Joe Jackson - I'm The Man (1979)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2001 reissue with a bonus track.

Despite the terrible cover photo, this album fits in somewhere among my top 3 or 4 Joe Jackson albums. (Night And Day is far and away at the top of that list, but the others vary depending on my ever-changing moods.) In any case, it contains 3 of my favorite Jackson songs: the title track, It's Different For Girls, and On Your Radio. Jackson's own thoughts on the album as found on Jackson's website:

This is really Part Two of ‘Look Sharp’ – it was released less than a year later. I don’t know how I even had the time to write and record a slightly more mature record, but I think it is, and the best of the first three.

I'll agree, especially with that last part. A fun new wave rocker that's an amalgam of power pop, '60s R&B, reggae, punk, and maybe even jazz, played with minimal instrumentation.

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "as brilliant as its predecessor"
• Smash Hits (7½ out of 10): "Good album - investigate."
• CashBox: "one of the most accessible and commercially viable new wave rockers around"
• Record World: "Jackson shows off added sophistication (albeit anger) in his lyrics."
• Record Mirror (++++): "offering confirmation and extensions of the man's validity"
• Rolling Stone: "Overall, the music, though it remains derivative and broadly stroked, is more forceful and zesty than Look Sharp!'s"
• Stereo Review: "it's a superb album"
• Robert Christgau (C+): "Oh yeah?"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #22
• CashBox: #25
• Rolling Stone: #22

Tracks: My favorite cut is It's Different For Girls, closely followed by the other two songs mentioned above. Also good are Kinda Kute, Get That Girl, and Friday. I'm not much of a fan of Geraldine And John.

Bonus track: A live cover of Chuck Berry's Come On, recorded at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go on Saturday, May 12, 1979. It was the b-side to the It's Different For Girls single and appeared on the 1979 A&M sampler album, Propaganda.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't have this album back in '79, but somehow I heard the title track on the radio and was immediately hooked. The single was listed in the December 15, 1979 issue of Billboard (p. 70) so that must have happened around that time. The single failed to chart in the US. If only I had been bothered to seek out whose song it was.

I read Jackson's autobiography, A Cure for Gravity, back when it was released in 2000 and, if I recall correctly, was greatly disappointed he chose to end it after the recording/release of Look Sharp. So no mention of I'm The Man.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Rain (2008)	Big World (1986)
Volume 4 (2003)	Body and Soul (1984)
Night And Day II (2000)	Night and Day (1982)
Tucker Soundtrack (1988)	Look Sharp! (1979)

Joe Jackson - Big World (1986)

German Import

Note: this release was originally purchased as a 2 LP set, later replaced by a CD. The 2 LPs only had music on three sides; the fourth side had a label that stated "there is no music on this side" and a groove that quickly took to the needle to the center of the record. If you're like me, you played side 4 once, just to be sure. Sure enough, turns out there was no music on that side.

One my all-time favorite albums is Jackson's Night and Day so I unfairly compare all his albums to that one. As such, this one doesn't measure up. However, it's got a few good songs on it. Unfortunately, at this point in Jackson's career, he was apparently more interested in how things were recorded than what things were recorded. From the liner notes:

It was an ambitious trend that Jackson had started with his Body and Soul album and, to be honest, it turned me off because I preferred the highly refined sounds of Night And Day. I didn't buy any future Jackson albums for a while. Except for the Tucker soundtrack, I've never heard any of his releases between 1987-1999. Now that I've written that, I realize how petulant it sounds.

The album is titled Big World because Jackson tries to tackle a different world genres (French, spaghetti western, surf rock, Middle Eastern, etc.) and the lyrics namecheck countries and cities. This album is out of print in the US but is available as an inexpensive import. As you can tell, it's not my favorite, but I'll still give it the occasional listen.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "Jackson pursues a lot of different ideas and loses them down the stretch."
• Stereo Review: "Jackson returns to the lean, rock-quartet sound of his first albums, although he continues to range over jazz, blues, and reggae."
• Robert Christgau: B-
• Billboard: "leaner, more rocker-inflected attack."
• CashBox: "a wild success"
• Musician: "Excepting Elvis, he's turned out to be the best thing England's new wave has washed upon these shores."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #34
• Billboard Pop CD: #14
• CashBox CD: #13
• Rolling Stone: #19

Tracks:  15 tracks over 61 minutes.

