66

Paul Weller’s latest record – his seventeenth studio album and twenty eighth in total – takes its title from him turning 66 this year (2024). But, seemingly as a nod to his love of ‘60s music, the record’s cover art has been designed by English pop artist, Sir Peter Blake, who famously created the artwork for The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as Weller’s 1995 album, Stanley Road. 

It’s been three years since his last album, 2021’s Fat Pop (Volume 1) – his longest gap between albums. “That sort of thing used to keep me up at night,” he says. “But it’s not like I haven’t been writing. For this album, I had at least 20 songs to choose from. It was a luxury to be able to spend time with them and let them tell me which ones needed to be on the record.”

The 12 songs on 66 were worked up in Weller’s Black Barn studio over the course of three years and several of the tracks are the result of collaborations. 

Its first single, ‘Soul Wandering’ pulls no punches, with its dirty, fuzzy and funky rock guitar, horns and ‘60s organ. It features lyrics penned by Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, while the ‘70s Bowie-meets-Stones, glam-soul strut of ‘Jumble Queen’, with a horn arrangement from The Stone Foundation’s Steve Trigg, has words courtesy of Noel Gallagher.

The low-key opener, ‘Ship of Fools’ was inspired by a poem sent to Weller by Suggs from Madness. It contrasts a barbed lyric with a summery stroll of a tune – acoustic guitar, a jazzy vibraphone, and a touch of barroom piano. 

‘Flying Fish’ – one of the highlights – is lush, shimmering and funky disco-soul, with an anthemic chorus that sparkles like a mirror ball. And while we’re talking disco, ‘In Full Flight,’ has some delicious ‘70s-style liquid guitar and backing vocals by acclaimed female, ‘disco-delic’ Brooklyn trio Say She She, who popped into Weller’s studio while on tour and nailed their part in an afternoon.

‘A Glimpse of You,’ which is a collaboration with French producer and recording artist Christophe Vaillant (Le Superhomard), has a soaring string arrangement by Hannah Peel and evokes The Style Council’s cosmopolitan pop-soul. Peel, who’s now a regular collaborator of Weller’s, also arranged the strings for the joyous ‘Rise Up Singing,’ – a co-write with Blow Monkeys frontman and former Weller bassist, Dr Robert, which is a hymn to the healing power of music. 

The strings for ‘Rise Up Singing’ were recorded at Abbey Road, where The Beatles made most of their music for EMI in the ‘60s, including Revolver, one of Weller’s favourite albums, which, as it happened, came out in 1966… 

There are some lovely, reflective and laidback moments on 66, namely the pastoral and lullaby-like ‘Sleepy Hollow’ with flute by Jacko Peake; ‘I Woke Up,’ which has a folky, acoustic guitar intro and sweeping ‘60s pop strings, plus Richard Hawley on lap steel, and ‘Nothin,’ a romantic ballad with jazz trumpet, burbling retro synth sounds and warm, electric piano. 

On the latter, Weller sings: “Walking back through the silver trees, the light summer’s evening breeze across my face, to a time and place, and it was gone…” It’s truly one of the album’s most beautiful moments, as is the waltz ‘My Best Friend’s Coat’ – another co-write with Vaillant – which has exotic strings and comes across like an autumnal chanson that Scott Walker could’ve sung.

The record ends with the brooding, spacey and psychedelic ‘Burn Out’, Weller drifting like Bowie’s Major Tom, with a soundtrack of cosmic jazz saxophone and ominous strings.

When hi-fi+ reviewed his last album, Fat Pop (Volume 1), in 2021, we called it one of the strongest records Weller had ever made, saying: ‘It’s the latest in a purple patch that started with 2018’s True Meanings – his stripped-back and orchestrally-aided, introspective folk-rock album, which coincided with him turning 60.’

Now he’s turned 66 and he’s made his best album since True Meanings – that’s really something to celebrate.

Back to Home