Fat Pop (Volume 1)

Fat Pop (Volume 1) is the sixteenth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Paul Weller. It was released on 14 May 2021 through Polydor Records and Solid Bond, in both a standard and deluxe edition.^[7] It was supported by the single "Shades of Blue".^[8]

Fat Pop (Volume 1)
Studio album by Paul Weller
Released	14 May 2021 (2021-05-14)
Recorded	2020
Studio	Black Barn Studios, Surrey
Length	38:40
Label	Polydor Solid Bond
Paul Weller chronology
On Sunset (2020) Fat Pop (Volume 1) (2021) 66 (2024)
Singles from Fat Pop (Volume 1)
"Cosmic Fringes" Released: 24 February 2021[1] "Glad Times" Released: 12 March 2021[2] "Shades of Blue" Released: 7 April 2021[3] "Cosmic Fringes (Remixes)" Released: 23 July 2021[4] "Glad Times (Soul Steppers)" Released: 1 October 2021[5] "The Meeq vs. Fat Pop" Released: 1 October 2021[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
American Songwriter	[11]
Clash	7/10[12]
Financial Times	[13]
The Guardian	[14]
i	[15]
The Line of Best Fit	6/10[16]
musicOMH	[17]
NME	[18]
RTÉ	[19]

On Metacritic, the album has a score of 82 out of 100 from 10 critical reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[9]

Commercial performance

Fat Pop (Volume 1) debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart dated 21 May 2021 with over 26,000 chart sales, becoming Weller's sixth solo UK number one album.^[20]

Track listing

Fat Pop (Volume 1) track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Cosmic Fringes"	Paul Weller	P. Weller Charles Rees[a]	2:20
2.	"True" (featuring Lia Metcalfe)	P. Weller Lia Metcalfe	P. Weller Jan Kybert Rees[a]	2:07
3.	"Fat Pop"	P. Weller Kybert	P. Weller Kybert Rees[a]	3:19
4.	"Shades of Blue"	P. Weller Leah Weller	P. Weller Kybert Rees[a]	3:06
5.	"Glad Times"	P. Weller Tom Doyle Anthony Brown	P. Weller Kybert White Label Rees[a]	4:03
6.	"Cobweb / Connections"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert Rees[a]	2:56
7.	"Testify"	P. Weller Andy Fairweather Low	Weller Kybert Rees[a]	2:53
8.	"That Pleasure"	P. Weller	Weller Kybert Rees[a]	3:32
9.	"Failed"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert	2:43
10.	"Moving Canvas"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert	2:54
11.	"In Better Times"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert Rees[a]	4:47
12.	"Still Glides the Stream"	P. Weller Steve Cradock	P. Weller Kybert Rees[a]	4:07
Total length:				38:40

Deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"On Sunset" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
14.	"Old Father Tyme" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
15.	"Moving Canvas" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
16.	"Failed" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
17.	"Village" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller Kybert
18.	"More" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
19.	"Testify" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller Low
20.	"Still Glides the Stream" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller Cradock
21.	"Rockets" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
22.	"Mayfly" (Live from Mid-Sömmer Musik)	P. Weller
23.	"Round the Floor"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert
24.	"Serafina"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert
25.	"Crowboy"	P. Weller James Skelly	P. Weller Kybert
26.	"Into the Sea"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert
27.	"Pure Sound"	P. Weller	P. Weller
28.	"Fat Mix"	P. Weller	P. Weller Kybert

Notes

• ^{^[a]} indicates an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

• Paul Weller – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (1–4, 6, 7, 9–12, 23–28), background vocals (1–12, 23, 25, 27), drums (1, 28), electric guitar (1, 3–5, 8–10, 27, 28), percussion (1, 4, 6–8, 10, 23, 25), piano (1–4, 6–8, 10–12, 23, 26, 28), Mellotron (2, 5, 8, 23, 25, 27, 28), bass (3, 8, 10, 27), Hammond organ (3, 6–8, 10, 11), clapping (6, 10), Rhodes (10, 28), harp (11, 27), guitar (13–22), Wurlitzer electric piano (27, 28), synthesizer (28)
• Charles Rees – drum programming (1), synthesizer (1, 3, 28), Moog bass (5), synth bass (5), Hammond organ (25), Mellotron (25, 28); percussion, sound effects (28)
• Steve Cradock – electric guitar (1, 7–9, 11, 23, 25, 28); harp, percussion, timpani, tubular bells (4, 10, 12); acoustic guitar (6, 25, 26), bass (10, 12), string arrangement (12), guitar (13–22), lap steel guitar (23), slide guitar (25)
• Andy Crofts – background vocals (2, 4, 6–12, 25), bass (2, 6–11, 13–15, 25), electric guitar, keyboards, melodica, timpani (4); clapping (6), synthesizer (9), acoustic bass guitar (11); guitar, organ, zither (23)
• Paul Speare – baritone saxophone (2, 10, 12, 28)
• Ben Gordelier – drums (2–5, 7–12, 23, 25, 27, 28), percussion (3–5, 7, 8, 10–12, 23, 25, 28), clapping (10)
• Steve Trigg – horn arrangement (2, 5, 7, 10, 12, 28), trumpet (2, 5, 10, 12, 28)
• Anthony Gaylard – tenor saxophone (2, 10, 12, 28)
• Dave Boraston – trumpet (2, 5, 10, 12, 28)
• Lia Metcalfe – vocals (2)
• Tom Heel – background vocals (3, 4, 7, 8, 10–23, 25, 27), Moog bass (3)
• Jan Kybert – Hammond organ (3), programming (3, 8), synthesizer (3, 28), percussion (6); Mellotron, sound effects (28)
• Leah Weller – background vocals (4)
• Tom Doyle – drum programming, keyboards, Wurlitzer electric piano (5)
• Anthony Brown – electric guitar (5)
• Paraorchestra – orchestra (5, 8, 12)
• Paul Wright – sarangi (5)
• Hannah Peel – conducting and string arrangements (5, 6, 8, 12, 23, 24, 28)
• White Label – string arrangement (5)
• Steve Pilgrim – background vocals (6, 7, 10–12), drums (6, 13–22, 28); clapping, conga (10); acoustic guitar (11, 28); electric guitar, piano (11)
• Katy Cox – cello (6, 24, 28)
• Stella Page – viola (6, 24, 28)
• Antonia Pagulatos – violin (6, 24, 28)
• Kotono Sato – violin (6, 24, 28)
• Andy Fairweather Low – vocals, background vocals (7)
• Jacko Peake – flute (7, 12–15); soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone (7)
• Steve Brookes – slide guitar (9)
• Phil Veacock – saxophone (11)

Technical

• Matt Colton – mastering
• Jan Kybert – mixing (1–12, 23–28)
• Charles Rees – mixing (13–22), engineering (1–22), editing (1–12, 23–28)
• Fiona Cruickshank – engineering (5, 8, 12)

Charts

Chart performance for Fat Pop (Volume 1)

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[21]	21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22]	15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23]	51
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24]	47
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25]	8
Irish Albums (OCC)[26]	2
Italian Albums (FIMI)[27]	74
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28]	36
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29]	1
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[30]	14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31]	69
UK Albums (OCC)[32]	1