Sold Date: April 7, 2023
Start Date: March 31, 2023
Final Price: $15.27 (USD)
Bid Count: 5
Seller Feedback: 1077
Buyer Feedback: 0

You are bidding on a Vinyl issue of The Jam’s 1977 first LP, “In The City.”  This album was originally released in 1977 on the Polydol label, and the item for sale appears to be an original issue from 1977 (Polydor PD-1-6110).

We actually purchased this item decades ago, played it (and enjoyed it!), and it has been sitting in our home (vertically) for the last few decades. 

The LP is in Near Mint-Excellent condition; it really looks clean.  The LP cover is in VG+ condition; the top corners are sharp.  The bottom corners show some wear.  (See photos). The inside sleeve contains lyrics.  (See Photos). Please remember that this album was well taken care of, but it was played as part of our record collection decades ago.  

This item has been stored at room temperature, in a smoke free home.  Please see photos of actual item being sold. 

The Jam:  “In The City (1977)” 

“On their debut, the Jam offered a good balance between the forward-looking, "destroy everything" aggression of punk with a certain reverence for '60s beat and R&B. In an era that preached attitude over musicianship, the Jam bettered the competition with good pop sense, strong melodies, and plenty of hooks that compromised none of punk's ideals or energy, plus youth culture themes and an abrasive, ferocious attack. Even though the band would improve exponentially over the next couple of years, In the City is a remarkable debut and stands as one of the landmark punk albums”.

“I was at college and perfectly happy listening to the Eagles, Steve Miller and Peter Frampton when a friend at the time who produced one of the early punk fanzines tried to turn us on to the burgeoning new music scene. He was friends with a couple of unknown bands and used to play us rehearsal tapes on cassette of a band called The Clash, another called The Sex Pistols and this beat combo The Jam. Pretty amazing right.

Well it’s easy to view these breakout bands with 20/20 hindsight. They all shared a raw energy that was undeniable but the Pistols sounded like crap and while The Clash had a cooler vibe it was The Jam that stood out. They seemed more relatable and even danceable. And their debut album while not as seismic as the other two certainly displayed a degree of competence and reverence to the British traditions of bands like the Who and the Kinks in contrast to the other two that seemed to dismiss anything as “muso” as established classic rockers. This wasn’t the destroy ethic of the inner city, instead it was the sound of the suburbs, powerful, energetic, built around real songs and played with a passion. I remember seeing them on Top Of The Pops, the lone pop music show on the BBC TV (Thursday 7.30pm 30 minutes where Bowie might follow Boney M). Rick Butler rock solid behind the kit, Bruce Foxton bouncing up and down and laying down melodic bass while Paul Weller chewed gum while spitting out angry lyrics. They were so cool and this album is great.”