***1/2 Paul Weller

MODERN CLASSICS

(Island)

It's telling that whereas Paul Weller's first band, the Jam, have been fêted with a Vespa scooterload of greatest-hits collections -- not to mention a lavish five-CD box set documenting every aspect of their six-year existence -- Weller's seven-year solo career has been all but ignored in this country. Modern Classics makes up for the oversight by bringing together 15 cherry-picked should've-been (and probably were in England) hits as well as a lovely new track, "Brand New Start," that goes a long way toward showing folks who only remember Weller as that guy from the Jam (or his subsequent group, Style Council) what they've been missing. From the gritty soulful burst of "Sunflower" to the nostalgic sweep of "Friday Street" to the defiant strut of "Peacock Suit," Weller almost always manages to weave together his influences -- early Who, Small Faces, Marvin Gaye -- without coming across as derivative, because you can hear the heart of the man beating inside his songs.

-- Jonathan Perry