Given the sad news that Paul Richard Buckler passed on the 17th of February this year, we wanted to pay tribute to him, so Iona’s Song of the Week is a tune from the Jam. This English three-piece burst onto the punk stage some 48 years ago when their debut album, In the City, was released, and the eponymous single reached Number 40 on the UK charts. Over the following five years before breaking up, the band released 18 top 40 singles, so choosing one has been tricky!
However, as their debut album was seminal in my introduction to punk music, and because it left such a mark on me, it is to In the City that I turned for a song. Listening to the album again was a joy and revived many happy memories! As a side note, the album made it to Number 20 in the UK Album charts
The song chosen is a two-minute and two-second blast of rapid-fire punk, and it is the album’s opening track. As it happened, I had enrolled in the Glasgow School of Art the same year, 1977, and so Art School seemed very appropriate for Iona’s seventh Song of the Week. Paul Buckler is the lad in the middle of the album cover, and was the power-house drummer, in case you didn't know!
It is a powerful track, succinct and brief! RIP Paul.