• Good: Wild West, Tonight And Forever, Forty Years, Survival, The Jet Set, Home Town
• Meh:  Right And Wrong, Precious Time, Shanghai Sky, Fifty Dollar Love Affair, Soul Kiss
• Skip:  (It's A) Big World, We Can't Live Together, Tango Atlantico, Man In The Street

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  In the summer of 1986, I came "home" from college to a new city as my parents had moved to San Antonio earlier that year. I had a great time that summer exploring the city even though I had a typically miserable summer job as a bus boy/dishwasher at Sizzler. I bought this LP in May of that year and had high hopes of it soundtracking my summer. It didn't, so I turned to other albums, most notably Bring On The Night, The Bridge, Magnetic, Back In The High Life, and a little later, Lifes Rich Pageant.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Rain (2008)
Volume 4 (2003)
Night And Day II (2000)
Tucker: The Man And His Dream Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
Body and Soul (1984)
Night and Day (1982)
Look Sharp! (1979)

Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! (1979)

Note: the CD I listened to was 1990 Audio Master Plus Series version.

Before I talk about the music, I have to say that is a great album cover - one of my all-time favorites. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #22 on its list of 100 Classic Album Covers (Issue 617).

This outstanding debut album rocks pretty hard but shows Jackson's gift for pop songwriting. Because of timing, Jackson was grouped with Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, but I think better comparisons would be The Clash or The Knack. Lots of punk and reggae/ska influences. Just great music from a tight band on the leading edge of the New Wave.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Jackson is a more mainstream (albeit angry) singer/songwriter in the Elvis Costello vein."
• Rolling Stone: "head-turning debut"
• Smash Hits (7 out of 10): "well worth checking out"
• Stereo Review: "rock-and-roll predicated on both melody and riff"
• Robert Christgau (B): "In which an up-and-coming professional entertainer tricks up Britain's latest rock and roll fashion with some fancy chords and gets real intense about the perils of romance."
• Slash: "Watch out kids, here comes the first of the Elvis Costello copyists."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #20
• CashBox: #24
• Rolling Stone: #22

Tracks: I enjoy the whole album and don't skip anything, but for me, the top tracks are Sunday Papers, Is She Really Going Out With Him?, Baby Stick Around, Pretty Girls, and Got The Time. In other words, the album starts and ends strong - great sequencing. Is is just me or does Baby Stick Around steal its hook from Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't have this album back in high school. I fell in love with Night and Day and I'm surprised I didn't go buy Jackson's entire back catalog. I bought this CD only a few years ago when I saw it in a used bin (I'm guessing the person that traded it in either has no taste or bought the 2001 reissue). I should have bought it way back when. Wouldacouldashoulda.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Rain (2008)
Volume 4 (2003)
Night And Day II (2000)
Tucker: The Man And His Dream Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
Body and Soul (1984)
Night and Day (1982)

Joe Jackson - Night And Day II (2000)

This probably would have played better with a different album title. As it stands, it's a sequel to one of my favorite albums, Jackson's 1982 release Night and Day. Unfortunately, this is more like Godfather III than Godfather II. I fully understand the attraction of revisiting a successful formula, but the decision to produce a sequel invites comparisons to the original and, in this case, that's a tough act to follow. Wanting it to be like the original is ridiculous and impossible: subject (NYC), musician, and listener had all aged 18 years between releases. In other words, in 2000, Joe and I were no longer angry young men, just angry men. Jackson produces this himself instead of getting back original N&D producer David Kershenbaum, but who knows if having Kershenbaum at the controls would have made any difference. Ultimately, I'm a little disappointed, but at least there are a few good songs I can take away from this release.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I almost never listen to this all the way through, but when it's good, it's really good. The best songs are Hell Of A Town (which musically quotes Steppin' Out and lyrically quotes Midnight Cowboy), Stranger Than You, and Glamour And Pain. Any of those three songs could have fit on the 1982 original. I don't mind Dear Mom, but I normally skip Why, Love Got Lost (which sounds like it got away from an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical), and Just Because.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Originally this release was highly anticipated by me. I bought my copy the day of release at a Best Buy instead of waiting for online delivery. I really wanted to like it in toto, so I gave it lots of playing time for a month or two before losing interest. Now hearing it just makes me long to hear the original Night And Day CD.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Rain (2008)
Volume 4 (2003)
Tucker: The Man And His Dream Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
Body and Soul (1984)
Night and Day (1982)

Joe Jackson - Tucker: The Man And His Dream Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)

Soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's 1988 film. The album earned Jackson a Grammy nomination for Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or TV. I liked Jackson and I liked the movie, so why not pick up this soundtrack, right? Wrong. All we've got is music derivative of '40s swing (listen to track 16, The Trial - it uses so much of Sophisticated Lady that Duke Ellington should have gotten a writing credit and royalties). Jackson had already done it better with his 1981 Jumpin' Jive album and I didn't even care for that much. So I have absolutely NO idea what's going on here:

I'll admit that the soundtrack supports the mood and period of the movie, so I guess it is successful on those terms, it's just not something I normally listen to.

