Passed away aged 69.
Integral part of the trio – even if he was the most un-mod looking (he even had a beard at one point).
Solid drummer throughout, and author of a couple of memoirs. Yes, admittedly it appeared like he did have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but always came over as very calm and grounded and content with his lot in life.
Only had one writing credit for The Jam – Funeral Pyre – which started as a jam in the studio and built from there, and showcases his contribution to the band.
Rick Buckler RIP
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Got back together with Bruce in tribute band From The Jam, but never did reconcile with Paul Weller.
Both have posted their condolences on that there Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/paulwellerofficial
That’s another reuinion that definitely won’t be happening now. RIP.
And Bruce is on his last tour, I think.
Yup, last leg up to Spring and then no more touring – still likely to be around in the studio though.
Had knee surgery last year, and not got back up to full speed. Saw From The Jam in December and he had to pull out.
So sad. Perfect drummer for the Jam – who were my band at the time when it mattered.
Oops, my error – he did have a second writing credit.
Music For The Last Couple (from Sound Affects)
Rick was a huge fan of XTC and you can really hear the influence in that track.
Sad loss.
RIP.
The Jam were always a singles band for me and Snap was the greatest best of ever.
Great live band too. They played Great Yarmouth ABC in 1978 (and West Runton in 1977).
Yeah I remember both of those gigs @alias
My mum and dad wouldn’t let me go…
I went to the Yarmouth gig. They were brilliant.
@alias…git!
Think I’m with you on this @uncle-wheaty
I have Snap on double (I think) vinyl. The cd omitted some good songs if I recall correctly.
Compact Snap – lopped of some tracks to fit on one 74 minute disc.
Re-issued later as 2 CD set restoring missing moments
Cheers, Compact Snap, that’s the one!
Any idea what was missing originally?
“Away from the Numbers”, “Billy Hunt”, “English Rose”, “Mr. Clean”, “The Butterfly Collector”, “Thick As Thieves”, “Man in the Corner Shop” and “Tales from the Riverbank”.
So the only non-single track left was “Just Who Is the 5 O’Clock Hero?”
Compact Snap! is the version I first heard, and the one I prefer.
But .. it was a single (as a Dutch import)
If I were to buy it in cd now, I’d go for the double one. Some good tracks there.
Very sad that he and Weller didn’t get on. Great drummer in a great band. RIP
“I’m shocked and saddened by Rick’s passing,” Weller said 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!”
Yes but I don’t think he spoke to him in 40 years or so
Perhaps he regrets that now.
He always referred to him as “the drummer” rather childish
My first musical love, and a great unshowy drummer. In a great trio all three have to be great musicians.
A band which captured the zeitgeist, summed up their fractious times. Plus alll very fine musicians, pulled their weight in a tight power trio: who could demand more from them than that? The tunes, performances and records, at their best imaginative electrifying and sublime, will doubtlessly live On for decades to come
22 Feb 1980 Woking YMCA John Weller gave the usual intro … for a while perhaps they were the Greatest.
I liked the Jam. I remember buying Strange Town and Sound Affects and Snap. I was a little put off by the adoption of them as a mod band by most of the lads at my school. I know Weller is a god etc. but what I always liked about the Jam was the way that the bass and drums carried such energy and always lifted the songs. A very tight and talented trio of muscians.
Sad news.
Rick turned up to our local pub in Woking – I would say this was in 1983. By the end of the night his table was groaning with pints bought for him by well-wishers.
I saw them first at St George’s Hall, Bradford in November, 1978 – Down in the Tubestation had recently been released. As my mate pointed out last night, we were 16 at the time, Buckler was 22!
(Weller two years younger!!)
Saw The Jam five times. Always a great gig (unlike Costello!). In my mind, he remains a fresh-faced youngster, so it’s come as a shock. RIP.
I never saw The Jam, but did see Rick Butler and his band – must have been around 1983.
I wouldn’t say I was a massive Jam fan (I actually prefer Paul Weller solo) but they were a part of my childhood and so this is sad news.
One thing that struck me was most of the RIPs up to now have been artists that were active in the 60s. Aside from the early deaths (due to drink, drugs, sex and rock n roll etc) is this the start of us losing those from the mid to late 70s (i.e. my generation – I was born in 1967).
To borrow a Partridgeism, The Style Council: the band The Jam could have been.
What a horrible thing for Andy to say about a fellow musician.
I’m off to burn my entire XTC collection
Arf!
@fenstonsteve back of the net!
Our Favourite Shop is a really good album.
Really saddened by this news.
I’m not a die hard Jam fan by the standards of many & don’t care for much of Weller’s solo stuff but I saw them a handful of times as a snotty teen fairly early on in small venues & the whole thing was
incredibly sweaty & exciting. They were snarly & tight as f*ck!
I got into huge shit with a couple of pals after we saw them at the 100 Club on a Sunday evening & our tissue of lies to parents (the gig was not sanctioned) collapsed after we’d missed a train back to the suburbs & people started ringing around. We’d worn our school uniforms with the badges torn off & black ties to be ‘cool’. The lectures & recriminations afterwards seemed interminable, but were worth it for the thrill.
Not got skin in the game and sincerely R.I.P.
It’s just re: the opening comment that he was the least Mod.
Incorrect. The least Mod was definitely the bass player with his feather-cut haircut.
I’d actually argue that Rick Buckler was the most Mod.
Nah. Can’t agree. When he wasn’t having to shoehorn his rather chunky self into the regulation tight suit…which he never looked particularly comfortable in, especially compared to Weller who annoyingly looked very cool in anything..Buckler’s only concession to Weller’s Mod fixation was a Lonsdale sweatshirt or a Fred Perry polo, which I always felt he wore purely because it’s what was expected of him. One suspects that he and Foxton wore those Jam bowling shoes for contractual reasons rather than out of choice. Buckler was at heart a basic, meat and potato rock fan, without much or any of Paul’s love of 60s R&B and Soul. Given the chance, I suspect he would have probably been happier in an old Quo tee shirt.
Interestingly, Weller himself won’t hear a word against The (early at least) Quo, something to do with Rick Parfitt knowing John Weller and lending Paul an amp or something. Others may know more about this.