Paul Weller has become “a lot freer” in the studio than when he was “very guarded” over his songs during his days in The Jam and The Style Council.
The 67-year-old British musician has released 18 albums since going solo in 1992, with his last release being 2025’s Find El Dorado.
Weller has mellowed over the years and is happy to trust the musicians he works with – which includes long-time guitarist Steve Craddock, who also is a member of Ocean Colour Scene – and allows them to bring their own creative flair to his tracks.
Speaking in the new issue of Uncut magazine, he said: “It still works the same way now, as it goes. I have definite ideas about some things, then you let other people do their thing.
“I’m probably a lot freer with that now. I used to be very guarded over my songs – ‘ I know how it should go, I want it to be like this’ – get a bit too precious with it.
“But generally … you know it’s going to be all right.”
Weller was speaking to the music magazine about the new special edition box set release of The Style Council’s 1984 debut LP Café Bleu.
Weller shocked fans when he split up The Jam in 1982 at the height of the rock band’s popularity to then go on and form soul group The Style Council with keyboard player Mick Talbot.
The singer/songwriter – known as The Modfather – knew that there would be a backlash to the musical direction of The Style Council following The Jam but he was, and still is, proud of Café Bleu.
He said: “For the first couple of years it was more like a collective, as we’d get different people in for whatever track. We had a kind of band, but we’d swap around a lot. Café Bleu was very eclectic, to say the least. I wanted more of a band sound after that, to give an overall sound.
“As our opening statement, I was happy with it. People had mixed feelings about it, but I anticipated that. Commercially, it did all right.”