RIP Rick Buckler

On February 17, 2025 Rick Buckler drummer for the Jam past away. Without a doubt, one of my favorite bands of all time. 

When I was in high school, I was introduced to what was then new wave or post punk or alternative (or called “art rock” on occasion). My friends and I scrolled our favorite band’s names on our notebooks. That fandom reflected the big names of the day- The Cure, U2, Depeche Mode, OMD and so on along with bands that had a long influence- Sex Pistols, Clash, Violent Femmes. I was curious that a certain friend always had The Jam on his list. 

Now granted that iconic logo with the trailing line under the M is epic. Still, at the time, there couldn’t be a more possibly obscure idea to me than the Jam. In these days of video blogs and RYM, I am shocked at how there is a culture of Teens who go online and post things to places like Reddit such as “I like —-, what should I listen to” As a seriously old dude, this feels so passive. Yet, with a sharper eye, were things that much different then? 

I was shocked to find Snap! In a local record store. (I found many inexpensive albums here that surely made and still makes little sense to me, except I am sure they probably came through local radio stations that dumped them and returning college students) Snap! Is the two disc greatest hits album from 1983 that would later be released (albeit culled) on compact disc to more fanfare in the US as Compact Snap and later replaced by a not terribly different 1991 greatest hits. 

Although there’s not room for everything, Snap with some B-sides and album cuts and the rawer demo version of That’s Entertainment is near perfect. Nah, forget I said “near”. I am not sure there’s a better start to end listening experience The Jam recorded six albums in five years. The kind of prolific output that most groups would have only gotten two or three albums out at the same life time. 

I never much liked Weller’s post Jam work which is well loved. That may be my failing, but I much prefer the frenetic energy of the Jam. I also don’t like that Weller, like Sting and so many others, don’t seem particularly proud of their early work. Still, maybe if I was an artist and that’s all people wanted to talk about, I would feel the same.