Disco de Joe Jackson: “Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson”

I first heard Joe Jackson on my radio in 1982 with the songs "Steppin' Out" and "Breaking Us In Two". Four years later, I bought the "Night & Day" album. I wasn't a big fan until 1988 when I bought "Live 1980/86". Then, I was hooked.

I didn't know he did so many different styles of music so well! I went and bought all his previous albums. My friends became hooked on Joe, too--and they bought his albums. (Most of my friends at the time liked rap and R&B--Joe Jackson albums were some of the few "rock" albums we had.)

Now, why did I spend the money on this double CD when I have (almost) all the others? For one, it includes "The Harder They Come", "Enough Is Not Enough", and "Memphis", which are VERY hard to find on CD. Second, for those who are just now discovering Joe Jackson, you probably can't find the out of print albums, and this collection has generous helpings of songs from those albums. Songs like "One To One", "Biology", "Right and Wrong", "Precious Time", "Rant and Rave", and "Me And You (Against The World)", are hard to find otherwise. Third, it's got great liner notes for the new fan and the longtime fan.

I think some people will like one disc more than the other. For those who like his early power pop sound, Disc 1 is for you. My favorites include "Look Sharp", "Got The Time", and "Friday". Disc 2 shows you what he was up to after that, with "Happy Ending", "Obvious Song", "The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy", and LOTS more.

Joe Jackson has never made the same song twice, and you owe it to yourself to hear some quality music. He's done it all--even alternative reggae ("Beat Crazy")! To this day, I'm still turning my friends into fans of Joe Jackson. I can't say enough about this collection; it's the place to start when it comes to Joe. Buy it NOW!

P.S. Go see him in concert sometime. I have four times. You'll rarely see a better concert.

As soon as I heard Joe Jackson's "Look Sharp" (which is a must have for any Joe Jackson fan), I knew that I had stumbled into a great talent. His next release, the smash "Night & Day", which as has been the case throughout his career, sounded very little like it's predecesor, was equally brilliant.

In my opinion Joe Jackson is a very underrated artist and some see him as too pretentious or like a poor man's Elvis Costello and they could not be more wrong. This man is a musical genius and the 2 CD compillation is amazing in that it not only has everything you'd like to hear, but for an artist who tries on some many different hats, the cohesion is amazing.

I am surprised that the Amazon.com review was so sterotypical of those who don't quite know what to make of Joe Jackson. For those who want to dig deeper into the catalogue try the quitely powerful "Body and Soul." Some folks may remember that when this ALBUM came out it highlighted that it was recorded digitally (the first DDD that I remember seeing), but it was more than just about technology... Joe Jackson just poured his soul/heart/brain into some of the strongest ballads of his career.

I am a very active CD buyer and even the most profilic acts have a hard-time releasing greatest hits selections worthy of one CD, much less a 2 CD set. Even some of my favorite groups have released 2 CD sets and I've had to grab them to burn my own best of on a single CD. You'll love this from beginning to end and it really gives a true picture of Mr. Joe Jackson, who is not a poor man's anything. A+ for Joe Jackson and to those associated with compilling this collection.

Regardless if you're a veteran Joe Jackson fan or a novice to his works, this collection is required. Not only is it a true greatest hits collection (far better than the one released a few years ago) with tracks from nearly every album he ever made, it includes songs which don't appear on full JJ albums such as "Memphis" from Mike's Murder soundtrack. Some recordings have been nearly impossible to find, such as his ripping version of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" and "Enough Is Not Enough" . As if his radio and college hits were not enough, also included are some of his audience friendly hits from his post A&M days including songs from Laughter & Lust, Night Music, and Night & Day's "Stranger Than You". Obviously they couln't fit in a track from his Symphony #1, but that's understandable. With great remastering, this collection is impossible to ignore.

Joe Jackson was never content with one form of music. The many resented pop music, and made sure that everyone knew that he did. In the same camp as artists such as Elvis Costello, artists who do everything they can to show their disdan for pop, Joe Jackson came off a little differently. He was slick and sophisticated, he was high class, and his roots to music lay deep in classical excursion. While Costello and Clover were more pub rockers who hated pop, Jackson, while having a similar musical outlook to them, was different. He was looking deeper. Costello might have been a pub, but Jackson was a martini bar. "The Very Best of Joe Jackson" highlights music from an artist a high number of people have no idea of. