Wild Wood

This album is just really nice and chill. An album you'll listen to sitting on your porch on a sunny spring day. Some call it boring, I call it chill and relaxing.

Honestly could have sucked and I was expecting it to be pretty mediocre after the first two tracks where the most redeeming elements were the nice guitar parts. It actually gets quite a lot better after that, at its best it is great Starbucks soft rock so that's a decent 6-7/10 for me!

Good start, but too long. I really didn't enjoy the rest

A standard bearer of British punk/post punk cool blows all his cred making a blues dad album. It's easy going easy listening stuff without any edge. But the rubbery bass, whispy vocals, and generic funkiness are tragically middle aged. Some of the guitar sounds are really good at least and the looser jammier parts are fun. But the crooning smooth blues...oof.

Favorites: shadow of the sun, has my fire really gone out

ok

A couple of ok to good songs ("Sunflower" and "Wild Wood") and a whole lot of MOR pre-Britpop style rock. I used to like Weller a lot, but I've honestly barely listened to anything by him in 25 years now, it just makes me think as a young and impressionable teen in the days when this came out, maybe I was too easily dazzled?

Better than Coldplay

have and like this album - it is a 3.5/5 - it will round to a 4 #albumsky #musicsky #musicchallenge

I’ve always considered Wild Wood to be Paul Weller’s finest solo album—better, in my opinion, than Stanley Road. I’m revisiting it today to see if that still holds, and it absolutely does.

This album is packed with some of Weller’s most iconic solo tracks. Sunflower, Wild Wood, and The Weaver are all brilliant, timeless songs that really showcase his songwriting and sound. But what lifts this album even higher for me are the deeper cuts. Tracks like All the Pictures on the Wall and Has My Fire Really Gone Out? add real depth and emotion, making it feel like a complete piece of work rather than just a collection of standout singles.

I also found myself really enjoying the instrumentals, which is rare for me. They add a subtle atmosphere and help the album flow beautifully from start to finish.

Favourite tracks: Sunflower, Hung Up, and The Weaver
Least favourite tracks: None, it’s a flawless listen from start to finish
Album artwork: An iconic Weller cover, simple, earthy, and instantly recognisable
Rating: 5/5

The Jam is a blindspot for me and maybe I'd feel differently if it wasn't? Probably not, there's a distinct lack of bangers and it veers to the corny pretty frequently. Feels a lot like the grating naivete of that first Lenny Kravitz album but this guy was older and should've known better.

As much as I like The Jam, Paul Wellers solo material has never clicked with me. I did enjoy this though so I will be more open minded listening to more of his stuff.

File under: “Why is it on the list?” Not bad, pleasant enough, but lyrically and musically relatively uninteresting.

This is one that will sneak up on you. Nothing flashy, but some solid songs, strong lyrics. His voice is pretty middle of the road -the writing carries this album, and I would love to hear other artists takes on these songs.
Second half is better than the first which was a pleasant surprise.

Weller doing Weller

For this review, I will not include the bonus tracks and demo tapes from the deluxe edition box set.

The last time I heard Paul Weller on this journey was when he was with Mick Talbot in The Style Council for an album that was solid if dated. When the record company refused to release the group's fifth studio album, citing declining popularity, Paul dissolved The Style Council and pursued a solo career. After a modestly successful solo debut, Paul recorded Wild Wood, and what a marked improvement it was.

Unburdened by dated style and production choices, Paul delivered a very soulful rock album that wore its influences on its sleeves. His vocal range, from whispers to powerful belts, as he strummed on his guitar alongside his backing band owed to the Motown legends alongside the likes of Nick Drake and Neil Young. Pair that with the vivid imagery in the lyrics, and the result is an immaculate record to let wash over.

If I had to nitpick, while the short instrumentals Paul wrote with Brendan Lynch and Steve White were pleasant, they could have been combined into one longer and more meaningful track. Though if that's all I had to complain about, then I can comfortably say this was a truly enjoyable experience beginning to end. Well played, Paul.

3.0

I am familiar with the name Paul Weller. However, I had forgotten his music. Good opportunity to listen to it again now. I quite liked the album. It didn't really excite me, but I'm happy to listen to it again. 4/5

It was ok. Nothing stood out to me at the time, and I am having difficulty remembering anything about it now. But I am pretty sure I didn't hate it for any reason.

I wasn't expecting much here, only because I got an album by The Jam yesterday which was ok. But I was pleasantly surprised!

Much better than I expected really. I liked the guitar. A few songs started feeling a bit repetitive and long, but overall a good album

4 ⭐️

I listened to this album while I was in the throes of the flu. It was an anchor that held me sane while my fever-racked body was tossing and turning. The thundering headache was soothed by the plucking of Weller's guitar. Short of breath, with a stuffy nose, I nevertheless felt light listening to this album, floating on the gruff but charming vocals.

So, in conclusion: Pretty good.