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Track Listings
| 1. Light Nights | |||
| 2. 22 Dreams | |||
| 3. All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You) | |||
| 4. Have You Made Up Your Mind | |||
| 5. Empty Ring | |||
| 6. Invisible | |||
| 7. Song For Alice | |||
| 8. Cold Moments | |||
| 9. The Dark Pages Of September Lead To The New Leaves Of Spring | |||
| 10. Black River | |||
| 11. Why Walk When You Can Run | |||
| 12. Push It Along | |||
| 13. A Dream Reprise | |||
| 14. Echoes Round The Sun | |||
| 15. One Bright Star | |||
| 16. Lullaby Fur Kinder | |||
| 17. Where'er Ye Go | |||
| 18. God | |||
| 19. 111 | |||
| 20. Sea Spray | |||
See all 21 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk review
It's never too long between Paul "The Modfather" Weller albums. Yet the starlet's prolific solo output over the last decade or so hasn’t often reached the artistic heights of his work with The Jam or The Style Council. While consistent enough, recent projects have been marred by a certain complacency - a tendency to settle for the middle ground instead of the soaring, surprising heights of yesteryear. But on 22 Dreams, some of the old punk fire returns. Buoyed by a stellar Britpop cast including former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and Oasis members Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer, 22 Dreams is the sound of Weller finally taking an unexpected artistic leap after a series of steady steps. Working across a wide range of genres--rock, funk, soul, free jazz, krautrock, classical music, electronica, even spoken word--Weller presents an hour-plus odyssey full of eccentric surprises and loveable chaos. From the blue-eyed soul of "Have You Made Up Your Mind?" and the eerily brilliant "Echoes Around the Sun" (a Weller/Gallagher collaboration), to experimental offerings such as "111" and acid-folk opener "Light Nights", Weller digs deep into his magician's hat, and pulls out rabbit after rabbit. Some of the more off-the-wall moments--"God" for example--won't be for everyone, but the way everything collides together in a haphazard, devil-may-care manner serves to remind us that we should never write off our beloved veterans – you never know when they’re going to take an unexpected artistic risk.--Danny McKenna
Review
For many artists clocking up a half century would be time to stop and take stock. Maybe do the box set thing and release a 'tribute' album of all your own faves. But hold on... Paul Weller's done all that. Which means that with 22 Dreams he's free to go wherever he will. And he does just that. Joined by producer/arranger Simon Dine as well as regular cohort guitarist, Steve Cradock, the two keywords to this album must be 'variety' and (gasp) 'fun'. Yes, Woking's finest son seems to have loosened up and just let the tape roll. The result is a bucolic joyride through his strengths and some very new territory indeed.
Despite reports to the contrary, old school fans will find the usual traits in place among the cosmic jazz and Tom Waits piano balladeering: The Small Faces, Traffic, Curtis Mayfield and John Martyn still figure large in the album's landscape. The difference is that here it's less a slavish, didactic desire to fight for rock of yore; it's just where he's at (man). And by opening up the studio to his friends he's also allowed the old genres to be transmuted. Have You Made Up Your Mind may be all Superfly on the surface, but Simon Dine's strings add a fascinating sheen of 60s kitsch. And just listen to John McCusker's fiddle on opener, Light Nights. The truth is: despite the clothes horse trappings, Weller has matured into a fine FOLK singer.
Some may find the 'experimental' moments such as the Mellotron wiggle of 111 (supposedly influenced by Keith Rowe and AMM) or the closing meander of Night Lights hard to take seriously. Yet while Song To Alice (a tribute to Alice Coltrane, featuring Robert Wyatt on cornet) may cause true jazzers to snigger, it still touches new frontiers for the artist. And how many artists can you say form a link between the Canterbury avant-garde and the Britpop of Noel Gallagher (here on Echoes Round The Sun)? This has to be a good thing.
Naturally, some moments (as on all great double albums) just don't work. The cod-depth of the spoken-word track, God, is never going to lodge itself in the hearts of even the most dedicated fans and Where'er Ye Go comes close to sounding like a Bruce Springsteen demo. Also the title track may make any remaining members of the Electric Prunes reach for their lawyer's phone number. But taken as a whole (as he insists it should be) it becomes a multicolour ride through some of the most charming British rock/folk/soul you'll hear in ages. In one fell swoop he's thrown off his dour image, ushering in a host of new fans by delivering the best solo album of his career. Not bad for a 50-year-old institution. --Chris Jones
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
22 Dreams
This CD sums up the influences of Mr Weller, there is soul, jazz, folk and biting lyrics. This is a grand album, taking the listener on a magical tour of England, and all it offers, the songs roll into each other like chapters in a book, everyone will have a favourite, mine being "empty ring" a powerful song with sad lyrics set against an upbeat Curtis Mayfield style beat, this set is Weller at his best, taking chances and playing it like it matters, buy and play this with the knowledge that you will return to it time after time.
peace
This CD sums up the influences of Mr Weller, there is soul, jazz, folk and biting lyrics. This is a grand album, taking the listener on a magical tour of England, and all it offers, the songs roll into each other like chapters in a book, everyone will have a favourite, mine being "empty ring" a powerful song with sad lyrics set against an upbeat Curtis Mayfield style beat, this set is Weller at his best, taking chances and playing it like it matters, buy and play this with the knowledge that you will return to it time after time.
peace
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I actually bought the Deluxe version, but as I haven't listened to the second CD, I've decided to review the single disc edition.
