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Post by jrmugz on Jun 12, 2016 15:44:57 GMT
At least to me they are, ha ha.
OK, so here is a bunch of Joe Jackson songs from here inside the 2nd millenium, since I had to focus on a time period for him, since so many great songs by him over the last few decades.
I figured a lot of people were like me who liked him in the 70s and 80s and might be curious the kind of stuff he has been putting out. (And pleased to know that he's still putting out great stuff.)
Below are the videos in the context of my typical review format. Hope you guys enjoy some of the songs as well!
01. "If It Wasn't For You" - From the 2015 "Fast Forward" CD. Amazing pop song, pure delight. Love the chorus.
02. "A Little Smile" - Also from 2015's "Fast Forward" CD. And also, pure delight from this master pop-tunesmith.
03. "King of the World" - Awesome Steely Dan cover from his 2000 live album "Summer in the City". Sounds fantastic with just piano, bass, and drums, as is the whole live album.
04. "Take It Like a Man" - Good rocker kickoff track from 2003's "Volume 4" CD.
05. "Still Alive" - Great Beatles-sitaresque pop song from 2003's "Volume 4" CD, lyrical theme reminiscent of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing".
06. "Thugs R Us" - From 2003's "Volume 4" CD. Quintessential Joe Jackson band, love the use of the melodica, as well as the social commentary aspect of it. Hearkens back to the glory of his first two albums, with the reggae and melodica.
07. "Invisible Man" - Good kickoff track of his 2008 "Rain" CD. Reflects on not having the same influence as he used to, etc. Love the sparseness of piano, drums, and bass for only instruments.
08. "The Uptown Train" - Another strong track from his 2008 "Rain" CD. Reminiscent of Motown to me, I'm sure there must have been some influence.
09. "Caravan" - A Duke Ellington cover from his CD "The Duke" that came out in 2012, of all Duke Ellington covers. Some famous lady singer from Iran does the vocals, I believe. Captivating arrangement, improves with each play, for me.
10. "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got Swing" - Also from 2012's "The Duke", this one with Iggy Pop on guest vocals. Fun track.
11. "Citizen Sane" - Another decent track from the 2008 "Rain" CD. Like "Uptown Train" reminds me of Motown a lot for some reason.
12. "Far Away" - From the 2015 "Fast Forward" CD. Seems like too much of a drama-queen kind of track for my usual tastes; but yet it's mysterious and beautiful enough to draw me in, to it's whatever magical world it is that it draws me into.
13. "Keep on Dreaming" - From the 2015 "Fast Forward" CD. To me, this is Joe Jackson heaven, just being his cyncial, smart-aleck, yet hopeful self trying to focus on and glean the meaning of life. A very authentic expression of himself and what he's always been all about to me, so to me this one is really special. I hear it and say "yup, that's Joe Jackson all the way and who he is and what he's always seemed to always be about."
14. "See No Evil" - From the 2015 "Fast Forward" CD. Written by Tom Verlaine. Good rocker with the Joe Jackson touch put to it. Really like it.
15. "The Blue Time" - From the 2015 "Fast Forward" CD. Melodic beauty, majestic piano chords. Powerful song.
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Keep on Dreaming", "A Little Smile", "Still Alive", "See No Evil" Bottom Line: Some strong originals and great takes on a few covers, by a very talented artist.
One thing that comes through on several of these songs is his above-average bass player, Graham Maby.
As one who has been loosely keeping up with his albums, I have to say that I was pleased at the strong offering of songs on his latest CD "Fast Forward", and it's certainly a CD that I recommend. To me, maybe his best since "Night and Day".
So, there you have it, a dose of, what I feel are, some fairly decent offerings from the 4 CDs that The Joester has put out so far this millennium. Hopefully he will continue to crank out the good tunes for a long time.
Jim
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Post by unomusette on Jun 12, 2016 19:13:08 GMT
The couple of Joe Jackson songs I know are firm favourites, interesting to see they don't feature here so looking forward to acquainting myself further
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 12, 2016 19:48:42 GMT
The couple of Joe Jackson songs I know are firm favourites, interesting to see they don't feature here so looking forward to acquainting myself further Hi Uno, Like the title of the thread says, songs from 2000 and after. You're probably familiar with "Is She Really Going Out With Him" from 1979 or so and "Steppin' Out" and "Breaking Us in Two" from the early 80s. Maybe in the future, I'll do one for him of the period that covers those. But yeah, in the meantime, hope you enjoy getting acquainted with some of these, like you say.
Jim
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Post by unomusette on Jun 12, 2016 19:54:55 GMT
Completely correct jrmugz, but I'm keen to see what he was coming up with later on too
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 12, 2016 20:16:29 GMT
Completely correct jrmugz , but I'm keen to see what he was coming up with later on too Then this thread's for you! Jim
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Post by Chippa on Jun 14, 2016 18:46:53 GMT
Joe had some great songs- Breaking us In Two, Stepping Out, Is She Really Going Out With Him?-but I've never heard any of these. I'll get to them, soon.
