Setting Sons
by The Jam
The Jam bestography
Setting Sons is ranked 3rd best out of 21 albums by The Jam on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by The Jam is All Mod Cons which is ranked number 747 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 2,324.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Setting Sons track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Setting Sons rankings
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Setting Sons ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 348 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/08/2025 17:03 | Exist-en-ciel | 6,052 | 70/100 |
| ! | 11/13/2025 00:05 | NYAndreas | 1,432 | 43/100 |
| ! | 07/31/2025 04:52 |  AAL2014 | 3,582 | 75/100 |
| ! | 07/13/2025 17:15 | rfowler | 443 | 85/100 |
| ! | 07/10/2025 18:19 |  Dingerbell | 3,998 | 63/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.6/100, a mean average of 77.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.1.
Setting Sons favourites
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Setting Sons comments
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Would be 10/10 had they not lazily tagged the Heatwave cover on the end. Doesn't fit in with rest of the album imo. The rest is brilliant
It's maybe unpopular opinion, but I actually like this album more than All Mod Cons. They evolved from simple new wave to more interesting and inntriguing songs for me.
There are quite a few great song on this release and the energy of the group is perfect. Songs like Thick As Thieves and Little Boy soldier are brilliant and I always sing a long when I hear them. Then there is The Eton Rifles which is a thrilling listen. All of these songs and a few more have fantastic instrumental performances with a very diverse ensemble as well. Wellers vocal is great due to it being monotone yet can also easily display a vast emotional range. The lyrics are fun to explore as well and are generally well written. However, I am not a fan of the cover that closes the album out and I think it is a weak cut. Alongside this, there are a few other pretty average songs which struggle to keep me entertained. Furthermore, I am quite tired of their style by the closing tracks as well as they are quite repetitive in terms of their sound. Overall, there are lots of moments to enjoy on here and also moments that are pretty average or bad but I do enjoy revisiting this record when I do.
The timing of this release was absolutely perfect, lyrically superb. I would have prefereed another Weller composition instead of Heatwave and I prefer the guitar version of Smithers-Jones but they are minor grumbles
A mod album that passes an political message at the UK state of the moment.
Stunning album. Articulate, biting social commentary and a brilliant distillation of what was going on in England at the time. Thinking mans music par excellence
ImmortalAl 08/06/2017 14:00 | #195615
Takes getting used to, but grows on you quick. Really good music. Good pop rock.
Name a bad song on this classic album .... ok maybe the heat wave remake. But otherwise but from the moment the phone rings on the
Opening track, it is awesome .... should definately be in top 500.
The second of The Jam's three masterpieces, setting sons, is a rip roaring record full of energy and great songs. The Who influences are still there but they sound more and more like themselves with each release. The album starts frantically with the three song blitz of, girl on the phone, thick as thieves, and, private hell. Other highlights include, Smithers-Jones, a wonderful song from Bruce Foxton, and the superb, Eton rifles. Another excellent album then from The Jam.
The Jam's best album in my opinion, every track is brilliant.
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