Rain

Joe Jackson | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: January 28, 2008
• Label: Rykodisc
• Copyright: 2008 Rykodisc, Inc. All rights reserved. Warning: Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured in the USA. Rykodisc, Inc., 30 Irving Place, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003-
• Total Length: 47:40
• Genres:
• ASIN: B0012TSCDU
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,989 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little bit of the best of 30 years of Joe, January 30, 2008

By 

K. Bortz "fins up!" (Delmont, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rain (w/ bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

This album showcases Joe Jackson the pop songwriter, which he's returned to after his symphonic efforts of the mid to late 90s. What I find refreshing is that the band here is only a trio, so it's a new sound for Jackson (we don't get guitar, persussion, horns, and other production elements, but each song is unique and the album definitely does not get monotonous). There are hard-driving songs (Good Bad Boy, Citizen Sane), beautiful ballads (Solo, Wasted Time), and lots of mid tempo.

What's cool is that there's something that represents nearly every era of Joe Jackson style, not entirely suprising since long-time bassist Graham Maby is here along with David Houghton, Joe's original drummer. I felt that "Volume 4", featuring Joe's original band, was a little boring in places, but that's not the case here. Some songs sound like "I'm the Man" or "Look Sharp" songs, without the guitar; some recall "Night and Day", and a lot is similar to "Laughter and Lust". The song "The Uptown Train" is a near-instrumental ditty rooted in Gershwin and similar to Joe's "Tucker" soundtrack work, or a less-swinging "Jumpin' Jive." And not all the songs are cynical, some are even a little bit hopeful.

So I'm very impressed with this release and think it's Jackson's best since Laughter and Lust.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Limitless talent. Beautiful music., June 16, 2008

By 

psychomuse - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rain (w/ bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

Any fan of Joe Jackson doesn't really need to read a review of the latest release. He or she knows it's going to be great. Joe just keeps writing and performing beautiful songs that never fit into any one genre neatly. Somehow, his style of being all over the place, taking from every musical culture, has become a style of its own. With each song, he gives back more than he has ever borrowed.

This release contains 10 gems that are each as good as anything he has done before. Previous reviews have mentioned various songs as highlights. I really like them all, but I must declare there are three songs that I find to be Joe at his absolute best- The Uptown Train, Invisible Man, and the incredible Rush Across The Road.

The cd could only be better if it had more songs on it! These wonderful ten songs left me yearning for more. I almost felt disappointed when the last song finished. Then I hit the repeat button.

The bonus dvd, while not bursting with content, is a worthy companion to the cd.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love That Never Died, August 2, 2008

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rain (w/ bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

Joe Jackson is one of the most amazingly distinct pop composers. As I've listened to his music back from the "Look Sharp" days, he sounds like rock, like pop, like jazz, like a bit of classical, but always like Joe Jackson. Perhaps only Burt Bacharach's pop songs sound so specifically unique that his sense of melody makes you immediately identify the songwriter. Jackson is like that for me.

"Rain" is an excellent set. The opener "Invisible Man" places his piano forward and makes Jackson think about how times change and popularity shifts, "Why did the lights go down or onto someone new? Well let them learn. I used to own this town; Now I'm watching you." "Citizen Sane" swaggers with Dave Houghton's slamming drums & Graham Maby's bass seeming like they've been loosed beyond conventional boundaries. "Wasted Time" which shines on the DVD is an angelic track with Jackson's stunning falsetto chorus, "Call it spite or call it pride; call it love that never died; Call it anything but wasted time." "The Uptown Train" starts out like classic jazz with a about a minute before the vocals arrive and Jackson brushing off the top of his register, "And they don't care to go where you go 'cause they know you're insane." "Solo (So Low)" slows the pace to create a somber stark setting for Jackson's aching vocals, "You stare into space, scared to look at your face, Scared to find someone in the mirror who you can't recall." The carries an emotional wallop. "Good Bad Boy" surges with tidal waves of energy. "Rush Across the Road" & the CD closer "A Place in the Rain" are also strong tracks. The DVD interview with Jackson is quite interesting as he talks about being classically trained and going to see bands where the musicians barely know how to play their instruments. Jackson's "Rain" is a stunning achievement, an excellent return to form. Bravo!