Joe Jackson

An obscure album by Joe, this has none of the New Wave passion of the first two records he put out. It has a pervasive reggae and ska beat, but it is Joe writing the lyrics. Side two is so great! (I have the vinyl.) It starts with Crime Don't Pay, a bit of noire and lounge. Then Someone Up There which would have been at home on "I'm The Man. Battleground is social commentary to a beat, and Biology has a bit of a punchline. Pretty Boys is pure ska with some melodica thrown in, and finally Fit looks at outliers from false dichotomies. Really. And it rocks, well, except One To One which is a ballad.

How does it sound? Really OK. Some of the songs are practically mono, no that there is anything wrong with that, but don't expect room filling sonority on the tune Beat Crazy. Instead, it is punchy and crisp. There is a lot of compression used, especially on the faster numbers. The bass playing by Graham Maby is great, but you certainly do not need a subwoofer to enjoy all the bass this recording has to offer. Not that I felt cheated on any of this, it is mixed to be an exciting, punchy recording, and it delivers. My copy is an A&M original, perhaps the CD option from 2007 gives you a bit more bass, but I cannot vouch as I see no reason to pick up a digital version.

Joe is the man, and this record is one you should own.

But here is a taste to see if you agree.