
Jim Cook - Head of A&R at Polydor (1975-1984) - The Jam / The Style Council
From Paul Weller Fan Podcast by HenFred Studio
May 28, 2026 · 39 min · Season 3 · Episode 58
About this episode
Jim Cook shares his experiences as Head of A&R at Polydor Records during a pivotal time in British music.
In this episode, recorded for my book, Jim Cook shares his inside perspective from his years as Head of A&R at Polydor Records (1975-1984) during one of British music’s most exciting eras. As the man who signed The Jam and oversaw their rise, Jim reflects on the real-life stories behind the deals, the challenges of the music business in the punk and new wave era, and what it was like to work alongside one of the sharpest British bands of the time (in fact, change that to all time!) Find podcast show notes and sign up for regular information at PaulWellerFanPodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: HenFred Studio
Guest: Jim Cook
Topics covered
- A&R
- music history
- punk music
- new wave
- The Jam
- The Style Council
Keywords
- A&R
- Polydor
- The Jam
- The Style Council
- music business
- punk
- new wave
- British music
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Polydor Records
Books & works: The Jam, The Style Council
More episodes of Paul Weller Fan Podcast
- Richard Ogden - Polydor - Head of International Marketing + Managing Director · June 9, 2026 · 42 min
- John Lewis - Arts critic, Journalist, Editor and Musician · June 2, 2026 · 40 min
- Erica Echenberg - Punk Photographer · May 21, 2026 · 28 min
- Craig McLean - Music Writer & Editor, The Face, The Word etc · May 19, 2026 · 35 min
- Richard Engler - Marketing Director at V2 Records · May 14, 2026 · 22 min
- Jamie Telford - Touring Keyboardist for The Jam (1982) · May 12, 2026 · 32 min
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