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 17, 2016 17:05:21 GMT
Any reviews on the way for this? Jim
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Post by 88keys on Jun 17, 2016 18:58:40 GMT
Ok, 15 songs is a lot for me to sit through especially when I don't really know the artist.
But I like his voice. It's equal parts honey and growl. lol.
The best songs are If it Wasn't For You, Citizen Sane, Far Away, and Thugs R Us. I didn't care much for any of the covers, honestly.
Take It Like A Man is pretty decent, but I think Ben Folds could probably do it better.
So yeah, this wasn't a bad experience. I would say my thoughts are mostly positive.
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Post by dillwyn on Jun 17, 2016 22:47:46 GMT
'is she really going out with him' and the even more superior 'different for girls' will always have a place in my heart...they are brilliant pieces of writing, with an energy and arrangement which was perfect . I could play them all evening so I looked forward to this, despite knowing he could never reach this height again. On the downside, not sure i'll ever quite forgive him for the unlovable mash-up he did to those two songs when i saw him live but lets put that to one side.
a lot of these video's don't work, this side of the pond. but I searched out versions
Highlights for me wasn't for you, take it like a man, far away
lowlights steely dan (no one should ever cover perfection) and the rest of the covers
got to agree on the bass player, very rare to be able to pick out such a individual voice on the instrument. looking him up on wiki ...i see he has worked with regina spektor
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Post by unomusette on Jun 18, 2016 20:50:01 GMT
Is She Really Going Out With Him and Different for Girls were two of my favourite songs from the era of Joe Jackson's earlier work and I don't think they've aged at at all. Looking forward very much to hearing more, here goes: If it wasn't for you - Not available, found a live version which didn't blow me away but maybe the version you meant us to hear was better. It's just a bit too laid-back for my taste. A Little Smile - This brings Aztec Camera to mind, but smoother with the strings coming in. Nice, with a toe-tapping beat, jrmugz but not outstanding. King of the World - A cover, if I read the notes correctly, not a Steely Dan song I'm familiar with and I'd have thought it was a bona fide Jackson song. It has the same quirky construction which keeps you interested and featured in my older favourites of his. Best so far. Take It Like a Man - Good intro, I like the piano especially. More aggressive-sounding than the previous songs which makes it stand out. Another solid track, more up my street than A Little Smile. Still Alive - The drums are too upfront on this for me, the song is very American-sounding to my ears, maybe something like Redd Kross or Jellyfish? Thugs R Us - Oh yes, nice bit of ska It just makes you want to hop about to it, plus I like the knowing lyrics. Takes over from King of the World as my favourite so far. Invisible Man - Not available, found another version. It has an interesting structure which grabs me at first but I do find my attention wandering a bit towards the end. I do like the piano on it though. The Uptown Train - Not available, found a live version with some nice plinky piano. It takes a while to get going and reminds me of something Dave Brubeck might have come up with, with its jazzy vibe. Does go on a bit too long for me but it's good background music. Caravan - Not available, found a live version. Great guitar sound on this and some accomplished drumming. Sounds familiar, must be a cover? Didn't think I was going to like it at first but it did grow on me as a live track as there's loads going on. Not sure if I'd enjoy a studio take as much. It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got Swing - Not available, found another version still with Iggy Pop on it. It appeals to me straight away, it's snappy and gives your ears a proper workout. LOVE the xylophone/vibraphone sound. Goodie. Citizen Sane - Not available, found a live version. Bouncy intro, a head-nodder when it gets going and he puts a lot into the vocal. A bit too long for me though, I'd had enough at least a minute from the end. Far Away - Moody intro, I like the whole ethereal atmosphere. It sounds like it should be in a musical, goes on a bit too long and plods slightly but it might be a grower. Keep on Dreaming - Not available, found another version. Stripped back sound compared to some of the other songs here, it doesn't do a lot for me to be honest but I think he put a lot of thought into the lyrics. See No Evil - Not available, found a live version. Again he puts a lot into the performance and it has some great drumming and guitar work. It's nice and lively and would improve with more listens, I think. The Blue Time - Not available, found a live version. This would be a good song for an end-of-disco smooch, there's certainly plenty of time to indulge. Not really a song I'd choose to put on, but as a relaxing background it's a winner. There was quite a mixture of songs here, some I liked, some escaped me and some I think might grow on me. One of his best talents is lyrics, and he does have a good wander around quite a few musical styles. He also puts a lot of feeling into his live performances. The upbeat ones appeal to me the most and for that I'll award this collection 5 out of 10, thanks for sharing jrmugz
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Post by Platypus on Jun 19, 2016 13:06:15 GMT
I really only knew of Joe Jackson from the inevitable "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" so as his is not a genre I look much to, I'm glad to check out some of his work.
If It Wasn't for You - catchy and listenable. If it wasn't a recent release I would have wondered if Mike Post had it in the back of his mind when he wrote Believe It Or Not.
