The fifth single, released in February 1984, was the first to feature the drumming talents of Steve White who at the time was just 18 years of age and whose more gentle, jazz influenced style was quite different from that of Zeke Manyika who had played on each of the previous singles.
The Style Council were now seemingly following a clear plan of a new single every three months and once again this sold well, reaching #5 in the charts. Indeed by the time it had drifted out of the charts at the beginning of April, the band (and more importantly I guess Polydor Records) had enjoyed having a single in the Top 75 for 42 out of 56 weeks which equates to a huge amount of radio airplay and exposure.
The first new bit of TSC music in 1984 was ridiculously catchy, jaunty and quite splendid:-
mp3 : The Style Council – My Ever Changing Moods (12″ version)
Two songs were on the b-side, one of which was a throwaway but pleasant enough acoustic ballad while the other was an instrumental that brought home how talented the other two main musicians were but also gave a reminder that talent doesn’t always translate to enjoyable and memorable music:-
mp3 : The Style Council – Spring, Summer, Autumn
mp3 : The Style Council – Mick’s Company
One thing worth mentioning is that the sleeve of My Ever Changing Moods gave notice of the first TSC album with news that it was to be called Cafe Bleu and that it wouldn’t include any of the five previously released 45s when it hit the shops in April 1984. So there was the inevitable head-scratching when the LP’s track listing turned out to include ‘Moods’ but lo and behold, it was a completely different and wholly unexpected version:-
mp3 : The Style Council – My Ever Changing Moods (album version)
Enjoy
PS
Over the festive period I finally caught up with viewing something that I had recorded back in September which has since been made available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
About The Young Idea is a full-length documentary about the life and times of The Jam and it turned out to be surprisingly good. I say surprisingly as these things tend to be a bit on the self-indulgent side and are often from one person’s perspective, but in this instance all three members of the band make invaluable contributions and insights, albeit they were interviewed separately (which is no surprise given there is still obvious pain in the faces of Bruce and Rick about the timing and finality of the break-up). There are articulate and heart-felt contributions from a wide range of fans that are also worth listening to – at first they appear to have been selected at random but it eventually becomes clear that they have been included for particular reasons. The film certainly brought back loads of happy memories for me – as I’ve said, they were the band that more than any other ignited my love for music and the film makes it quite clear that I was only one of a great many from all over the world affected in that way.
It’s well worth shelling out for and you’ll find it quite easily on t’internet.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
The documentary has been playing on the premium channel Showtime here in America, and I catch myself watching it every time it’s on. Love the clips of the underage fans and those without tickets being let in to watch the sound checks. Must have been so exciting to rush the stage like that and have a chat with their heroes.
Enjoying your lookback at The Style Council 45s. The 83-85 period was so good. And like you, Weller and The Jam opened up whole worlds of music, films and books.
Keep on keepin’ on.
Collecting The Style Council in the US was really annoying. Geffen took over after Polydor neglected to promote Introducing…The Style Council in 83 and they were pretty erratic at releasing singles and albums. Cafe Bleu and Our Favorite Shop would become My Ever Changing Moods and Internationalists. I got so fed up, I just bought domestic and import until the end.
Geffen release/flooded special shops with a promo only EP with different versions of My Ever Changing Moods, You’re The Best Thing and the album version of A Solid Bond In Your Heart which I cherish.
Another good single from the Style Council’s best period, either side of Cafe Bleu. I listened to that album the other day for the first time in years and was struck with how absolutely he had abdicated his spokesman for a generation mantle. The Parisian stylings of the image, the (utter nonsense) Capuccinno Kid sleeve notes, the jazzy, soully music, the lack of lead guitar, the fact he is not obviously the main songwriter on some compositions, the fact he is not obviously playing at all on some other tracks. I find all of this rather brave, and I do genuinely like the Style Council. I don’t however love them the way I loved the Jam, but by ending that band when he did he preserved its legacy. Think of the Jam and I think of classics like That’s Entertainment, Down in the Tube Station at Midnight and Eton Rifles. However that’s not what they were doing at the end. I honestly think if the band had continued Weller would still have written these SC songs, would still have veered off in a soulful direction. Motown pastiche rather than New Wave was in the air in 83/84, think Blow Monkeys, Culture Club, Wham. At the end of the Jam we got a couple of diversions, beat surrender, bitterest pill etc. We could have had Ever Changing Moods, Headstart to Happiness and all the rest. then when we thought of the Jam we would be thinking about a whole different band.
My Ever Changing Moods always seemed to be on the radio when I was having driving lessons. My young-ish instructor insisted on having Radio 1 on at all times. When I made my first tape for my first car, it was Side 1, Track 1.
Your first car showed great taste!!