The Style Council: Live at Full House Rock Show

After the breakup of the hugely influential British punk group The Jam in 1982, lead vocalist/guitarist Paul Weller teamed up with keyboardist Mick Talbot to form the Style Council in order to pursue a more R&B pop-tinged sound, releasing their first full-length album Café Bleu in 1984. In this brief eight-song set, performed before a studio audience in Hannover, Germany circa 1987, the lads are backed by solid percussion, flute, and sax on numbers drawn primarily from 1985's Internationalists (including the title track—erroneously shown onscreen as “International List”—“Homebreakers,” and the hit “Shout to the Top!”) and 1987's Cost of Loving (“Heaven's Above” and “Walking the Night”), as well as the medium hits “With Everything to Lose” and “Money Go Round.” Still, what's missing here are nearly all of the band's major hits, including “My Ever Changing Moods” and “Walls Come Tumbling Down.” On the other hand, the virtual absence of any other Style Council concerts on DVD makes this energetic little half-hour-plus of heartfelt white soul, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, worth considering. DVD extras include a brief interview with show host Alan Bangs. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Also newly available are Cutting Crew: Live at Full House Rock Show and Little Steven: Live at Full House Rock Show.] Aud: P. (R. Pitman)