{"id":156845,"date":"2025-03-26T01:55:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T01:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/art\/a-telephonic-tribute-to-sound-affects-by-the-jam\/"},"modified":"2025-03-26T01:55:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T01:55:09","slug":"a-telephonic-tribute-to-sound-affects-by-the-jam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=156845","title":{"rendered":"A telephonic tribute to ‘Sound Affects’ by The Jam"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"\"Visit Duncan Grant\u2019s gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

It seems like ages ago when I was commissioned by\u00a0 Gravesham Borough Council to create an installation in a telephone box, as a tribute to The Jam\u2019<\/em>s 1980 studio album, Sound Affects,\u00a0<\/em>as part of\u00a0 the Winter Light Festival 2020.\u00a0 But as with most things lately, COVID got in the way and the event\u00a0 was cancelled. I got paid and I kind of forgot about it.<\/p>\n

But now it\u2019s back again!\u00a0 And my installation will be one stop on a circular trail of light around the \u2018Heritage Quarter\u2019 and along the river.<\/p>\n

\"Gravesham<\/p>\n

The telephone box outside Gravesham Old Town Hall (2020) photographed by Bill Smith for \u2018Sound Affects\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sound Affects<\/em>
<\/strong>I\u2019m not sure quite how well known it is , that the telephone box outside Gravesend Old Town Hall was featured on the\u00a0Sound Affects\u00a0<\/em>album cover.<\/p>\n

The original photo was taken by art director, Bill Smith, who worked with The Jam <\/em>over the three most important years of their career. During that time he designed five album covers and 16 singles bags for the band, as well as a range of promotional ads, posters and videos.<\/p>\n

\"BBC<\/p>\n

If you zoom in you can see Paul Weller\u2019s annotations on the BBC \u2018Sound Effects\u2019 cover<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018The idea came from Paul [Weller] who was working in the studio at the time making the album, and they used some effects from the series of BBC Sound Effects records,\u2019\u00a0<\/em>Bill explains. \u2018Paul gave me a sleeve with the BBC scrubbed out and replaced with JAM and the number altered to 80 (to reference 1980, the year\u00a0Sound Affects<\/em> was recorded) and \u201cEffects\u201d changed to \u201cAffects\u201d. He asked me to recreate the cover, using images that related to the songs on the album.\u2019<\/p>\n

Bill was brought up in Gravesend but, by 1980, had moved away.\u00a0 It was while he was visiting his mother-in-law in Gravesend to photograph her dog for the Sound Affects <\/em>cover that he took the picture of the phone box.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The<\/p>\n

Bill and Martyn\u2019s cover for \u2018Sound Affects\u2019 1980<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bill shared the photography for the\u00a0Sound Affects cover\u00a0<\/em>with renowned rock photographer, Martyn Goddard.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just chose subjects around my home \u2013 the jukebox, record player and even my sister\u2019s friends baby,\u2019 Martyn says. \u2018Then I walked around the streets of Camden Town and the West End of London shooting interesting subjects, such as the funeral hearse in York way and\u00a0 a taxi at Kings Cross Station. The power station at Dungeness was mine, plus the police car and the Brunswick Centre.\u2019<\/p>\n

Martyn has since met one of the funeral staff. a young undertaker who was in the hearse that he shot for the cover. Thirty-odd years later he was running the firm and Martyn was able to provide him with a print of the photo.<\/p>\n

The \u201cbaby\u201d, by then aged 36, also turned up at\u00a0 the\u00a0About the Young Idea\u00a0<\/em>exhibition<\/a> at Somerset House, in 2015, where she met Paul Weller.<\/p>\n

\"Bill<\/p>\n

Bill Smith\u2019s original photograph taken from the \u2018Sound Affects\u2019 cover \u2013 they still haven\u2019t mended that railing!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Sound Affects <\/em>album was released on 28th November 1980\u00a0 It sold over 100,000 copies and spent 19 weeks in the UK album charts. making it to number 2. The track\u00a0Start!\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>was a number one single for the band. And although\u00a0That\u2019s Entertainment\u00a0<\/em>was never released as a domestic single,\u00a0 it did chart as an import single, making it to number 21.<\/p>\n

