Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Boy

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Having scrolled through the reviews, I am struck by the polarity of the opinions on display. Over the top claims that he was better than Bowie/Bolan (he wasn't, he was himself and that was plenty enough) or alternatively vitriolic criticism that verges on character assassination. (The guy is dead, isn't it time you gave him a break?)

Personally, I find the album fascinating. It's much better than I imagined. The resemblance to the music featured in "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" is incredible. (Yes, it's THAT contemporary!) Not all but a handful of the songs are truly excellent, e.g. "Ecubyan" & "Inside". I don't like his rockier stuff so much but, hey, that's called personal taste.

David Bowie spent the first part of his career imitating Anthony Newley and singing about "The Laughing Gnome". Fact! Shouldn't that be more than enough reason to give people pause before slagging off Jobriath. Bowie had time to mature. Jobriath didn't and still there are glimpses of greatness on "Lonely Planet Boy". Can the same be said of Mr Jones' Decca recordings? I think not!

All in all, I think Jobriath got a raw deal. And now that will never be put right. This album constitutes his legacy and it deserves respect. Jobriath has mine.

Four years before Meatloaf even seen a bat from hell, Jobriath was making interesting pop/rock with a theatrical flare. These self-written songs are just ripe to be in a top-notch Broadway musical, especially "Blow Away", "Heartbeat" and "Movie Queen". Detailed liner notes on the first known openly gay rock star signed to a major label are fascinating, while the credits lists such top-notch musicians as John Paul Jones (of Lead Zepplin), Peter Frampton and future disco producer Gregg Diamond (Andre True's "More More More"). Although Jobriath has his own uniqueness, the best way to describe his singing style is David Bowie + Elton John + Meatloaf (although he came before Mr.Loaf). This compilation is docked one star because it's slightly over 60 minutes long (surely both of Jobriath's albums could have fit on one cd).

I purchased Jobriath's first album in 1973 based solely on the artist-as-legless-statue cover artwork, only to be amazed at the man's ability to play piano. Second impression at the time: this guy can't sing. Still, I loved it--Jobriath could rock, camp, emote, annoy, and fascinate. As a coming-out college student, I was intrigued.

Now, more than thirty years later with the release of "Lonely Planet Boy" it's time to reevaluate. In hindsight one can concentrate on the failed hype to make Jobriath a 70's glam star (he had an abundance of musical talent; he was not all corporate product), his appropriation of Bowie's pose as a pansexual space alien, his contribution (or lack thereof) to gay rock culture, and/or his personal tragedies, including his early death from AIDS. But what about his music? In a sense, it's like asking, "What about Marilyn Monroe's ability to act?" The "legend", if you will, and history now come as part of the package.

While Jobriath was classically trained, his music was a blend of rock, theatre, and cabaret. I am still awed by his keyboards, especially grand piano. Lyrically, what shocked in '73 no longer surprises. I think the artist was often just having a bit of campy fun in lines like "It's very gay to blow away" (I doubt he was speaking of the sands of time, although he may have intended the ambiguity). And while his voice can still grate, it's an acquired taste.

Jobriath is one of those artists one either loves or hates. What's the value of art if it doesn't prick you at some level and elicit some kind of an emotional response? It's thirty years later and Jobriath still pricks. Much depends on one's own musical background, preferences, emotional baggage, and judgement criteria, especially when subject artist has been dead for over two decades. If you love melodious vocalists, look elsewhere. If you prefer to listen to legends who left outsized footprints on pop culture, then Jobriath is not for you. However, if you are touched by artists with tragic histories, enjoy "Little Richard meets Librace"-type keyboards, or are just plain curious about someone's ability to polarize 32 years on, then give "Lonely Planet Boy" a listen. I give this CD 4 stars because I think all tracks from Jobriath's two albums should have been included, plus there's those nasally vocals. Jobriath is certainly not everyone's cup of tea--but he may just be yours.

In light of some of the more vitriolic reviews, I thought I'd add a few words in defense of Jobriath. Detractors claim he's nothing more than a third (or fourth or fifth...) rate Bowie knock-off. Defenders occasionally go so far to say that it's actually the opposite: Bowie was a "pretender to the throne" and Jobriath was the, um, "real deal". Even though I'm certainly more disposed to the former view, I would say Jobriath qualifies as a solid SECOND-rate Bowie knock-off.

And while "second-rate knock-off" necessarily (and accurately) implies inferiority to the "original", that doesn't make the music terrible, because it isn't... though it is, at least for me, fundamentally flawed. Jobriath is a much more compelling writer and pianist than singer; as others have noted, his voice sometimes proves an insurmountable obstacle... it all-too-frequently embodies the least appealing qualities of David Bowie circa "Hunky Dory": harsh, thin and inflexible. The nasally sneer works well on the lascivious "Street Corner Love", but undermines the more lyrical, introspective material like "Inside" (which is ultimately redeemed by some expert piano work, presumably by Jobriath).

