Joe Jackson – A Catchgroove Retrospective (Lost on the Shelves)

An esteemed former colleague, who has become a friend in retirement (I will refer to him as Jim), reminded me that Joe Jackson is one of my essential musicians. Jim and I have been having email conversations over the last few months about music and specifically sharing our favorite bands and artists. He recently emailed me:

So, why is Joe Jackson so good, yet he was not on our favorite artists lists? I am just listening to his greatest hits (again), and I am always just enamored, but I never follow up and try to listen to, say, his first breakthrough album all the way through. Why? Ideas?

The email reminded me I was a massive fan of his debut, Look Sharp (1979), through Body And Soul (1984). Jackson has been out of my listening rotation for so long that I have forgotten about him in the many music discussions with my friend Jim – thanks for the reminder!

Beat Crazy (1980)

My introduction to Joe Jackson was his third album, Beat Crazy (1980). I knew his debut, Look Sharp! (1979) because it had hits, but I didn’t own it. I missed his second album, I’m the Man (1979). I bought Beat Crazy shortly after it was released because of Jackson’s reputation and, more importantly, the cover art. I had not heard any of the songs before buying it (it was a commercial flop with next to no airplay). Beat Crazy opened my ears and mind to Jackson’s immense talent, making me a Joe Jackson fan.

Beat Crazy was love at first needle drop! It was the epitome of the best of New Wave music: smart but punky and with pop hooks galore. I loved the cover art, the songs, the performance, and the attitude. It was hip but not popular.  It was in constant rotation on my turntable the winter of 1980/81 (side one mostly), and it provided an essential soundtrack to an important year of my life: October 1980 – September 1981. A year earlier, I had dropped out of college, moved in with an old friend, got a bank teller job, and partied like a rock star for a year. By the fall of 1980, I was officially bored with the party, and it was time to get my shit together. A girl at work had caught my eye, and by January of 1981, we were dating – that girl eventually became my wife of the last 40 years. So Beat Crazy is an essential album, but I bet I haven’t listened to it in a decade. Jim’s email motivated me to revisit the Joe Jackson catalog, and Beat Crazy was the first album I returned to.

Listening to it now, it still sounds as great as I remember: fresh, adventurous, yet accessible. It foreshadows the fantastic music that would come from Jackson over the next few years.

Look Sharp! (1979)

After falling for Beat Crazy, I returned to Jackson’s debut, Look Sharp! It is an impressive debut with several hit songs, including: “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” which came out a few months before the album. Jackson and his band were influenced by reggae, and you can feel that influence in the songs and production. The album was both a critical and commercial success, putting Jackson in the same esteemed category as his contemporary Elvis Costello – although Jackson was, over time, unable to keep up with EC. Although there are songs I love on Look Sharp!, it doesn’t resonate with me, like Beat Crazy and some other albums in Jackson’s catalog. As mentioned earlier, Jackson’s second album, I’m the Man (also from 1979), never entered my consciousness (I do have a copy in my collection, but I couldn’t name you a song off the album), therefore it will not be included in this retrospective.

Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive (1981)

By the time Jumpin’ Jive came out, I was a fan willing to take whatever ride Joe would take me on. Jackson took a left turn with this album: it was a covers album of songs associated with 1940 swing and jump blues songs, specifically songs made famous by Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway. Despite my already-established interest in swing and jazz music, this music was unfamiliar to me. I had not even heard of Louis Jordan at the time. Despite this being a weird departure from Jackson’s New Wave trajectory, it worked and was even a minor hit. I loved the album as it struck a chord with my appreciation of Jackson and my love of jazz music in all its forms. Yet this is not an album I return to. If I was in the mood for jump blues, a rare mood, I would listen to the originals, Louis Jordan or Cab Calloway, versus this love letter to the style.

Night and Day (1982)

Jackson’s fifth album was a grand slam, as it was both a critical and commercial success. It is my favorite Joe Jackson album, and although it has not been in my recent listening rotation, it comes off the shelf every few years. It is a jazz-pop masterpiece.

The only time I have seen Joe Jackson live was on the tour supporting this album (9/23/82 at the Minneapolis Orpheum Theater). It is one of my top 25 live shows.

The album is Jackson’s successful attempt at a contemporary update of Cole Porter and his expression of his love affair with New York City at the time (he eventually fell out of love with NYC – he is quoted as saying, “It’s as if the city and I had a hot love affair and now we’re just friends”). The album has a jazz feel – it is a New Wave Steely Dan. Jumpin’ Jive seemed like a novelty record at the time, but I am convinced that without going through that step, he never would have accomplished a masterpiece like Night and Day.

Mikes Murder Soundtrack (1983)

I bought this album at the height of my obsession with Joe Jackson. It was recorded about the same time as Night and Day, and the songs sound like Night and Day outtakes (in fact, Mike’s Murder tracks were included in the Night and Day deluxe reissue). The film stiffed, as did this soundtrack. It’s pleasant enough but not essential.

Body and Soul (1984)

Although I would continue to buy Joe Jackson albums, this is the last Jackson album that resonated with me. This time, Joe goes with a Latin jazz sound and pulls it off masterfully. The album has one of Jackson’s best pop songs: “You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want).” The big band sound of this album is the perfect follow-up to Night and Day

I love the cover art based on Sonny Rollins Vol. 2 (Blue Note 1957). Sonically, this is a great-sounding recording and would be great for testing driving HiFi equipment (AKA a reference recording). It was Jackson’s first fully digital recording (an innovation at the time, but what would ultimately become an industry standard).

Summary

Joe Jackson had a brilliant pop career in the late 70s and early 80s. Then, his artistic ambition outpaced his audience as he veered off into jazz and classical music; that is, he got weird and lost me. I recently hopscotched through a few of his more pop-oriented albums from the ’00s, and he still has it, even if no one is listening.