Which is where he did end up at 30 and remained so for a couple years after the Berlin Wall fell. But then, resurgent as a straight-ahead rock soloist, he found himself the adored “Modfather” of the Britpop movement. His Wild Wood, a critical fave in 1993, hit No. 2 on the U.K. album chart, and 1995’s Stanley Road, a No. 1 recording, dovetailed with international megahits by Oasis; in fact, Weller plays on “Champagne Supernova” from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? as well as Ocean Colour Scene tracks.
Noel Gallagher of Oasis has often returned the favor, playing on Weller albums and opening his studio for Weller’s latest, As Is Now (2005), which Weller says is “a good enough statement of where I’m at, at the moment. For me, it’s as good as anything I’ve ever done.” Like his recent live recording of the Dylan–via–Gordon Lightfoot “Early Morning Rain,” As Is Now shows Weller in charge of moody, wistful songs that turn sharply on vaguely down-home rock hooks, with a touch of soul. It may signal the start of a twangier, perhaps countrified phase for the balladeer of Woking.
With the career review to date available on Hit Parade, which includes the best of his new work, it’s clear that Weller continues to test himself as an artist; unique for a midlife rocker, he’s just gearing up for the fourth quarter. He has enjoyed the fruits of his own legacy, but “I don’t really listen to the old work too much. I do every now and again have a little drunk in the evening, get the old records out, but my head’s in the now. For me, you’re only as good as your last record. I’m thinking about where I can go next time,” Weller says.
“It’s important to revisit your roots; you learn from that as well,” he adds. “But I’m always looking around the next corner, seeing what else could be in store for me.” That said, Paul Weller is revisiting his career in a sold-out three-night stand at Irving Plaza this week, dedicating each show to a different aspect of his now 30-year career. And he’s staying mod—“I’ll always be into it, it’s part of my makeup, part of my character”—but “as a person, as an artist, you kind of instinctually feel where you should go. But it’s not always easy for people to see.”
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