Start! (2:29)

This is an example of how to wear your influences on your sleeve, without being a complete plagiarist! Like many of the songs on “Sound Affects”, The Jam were obviously very heavily influenced by The Beatles’ LP “Revolver” at this time (the closing bass flutter on “Going Underground” is a subtle nod to McCartney’s final note on “And Your Bird Can Sing”, for example). The bassline on this track takes the guitar riff from “Taxman” and turns it into something new. Paul Weller is in touch (as always) with his feelings about loneliness and with the difficulties of breaking down barriers to achieve a real personal communication with someone else. The result is 2 minutes and several seconds of pure pop brilliance. The B-side, “Liza Radley” is obviously their interpretation of “Eleanor Rigby”, and it’s just as good, in its own special way.
PS, hats off to whoever actually mastered The Jam’s 7” singles onto vinyl - they were always cut very loud and deep, and they boomed out from your turntable in a way that CDs just…don’t do.