The fabled story of Paul Weller, The Jam, and that famous old Rickenbacker
A guitar is so much more than a musical instrument; it is a rock and roll weapon with which countless artists have orchestrated their own musical revolution. During the mid-1970s, battered and distorted guitars became the definitive sound of the punk rock explosion, but not every snotty-nosed punk in London was chasing the fuzzy tones of a Telecaster. Paul Weller, the angry young man at the heart of The Jam, was in search of a cleaner, more stylish sound. As any guitarist knows, you cannot get much more stylish than a Rickenbacker.
Originating the electric guitar way back in the 1930s, Rickenbacker boasts an incredibly rich history within American music, which grew tenfold with the advent of rock and roll during the 1950s. When rock first hit the airwaves, thousands of budding young musicians set their hearts on acquiring a guitar and joining in the revolution, but, in many cases, a Rickenbacker was out of reach. Their delicate hollow-body structures and sleek designs came at a price, and companies like Fender and Gibson became the go-to for most young rock and rollers. However, the guitar company witnessed a rebirth thanks to the efforts of John Lennon.
Throughout the early years of The Beatles, Lennon could often be seen strumming a black Rickenbacker 325, and the guitar’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 cemented its connection to the songwriter. When punk came along, anything connected to the old, established music industry of the 1960s was viewed with suspicion, and the aggressive playing style of punk guitarists meant they often opted for something more heavyweight than a Rickenbacker. Paul Weller, on the other hand, never stopped being a Beatles obsessive.
A true original, even within the supposedly individualistic period of punk, Weller was always open about his love of The Beatles, and the influence that 1960s rock outfits like The Kinks or The Who had on his songwriting. As a result, the Rickenbacker seemed an obvious choice for him to pay homage to his influences, distance himself from punk fashion, and establish himself as a bold new voice within British rock.
Most notably, Weller used a black Rickenbacker 330 throughout much of his time with The Jam, with the axe famously appearing in the music video for their 1980 number-one single ‘Going Underground’. Despite the legendary nature this guitar acquired in the wake of the single’s success, Weller himself was never particularly sentimental about the guitar. “It was black, if that’s any use,” he recalled years later, attempting to remember the specific 330 in question.
“It would have been the one I used in the ‘Going Underground’ video, definitely. It was just a bog standard 330,” he continued. “All the rhythm parts were done with that. I did a lot of the harmony lead lines on a Les Paul Junior. It wasn’t a proper Gibson; it was a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster that my old guitar roadie made.” So, whatever happened to that famous black Rickenbacker?
“I gave it to Steve Cradock for his 30th birthday,” shared Weller, gifting the six-string to the Ocean Colour Scene guitarist who has worked with Weller throughout much of his solo career. “Some years ago, I’d like to add. It wasn’t a sentimental thing for me, using it in the video. I think it gave Steve a little kick,” he explained.
In the modern age, the infamous guitar lives on, reappearing in 2010 for Weller’s Wake Up The Nation album. Seemingly, Cradock convinced the songwriter to resurrect the Rickenbacker for a promo video, giving a knowing nod to fans of The Jam. “I said, ‘It would be good if you played your old Rickenbacker’,” Cradock said, per Total Guitar. “It really suits him.”
The Rickenbacker that made Weller stand out from the crowd back in the 1970s remained sleek and stylish into its old age, albeit with a few battle scars. Its resurrection in 2010 speaks to the enduring legacy of The Jam and the timeless nature of ‘Going Underground’ in particular, still beloved by fans decades after its original release.
