Photograph courtesy of Julian Broad
So, first things first, what’s he wearing? Well, needless to say, when I shake his hand in the plush interview room of Warner’s Kensington offices, Paul Weller is dressed immaculately: a green shirt and a black zip-up jacket complemented by nicely tailored tweed strides and a superbly sharp pair of basket weave shoes, all presided over by that immaculate hawk-like white barnet. The only slight bum note are the tortoise shell shades he’s chosen to don for our interview. Could it be that Paul Weller, my mod hero since I was 15 years old, is the sort of person who wears sunglasses indoors?
The occasion of this latest Baker’s Dozen is the release of Weller’s new album Saturns Pattern, which continues his recent run of records marked by stylistic hop-scotching, fizzy psychedelia and and an endearingly daffy sense of anything-goes sonic experimentation. It doesn’t sound like the work of the musty Lancelot that many still presume him to be. Rather it’s kaleidoscopic and fresh sounding, marked by clattering Fabs piano, riffing that could quite legitimately be described as ‘raunchy’ and sudden outbursts of wibbly electronic noise.
For his Baker’s Dozen of favourite records Weller has assembled some surprises, and some… well, not-so-surprises (you didn’t expect him to pass on picking a Beatles record did you?), but it’s a list united by the assembled records’ heart, wit and warmth. A combination that the gentleman himself demonstrates as well (along with a gleefully sweary streak). "I found it difficult," he says, when asked about his selection process. "Most of my records are singles, so it would have been easier for me to pick 13 of them. But obviously if I chose my favourites again today or tomorrow it would be different every time."
"Oh and by the way, I’m not trying to be Mister Cool by wearing sunglasses or anything. I’ve just got a sty on my eye…" My faith in His Modjesty restored, we turn our attention to his selections.
Saturns Pattern is out on May 18 on Parlophone. Click on his image below to begin scrolling through Paul’s choices
