Synth-pop (1981), which produced a series of hit singles. These included "Don't You Want Me", which reached number one in the UK at the end of 1981. Synth-pop reached its commercial peak in the UK in the winter of 1981–2, with bands such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Japan, Ultravox, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode and even Kraftwerk, enjoying top ten hits. In early 1982 synthesizers were so dominant that the Musicians Union attempted to limit their use. By the end of 1982, these acts had been joined in the charts by synth-based singles from Thomas Dolby, Blancmange, and Tears for
Confessions of a Pop Group Eighties: One Day, One Decade", journalist Dylan Jones described "Confessions of a Pop Group" as the pinnacle of the band's career, and that Weller's only problem "was convincing other people that this was the case." Several writers have placed "Confessions of a Pop Group" within different contexts, both socially and within Weller's career. Writer Paolo Hewitt wrote that the album was Weller's attempt to obtain complete musical freedom, "not answering to anyone," describing it as "the strangest record Weller ever involved himself in." Liberal politics magazine the "New Statesman" found the album to provide proof that left-leaning bands in Britain