Sound Affects <\/em>was the last album cover Bill and Martyn ever did for\u00a0The Jam.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018We created the sleeve and inner bag and I designed a series of ads and posters that used Roy Lichtenstein pop art influences for these,\u2019 Bill remembers. After that there were three or four more covers for singles that I did, including 1981\u2019s Funeral Pyre , for which I also wrote and directed a promotional video. And finally, Absolute Beginners.\u00a0<\/em>I also wrote and shot a video for that with Gered Mankowitz \u00a0<\/a>but the band weren\u2019t happy with our initial edit and, rather than let us do a re-edit, we were sacked and they did a brand new video shoot. It was the last time I spoke to Paul Weller until the 2015 Jam<\/em> exhibition at Somerset House.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wooden prototype of the original K2 now at the entrance of the Royal Academy of Arts in London<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Red telephone boxes
<\/em><\/strong>The first public telephone boxes were introduced by the Post Office in 1921. They were made of concrete\u00a0 and some local authorities, including the London Metropolitan Boroughs, refused permission for them to be installed. Eastbourne Corporation stipulated that the kiosks could only be installed if they had thatched roofs!<\/p>\n

In 1924, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott won a competition to design a telephone kiosk\u00a0 that would be acceptable\u00a0 to the London boroughs. You might have heard of Scott. He designed Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church in Northfleet\u2026oh yeah, and Liverpool Cathedral, Battersea Power Station\u00a0 and the Bankside power station (now the Tate Modern). Scott\u2019s\u00a0 winning design featured steel structure with a silver exterior and a greeny-blue interior. The Post Office, however, decided to make it in cast iron and to paint it red. Kiosk Number 2 (K2). The boroughs were won over and K2 was installed in and around London.<\/p>\n

\"K6\"<\/p>\n

K6<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After three more iterations, the Post Office commissioned a new \u2018Jubilee kiosk\u2019 to commemorate the\u00a0 silver jubilee of George V. The\u00a0 K6, as it is known, again designed by Scott, went into production in 1936. It was a bit more streamlined than the K2, designed to be cheaper to produce and to take up less pavement space. The number of glazed panels were increased from 18 to 24.<\/p>\n

Thousands\u00a0 of K6 boxes were made and installed all over the country, replacing most of the existing\u00a0 telephone boxes, as well as introducing them in thousands of new sites. The telephone box by Gravesend Old Town Hall \u2013 the one on the Sound Affects <\/em>cover \u2013 is a K6.<\/p>\n

Although there was some objection early on to the bright red paint used on the boxes, the K6 box quickly became a national icon. In 1980, British Telecom\u2019s plan to paint all telephone boxes in their corporate yellow caused a national outcry. Battered into submission by the Daily Mail.<\/em> BT backed down.<\/p>\n

\"\"By 1985, BT announced that the old red telephone boxes would be replaced because they no longer met the needs of customers and were expensive to maintain and clean. Once again their was a vociferous campaign to stop this but, this time, BT held firm.<\/p>\n

In the late 80s, just before deregulation of telecoms, I worked for BT for a bit, identifying\u00a0 new sites for payphones around the country for BT to develop, before they were nabbed by their main competitor, Mercury Communications.<\/p>\n

With the old red boxes being replaced by more utilitarian versions, many local authorities used legislation designed to protect buildings of architectural or historic importance to keep\u00a0 their red telephone boxes. Around 2,000 red boxes were given listed status. Lots more were sold off.\u00a0 But more than 6,000 were bought by organisations and converted for community use, as libraries or to house public defibrillators. The only use forbidden by the regulations was \u2018telephony\u2019.<\/p>\n

In 2021, BT announced that about 5,000 public phone boxes around the UK would be protected from closure in areas with\u00a0 high accident or suicide rates or poor mobile signals.<\/p>\n

\"Duncan<\/p>\n

Me as callow yoof<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Gravesend mod revival scene in 80\u2019s Gravesend
<\/strong>In the 1980 when\u00a0Sound Affects<\/em> I was released, I was working just around the corner as a Saturday (and holidays) boy, alongside my mum,\u00a0 in Boots<\/em>.\u00a0 I was 15.\u00a0\u00a0At around the same time, my now wife,\u00a0 Davina, and her mates were part of the mod revival \u2013 hanging round the town centre showing off the look and dancing\u00a0 the night away at mod clubs. Davina\u2019s friend Kay Sugg even had a scooter.<\/p>\n

The Jam,<\/em> with their mod styling\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>and energetic, punky post-60s mod sound was the soundtrack to their lives. And with no mobile phones then, telephone boxes were essential for keeping in touch.<\/p>\n

\"Mod<\/p>\n

Davina (centre) at a mod night in Northfleet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Davina and her friends still have really good memories of those times.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wasn\u2019t a fully fledged mod when\u00a0Sound Affects\u00a0<\/em>came out but Quadrophenia<\/em> had been out the previous year, so the revival was in full swing,\u2019 Davina reminisces. \u2018The album reminds me of just turning 17, dancing at every opportunity and a continual round of parties with my school friends. My favourite track was and still is Start!<\/em>\u2018<\/p>\n

