Hit Parade [Box Set] [Limited] by Paul Weller

Paul Weller has remained one of the most important and restless artists of the British rock scene throughout the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and 2000s. Aside from the inestimable influence of his work with the Jam, Weller continued to explore post-punk, soul, R&B, house, psychedelia, and various forms of roots music with the Style Council and in his solo career. HIT PARADE is the first-ever retrospective to encompass all aspects of Weller's career. Disc one is devoted to the Jam, while disc two focuses on the Style Council. But with the amazing (if familiar) Jam material already ensconced in the rock pantheon, and the Style Council's uneven output still up for evaluation, the real pleasure here is the two discs' worth of Weller solo material, much of which proves him to be a songwriter of genuine vision. With 67 tracks spread out over the four discs, the set is a welcome portrait of the artist who--over time--evolved from revivalist, to experimentalist, and finally to traditionalist.