When Paul Weller broke up the Jam in 1982 to indulge his more soulful and jazzy inspirations, a whole generation of Mod revivalists were crushed. Despite his diehard fans' confusion, essentially what Weller was doing when he teamed with keyboardist Mick Talbot was Mod in the truest sense: Thoroughly modern and steeped in American R&B and soul music.
At its core, the music of the Style Council shares many similarities with that of the Jam. Weller's distinctive hooks and socially conscious lyricism remain intact, as well as his fine European sartorial sense, but the youthful aggression is replaced by a much cleaner presentation that, though arguably sometimes a bit too delicate or sterile, was certainly modern for its time.