Tracks: 18 tracks in 44 minutes, so things move pretty fast. The only track that caught my ear was the tasteful piano ballad, Marilee.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember seeing the movie in the summer of '88, but no memories come with this CD. This is only the second time I've listened to it.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Rain (2008)
Volume 4 (2003)
Body and Soul (1984)
Night and Day (1982)

Joe Jackson - Night and Day (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD, later replaced by the 2003 Deluxe Edition.

Last time I sat down and wrote my list of "Desert Island CD's" in August 2004, this CD was on it. When I was 16, this was a very influential album in my life, even though I didn't understand what the critics were talking about when they mentioned Cole Porter and Tin Pan Alley. I heard Steppin' Out on the radio and fell in love with it. Since this was prior to the Information Age, it took me months to find out the name of the artist. Even though he'd been around for a while, that was the first time I'd heard of Jackson. I bought this album as soon as I could and listened to it constantly as it was unlike any other music around at that time. I've never thought the music sounds dated and I still listen to this CD 4 or 5 times a year. For me everything clicks with this album - the music, the lyrics, the smooth production, the cover art - it's Jackson's best; nothing comes close.

The Deluxe Edition includes a 28 page booklet with great liner notes and the music has all been remastered. "All tracks 96K/24-bit mastered from the original analog tapes" - I really don't know what all that means, but it sounds impressive.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "Jackson's strongest album"
• Stereo Review: "music is so tepid that it's hard to care about what he says"
• Smash Hits (6½ out of 10): "Jackson has a lot to say"
• Robert Christgau (B): "Decent, intelligent sentiments decently and intelligently expressed"
• Musician: "consistently rich"
• Trouser Press: "Fred Mertz jamming with Ricky and Lucy"
• Record Mirror (+++): "it could be better"
• RPM: "The musical approach is as diverse as New York itself and certainly reveals another side of Joe Jackson.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• Billboard Rock: #24
• CashBox: #7
• Rolling Stone: #3

Tracks: I've listened to this so many times I can't imagine skipping any tunes. I bought this album based solely on the strength of Steppin' Out and that remains not only my favorite song on this disc, but one of my favorite songs of the '80s. I did like side 1, the "Night" side, better than side 2, the "Day" side, so I listened to side 1 much more often.

The Deluxe Edition contains a second CD with demo versions of 6 of the album's songs along with 5 tracks from Jackson's soundtrack for the movie Mike's Murder and, inexplicably, 5 live tracks lifted directly from a previously released Jackson CD (Live: 1980-86). With the exception of Target, the demo tracks are too close to the final album versions to be particularly interesting, and all are inferior to the completed album versions. I'm happy to have the Mike's Murder tracks; I had an LP of that album and converted it myself to a CD, so it is nice to have actual digitally remastered versions of those songs. Not as nice as a full-blown CD release of that album, but nice nonetheless. The best of those 5 tracks are Cosmopolitan and Moonlight. The five live tracks were recorded during the 1982-83 Night And Day tour, of which only On Your Radio is even mildly fun. There's an a capella version of Is She Really Going Out With Him? which is interesting for about a minute, but you find yourself yearning for the original version by the end. So, of the tracks here, only the Mike's Murder tracks are worthy of getting ripped to iTunes.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I must have purchased this album on a cold and rainy day in the fall of 1982, because any time the weather turns cold and wet (as it did this week), I get the urge to listen to this music.

My senior year in high school, I tried my hand at music arranging by adapting Steppin' Out for jazz band. The arrangement wasn't too terrible for a teenager with no formal theory training. I look at it now and cringe. My jazz band director not only humored me, but encouraged me and the jazz band performed that arrangement more than once. I think I've got a cassette recording of that somewhere around here.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Rain (2008)
Volume 4 (2003)
Body and Soul (1984)

Joe Jackson - Body and Soul (1984)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

As I've mentioned before, Jackson's Night and Day album is one of my all-time favorites, so expectations were high for this official follow-up (Jackson had recorded a soundtrack for the movie Mike's Murder in 1983). The music isn't as smooth as Night and Day, but some of the influences are the same: pop, standards, and salsa music. Jackson also continued his transition into his soundtrack/serious music stage with two instrumental tracks. Many critics think this album has jazz influences, but I don't hear it. It's certainly not as jazzy as Night and Day. I think the critics were just fooled by the album cover, a copy of a 1957 Sonny Rollins album (see below). While Night and Day was more influenced by Cole Porter, this album has a '60s Brill Building feel to it. Is it fair to constantly compare this album to Night and Day? Probably not, but I do anyway. Not exactly what I was hoping for in 1984, but a solid effort that I listened to quite a bit.

