Paul Weller
Stanley Road (Go! Discs 828 619)

Two years after Wild Wood made Paul Weller's solo presence felt on the British rock scene, he delivered Stanley Road. And while it's tough to follow up a classic album (just ask Lindsey Buckingham), Weller plugs ahead as only he knows how.

"The Changingman" is your basic killer PW pop tune, and welcomes you back to his white funky world. The little harmonica bits really put the icing on the cake over another heavy foundation laid by drummer Steve White. "Porcelain Gods" keeps things rocking with some choice chords in a slower setting, and carries the torch adeptly to the galloping "I Walk On Gilded Splinters."

"You Do Something To Me" warmly delivers a timeless melody from an earlier era, and ranks highly among Weller's best performances. With a touch of Townshend guitar, and some bluesy piano, "Woodcutter's Son" offers some flavorful hints of a few American influences while it scores points on melody. "Time Passes …" finds Paul casting an eye on his past, tracing emotion over time. A Traffic-sounding piano part welcomes us to the title track, which until this particular listening session I failed to notice as an outstanding effort. "Broken Stones" successfully dusts off an electric piano and an old Motown bass for a '90s walk through a midtempo '70s pop tune!

It's time to step back into the sound that fundamentally defines Weller as a solo artist, as "Out of the Sinking" cranks into gear. Powerfully well-paced, there's some substance lurking underneath all the style. "Pink on White Walls" excels where many "album tracks" fail, keeping the theme without damaging the integrity of the whole product. The cleverly titled "Whirpool's End" bubbles in and rocks out, in hindsight sounding like a hint of Mercury Rev's Deserter Songs album that would come years later. The bafflingly titled "Wings of Speed" sounds nothing like the mid 70s classic rocker I know you're all imagining. Somehow it avoids making a single easy reference to a similarly named Wings album, and frankly pulls up kind of lame with its church choir from down the street backing up a nutty not-so-ingenious little finale hymn. Boo!

The Stanley Road CD sounds a lot better to me now than in 1995. I like a lot more here than I recalled, which goes to show how pleasant it can be to revisit fave-artist albums that have been garnering more dust particles than trips to the CD player. If you've bought Wild Wood (and I strongly urge you to do so immediately), make Stanley Road your next Paul Weller. It's a bit of a gem.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Casey Blick