U.K. rock mainstay Paul Weller will celebrate the late January release of a career-spanning boxed set with a three-night stand at New York’s Irving Plaza. The four-disc “Hit Parade” is due Jan. 23 via Yep Roc; Weller will then play Jan. 29-31 at New York’s Irving Plaza, with the shows divided thematically.
Although each show will include music from his entire career, the first night will focus on the music of the Jam, while the second will feature the music of the Style Council. The third gig will cherry-pick from throughout Weller’s discography. Tickets go on sale Friday (Nov. 17); the thematic concept will not be repeated at any additional concerts.
Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the Jam’s seminal debut, “In the City.” The group has not played together since 1982, and Weller told BBC Radio earlier this year that a reunion would “never, ever happen.” The Style Council split in 1989; the single “My Ever-Changing Moods” earned Weller his best position ever on the Billboard Hot 100 when it reached No. 29 in 1984.
“Hit Parade” covers Weller’s full output, from early Jam classics like “All Around the World” through to Style Council favorites (“Money Go Round Pt. 1 & 2,” “Long Hot Summer”) and solo gems (“Into Tomorrow,” “Sunflower”). A 23-track single-disc edition of “Hit Parade” will also be available.
On the new music front, Weller on Nov. 6 issued the single “Wild Blue Yonder” in the United Kingdom, the first in what his Web site calls “a series of stand-alone singles” he will release in the next few months.
Weller is on tour in the United Kingdom through a Dec. 6-7 stand in London. He next plays the city’s Kentish Town Forum on Tuesday and Wednesday.
