YMFW-81WIP

1981
The Author’s of this book do not endorse the release or purchase of bootlegs.
Please remember, the artists and copyright holders do not get paid
by bootleggers and they are not legitimate/official releases
Due to the volatile nature of prices on auction sites, the author’s have decided not to value any
records or CDs, the book would quickly be out of date if that were the case so they have decided
to indcate how rare they are and how likely they will turn up on auction sites.
The best indication of prices is to be found on Popspike (www.popspike.com)
By the standards The Jam had set themselves to date, 1981 was a quiet year for the band. This was probably the first real sign
that the intensity that had driven the group was taking its toll, particularly on Paul. There was no new album release in the year
to promote, and only two UK singles were issued – Funeral Pyre in May and Absolute Beginners in October. The beginning of the
year had also seen the flood of imported copies of the That’s Entertainment German release, which hit the UK charts. During the
latter part of the year, the band were working on the tracks that eventually made up The Gift LP released in March 1982.
Gig wise things were also fairly low key:
– 6 small UK charity and warm up shows
February/March – 12 date European Sound Affects tour
April – a benefit concert in Liverpool in support of a ‘March Against Unemployment’
May – 5 concerts made up the second tour of Japan, and the fifth USA/Canada tour took in 6 dates
June – 2 shows in Sweden, followed by another Jam show at The Rainbow, London
June/July – the 11 date ‘Bucket And Spade’ UK tour
October – a couple of CND benefit shows in London, particularly notable for a cover of Sandie Shaw’s Long Live Love being
played. Also a very low key appearance on the back of a low loader on the Victorial Embankment. The exact location of this
was changed as the route for the change was altered as advised by the police. A small crowd of around 100 people witnessed
this one-off event!
December – 4 London CND benefit shows; followed by the final show of the year at Golders Green Hippodrome,
London, which was a concert held for the BBC to record the band for their In Concert series, and this was broadcast in February
1982.
In terms of concert recordings, Polydor recorded all 4 of the London December CND shows. The first official release of any of
these tracks came in 1982, with Town Called Malice, from the 14th December Hammersmith Palais show, being used on the 12”
single.
A further 3 tracks from the 14th December recording were released on Dig The New Breed. 1993’s Live Jam compilation
included 3 more tracks from the 14th (including another release for Malice, which Dennis Munday said in the liner notes was “just
too good to be left off and buried in the vaults”), and 3 tracks from the 15th at Hammersmith. 2002 saw the release of The Jam At
The BBC, and this included the 12 tracks from Golders Green recorded on 19th December. In 2015, as part of the 6CD Fire And
Skill live box set, the 14th December recording was released, although not the full show as Start was omitted. The same recording
was then released as a double vinyl album in 2017.
Unofficial audience recordings were plentiful as always, but only a handful of recordings have been issued by the bootleggers
on vinyl and CD over the years.
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