Munday ask a small peer group of his friends who had been present throughout the recording sessions at the Town House and prior demo recordings at Polydor Studios. Given the choice, they selected "Start!" as the best single release and the decision was made to release it. The decision was vindicated when "Start!" topped the British singles charts in its third week after entering at number three.

Sound Affects was reissued on 8 November 2010 as a two-CD deluxe edition to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The 2010 reissue also charted in the UK, reaching number 63 in November of that year.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-affects-mw0000651761 |title=Sound Affects – The Jam |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=15 September 2013 |last=Woodstra |first=Chris}}

| rev2 = Classic Rock

| rev2score = 9/10{{cite magazine |title=The Jam: Sound Affects |magazine=Classic Rock |issue=153 |date=January 2011 |last=Dee |first=Johnny |page=112}}

| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book |chapter=Jam |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin |publisher=Omnibus Press |edition=5th concise |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev4 = Mojo

| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine |title=The Jam: Sound Affects |magazine=Mojo |issue=205 |date=December 2010 |page=114}}

| rev5 = Q

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=The Jam: Sound Affects |magazine=Q |issue=293 |date=December 2010}}

| rev6 = Record Collector

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=The Jam: Sound Affects |magazine=Record Collector |issue=383 |date=Christmas 2010 |last=Staunton |first=Terry |page=89}}

| rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book |chapter=The Jam |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/416 416–17]}}

| rev8 = Spin

| rev8score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XJj9SR3-aSgC&pg=PA88 |title=Discography: Paul Weller |magazine=Spin |volume=24 |issue=7 |date=July 2008 |access-date=26 December 2016 |last=Duerden |first=Nick |page=88}}

| rev9 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev9score = 10/10{{cite book |chapter=Jam |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=195–96}}

| rev10 = Uncut

| rev10score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=The Jam: Sound Affects |magazine=Uncut |issue=163 |date=December 2010 |last=Quantick |first=David |author-link=David Quantick |page=99}}

}}

Record Mirror ranked it the best album of 1980.{{cite magazine|title=Poll 1980 Results|magazine=Record Mirror|date=10 January 1981|pages=16–17|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/81/Record-Mirror-1981-01-10-OCR.pdf|access-date=15 November 2022|via=worldradiohistory.com}}

In 2006, Q placed Sound Affects at number 15 on its list of the "40 Best Albums of the '80s".{{cite magazine |title=40 Best Albums of the '80s |magazine=Q |issue=241 |date=August 2006}} In 2013, NME ranked Sound Affects at number 487 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-500-401-1426363 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 500–401 |website=NME |date=21 October 2013 |access-date=17 January 2017}} In 2020, Rolling Stone included Sound Affects in their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list, praising the band for crafting their "finest album", while encapsulating "the classic English songcraft of the Kinks and the Small Faces, singing about working-class anger".{{cite web|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-1980-1075743/|title=The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980 What came out of all this was, arguably, the greatest year for great albums ever|publisher=Rolling Stone|date=11 November 2020 |access-date=12 November 2020}} The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.{{cite book|first=Tim|last=Sheridan|editor-first=Robert|editor-last=Dimery|chapter=The Jam: Sound Affects|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|title-link=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|publisher=Universe Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7893-1371-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/1001AlbumsYouMustHearBeforeYouDie/page/n232/mode/1up 466]}}

In BBC Radio 6 Music's documentary The Jam: Made in Britain, Paul Weller cited Sound Affects as his favourite Jam album.

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Paul Weller, except where noted

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Pretty Green

| length1 = 2:37

| title2 = Monday

| length2 = 3:02

| title3 = But I'm Different Now

| length3 = 1:52

| title4 = Set the House Ablaze

| length4 = 5:03

| title5 = Start!

| length5 = 2:33

| title6 = That's Entertainment

| length6 = 3:38

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Dream Time

| length1 = 3:54

| title2 = Man in the Corner Shop

| length2 = 3:12

| title3 = Music for the Last Couple

| note3 = Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller

| length3 = 3:45

| title4 = Boy About Town

| length4 = 2:00

| title5 = Scrape Away

| length5 = 3:59

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Start!

| length1 = 2:33

| title2 = Pretty Green

| length2 = 2:37

| title3 = Monday

| length3 = 3:02

| title4 = But I'm Different Now

| length4 = 1:52

| title5 = Set The House Ablaze

| length5 = 5:03

| title6 = That's Entertainment

| length6 = 3:38

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title1 = Dream Time

| length1 = 3:54

| title2 = Man in the Corner Shop

| length2 = 3:12

| title3 = Music for the Last Couple

| note3 = Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller

| length3 = 3:45

| title4 = Boy About Town

| length4 = 2:00

| title5 = Scrape Away

| length5 = 3:59

}}

CD1 as per original release

Track listing CD2

1. Start! (Single Version) – 2:20
2. Liza Radley – 2:34
3. Dreams Of Children – 2:59
4. That's Entertainment (Alternative) – 3:24
5. Pretty Green (Demo) – 2:38
6. Pop Art Poem – 2:10
7. Rain (Demo) written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney – 2:58
8. Boy About Town (Demo) – 2:18
9. Dream Time (Demo) – 1:52
10. Dead End Street (Demo) written by Ray Davies – 3:15
11. But I'm Different Now (Demo) – 1:57
12. Scrape Away (Instrumental) – 3:59
13. Start! (Demo) – 2:17
14. Liza Radley (Demo) – 2:18
15. And Your Bird Can Sing (Demo) written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney – 1:54
16. Monday (Alternative) – 4:20
17. Get Yourself Together (Demo) written by Ronnie Lane & Steve Marriott – 2:00
18. Set the House Ablaze (Alternative) – 4:47
19. Boy About Town (Alternative) – 2:14
20. No One In The World (Demo) – 2:24
21. 'Instrumental' (Demo) – 2:54
22. Waterloo Sunset (Demo) written by Ray Davies – 3:59

• "Start!" was the first track on side one of the US issue. This issue also included the "Going Underground" / "Dreams of Children" 7".
• On the Canadian issue (Polydor PD-1-6315), "Start!" and "Pretty Green" were switched.
• Pop Art Poem was first released on flexidisc free with Flexipop magazine

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes{{cite AV media notes |title=Sound Affects |others=The Jam |publisher=Polydor Records |year=1980 |id=POLD 5035 |type=liner notes}} and AllMusic.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-affects-mw0000651761 |title=Sound Affects – The Jam {{!}} Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=8 October 2019}}

The Jam

• Paul Weller – guitar, vocals, keyboards, sitar
• Bruce Foxton – bass guitar, vocals
• Rick Buckler – drums, percussion

Technical

• The Jam – production, sleeve design
• Vic Coppersmith-Heaven – production
• George Chambers – assistant engineering
• Alan Douglas – engineering
• Bill Smith – sleeve design
• Andrew Douglas – photography
• Martyn Goddard – photography
• Andrew Rosen – photography
• Pennie Smith – photography
• Laurent Locher – French spoken vocals on 'Scrape Away'

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Sound Affects|artist=The Jam|type=album|award=Gold|accessdate=14 November 2020|certyear=1980|id=6151-2171-2}}

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• {{Discogs master|20265|Sound Affects}}

{{The Jam}}

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Category:1980 albums

Category:Polydor Records albums

Category:The Jam albums