The answer to the riddle of “why didn’t Britain’s most popular band make much of a dent here in the States?” has been debated forever. The truth is, there are a number of reasons why The Jam wasn’t huge here, why even the most savvy of radio listeners barely heard from them until all their singles were re-released after the Mod-Revival group’s late-1982 dissolution.
After all, we loved the British Invasion, and the British Invasion was mostly “mod,” right?
Well, we loved the British Invasion for the Beatles; if mainstream America had really dug the mod scene back then, the Who would’ve been more popular than the Stones from the get-go. If we really appreciated that sort of music, it wouldn’t have taken the cretins at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame three decades to get around to inducting The Small Faces.
Admittedly, America had a Mod-leaning, power-pop outfit of its own in the late 70s; we allotted them two huge hits — “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t” — and then dismissed them for being too popular. Attentions went back to Journey and REO Speedwagon.
Inexplicably, in the post-punk/”new wave” era few very British artists were allowed more than one single anywhere near the U.S. Top 40. If one recalls, it took an atypical, mom ‘n’ pop-friendly song like “Rock The Casbah” to get mainstream America’s attention. Without that ditty, “London Calling” would not be played on “classic rock” stations today.
Which in turn begs the question of why The Jam’s relatively harmless, late-career number, “A Town Called Malice,” didn’t accomplish more for them here than it did. “Too little promotion, too late” would be my answer. For American ears of the time, “too” is a key word, I think. Too Mod, too British, too political, too fierce, too cynical.
This is pretty evident when looking at the group’s legendary 1980 performance on the cult-classic SNL challenger, Fridays. The group’s first number was “Start” — fairly harmless, very 1965-ish. But the follow-up, “Private Hell” — that barnburner had to have melted the studio audience into their seats. Let’s face it, the country was just getting somewhat comfortable with the great, artful aggressions of the comparatively tame Joe Jackson Band, Blondie and Elvis Costello’s wild Attractions. “Private Hell” surely wasn’t going to play in Peoria.
Altogether too much, too soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF9XbtPo-e8
