Customer Reviews

Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson

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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.

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.

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.

As soon as I heard Joe Jackson's "Look Sharp" (which is a must have for any Joe Jackson fan), I knew that I had stumbled into a great talent. His next release, the smash "Night & Day", which as has been the case throughout his career, sounded very little like it's predecesor, was equally brilliant.

In my opinion Joe Jackson is a very underrated artist and some see him as too pretentious or like a poor man's Elvis Costello and they could not be more wrong. This man is a musical genius and the 2 CD compillation is amazing in that it not only has everything you'd like to hear, but for an artist who tries on some many different hats, the cohesion is amazing.

I am surprised that the Amazon.com review was so sterotypical of those who don't quite know what to make of Joe Jackson. For those who want to dig deeper into the catalogue try the quitely powerful "Body and Soul." Some folks may remember that when this ALBUM came out it highlighted that it was recorded digitally (the first DDD that I remember seeing), but it was more than just about technology... Joe Jackson just poured his soul/heart/brain into some of the strongest ballads of his career.

I am a very active CD buyer and even the most profilic acts have a hard-time releasing greatest hits selections worthy of one CD, much less a 2 CD set. Even some of my favorite groups have released 2 CD sets and I've had to grab them to burn my own best of on a single CD. You'll love this from beginning to end and it really gives a true picture of Mr. Joe Jackson, who is not a poor man's anything. A+ for Joe Jackson and to those associated with compilling this collection.

Joe Jackson deserves more recognition than he gets. He really is a remarkable artist who defined "new wave" music in the 1980's and continues to march to his own drum. This CD is an excellent (and generous) compilation of his best work. His lyrics and arrangements are superb. Joe Jackson is an exceptional live performer. If he comes to your town or city, don't miss him! I highly recommend this album.

Regardless if you're a veteran Joe Jackson fan or a novice to his works, this collection is required. Not only is it a true greatest hits collection (far better than the one released a few years ago) with tracks from nearly every album he ever made, it includes songs which don't appear on full JJ albums such as "Memphis" from Mike's Murder soundtrack. Some recordings have been nearly impossible to find, such as his ripping version of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" and "Enough Is Not Enough" . As if his radio and college hits were not enough, also included are some of his audience friendly hits from his post A&M days including songs from Laughter & Lust, Night Music, and Night & Day's "Stranger Than You". Obviously they couln't fit in a track from his Symphony #1, but that's understandable. With great remastering, this collection is impossible to ignore.

Steppin' Out shows what an artist compilation should be. The songs are an excellent selection of Joe Jackson's work, ranging from his debut up through his latest album, Night and Day II. It includes the hits, key album tracks, and a few tracks never before issued on CD. Scott Schinder contributes a nice essay to the liner notes.

What really sets this set apart from any other CD of Joe Jackson's music for A&M is the sound quality. My comparisons are the original US CDs, the US "Greatest Hits" collection, and the UK "This Is It" compilation. "Steppin' Out" has sound quality far better than any of these. The 96k/24-bit remastering was done by Erick Labson, a name new to me, but clearly one of the increasing number of excellent remastering people at Universal. For the first time on CD, the cymbals on "It's Different For Girls" really sound like cymbals! The piano on "One To One" really sounds like a piano! The clicks added into the UK remaster of "Body and Soul" are gone. It seems nothing can much help the sound of the "Look Sharp!" tracks, but all the other A&M album tracks are greatly improved.

With any luck, this is a prelude to A&M remasters of the individual Joe Jackson catalog. This is far and away the best sounding Joe Jackson on CD at the moment, and a wonderful introduction to, or summary of, his pop music.

Joe Jackson was never content with one form of music. The many resented pop music, and made sure that everyone knew that he did. In the same camp as artists such as Elvis Costello, artists who do everything they can to show their disdan for pop, Joe Jackson came off a little differently. He was slick and sophisticated, he was high class, and his roots to music lay deep in classical excursion. While Costello and Clover were more pub rockers who hated pop, Jackson, while having a similar musical outlook to them, was different. He was looking deeper. Costello might have been a pub, but Jackson was a martini bar. "The Very Best of Joe Jackson" highlights music from an artist a high number of people have no idea of. Trust me, you'll want to get to know him after listening to the CD.

The ironic thing about Jackson is, like the other "new wave punks" of the late 70's/early 80's who conquered the college radio airwaves and who hated pop with a passion (Clover, Costello), he crated amazing pop numbers. "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song full of clever lyrics and a strong hook. "Look Sharp" is a hard rocking number, as is "I'm the Man", where Jackson pokes fun at how people idolize celebrities. He then develops his sound to include more musical quirks to it. "Beat Crazy" includes some salsa and latino rhythms to the arrangement. "Jumpin' Jive" takes Jackson to a completely different atmosphere with jump swing music. Two popular radio staples from Jackson, "Breaking Us in Two" and "Steppin' Out" have Jackson divuldging into jazz and smooth night club romance songs. "Memphis" has Jackson doing a blusey, country sounding rock song. Jackson hits all areas of music, and never has the same sound. That's what makes the album fun, is that there is so much diversity in the music that you'll never get bored, and everything will provide entertainment and very solidly crafted music.

Joe Jackson is ambitious and never content with his music. He is also hugely talented, and crafts his music perfectly. For a guy who hates pop music passionately, he sure can write some pretty solid material.

For a musician/songwriter of this caliber, the original "Joe Jackson's Greatest Hits" was just a fleeting glimpse. Trade it in for this one; you won't regret it! 2 CDs, 38 songs, all adding up to a very thorough representation of Joe's fantastic career. You get all the songs from the first greatest hits, plus ones that should have been there (such as "Real Men") and ones that became hits for other bands (such as "Got The Time", which was covered by Anthrax!). Also, you finally get the studio version of "Memphis" instead of the appalling live version.

This is the definitive Joe Jackson cd. It's all his performance songs and hits rolled into a great double cd set. Every time I think to see if I would skip the next song I change my mind, it's like I just ran into an old best friend and I spend the night sit, drink coffee and talk all night.