On their debut album, In the City, the Jam … present 12 tracks without a ballad among them, tracks that come from the center of a very live, alive, lively performing band…. The band's power and flair as a working-class trio is attractive; even more important, Weller's lyrics are as intriguing on paper and in your head as they are between chord changes….

They are dealing with the problem of authority and what the hell to do about it, but so subtly they're veritably Zen Buddhist compared to those who would batter down walls by knocking their heads against them. You see, anyone serious about trashing fat cats does so by simply ignoring those fucks and going their own way. It's the antithesis of the graffiti truism: "If it's illegal, it's fun." If you believe the scrawl, it follows that you won't do what you're allowed to do and that...