Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson Review

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Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson ReviewJoe 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.Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson OverviewFrom being at the crest of the New Wave to anticipating the swing revival by over a decade, Joe Jackson's always been a "step" ahead of the pop music world, and this 38-track collection includes all the key tracks from his A&M releases (plus four post-A&M tracks) with 24-bit remastering and detailed liner notes derived from an interview with the man himself! Includes Is She Really Going Out with Him?; Sunday Papers; Steppin' Out; Breaking Us in Two; You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want); Happy Ending; Look Sharp!; It's Different for Girls; Fools in Love; Be My Number Two; Right and Wrong, and more.

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