The Style Council Bring ‘Headstart For Happiness’ Live Video To YouTube
Paul Weller’s post-Jam band is prepping a deluxe reissue of their 1984 debut album ‘Café Bleu.’
More essential concert footage The Style Council has made its way to YouTube for the first time. The English sophisti-pop band, Paul Weller’s first project after the dissolution of The Jam, has brought pro-shot archival video of “Headstart For Happiness” to the world’s biggest video platform.
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Recorded at Goldiggers in the UK town of Chippenham on March 5, 1984, the clip begins with Weller announcing, “This is a song of great joy.” After a round of cheers, the band validates his claim by launching into a performance buoyed by a jubilant brass section. The “Headstart To Happiness” live video follows the recent YouTube debut of “Speak Like A Child” footage from the same concert.
It’s all part of a campaign celebrating the deluxe reissue of The Style Council’s 1984 debut album, Café Bleu. The 6CD, 3LP Café Bleu Special Edition includes the original album plus early demos, alternate takes, and unreleased songs plus an array of BBC sessions and live recordings. It’s set for release Jan. 30 via Universal Music Recordings.
Weller founded The Style Council in 1982 after disbanding The Jam. Seeking the chance to explore broader stylistic horizons, he partnered with keyboardist Mick Talbot—formerly of Dexys Midnight Runners, The Merton Parkas, and The Bureau—to branch out from The Jam’s mod-inspired power-pop. Together they pursued a hybrid sophisti-pop sound incorporating elements of soul, jazz, and the burgeoning hip-hop scene.
For Café Bleu, the duo added drummer Steve White and began working with vocalist Dee C. Lee, who would become a fixture of the band’s lineup. They also incorporated contributions from a range of “Honorary Councillors” including Everything But The Girl members Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. In the US, the album was originally released with a different sequence under the alternate title My Ever Changing Moods.
In the UK, Café Bleu was a chart hit, soaring to No. 2 on the album chart and spinning off three top 10 singles: “My Ever Changing Moods,” “You’re the Best Thing,” and “Shout to the Top!” The new reissue expands greatly on the original tracklist. As Record Collector notes in an early review, “the extra delights here offer proof positive of a group with an insatiable hunger, brimming with ideas.”