\"Davina<\/p>\n

Davina and Kay ready for a night out around 1982<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018Sound Affects<\/em> is as good today as it was 40 years ago,\u2019 says former teenage mod, Yvonne Lynn.\u00a0 \u2018Listening to the album back when I was a 16-year old mod living in Gravesend consolidated my feelings of belonging in the mod scene. The lyrics and music made sense to my teenage rebellious self and it was the glue that held our group together.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018The album tied in with so much,\u2019 agrees Derek Forbes. \u2018Mods, scooters, my first girlfriend and my favourite band.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Kay<\/p>\n

Kay Sugg on her scooter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018I was desperate to become a mod,\u2019 Davina admits. \u2018But I was too shy so a boy from my school took me to my first mod night\u00a0 in Wings\u00a0<\/em>in\u00a0 the\u00a0Battle of Britain\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>pub in Northfleet. I couldn\u2019t believe that so many other kids of my age were so into 60s music, like I was, so I was soon hooked \u2013 and that\u2019s where it all began. After that, most of my time was spent in second hand shops and Kensington Market perfecting the mod look, and dancing! It took hours to get ready. Getting the make up just right \u2013 the eyeliner was the hardest bit\u00a0 as well as back combing your hair \u2013 normally with a bathroom full of giggling mates and a Supremes<\/em> album on for inspiration!\u2019<\/p>\n

Mod Life, soul music, scootering and Carnaby Street filled my youthful heart, took me on an amazing journeys and left a lasting legacy of wonderful memories that still make me smile at the love we all shared, \u2018 says Kay Sugg. \u2018From the sharp cut of a suit, a neat bob hairstyle, ski pants or mini, we danced our style, to our music and looking cool round town was an every Saturday treat.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s Entertainment\u2019 installation
<\/strong>So back to my installation.\u00a0 Because the phone box was featured on the Sound Affects\u00a0<\/em>album, Gravesham Council wanted my installation to be a tribute to The Jam<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I tried to combine all this in my piece.\u00a0 I started with some initial sketches \u2013 two\u00a0 figures \u2013 mods \u2013 speaking\u00a0 lyrics\u00a0 from Start!\u00a0<\/em>one of the tracks on\u00a0Sound Affects,\u00a0<\/em>to go on either side of the telephone box.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And then a eight smaller drawings \u2013 my take on some of\u00a0 Bill and Martyn\u2019s images from the Sound Affects\u00a0<\/em>cover.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"The\u00a0 Old Town Hall box has 24 panels, eight on each side, so the next job was to measure them up and draw them to scale. While it was pretty straightforward to cut paper to size for the smaller drawings, I drew out the people full size and then cut them into panels afterwards, discarding the bits of the pictures where the metal window frames would go.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gravesham Council then took those drawings and transferred them onto white vinyl to stick onto the inside of the box. The plan for the Winter Festival is to light the box from the inside, illuminating the drawings, while the Sound Affects <\/em>album plays on a loop.<\/p>\n

So come on down next weekend and have a look and a listen. I\u2019ll be hanging around the phone box and it will be nice to see everyone there \u2013 sharp suits,\u00a0 Chelsea boots and Parkas optional.<\/p>\n

Follow the link below for the full programme but don\u2019t miss\u00a0 the interactive installation, Light and Thread,\u00a0<\/em>in St Georges Arts Centre, created by friends of this blog\u00a0Filaments Art Collective<\/em>, who work aboard LV21 was featured last May<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, check out Bill Smith\u2019s book which tells the stories behind some of his covers \u2013 you\u2019ll recognise pretty much all of them, I reckon.<\/p>\n

Further information<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Filaments<\/p>\n

Filaments Art Collective: Light and Thread<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Winter Light Festival 2022<\/a>, <\/strong>will take place at the end of this month, on Saturday 29th January and Sunday 3Oth, between 5 and 8pm.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Light and Thread\u00a0<\/strong>by Filaments Art Collective
A collection of light installations and digital projections made from textiles, thread and paper.
19th \u2013 30th January 2022
Tuesday \u2013 Friday 10am \u2013 5pm
Saturday and Sunday\u00a0 10am \u2013 4pm<\/p>\n

Cover Stories: Five decades of album art\u00a0 by Bill Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>Over the years, Bill has designed album covers and sleeves for artists including Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin<\/em>,\u00a0King Crimson<\/em>,\u00a0Marillion<\/em>,\u00a0Genesis <\/em>and Mike Oldfield . Check out the link to his book \u2018Cover Stories\u2019<\/a>\u00a0 which tells the stories behind some of those covers
https:\/\/redplanetmusicbooks.com\/collections\/full-catalogue\/products\/cover-stories<\/a><\/p>\n

Martyn Goddard images
<\/strong>https:\/\/www.martyngoddard.com\/<\/a>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

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