Dig The New Breed is a live compilation album from The Jam featuring songs recorded at concerts between 1977 and 1982.
I remember the heady days back in 1977 and The Jam were caught up in the punk/new wave scene. It was a bit strange because their image and music was a long way from the Sex Pistols.
The developed into a very successful singles band with a series of number ones in the UK and created excellent albums including All Mod Cons and Setting Sons.
The Jam Dig The New Breed
Average Amazon Customer Rating – %%AVERAGERATING%% Stars
The Set List
- In the City – 2.17 (1977 – from the album In The City)
- All Mod Cons – 1.15 (1979 – All Mod Cons)
- To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time) – 2..14 (1979 – All Mod Cons)
- It’s Too Bad – 3.11 (1979 – All Mod Cons)
- Start! – 2.27 (1981 – Sound Affects)
- Big Bird – 2.51 (1981 – Eddie Floyd cover only available on this album)
- Set the House Ablaze -4.43 (1981 – Sound Affects)
- Ghosts – 2.18 (1982 – The Gift)
- Standards – 2.29 (1979 – This Is The Modern World)
- In the Crowd – 3.06 (1982 – All Mod Cons)
- Going Underground – 3.11 (1982 – #1 single in UK)
- Dreams of Children – 3.27 (1982 – B side of Going Underground)
- That’s Entertainment – 4.22(1982 – Sound Affects)
- Private Hell (1982 – Setting Sons)
An interesting collection of songs ranging from classics like Going Underground and That’s Entertainment to four overlooked tracks from the All Mod Cons album.
Unfortunately for my tastes it is too short and misses too many of my “must hear” tracks by The Jam like Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, Strange Town and Eton Rifles.
Given that Dig The New Breed is a compilation from different sources, it could have been much better.
Performance
Raucous, loud, rough, intense.
Pretty much exactly what you’d want The Jam to be like live.
Authenticity & Atmosphere
If you’re read my previous reviews, you’ll know that I’m not very keen on live compilations. Better than no live album? Yes but I’d prefer them from one gig or one tour. For example it would be fascinating to hear separate albums for the All Mod Cons, Setting Sons and the final 1982 tours as the sound of The Jam changed significantly.
Overall Rating
The Jam were an important group as the seventies turned into the eighties and as this was my University years, I’ve got fond memories of them.
I think part of the reason why there aren’t better established now is that their sound changed from the fast, fury of In The City through the more classic rock sounding All Mod Cons to Sound Affects albums and then the R&B influenced final songs.
What Other People Say About Dig The New Breed
It’s never been particularly fashionable to like The Jam although they were successful in the UK.
I haven’t seen the album feature in the lists of best live albums and there aren’t many reviews on Amazon.
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Buying Dig The New Breed
You can buy the album from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk – iTunes – eBay
These links will help you get to the albums quickly and easily but I recommend that you still search for the best deal.
What Do You Think About The Jam’s Live Album Dig The New Breed?
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Is it the best of the live albums by The Jam?
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I also think of them as a classic rock band so you can also vote in the poll to find the best classic rock live albums.
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“It’s never been particularly fashionable to like The Jam although they were successful in the UK.”
I’m guessing you’re not English!
In the UK The Jam at their peak were one of THE biggest and coolest bands in the country amongst the kids on the street. Spearheading the nationwide revival of the Mod movement, The Jam set the fashions. It was one of those rare periods where a band gripped the collective soul of the nation’s working-class youth, literally creating a mass uniformity across the country, visible in every town.
The only other band I’ve seen during my lifetime who had a similarly extensive impact were Oasis. At the height of Britpop the country (if you were under 25) belonged to them. And much as with The Jam, the working class kids latched onto the band with a passion.
It really can’t be overstated just how massive those two bands were in the UK during their respective zentiths. They were each a cultural phenomenon during their own zeitgeist moments, becoming part of the national fabric, which still resonates today for many of a certain age who lived through those times.
Unfortunately the other thing both bands shared was a complete inability to break into the American market, where they remained relatively cult-ish. Virtually the opposite of what they had experienced in the UK….
I didn’t choose my words very well. They’ve never been a particular favourite of the critics.