In spite of the histrionics, though, I actively enjoy 8 or 9 of the 15 tracks, the best of which (by some margin) is the previously unreleased "I Love a Good Fight", where Jobriath's whine is less pronounced, replaced by a more natural, full-bodied and powerful delivery. It qualifies as a great, lost glam-rock classic. Also of note is "Space Clown", where Jobriath affects the same phony Cockney accent that Bowie himself affects from time to time. And yes, as the song title would imply, the tune is stylistically derivative of Bowie, as well... though hardly more derivative than Bowie himself was of Lou Reed, Bob Dylan or, uh, Anthony Newley. When the tune is this catchy and poignant, its secondhand nature is beside the point. Jobriath avoids the vocal problem entirely with "Dietrich/Fondyke (A Brief History of Movie Music)" by letting session vocalists do the work on what sounds like a collaboration between Stephen Sondheim and Queen.

As others have rightly noted, Jobriath's memory (and his fans) would have been been better served by including the entirety of his two albums rather than let compiler Morrissey cherry-pick his favorites. But the faithful will want to have this collection if only for "I Love a Good Fight", the superior sound, and the packaging (the album replica-style format is annoying and cumbersome, but includes a helpful essay and lotsa pretty pictures). And the curious have a reasonably economical primer that will help them decide whether or not they want to invest in the pricey, out-of-print lps. Once I've made peace with Jobriath's vocals perhaps I'll do that, but until then "Lonely Planet Boy" will do nicely.

(Incidentally, soundclips for some of the tracks on this collection are provided on the very informative Jobriath Fan Collective site.)

There's tons of bands I don't care for, but I don't go around tearing them to shreds. I just say, 'Not really my thing.' The level of rage in some of these reviews (and their malevolent twisting of facts) is highly notable, these 30 years later. To me, Jobriath's music is very beautiful. Difficult & androygnous, ironic, sad, for sure. He has many other fans who've been public about liking him a lot (Morrissey, Siouxie Sioux, Marian Gold of Alphaville, David Ryder-Prangley of Rachel Stamp), many others. Why not just let some people like him, and others not? It's as if some people need to drive Jobriath out of existence. And... they nearly did. Get the CD.

Finally, A CD release

I won't bother to re-cap the long, unusual career path Jobriath took in the 70's, many other reviewers on here have laid out many of the details. As an image of an artist, Jobriath seems to draw fire and accusations of "riding glam coat-tails" and fabricating a persona with which to sell albums.
What is lost in the Jobriath story, so often, is the music. And as his fans (and even some detractors) will tell you, the music is certainly worth noting.

The material on this release comes from Jobraith's two lone releases, the self-titled "JOBRIATH" and the follow-up "CREATURES OF THE STREET" (also included is one bonus previously-unreleased track "I Love A Good Fight") - the songs are a wild blend of glam, cabaret, space-rock and broadway showtunes. A CD release of Jobraith's music is long overdue, and while the material on this release is great, the CD itself isn't all that it could have been.

The CD's running-time is a disappointing 67 minutes, and this is my main complaint with this release - both albums can (and do) fit on one 80-minute CD. Why the decision was made to re-shuffle the track-listings and edit-out some of the great songs, I cannot understand. While not `concept-albums" per-se, both "JOBRIATH" and "CREATURES OF THE STREET" worked as whole albums; re-shuffling the track-listings and removing some of the notable tracks only serves to give an inaccurate view of Jobriath's output.
Missing off the CD are a few vital tracks (notably "Ohh La La" and the reprise of same off "C.O.T.S.") - one has to wonder if the pruning was deliberately planned to suck-in potential buyers for a 2nd volume? Paint a vulgar picture indeed!

For fans who already have both albums and are straddling the fence on laying-down the $$$ for this re-issue, let it be known that the following makes this an essential purchase despite it's shortcomings:
* Great packaging. Nice tri-fold digipak packaging with 2 sleeves (one for booklet, one for CD) and a solid backing.
* Very informative booklet, features a 2-page intro by Morrissey, and a further 7-page biography which details the rise and regrettable fall of the album's star - also a treasure-trove of new/unseen photos
* Pretty impressive sound. Those of us used to the long-out-of-print albums will surely appreciate hearing the crisp, clean sound offered up here
* The "previously unreleased" song "I Love A Good Fight" is, in itself, worth the purchase. A bouncy, aggressive number, it will please Jobriath's fans without question
* Future releases. Face it, the way to ensure the FULL RELEASE of Jobriath's full-length albums (and more unreleased material perhaps?!!) is if this "compilation" moves some units. I hope this turns out to be the case.

For whatever reason, Jobriath has (for some time now) been an artist people loved to hate, often without bothering to even listen to the music.
Differences of taste aside, this release is concrete proof that the man had talent - he had a wonderful singing voice, a knack for flair-infused composition, and a stunning ear for melodic balladry. Even those who would damn the man for trying (and being) something "different" would be hard-pressed to ignore these talents, especially in light of these (supposedly) more tolerant times.

