Language / Idioma

Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson Album: “Volume 4 [Japan]”

Album Information :

Title:

Volume 4 [Japan]

Release Date:2003-04-28

Type:Unknown

Genre:Rock, Adult Alternative, Beatles Legacy

Label:Video Arts

Explicit Lyrics:Yes

UPC:4988112413832

Track Listing :
1	Take It Like a Man
2	Still Alive Video
3	Awkward Age Video
4	Chrome
5	Love at First Light Video
6	Fairy Dust
7	Little Bit Stupid
8	Blue Flame
9	Dirty Martini
10	Thugz 'r' Us
11	Bright Grey
12

Review - :

It only took two albums before {$Joe Jackson} got restless, pushing away from the nervy, high-octane, well-crafted {\punk-pop} of {^Look Sharp!} and {^I'm the Man} toward the {\ska} leanings of {^Beat Crazy}, before abandoning {$the Joe Jackson Band} altogether. Without them, he roamed wild, laying the groundwork for {\neo-swing} with {^Jumpin' Jive} and etching out sophisti-{\pop} on his {$Cole Porter}/{$George Gershwin}-flavored {^Night and Day}, before expanding into symphonic compositions and other increasingly esoteric stylistic exercises, whittling his audience down to just the dedicated in the process. Even among those dedicated fans, the first two {$Jackson} albums were cherished, and {$Jackson} acknowledged that on occasion by appropriating the sound, as on 1991's {^Laughter & Lust}. Still, it took him a full 23 years to reunite his original band, an event celebrated by the release of {^Volume 4} (the title indicating that this is the fourth go-round for this band, kind of like how {^Van Halen III} kicked off the third incarnation of the band). It would be inaccurate to say that this captures the bristling energy or spitting vitriol of the first two records, though {^Volume 4} certainly follows a similar template and often feels similar in form, if not in substance, to that pair. It also recalls {^Night and Day} in parts (ironically, moreso than the explicit 2000 sequel {^Night and Day II}), which means it winds up being a revival of the classic {$Joe Jackson} sound instead of {$the Joe Jackson Band}. Frankly, that's not a problem; if this is going to be a nostalgia exercise, at least in part, it should be about the overarching idea of {$Jackson} as much as the particulars. Plus, it's a good record -- his best pure {\pop} in at least a decade. It's a little front-loaded and, at times, it may seem a little labored or self-conscious, but usually it sounds relaxed and tuneful, as if {$Jackson} is relieved to just be cutting a record of {\pop} tunes instead of worrying about a grand concept or symphonic movements. And while the band certainly has mellowed with age, they still bring his music to life better than any other outfit he's worked with, giving it definition and muscle. It may be true that {^Volume 4} isn't as lively or vital as his first five albums, but it's also more satisfying as a {\pop} record than anything he's done since {^Body & Soul}, which is more than enough to make it a worthy comeback. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide