In The City

Limited vinyl LP repressing of this album by the British mod/punk trio. In the City is the debut studio album by The Jam. It was released in 1977 by Polydor Records and featured the hit single and title track "In the City". Weller's guitar style on the album is very much influenced by Wilko Johnson and Pete Townshend. The album includes two cover songs, "Slow Down" and the theme to the 1960s television series, Batman, the latter of which had also been previously covered by The Who, The Kinks and Link Wray. Upon the album's release, In The City received all-round positive reviews. Phil McNeil from the NME said Weller's songwriting "captures that entire teen frustration vibe with the melodic grace and dynamic aplomb of early Kinks and Who". Brian Harrigan of Melody Maker was equally impressed, proclaiming that "the Weller composed songs are anything but an embarrassment, he has a deft touch that places his material on a much higher plateau". In the Record Mirror, Barry Cain wrote, "armed and extremely dangerous The Jam stalk the decrepit grooves. If you don't like them, hard luck they're gonna be around for a long time. It's been a long time since albums actually reflected pre-20 delusions and this one does".