Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson [Original recording remastered]

Joe Jackson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 22, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: A&M Records
• ASIN: B00005J9TZ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,646 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The two-CD Steppin' Out trawls the recorded career of an ambitious artist whose work has ranged from reggae-inflected new wave to classical crossover. Cosmopolitan even at his most punky, former Royal Academy of Music student Joe Jackson found his greatest success with Night and Day, a blend of pop and Latin flavors that produced highly memorable tracks such as this retrospective's title song, "Another World," and "Breaking Us in Two." That very sophistication, however, has often proven the downfall of some Jackson discs and ultimately blurred his musical identity beyond the focus that, say, Elvis Costello has maintained through many stylistic shifts. Even powerful early music--such as several cuts from 1980's dub-wise Beat Crazy--is marred by sledgehammer irony, while excerpts from later albums are anything from tastefully bland to downright irritating. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where you get what you want, when you know what you want, December 29, 2004

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson (Audio CD)

Joe Jackson was one third of the angry young men triumvirate of the British New Wave, standing alongside of Graham Parker and Elvis Costello. But while he may have never received the critical accolades that have held Costello's career in the spotlight for so long, or the maintained the energy of Parker, Jackson has managed to build an incredible, varied body of work. This two disc set encompasses every phase of Jackson's restlessness. From the hyper-active skinny tie pop of the first two albums, to the New York influenced sophistication of "Night and Day" and "Body And Soul," to his erratic but always interesting later material, it is all covered in this set's 38 selections.

Jackson can also claim to have stroked some major old school influence. "Is She Really Going Out With Him" was one of the first of the genre to crack the American Top 40. His debut, "Look Sharp," remains a songwriter's tour-de-force, all energy and crunch with a stunning array of stylized hooks. The darker "I'm the Man" followed suit, with a more expansive lyrical view and one of his early (but terrific) ballads in "It's Different For Girls." The restlessness was already beginning to take hold, and the dub-frenzy of "Beat Crazy" found Jackson striking out in all sorts of directions. A reflection on his past ("Jumping Jive") marked time till he could sort out his next move (along with taking up residency in NYC).

The result was the sophisticated, swinging pop of "Night And Day," Jackson's most fully realized album. From the elegant dance single "Stepping Out" to the knowing ballad "Breaking Us In Two," this was where Jackson made the transition from his new wave past to pop craftsman of the first order. The follow-up, the more urbane "Body And Soul" bordered on pretension though, Jackson's ego was beginning to show. That album did yield one great single in "You Can't Get What You Want," but like the other ballad here ("Be My Number Two"), the album felt more like style than substance. "Big World" suffered from the same pretensions; Jackson wanted to record an entire album with a live audience, but then forbade them from making any noise in the process. It made for a couple interesting and spontaneous songs (best represented here by "Right And Wrong"), it also sounded stuffy and forced.

After that, there were a couple attempts to return to his roots ("Nineteen Forever") and a concept album or two. Of those, "The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy" (from "Night Music") stands out as one of the finest story songs Jackson has ever written. But it was obvious he was running out of ideas, as the telling title of the "Night And Day II" CD would show. That doesn't mean Jackson had gone flat, the songs on the second disc stand up fine on their own. (And the recent "Volume 4" CD is a strong return to form.)

"Steppin' Out: The Very Best Of Joe Jackson" offers a couple bonuses. Jackson took a swing at the reggae classic "The Harder They Fall" as a single/EP and a non album track, "Enough Is Not Enough," makes its CD bow. "Memphis," the great single from the movie soundtrack of "Mike's Murder" graces disc two. All in all, a very strong collection from an artist who's best work not just stepped out, but stands up to the tests of time.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why you should by this CD, May 29, 2001

By 

Damian Redman (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson (Audio CD)

I first heard Joe Jackson on my radio in 1982 with the songs "Steppin' Out" and "Breaking Us In Two". Four years later, I bought the "Night & Day" album. I wasn't a big fan until 1988 when I bought "Live 1980/86". Then, I was hooked.

I didn't know he did so many different styles of music so well! I went and bought all his previous albums. My friends became hooked on Joe, too--and they bought his albums. (Most of my friends at the time liked rap and R&B--Joe Jackson albums were some of the few "rock" albums we had.)

Now, why did I spend the money on this double CD when I have (almost) all the others? For one, it includes "The Harder They Come", "Enough Is Not Enough", and "Memphis", which are VERY hard to find on CD. Second, for those who are just now discovering Joe Jackson, you probably can't find the out of print albums, and this collection has generous helpings of songs from those albums. Songs like "One To One", "Biology", "Right and Wrong", "Precious Time", "Rant and Rave", and "Me And You (Against The World)", are hard to find otherwise. Third, it's got great liner notes for the new fan and the longtime fan.

I think some people will like one disc more than the other. For those who like his early power pop sound, Disc 1 is for you. My favorites include "Look Sharp", "Got The Time", and "Friday". Disc 2 shows you what he was up to after that, with "Happy Ending", "Obvious Song", "The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy", and LOTS more.

Joe Jackson has never made the same song twice, and you owe it to yourself to hear some quality music. He's done it all--even alternative reggae ("Beat Crazy")! To this day, I'm still turning my friends into fans of Joe Jackson. I can't say enough about this collection; it's the place to start when it comes to Joe. Buy it NOW!

P.S. Go see him in concert sometime. I have four times. You'll rarely see a better concert.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The raw and the cooked., July 17, 2001

By 

Watujel (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson (Audio CD)

So you only know three or four Joe Jackson hits and you're wondering if you really need 38 of his songs in your collection. It's worth considering, because his "raw" period from 1978-80 is filled with witty but obscure rockers like "Friday," "Look Sharp," and "Beat Crazy." A classically trained musician, Jackson was adept at providing glimpses of his vast musical vocabulary in the context of tight, focused, deceptively simple rock. Not an easy feat.

Then came his 1982 signature album "Night & Day," in which he got his lyrical skills, jazz and Latin influences, and pop melodies working in near-magical harmony on "Another World," "Stepping Out," and "Breaking Us In Two." After that, he made a stab a Jim Steinmanesque musical melodrama on "Happy Ending," and then...the fire seems to have fizzled. I assume Jackson wasn't trying to make us snicker with the song title "Be My Number Two," but even if you get past that, you still have the banal, poor-man's-Billy Joel music to deal with.

Most of the remainder of Disc 2, recorded between 1986 and 1991, is composed of the exquisitely played but terminally boring stuff known as adult alternative. He sounds more like Andy Rooney than angry young man. However, the newest song in the compilation, "Stranger Than You" from 2000, shows Jackson finally shaking out the cobwebs, regaining his sense of humor and melodic gifts.

Regardless of whether you like all the songs on this compilation (and you'll probably like a lot of them), there's no denying that Jackson's fascination and fluency with a wide variety of musical styles will take you on an interesting sonic journey.