Okay folks - I just picked up a used copy of Joe Jackson/Graham Maby/Gary Burke - Live in New York (2000). Aside from Night and Day, what else should I consider owning from JJ?
Cheers,
M
Posted on: 24 November 2004 by Mike Hanson
I'm a long time JJ fan, and I've got almost all of his stuff. I'm generally not a live album lover, though, so I don't have all of those.
As to which to suggest, that depends on what you like. His earlier material (Look Sharp, I'm the Man, and Beat Crazy) were definitely in the "New Wave" style, and represented some of his most focused work.
He became disillusioned, and released Jumpin' Jive, which presents some great covers of Be-Bop classics by the likes of Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway.
Then he stretched into his "Adult Contemporary" phase with Night & Day, Body & Soul, Big World, Blaze of Glory, Laughter & Lust, and Night & Day II. These are a bit more hit & miss, compared with his earlier work, but they still include some great songs.
He started into "classical" in the middle of the A/C batch, with the release of Willpower. It's not great, but I happened to give it a spin last week. Symphony No. 1 follows in the same vein, and is a better outing.
Then he verged into "indulgent pop", with bits of "classical" thrown into the mix. The applicable albums were Night Music and Heaven & Hell, both of which I enjoy.
Most recently he's revisted his original work, with a reunion and tour of "The Joe Jackson Band". Volume 4 is a collection of new songs in the original style. It's good, but doesn't reach the heights of his first three albums.
I hope that helps.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Posted on: 24 November 2004 by Mike in PA, USA
Thanks for the thesis, Professor Hanson.