A Little Smile - reckon I've heard this somewhere, but not sure where since I almost never hear radio. Not quite up with the first, but OK.
King of the World - very effective cover. Not sure about some of his vocal inflections, but it grows on you.
The 3 Joe Jackson Band ones I get put off by the jarring whack of that resonant snare, can only finish Thugs'r'us, rate Take It Like a Man the lowest.
Invisible Man - enjoy this one, including the Wuthering Heights piano!
Uptown Train - not bad initially, jazz lounge, but after a while I developed a suspicion I was listening to the demo track for a new keyboard. Do agree with uno, a bit too long.
It Don't Mean a Thing is the better of the Ellington covers to my way of thinking.
Citizen Sane - stopped listening around 3:00 only so many times I can take the same riff.
Far Away - different and, yes, mysterious & hypnotic.
Keep on Dreaming - yeah, not bad. God must think He's God or something! Heh heh...
See No Evil - Didn't like this one much, back to the jittery drumming & sometimes intrusive snare.
The Blue Time - worth waiting for, expansive, good drama. Only thing that weakens it is the fading falsetto, but that's carping.
Took a while to get through 15 with a couple of listens, but glad I did, thanks for the tour jrmugz!
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Post by Chippa on Jun 19, 2016 23:27:51 GMT
I'll get to them this week. As The Move song says, I've got no time.
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 25, 2016 3:33:14 GMT
Plat said: If It Wasn't for You - catchy and listenable. If it wasn't a recent release I would have wondered if Mike Post had it in the back of his mind when he wrote Believe It Or Not.'" OK, yeah, I can see the resemblance.Plat said: "King of the World - very effective cover. Not sure about some of his vocal inflections, but it grows on you." Yeah, I like it a lot better than the Steely Dan original.Plat said: "Far Away - different and, yes, mysterious & hypnotic." I agree, something special about it. Kind of sad about wanting to go "far away, far away from England", like why would someone want to leave their home, but adds to the mystery.
Plat said: "Keep on Dreaming - yeah, not bad. God must think He's God or something! Heh heh..." Yeah, and then when he said God "makes us like to feel ridiculous". Ha ha. He's certainly done that with me, makes me feel very ridiculous, certainly keeps me humble.Plat said: "The Blue Time - worth waiting for, expansive, good drama. Only thing that weakens it is the fading falsetto, but that's carping." I agree, something kind of magic about that one, like "Far Away".Plat said: "Took a while to get through 15 with a couple of listens, but glad I did, thanks for the tour jrmugz!" It was my pleasure, and glad that you are glad that you did! Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 14, 2016 16:27:24 GMT
'Is She Really Going Out With Him' and 'Different for Girls' were the only two JJ songs I knew but I really liked them all the same. So much so that I knew I'd like anything of Joe's. Songs that wouldn't work for me I have replaces with live versions.
If it wasn't for you - As good as the two songs above that I mentioned . Nothing fantastic and nothing bad, just typically good JJ. I actually like it better than those two songs as well.
A Little Smile – At the opening note I thought it was 'All over the world"! A good intro into a great song. My favourite so far including the two singles above as well! I like the rhythm and the strings.
King of the World – Very good, the songs suits J well.
Take It Like a Man – Again very good keeping the quality tip top. I like the drums.
Still Alive – I like the opening music especially the guitars, sounds a bit Tom Petty crossed with the Byrds here.
Thugs R Us – Sounds very post punk which I like. I love it a lot.
Invisible Man - Not my favourite. It’s ok but it annoying me for some reason!
The Uptown Train - Too jazzy an opening for me. But still good, reminds me a little of Procol Harum if they went jazz. The more I hear it the more I like it though.
Caravan - Again jazzy I like this less but feel strangely drawn to it anyway.
It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got Swing - More jazz! I like but I don’t like if you know how I mean .
Citizen Sane - More piano, JJ really knows his pianos like Procol's Gary Brooker, I never thought of that connection before until now. Great track. Far Away – I like the opening, it's unusual, not an upbeat song like many others.
Keep on Dreaming - I like this a lot, it's not jazzy at all. More rock piano. Great see lots of sound connections here to Procol. Upbeat and good.
See No Evil - Fit's JJ's style very well, I like it. One of the best types of covers.
The Blue Time – Back to jazzy. Still not overly keen but I do like the JJ form of jazz – if he played a jazz club I’d risk it to see him.
I really enjoyed hearing more JJ. I knew I liked him but I never knew how much until now!
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Post by jrmugz on Jul 14, 2016 16:57:36 GMT
Cool, queenofthehours, happy to share the joy with everyone like when I posted those 21 songs for The Knack. Ha ha. I think one of the keys with "Uptown Train" is we gotta remember, Joe is a trained pianist, and so sometimes, he really likes to show off his stuff. I think the best example of him showing off his piano prowess, is on his solo for the song "Cancer" from his "Night and Day" album. Definitely in the same class as say, Donald Fagen, as far as keyboards go. Jim
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