Mr Cool’s Dream
by Iain Munn

Weller’s most contentious period laid bare

The Style Council were Paul Weller’s answer to Wham!. Think about it. By 1982, he’s tired of what he perceived as The Jam’s straitjacket, ill-equipped to re-fashion his music in a more soulful guise. George Michael, by contrast, offers a fresh twist on blue-eyed funk, capturing the dawn-of-the- 80s zeitgeist perfectly.

This might be designed to antagonise, but then so were The Style Council, Weller’s most adventurous and impish purple patch, a seven-year itch that resulted in some of his most melodic, lyrically-inspired and enduring songs. Jam fans were divided, reuniting in the 90s during Paul’s renaissance as a solo artist.

You won’t find such theories espoused in Mr Cool’s Dream, the latest edition (and, with a foreword from Weller himself, by far the most authoritative) of Munn’s chronicle. “The Complete History” is a brave boast but its exhaustive lists of records, radio sessions, musicians, gigs and a detailed diary will satisfy even the hardened Wellerphile, interspersed with a plethora of primitively-printed but still worthwhile photos. The facts are coloured by quotes, like this from the then-young man from Woking: “My favourite bit outside the music was me and Mickey Talbot shopping in Rome for clothes like two grannies at a jumble sale!”

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

ISBN 0955144310, 340 pages

Reviewed by John Reed
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