Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

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this cd has got to be, by far, the best $9.99 impulse purchase i've made at a border's bookshop sale bin in a long time. i bought it because i remembered the hit singles jj had during my youth back in the early 1980's ('steppin' out', 'breaking us in two'), and figured i'd get them on cd and enjoy them for a bit of nostalgia. now that i've given the entire disc a few listens, though, it's really hard for me to remove it from my cd player! jj is a superb technical musician as well as a brilliant tunesmith and lyricist, which all of the songs here plainly show, but taken together as a compilation they also show that the primary aspect of his musical genius lies in his versatility. from post-punk, angst-ridden rock/pop ('is she really going out with him?', 'sunday papers') to soft rock/pop ('it's different for girls', 'steppin' out', 'you can't get what you want') to uk reggae/ska ('beat crazy') to big band/swing ('jumpin' jive') to piano pop ballads ('breaking us in two', 'be my number two') to modern adult alternative ('right and wrong', 'nineteen forever'), it's all jj, it's all here on the same cd, and it's all very, very good. i'm definitely interested in listening to more of his work now as a result. thank you, 20th century masters!

"The Best of Joe Jackson" is prime evidence that the '80s weren't as junky a time for popular music as some people would have it. As clear-eyed and worldly as Elvis Costello (though far less angry), as polished and capable as Billy Joel (though far less calculating), Jackson is a master of pop styles ranging from New Wave punk to Big Band. In his '80s heyday, he graced the radio with some of the most tuneful and musically accomplished hits of the decade. (Would he make the Top 40 if he were starting out now? I fear his current low profile against all the Backstreet Boys and 'N Syncs of the world gives us our answer.) While you really need to go back to his original albums--Look Sharp, Night and Day, Body and Soul--to get the full flavor of this versatile singer-songwriter-arranger, "The Best of Joe Jackson" makes a worthy introduction. One CD can't contain all his best work, but any that contains "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" "Different for Girls," "Jumpin' Jive," "Steppin' Out" and "You Can't Get What You Want"--as this one does--at least covers all the important bases.

I have been a fan of Joe Jackson since the 1980s when I first saw his video Steppin Out on MTV when they aired music videos that were more like small films. It was filmed in New York City and I thought Joe was a New Yorker. He is quite a gifted pianist, musician, and singer. I don't think he gets the recognition that he deserves especially from his native Britain. He should be on the Honors List for his services to music. He has contributed widely in range and style from classic to modern to contemporary. I love Steppin Out and I am fond of the other songs like Different for Girls, Sunday Papers, and Breaking Up into Two.

While I would have put "Look Sharp!" on and left Jumpin Jive off this Cd, it is a very good compilation of most of the very best of JJs songs. Great for a sampler. Steppin Out: The Best of JJ is the two disc, more complete compilation that has almost all the essentials.