Posted on 02/18/2025 1:19:04 PM PST by nickcarraway
Rick Buckler, drummer for acclaimed English new wave band the Jam, has died at the age of 69.
The musician’s passing was confirmed by his former bandmates who took to social media to share their memories.
“I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing,” the Jam’s frontman, Paul Weller, wrote on X. “I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! We went far beyond our dreams and what we made stands the test of time. My deepest sympathy to all family and friends.”
“Rick was a good guy and a great drummer whose innovative drum patterns helped shape our songs,” bassist Bruce Foxton shared in his own message. “I'm glad we had the chance to work together as much as we did. My thoughts are with Leslie and his family at this very difficult time."
While a cause of death has not yet been released, Buckler recently canceled a string of spoken word tour dates due to “ongoing health issues.”
Who Was Rick Buckler? Born in Woking, England in 1955, Buckler met Weller and Foxton while all three were attending Sheerwater Secondary School. The aspiring musicians formed the Jam and initially started out covering American rock groups before finding a style all their own.
In 1977, the Jam’s debut single, “In This City,” became a Top 40 hit in the U.K. So began an impressive string for the band, which churned out 18 consecutive U.K. Top 40 singles during their five year existence. This short yet prolific period included four U.K. No. 1 hits – "Going Underground" (1980), “Start!” (1980), “Town Called Malice” (1982) and “Beat Surrender” – and six full-length studio albums.
Though they enjoyed major success in the U.K. and other parts of the world, U.S. popularity eluded the band. The Jam’s biggest American hit was 1982’s “A Town Called Malice,” which peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
In October of ‘82, Weller announced his plan to disband the Jam. The trio played their final concert together on Dec. 11 that year.
Following the Jam’s breakup, Buckler formed a new band called Time UK. The group released three singles over a couple of years, but soon disbanded. Buckler ran his own recording studio for a while, and later turned away from the music industry entirely, instead becoming a carpenter.
In 2005, the drummer returned to performing with a new band called the Gift. Named after the Jam’s final album, the group performed material from throughout the Jam’s catalogue. In 2007, Foxton joined and the Gift was renamed From the Jam. The band toured together for four years, but broke up in 2009.
Buckler's late career highlights included overseeing several Jam-related projects. In 2015 he published his autobiography, That's Entertainment: My Life in the Jam.
Although Start is a direct rip-off of Taxman by the Beatles.
RIP Rick Buckler
The Beat Surrender. Sad to hear of his passing at only 69– the beat behind one of my three favorite bands of all time.
Very sad news . I was a big Jam fan back in the day and had all their albums plus many of the imported picture sleeve 45s all of which I bought at a great record store in Lake Ronkonkoma , Long Island called Record Stop . Still have some with me here in Japan . R.I.P.
And the Sex Pistols “Holidays in the Sun” ripped off The Jam’s “In the City.”
This one always just absolutely floored me. How they could get so much sound out of trio, just...
Memory eternal.
RIP.
Fantastic band.
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, Going Underground, and Bitterest Pill are my top three.
The Jam live in Tokyo 1980 . Check out Down In The Tube Station at Midnight from 48:04 . This Tokyo recording possibly the best live sound they ever recorded .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DPuls-UOd0
They had 13 top 20 hits in the UK in 5 years . Not bad . Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, Going Underground, and Strange Town my fave singles . Still have the import 45s here with me in Japan and several of their albums on vinyl .
Lead man of the Band Paul Weller is a big “The Who” guy. I loved their cover of “So Sad About Us” B. Side of Down In The Tube Station At Midnight (with B. Side Keith Moon Picture Sleeve). I have their Dig the New Breed” LP. Always loved the live version of “It’s Too Bad”
They are not to everyone’s taste, they were what I called controlled Punk. Same mold to an extent as the Clash which were more popular in the USA, while the Jam were huge in the UK. They often dressed in suits on stage due to the UK Mod revival revival going on at the time which was a Who influence from the 60’s. (see Quadrophenia)
RIP Rick.
Never understood the cult status of the Jam. Not horrible, but nothing to write home about either.
“Never understood the cult status of the Jam. Not horrible, but nothing to write home about either”
Very much a UK thing, not in the States.
RIP. One of my favorite bands — amazing sound for a three-man lineup.
Found this on Reddit:
“(’Holiday In the Sun’) was a complete re-write of The Jam’s ‘In The City’. Apparently, Sid Vicious approached Paul Weller at the Speakeasy Club one night, shortly after its release, and was taking the piss about having nicked one of his songs. Paul wasn’t too happy about it and ended up landing one on Sid, who finished the evening in the casualty department of the local hospital.” - Glen Matlock, original bass player of Sex Pistols, 2002 interview.
“He just came up to me, and he was going on about ‘Holidays In The Sun’ where they’d nicked the riff from ‘In The City.’ I didn’t mind them nicking it – you’ve got to get your ideas from somewhere, haven’t you? Anyway, he just came up and nutted me. So I returned it.” - Paul Weller, The Jam’s frontman, songwriter of “In the City”, interview with Uncut in 2007.
The Jam - “In the City” (In the City, 1977).
Sex Pistols - “Holiday In the Sun” (Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols).
WFNX definitely added to my appreciation of new music in the 1980s. In a time when there were a lot of strong Boston radio stations,they stood out.
He punched the bass player, who barely knew how to hold her instrument, let alone write a song.
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