Customer Reviews

Summer in the City: Live in New York

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joe Jackson is no stranger to recording live, already providing a 2cd live set and the recorded live "big world." This cd is a real treat for fans of his musical style before his orchestral meanderings of the last decade. The arrangements are spare, just Jackon's piano, Graham Maby on bass and Gary Burke on drums. But the songs themselves are full and rich and fully realized.

Nearly half the songs on the disc are covers, all of them good choices that are well-executed. Standouts include Steely Dan's "King of the World" (wish that Fagen's voice sounded as good these days as Jackson's), a catchy "Summer in the City" and a delicate and lovely "Eleanor Rigby."

The highlights of this disc are his reworkings of his own songs, especially "Another World" and my favorite "It's Different for Girls."

It's really wonderful to see that almost 25 years after the release of "I'm the Man" that Joe Jackson still is. This disc couldn't be any tighter, and the song choices and musicianship displayed make this a CD worthy of anyone's collection.

This is an outstanding album, one of the best I own. Personally I'm a big fan of piano based singer/songwriters, and after listening to this live album of Jackson with the sparse arrangement of a piano, bass and drums, it's clear he's one of the best there is. His playing is a mixture of rock and jazz, without any pedal or fudged notes. There's some fantastic covers as well. He swings from a Duke Ellington cover ('Mood Indigo') to a sparse Beatles cover ('Eleanor Rigby') then onto a brilliant Steely Dan number ('King of the World').

For those who are piano players this is also a great album to listen to. It may not be clear to people who don't play piano, but listening to Jackson with a trained ear... the guy can really play. In contrast to the sparse shuffles of Randy Newman and the pedal-heavy slamming of Ben Folds and Elton John, Jackson rises to the top. And he's got a great voice too.

This is a great replay album too, so buy it and wear it out.

Where have you been, Joe Jackson? We always knew you could write witty, ascerbic, and sometimes, very thoughtful songs. During your second stage (Night and Day, etc.) we knew you could tickle the ivories with the best popsters. Summer in the City, Joe's latest and greatest live disc, shows you also have an uncanny ability to arrange seemingly disparate songs into one wonderful medley after another.

Stripped down to the basics of drums (Gary Burke), bass (who else but Graham Maby), piano and vocals (Joe), this thirteen song collection recorded in 1999 live in New York showcases some of Joe's tunes and some excellent covers.

He seamlessly combines Ramsey Lewis' "The In Crowd" with "Down to London". Then he melds a haunting "Eleanor Rigby" (the second cover version I heard of this song today, the other by Michael Stanley on his solid Eighteen Down) with his "Be My Number Two". He's not done. He combines Steely Dan's "King of the World" with "You Can't Get What You Want".

The vocals are sharp, the recording is flawless, and the musicianship is solid, even though I would have liked to have heard more from Graham. Summer in the City is a revelation, a return to form for Joe, and the best live album in at least two years.

Joe Jackson's "Summer in the City" is a great live set. It crackles with energy and verve with Jackson jabbing the past with 5 well-chosen covers from other songwriters. John Sebastian's "Summer in the City" is a welcome warm breeze, although too brief at under 2 minutes, with Jackson's pounding piano. His "Obvious Song" has punch as Joe's piano comes in just slightly behind the beat to great effect. On "Another World" he utilizes the entire keyboard from highest to lowest notes and vocally lifts the chorus over the pulsing piano line. Graham Maby's bass throbs on the medley of Jackson's "Fools in Love" and the Yardbirds' Graham Gouldman-penned classic "For Your Love." Jackson includes his love for classic jazz with the Duke Ellington tribute "Mood Indigo." Another great medley is the combination of Jackson's "Down to London" with the Ramsey Lewis hit "In Crowd" where Joe swelters on that familiar piano line. Lennon & McCartney's "Eleanor Rigby" receives a good reading and shows what a wonderful composition it is as breathy Joe's vocal diverges from what we've come to expect from the McCartney standard. "Be My #2" has a sad feel, "There is not much to do, just smile when I feel blue." On "Home Town" the voice of experience flavors Joe's vocal delivery on this wistful, sentimental tune. "It's Different for Girls" works well in this sparse musical setting. Walter Becker & Donald Fagen's "King of the World" becomes a Joe Jackson tune with his signature vocal snarl. "You Can't Get What You Want" is probably my #1 favorite Jackson track; it's live version works well with slightly less punch than the original studio version. Gary Burke's drums thunder on the opening of "One More Time" on a great track. This live set is more than anything a piano CD; I love it! This is one of my favorite live sets. Enjoy!

