Joe Jackson- Classic or Dud?

Reposted just because it's so good.

Different one, this time. Thanks.

Steppin' Out is one of my favorite songs.

Do not miss his story on The Moth. Great stuff.

During the Olympics, I was convinced that the real Joe Jackson was going to 'step out' of the pool after a race in his sharp suit. http://www.olympics.org.uk/BEIJING2008/AthleteProfile.aspx?id=5648

I heard Steppin' Out in a Trader Joe's a week ago and had an "oh yeah that song is awesome" moment. I mentioned it to a friend and gave her the link and was like "best song ever" and she was like "I hate all 80s music" and now I secretly resent her.

Hahahah

I find it kind of hilarious that Joe Jackson is now held up as this unappreciated genius -- and often by people who couldn't be bothered when he was around in the 80's. He's always seemed like a fairly tuneful example of what would have happened if Elvis Costello had shitcanned Steve Nieve and hired Bruce Hornsby instead -- and that's about it.

Oh, so you're gonna hate on Bruce Hornsby now? Pfft.

i've got night & day and uh, another one it think --and i guess my thing with joe jackson is that when he hits (e.g. steppin' out) it's pretty much the best thing ever, but 85% of it is really unremarkable to these ears.

xpost

Yeah, really man. I'm not DOWN for any Hornsby hatin', okay. I'm just NOT. I never owned a Hornsby album, but you better not diss him.

Yeah I actually agree with you Will. I would get bored after an album's worth of Joe Jackson.

Also, Naive Teen Idol, who are these people who think he's a "genius". I mean haha no offence but the dude was no genius.

Another point off: he's REALLY fucking freaky looking. Especially now.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/05/02/joe_jackson_narrowweb__300x371,0.jpg

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

He's in a close race with James Carville for who's going to turn into Gollum first.

Yeah, well, who cares about "freaky looking now". Last I knew Howard Devoto looked freaky and I wouldn't hold it against him.

ok just put on 'night side' just to be sure.

Is it goth?

... and another "another world" is sounding fuckin fantastic

i also ate a piece of leftover birthday cake made with really strong pot about an hour ago

Wait, what band or artist are you talking about that does "night side"?

Hahahah - "what happened? I'm confused."

jj's Day & Night is split into "Day Side" and "Night Side"

also, the picture of him in the gatefold is freaking me out!!

Hahah wow, yeah I figured out that somehow "Night Side" was one side of it. I bought that album cheap a couple years ago and was surprised how much I hated it aside from the singles.

I wish I could see the picture in the gatefold! I'm still absolutely KICKING myself for somehow losing the pictures I used to have of the inside gatefold of Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love. I specifically had xeroxed copies of them for years and now they're gone for some reason. God, I need that LP again.

he looks like a black albino person

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ue5DN3zOIMU/SKjvhxoVgxI/AAAAAAAAAIA/xPN2q4YBUow/s400/black+albino.jpg
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/05/02/joe_jackson_narrowweb__300x371,0.jpg

fwiw i really rate "i'm the man" (album and song)

https://leylandkirby.bandcamp.com/album/we-so-tired-of-all-the-darkness-in-our-lives

"Steppin' Out" is a perfect song, what a towering achievement. those jazzy chords over that Kraftwerk synth baseline, so beautiful

cosign

when I worked at Burger King one of my coworkers swore that song was Billy Joel. wasted years not knowing who it was

Since it hasn't been mentioned in this thread, let me recommend 1991's Laughter and Lust as an excellent album that no one knows.

The Jackson song I hear most often in the wild these days: "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)."

Something about the arrangement of that song and its quick pace works well with Joe's basically unlikeable voice. Otherwise, he's my exemplar of talented songwriters you don't want to hear sing.

When I saw him play last year or so, he had along the original rhythm box he used on the song, which was pretty cool.

My fave is "Got The Time" - Joe Jackson as punk. Anthrax covered it, even!

And they sounded less punk than Joe Jackson!

I think all of his stuff is pretty good up through Laughter and Lust, I'm not sure I've actually heard anything later. But all of the '70s and '80s albums have good songs on them. And his jumpin'jive album isn't at all embarrassing. way better than the '90s revival stuff.

Look Sharp! and I'm the Man will always be my favorites, though. I heard them in real time as they came out, my dad liked those albums.

“Beat Crazy” rather successfully fits all of London Calling into a single track.

Bloody hell, how come I've never heard Beat Crazy before?

It does sound like The Clash, I agree, but the bassline is from Jacob Miller/Augustus Pablo's Baby I Love You So, aka King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown.

Those first few albums are filled with winners.

Just listening to the Beat Crazy album, Mad At You really sounds like The Clash, with its nod to Armagideon Time (Real Rock). [with apologies for only noticing this 40 years after the fact]

I love how it crams Peter Gunn on top of those basslines. Seems like an idea that arose goofing around in rehearsal, worked out into a whole song. I've never been able to get into Costello because his musical ideas feel samey and under-riffed to me. Jackson is a much more interesting bandleader and arranger for someone working in the same spaces. Graham Maby is a fantastically clever bassist, and maybe why the riffs stand out so much when Joe Jackson was sticking to rock as his idiom.

Bloody hell, how come I've never heard Beat Crazy before?

It landed in the cutout bins not long after its release.

Was just thinking about Mike's Murder, which represented another high water mark for Joe, and searched up this thread.

Overall, classic. I saw the Big World tour, he came across as a brilliant performer and arranger and a total asshole to his fellow musicians.

I am enjoying this 43 minute extended edit/remix of Stepping Out I discovered this week.

https://soundcloud.com/theofficialjorihulkkonen/so-jackson-step-in-out-jori-hulkkonen-edit

oh man

This rules.