Joe Jackson - Look Sharp

Joe Jackson is an enigma. He might be the lesser know Elvis Costello of our generation. Starting out as a punk rocker, he was too smart and too musically talented not to expand beyond the genre. He has put out stripped down records, big band records and a record full of beautiful piano ballads. I became a fan when I heard the single, "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" still one of my all time favorites. "Sunday Papers," Fools in Love," and the title cut "Look Sharp" are all great songs on this record that still sound fresh today.

Look Sharp was Jackson's first record, followed up by I'm the Man. Both were hits in the US and UK, so it was a bit of a shock when he veered into big band and some of his more experimental stuff. I saw a show in Houston after his third record came out and people left in droves when the large orchestral style band played his older hits without a guitar. Can you imagine any of the songs on this record without the guitar riffs? Most Jackson fans couldn't either and he never really sold a lot of records after that. However, sales as we know do not equate to quality, so I would also recommend listening to Night and Day, Beat Crazy, and Body and Soul.