Joe Jackson is one of the most under-rated artists of the last thirty years. All you need is one listen to this fantastic live set to understand why. His lyrics do not disappoint, and his music can be quite beautiful, even when it's full of rage. I came to appreciate Joe Jackson in my mid-twenties, and am the richer for it.

Joe was "hip" long before Elvis Costello, and socially aware (read: angry) well before Nirvana and the rest of the grungies. It's clear, listening to this record, that Joe Jackson is one of the most influential, though silently so, artists of the last quarter-century.

This record is a better live recording than any of his previous live releases. If that's due to advances in technology or in Joe himself is to be debated. I do know that any Joe Jackson fan should own this disc, and listen to it often. You won't be disappointed.

If you like Elvis Costello, or anyone else of his genre, pick this up, because you'll hear a musical genius at work.

With Joe Jackson, it has always been about the music. Here, on "Summer in the City", Joe shows us that the music is what matters the most. Many of the songs really shine like "You Can't Get What You Want" in the stripped down trio format. Re-interpretations of long-time fan favorites "Be My Number Two" and "Hometown" convey a freshness and relevance, even though the songs almost 15 years old.

Although no real new territory is covered here, although there are several great covers on the album, the band's playing is great, and Joe has never been in finer voice! Even if you are just a casual fan, or new fan of Joe, you will really enjoy "Summer in the City"

This is Jackson's first return to his rock/pop origins in a while and it is superb. His voice is strong and melodic. His piano playing is assured and rhythmic. But it is his rhythm section that deserve a lot of the credit. Graham Maby may be the best bassist since Jack Bruce. he plays the instrument as if it was a guitar and as a consequence what is only a trio sounds like a four or five member band. Jackson quite rightly gives him a solo part. As a team, the trio are very together and capture the drama in all the songs. None are disappointing, but for me the highlight is Eleanor Rigby. Jackson has transformed McCartney's stab at classicism into a heartbreaking and thoughtful classic of pop music. The Beatles are hard to upstage (Cocker did it with his A Little Help), but Jackson does it. This should be a single and a hit.

i'm not a big fan of live albums. i much prefer to see the act in person than hear vicariously through a cd. joe jackson, however, seems to be able to put out live cd's that fill me up with as much joy as the actual concerts.

what do i love about them? the choice of songs (covers of "the in crowd", "for your love", and "eleanor rigby" as well as others) and different takes of old chestnuts. plus, he sounds great and somehow that energy that i never seem to get from other live albums comes through here.

i've found myself spinning this disc many times since it came home with me.

What a pleasure to hear Joe take a break from his more advanced work of late, and revisit some of the great tunes he has written. The covers are also great, I love The In Crowd->Down to London. The trio listens to each other and plays with the same subtlety of a good jazz piano trio. Joe's singing is great. What a way to keep at it, even as the years go by. Recommended to old fans, and for people looking to check Joe out.

I'm sorry someone else felt Joe sold out or went down hill. This album reveals that early on Joe was and has always been a masterful musician and composer. It also shows how great and a vital part of Joe Jackson
s albums Graham Maby on bass is.

This album because its live may not jump right at one's ears on the first listen, though there are parts that do. However after listening to this album a few times it becomes great. After more listens than I care to admit it has grown on me to the point that it is one of my favorite albums. It is by far the best of his many live albums. It also offers insights and access to his newer albums. I myself think his last album Rain is great.

But back to this album, it is a great combination of songs. Its an album that great to play as background or on headphones. Whenever, I hear a song off of it I end up turning shuffle off and listening to the rest.