It can’t have been easy. From playing bass and sharing fron-tof- stage in Britain’s biggest band, to contemplating how to pay the bills within just a few months. While Foxton would be the first to admit it took a while to adjust to Paul Weller’s seemingly sudden announcement that The Jam were disbanding in late 1982, he was also brave enough to embark on his own solo career within a year. A deal with Arista ensued and Foxton’s debut 45, Freak, was a minor hit inspired by The Elephant Man film. Thereafter, sales diminished and the resulting album, the Steve Lillywhite-produced Touch Sensitive, was ignored by all but the most devout Jam fans.
Twenty-five years later, Foxton seems to be enjoying life on the road with From The Jam (alongside drummer Rick Buckler), which might explain this first-ever CD reissue of Touch Sensitive, replete with non-album bonus tracks and video footage of one of Bruce’s Jam compositions, Smithers- Jones. Songs such as third single It Makes Me Wonder combine those twin Jam attributes of poignant melody with lyrical despair, while This Is The Way sounds like a confessional, with the opening gambit: “So you find yourself on your own/But just exactly what am I to do?”.
