TOWN CALLED MALICE/PRECIOUS
THE JAM
PRODUCED BY PETER WILSON & THE JAM/WRITTEN BY PAUL WELLER
POLYDOR/JANUARY 1982
UK CHART: 1
Is Town Called Malice even arguable as Weller's most danceable 3 minutes of song-writing? A floor-filler with a conscience, it's still played in student disco's to this day whilst retaining it's timeless commentary on mundane British suburbia. Motown bass, stunning pointed kiss-off lyrics to Woking and a catchy chorus line. That'll be a #1 then. For 3 weeks as it turned out, keeping The Stranglers finest moment (Golden Brown, natch) from the top spot.
The double A-side format paired it with Precious, a song paving the way for the experimentations of The Style Council, especially as Foxton and Buckler seems reluctant players on it and the 12" (pictured below) extends the track, intended for the club and dancefloor. It also adds a energetic, rampant live take on Town Called Malice. This split in formats gave The Jam fans two potential purchases, with many buying both, this contributed to high sales. A marketing ploy, but the 12" tracks sound fantastic and are a great addition to the essential 7" with the killer studio cut of Malice and radio edit of Precious.
Weller was soon lifting his collar to the wind, looking into the middle distance, heading for new horizons...
