: Richard James
: Joe Jackson Every Album, Every Song
: Sonicbond Publishing
: 9781789524741
: 1
: CHF 4.40
:
: Musik
: English
: 160
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

Joe Jackson is a singer, songwriter, composer, and performer who has twisted and turned his career through numerous genres and continues to release excellent albums forty years after his initial breakthrough success.
For some he's the angsty young man, forever hitched to two hit singles; 'Is She Really Going Out with Him?', and 'It's Different for Girls'. Other memories may extend further to include the smooth pop gems of 'Steppin' Out' and 'Breaking Us in Two' from the early 1980s. By the 1990s he had apparently faded from the spotlight.
Stardom has never seemed to be Jackson's central ambition; he's been happier to follow his muse. There is more, so much more to this gifted musician, and this book covers every facet of a brilliant, unpredictable, and fearsomely independent recording career. From new wave successes, via unexpected covers albums, film soundtracks, and impressive conceptual works, to classical compositions, his recorded output is interspersed with a catalogue of great songs always written with intelligence and verve. Jackson is a constant musical explorer.
For those who have stayed the course, this book charts his every port of call so far; if you are unfamiliar but want to know more, jump onboard. You won't regret it.


Richard James immersed himself in music as soon as he got his first real six-string at the age of ten. Previously chained to a desk for a living, he broke free, armed with a music degree from the Open University and a Licentiate Diploma in Classical Guitar from the Royal School of Music, and proceeded to roam the East Midlands as a freelance guitarist and music teacher. He lives with his wife in Leicestershire, UK, and when not involved with music, he enjoys foreign travel and playing chess badly.
Chapter1

Look Sharp!


Personnel:

Joe Jackson: vocals, piano, harmonica

Gary Sanford: guitar

Graham Maby: bass

Dave Houghton: drums

Recorded at Eden Studio, London, W14

Produced by David Kershenbaum

Engineer: ‘Hot’ Rod Hewison

Assistant Engineer: Aldo Bocca

All songs written and arranged by Joe Jackson

Released: January 1979 on A&M Records

Highest chart positions UK: 40, USA: 20

Recorded in August 1978, and released six months later, Jackson’s debut album sought to capture a spontaneous sound. Reminiscing about the album on his website Jackson concluded:

What can anyone say about something they did so long ago?! I’m not embarrassed by it, or not by most of it, anyway. It positively reeks of London 1978-79 and, well, it is what it is. I’m glad people liked it, and still like it, though I think some of that is nostalgia and a tendency to romanticise peoples’ first albums, as though later ones must somehow be less ‘authentic’. For a first album, this one’s not bad, but I was only 23 when I made it and it would be pretty weird if I didn’t think I’d done better things since.

The album could easily have been called ‘Sound Sharp!’ The songs breathe energy, attitude, melody, and a recording style which leaves plenty of space for the music to breathe. Despite his eclectic musical background and academic instruction, Jackson was, at this stage, clearly impressed with the ‘new wave’ movement of the time; his songs echo the energy and simplicity of the style, allied to the outspoken tone of the lyrics. Jackson was adept at incorporating these influences and, if he was sailing under the flag of ‘new wave’, it was a style which was a good fit for the time.

What reviewers at the time mistakenly took for pseudo-punk disgust was Jackson’s tongue-in-cheek attitude; he had served his time in a variety of musical ventures in show business, and his sardonic, intelligent, lyrical commentary supported by razor sharp songs, arrangements and performances served up an intoxicating blend of talent, attitude, and potential.

Look Sharp! was re-released in 2001 with two bonus tracks; ‘Don’t Ask Me’ and ‘You Got the Fever’ which were the B-sides of the single releases of ‘One More Time’ and ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’ respectively.

‘One More Time’ (3.15)

InA Cure for Gravity Jackson recalled;

I [...] worked on a song called ‘One More Time’, with a driving guitar riff and anguished ly