Currently sitting pretty at number 1 in the album charts with his name being mentioned in the same breath as Lennon and McCartney, Paul Weller has much to being proud of at this moment in time. One of his band mates Andy Crofts who has worked with the Modfather since 2008 on keyboards, guitar and bass guitar in a live and studio setting has on the odd occasion via his social media outlets shared some snippets of life on the road and within the recording bases of Weller via expertly taken photos.

August 2020 see’s Crofts release his own book simply titled Paul, released via This Day In Music Books, the book features an exclusive foreword by Weller who enthuses that he’s never seen Crofts take a bad picture, there’s also a foreword by Crofts who explains he had a camera from an early age and that his images in the book ‘are always instant and usually come from us passing somewhere that catches my eye’. As you would expect with anything official associated with Weller the layout and design oozes class immediately as you flick through the pages, mostly there are 1 picture to each page, which doesn’t complicate matters, rather it helps to focus your attention on the moment each picture was taken.

There are moments captured from various years including a festival in San Francisco, to the tour bus with the ever-present entourage of Kenny Wheeler, a key shot of Weller over seeing a beach wearing a duffle coat, meanwhile a b/w shot in front of a target is Mod heaven. Throughout the book there are handwritten snippets from Crofts who goes into brief detail of where the picture was taken plus his own musings. Other favourite pics include Weller leaning on a window ledge, early evening whilst in the distance the sun sets, there are vast amounts of imagery showing Weller in a casual setting at soundchecks, backstage or in the studio, what is evident however is the clothes, always immaculate, not a thread out of place, even the soles of his shoes are as you would expect, immaculate.

There are further nods to Mod in the guise of Weller sitting on a scooter, the yellow laced Monkey Boots, a green wool jumper, but whatever the clothes, whatever the scenery, whatever the crowd, each picture is a fascinating sneak peek into the life of being a band member of one of the world’s great singer/songwriters. Priced at a reasonable £39.99, limited to 1000 copies, the 206 page book does indeed match the asking price which, with Crofts taking more photos as his time passes within the nucleus of the band a second volume would no doubt be equally welcomed. Great work. 

Paul – Photographs by Andy Crofts can be purchased via the following link