I can understand the disappointment some have voiced over the first new Paul Weller album in three years, 22 Dreams. You always get hype with Weller releases; reading Mojo a couple of months back you would have thought this album was on par with Rubber Soul, Pet Sounds, Travelogue and other rock 'n' roll greats. Don't get me wrong it IS a little disappointing, but if it was perfect then Sir Paul would give up wouldn't he? And we wouldn't want that.
The range of musical styles on here is breathtaking; from ballads, full on rockers, garade/psych hybrids to mock-Italian restaurant background muzak.
The single, Have You Made Up Your Mind is great, especially the Phillyesque backing vocals in the chorus, strange as I remember reading a Weller interview where he called the Philly sound of the 70's "insipid" or something similar.
Other highlights are the Weller/Gallagher psych-monster, "Echoes Round The Sun". You may find it hard to believe that this is our Paul singing, but it is.
The title track is also a cracking tune, but I can't help singing "I had too much to dream last night", a classic from the Electric Prunes...just a coincidence, I'm sure.
Nice one, Paul.
I can understand the disappointment some have voiced over the first new Paul Weller album in three years, 22 Dreams. You always get hype with Weller releases; reading Mojo a couple of months back you would have thought this album was on par with Rubber Soul, Pet Sounds, Travelogue and other rock 'n' roll greats. Don't get me wrong it IS a little disappointing, but if it was perfect then Sir Paul would give up wouldn't he? And we wouldn't want that.
The range of musical styles on here is breathtaking; from ballads, full on rockers, garade/psych hybrids to mock-Italian restaurant background muzak.
The single, Have You Made Up Your Mind is great, especially the Phillyesque backing vocals in the chorus, strange as I remember reading a Weller interview where he called the Philly sound of the 70's "insipid" or something similar.
Other highlights are the Weller/Gallagher psych-monster, "Echoes Round The Sun". You may find it hard to believe that this is our Paul singing, but it is.
The title track is also a cracking tune, but I can't help singing "I had too much to dream last night", a classic from the Electric Prunes...just a coincidence, I'm sure.
Nice one, Paul.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
One of the understated partnerships in British Rock history has been that of Paul Weller and his outstanding long- serving drummer Steve White (Whitey).Whitey's collaboration with Weller and his effect on the Wild Wood/Stanley Road sound has yet to be estimated but since the Style Council days other band members have come and gone but the incomparable Whitey has remained that is until last year. With a change of management and the need for a new creative impetus, Weller disbanded the White, Minchella and Craddock band that had served him so well in recent years and embarked on a new phase. The result? - the changing man has undoubtedly moved on and produced the best Weller album since Stanley Road .The contributions of Craddock and Dine are considerable but Weller has given himself the freedom here to produce an album drawing on a variety of different styles and influences and the end result is a supremely confident,relaxed and enthralling collection of tracks covering rock, folk, soul, psychedelia ,instrumentals, latin et al. A dreamland jamboree of sound with the bonus of a stream of consciousness piece of writing on the cover notes by,one presumes,the poet Simon Armitage that weaves deftly through the themes of the album. This collection of 22 songs wastes precious few moments and is intelligent, mature and indicative of Weller as `a walking dictionary' of musical knowledge and styles. The downsides?--the drumming -that is apart from `Cold moments' the only track on which Whitey appears!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Totally brilliant - if you don't have any Weller, start here
While I've got a few Weller albums from different points in his career, I am by no means his biggest fan. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Cook
Phenomenal achievement
This is Paul Weller's meisterwerk. His Sergeant Pepper.
A veritable cornucopia of different styles of song ranging from folk to funk, grunge to jazz, classical to soul,... Read more
A veritable cornucopia of different styles of song ranging from folk to funk, grunge to jazz, classical to soul,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by vbhgft
weller 22 dreams
weller inproves with age and this is more prove that he gets better would recomend adding to your collection. somthing for all tastes.
Published 4 months ago by kfc
What a bore !
I felt asleep.
So much talent for such a weak result.
Sometimes Paul Weller sounds like Graham Parker. Unfortunately he cannot match with him.
So much talent for such a weak result.
Sometimes Paul Weller sounds like Graham Parker. Unfortunately he cannot match with him.
Published 13 months ago by Savonarole
Dream album
This cd is a 'must by' for all Weller fans. Fantastic album with some great tracks.
21 songs on the cd although I find myself playing the same 8 or 9 over and over again. Read more
21 songs on the cd although I find myself playing the same 8 or 9 over and over again. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Acton
Again, great music, terrible sound.
First, let me say that I have been a big fan of Paul Weller's since his days in The Jam. Second, I typically buy the LPs of albums I like, because they sound better than the CD or... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Preston
You do not do something to me...
Sorry, but this this one does very little to me. What some reviewers call a breathtaking range of musical styles is a lot (wto much) of not so interesting stuff to me. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by DucthFan
Refreshingly good
Enlarging the palette has done our Paul the world of good. A really good piece of work - best listened to in one sitting - and more than a cut above some of his most recent albums. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2009 by Nicholas B. Gibbs
superb!
This is great and profound pleasure, rich in influences and personal style, a perfect mix of rock, jazz, soul, through the eyes and ears of a great song maker and singer. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by Nikolaos Oikonomidis
best since wildwood
There seems to be some mixed reviews for this album yet its the most interesting thing Weller has possibly ever done. Read more
Published on 28 April 2009 by mega munch
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