Buy the album, and judge for yourself.

I love this C.D. Jobriath had the talent, compassion, and understanding of a sensitive lover and artist. Unlike Bowie and Bolan, he finds it impossible to distance himself from his art and each line is filled with vulnerability, which is why his life ended so tragically upon his popular rejection. Jobriath died of AIDS in the Chelsea hotel in '83 after the bitter failure of his career just as he was starting to gain acclaim abroad (his last show in France had three encores, but he had been dropped by Electra the week before). He ended up as a lounge singer and prostitute, rejected because he was simply too raw, too hurt, too vulnerable, to be passed up as a target. The compilation here assembled has a great deal of history behind it and the hope that lay in Jobriath's beginnings. There is a great fan collective for him online. I wish these idiots would stop writing bad reviews just because it's easier than actually listening and empathizing with Jobriath's creative, sensitive, burlesque nature... Well worth the money spent. Best CD I've heard in years.

Ok, let us face the reality here. Jobriath was a frighteningly average artist who got hyped beyond any possibility to succeed. Imagine "Ziggy, The Musical." Or David Bowie singing cabaret while pinching his nostrils closed. That is pretty much what "Lonely Planet Boy" presents as the legend that is Jobriath. When Elton and Bowie flirted with the taboo and titillation of homosexuality as a big tease to their undeniable musical abilities, Jobriath blasted it into the air like a fourth of July firework. And just like that skyrocket, it exploded, flamed out and crashed back to Earth.

It's easy to see why a delirious teenaged Morrissey would fall so hard for these songs, as they are the chronicles of tragic love atop stagy arrangements. In the hands of a better vocalist, they might have even come off as fabulously as Jobriath obviously wanted them to. As a composer, Jobriath had a Broadway ear for melody and drama. What these songs seriously lack is any sense of hookiness. Everything is dressed up in costumes and glamour (the inclusion of "Dietrich/Fondyke" and the name checking of every gay movie queen's singing/acting icons is more than telling) to the point that any merit to the actual songs gets lost.

When the songs that aren't gossamered beyond ridiculousness appear, you can hear the hints of talent that generated the Jobriath hype. "I'maman" works as the kind of tease that Boy George, Pet Shop Boys or Morrissey would perfect in the later decades, and "I Love a Good Fight" is actually a pretty good, straight forward, rocker in the Bowie/Iggy vein. Perhaps the final justification of Jobriath will come if someone would take a song like "Inside" and strip it of the mock grandeur and cover it as a solid torch song.

Unfortunately, we are left with Jobriath's tragic story, as he died in 1983 of AIDS in NYC, a bitter and forgotten recluse, who made his living playing cabaret piano in New York dives. The release of "Lonely Planet Boy" provides a much needed footnote to a man who wanted to be something, pushed to the barb-wire fence as hard as he could, and wound up being the forgotten body everyone in the more androgynous 80's climbed across. I can only recommend Jobriath's CD to historical completists of either glam rock or gay subculture.

a very dramatic and theatrical glam rock album that is heavy on the bombastic piano lines and urgent vocal delivery. most people seem to slag this off as a David Bowie rip-off, and the influence cannot really be denied (most noteably on the songs "Space Clown" and "Earthling"), but the honky-tonk funk swagger of songs like "I Love A Good Fight" and "Street Corner Love" are irresistable with their catchy fun melody and their strong lyrical approach. and the sparkly big-heeled tone of "I'maman", which reveals a strong musical stew, brewing with a tight arena rock riff, piano, harpsichord, and a few good wah-wah effects thrown in. these selections on Lonely Planet Boy are culled from Jobriath's legendary out of print records and the whole package has been lovingly presented with the deluxe treatment and tons of great photos.

Much maligned during his short-lived recording career in 1973/74, this CD goes some way towards redressing the balance in Jobriath's favour. The fact that some of his finest tracks are not included on this set can be forgiven. After all, how does one select tracks for a "best of" album when each and every track by the artist in question is a little piece of perfection? The variety on offer here is astounding. Beautiful space-age ballads such as "Be Still" and "Inside" sit beside rockers ("I Love A Good Fight", "Earthling"), Sci-fi epics ("Morning Starship", "Ecubyan") and pastiches of the "golden age" of cinema ("Movie Queen", "Dietrich, Fondyke"). However, this is in no way a disjointed collection. Jobriath's unique songwriting, powerful vocals and accomplished musicanship remain constistent features throughout. That Jobriath's music has languished in obscurity for so long is criminal. In the genre of Glam Rock his only rival is Marc Bolan (no, forget what you've previously read - Bowie is eclipsed by Jobriath on every conceivable level). If you only buy one CD this year, make it this one!