In the City (The Jam album)

In the City
Studio album by the Jam
Released	20 May 1977 (1977-05-20)
Recorded	March 1977
Studio	Stratford Place, London, W1
Genre	Punk rock Mod revival
Length	32:02
Label	Polydor
Producer	Vic Coppersmith-Heaven Chris Parry
The Jam chronology
In the City (1977) This Is the Modern World (1977)
Singles from In the City
"In the City" Released: 29 April 1977

In the City is the debut studio album by British band the Jam. Released in May 1977 by Polydor Records, the album reached No. 20 on the UK Albums Chart.[1]

The album features the band's debut single and title track "In the City".[2][3] In addition, the album includes two cover versions, "Slow Down"[4] and the theme to the 1960s television series, Batman, the latter of which had also been previously covered by the Who, the Kinks and Link Wray.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[8]
Q	[9]
Record Mirror	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[12]

Upon its release, In the City received all-round positive reviews. Phil McNeil from the NME said that Paul Weller's songwriting "captures that entire teen frustration vibe with the melodic grace and dynamic aplomb of early Kinks and Who". Brian Harrigan of Melody Maker was equally impressed, remarking that Weller's songs "are anything but an embarrassment" and that "he has a deft touch that places his material on a much higher plateau". In Record Mirror, Barry Cain opined: "Armed and extremely dangerous The Jam stalk the decrepit grooves... if you don't like them hard luck coz they're gonna be around for a long time... It's been a long time since albums actually reflected pre-20 delusions".[10] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said that the band "can put a song together; they're both powerful enough to subsume their sources and fresh enough to keep me coming back for more."[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul Weller, except where noted

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Art School"	2:02
2.	"I've Changed My Address"	3:31
3.	"Slow Down" (Larry Williams)	2:39
4.	"I Got By in Time"	2:07
5.	"Away from the Numbers"	4:03
6.	"Batman Theme" (Neal Hefti)	1:31

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"In the City"	2:19
2.	"Sounds from the Street"	3:14
3.	"Non-Stop Dancing"	2:28
4.	"Time for Truth"	3:10
5.	"Takin' My Love"	2:15
6.	"Bricks and Mortar"	2:37
Total length:		32:02

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[14]

The Jam

• Paul Weller – guitar, vocals
• Bruce Foxton – bass, vocals
• Rick Buckler – drums

Technical

• Vic Coppersmith-Heaven – production, engineering
• Chris Parry – production
• Allen Landau – mastering
• Bill Smith – art direction, design
• Martyn Goddard – front cover photography
• Wade Wood Associates – artwork

Charts

Chart (1977)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[15]	20

References

1. Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 276. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
2. paulweller.com
3. yorkbarbican.co.uk
4. mojo4music.com
5. Woodstra, Chris. "In the City – The Jam". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2005.
6. Christgau, Robert (1981). "J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved 27 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
7. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Jam". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (20 October 2017). "The Jam: In the City / This Is the Modern World / The Polydor Demos: February 1977 / Live 1977 + John Peel Sessions". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
9. "The 100 Best Punk Albums of All Time – The Jam: In the City". Q (special ed.). May 2002. p. 138.
10. Cain, Barry (14 May 1977). "The Jam: In the City". Record Mirror. p. 15.
11. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Jam". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 416–17. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
12. Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Jam". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 195–96. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
13. Christgau, Robert (5 September 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
14. In the City (liner notes). The Jam. Polydor Records. 1977. 2383 447.
15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 November 2020.