"Imitation is the sincerest..."

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "a breakthrough"
• Stereo Review: "can claim three of the best things he's ever done"
• Robert Christgau (B-): "it's likable enough."
• Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "a downbeat collection of croony orchestrated 'pieces' rather than songs"
• Record Mirror (★★★): "a solemn, deadly serious piece"
• Downbeat (★½): "pompous, unintentional goofiness of the highest order"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #20
• Billboard Rock: #11
• CashBox: #12
• Rolling Stone: #11

Tracks: While nothing comes close to Steppin' Out, there are a few good tunes here. You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) was the most successful single from this album (#15 pop, #12 rock, #13 AC) and is probably the best tune. Also good are Cha Cha Loco, Go For It, Heart of Ice, and Be My Number Two. I want to like that ballad Not Here, Not Now because the chorus is hauntingly beautiful, but the verses are so bad they just ruin it for me. The instrumental Loisaida is forgettable; I would have rather had a pop tune instead.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Released 27 years ago this month, I'm sure I bought the LP immediately after its release. I remember listening to a tape dub of this album on my walkman that spring as I travelled around South Texas for UIL One Act Play competitions. Back then, riding on a yellow school bus with my friends was something I looked forward to. Now, I'd rather suffer through a Gilmore Girls marathon than ride one of those things.

Volume 4 - Joe Jackson Band (2003)

I am a huge fan of Jackson's 1982 album, Night and Day, and stayed with him until 1986's Big World. Then he went off to score films and write "serious" music. When the mediocre Night and Day II came out in 2000, I bought it because of my love for the original, but it wasn't good enough to warrant buying future Jackson albums. So, when Volume 4 came out in 2003, it wasn't on my watch list. But when it started getting good reviews which called it his best album in 20 years, I picked up a copy. It's not the earth-shattering comeback I had hoped for, but it's got a few great pop songs on it. It could have possibly had more but Jackson calls it quits after only 44 minutes, apparently unaware of the capacity of the new-fangled compact disc technology. Since it's Jackson's 19th release, the title requires a little explanation: this is the first recording with Jackson's original band since 1980. It's the quartet's 4th album.

(click to enlarge)

 
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Peak on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart: #8

Tracks: The disc starts off with three good songs: Take It Like A Man, Still Alive, and Awkward Age. Also good is Little Bit Stupid. Skip-worthy are Fairy Dust and Blue Flame. Thugz 'R' Us is fun, but it's just a ska novelty song. Also included is a bonus CD of live material from a 2002 UK tour with material from the band's first two albums. Normally I listen to the first three tracks then move on to the live bonus disc. The obvious favorites from the bonus disc are Is She Really Going Out With Him? (Look over there! WHERE?) and I'm The Man. Curiously, the bonus disc is touted as a "limited edition" which is still available now, 8 years after the CD's release. Did they mean limited to the first million copies?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Joe Jackson - Rain (2008)

I had given up on Joe Jackson when he turned to being a "serious musician" who shunned pop music in favor of symphonies and movie scoring. I was glad when he changed back to a rock star and recorded this CD with only a piano trio. This trio shows off Jackson's skill as a pop songsmith. His lyrics and singing aren't always the best (he uses a lot of falsetto on this release), but they don't detract from the material. Some of these songs wouldn't be out of place on my favorite Jackson album, 1982's Night and Day. As of this writing, the album's score on metacritic is 71 out of a possible 100. I think that score is right on the money.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #133 (Feb 16, 2008)

Tracks: My favorites are Invisible Man, Too Tough, Wasted Time (even though it is a clear rip-off of Easy to Be Hard from the musical Hair), The Uptown Train (the best cut on the album, it sounds a lot like something from Ramsey Lewis or Joe Sample), and Rush Across the Road. Weaker cuts include Citizen Sane, Solo (So Low), and Good Bad Boy.

Bonus DVD: Concert video of Invisible Man, Wasted Time, and Good Bad Boy. The live versions sound just like the studio versions. Joe takes us on a 10 minute tour around Berlin, where the album was recorded. Also included is a "Making the Record" clip which has no insight into Jackson's creative process. This track is to be skipped unless you enjoy watching the band play foosball. Interviews with Joe and the band are OK, but nothing worth watching again. In fact, don't bother with the DVD.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None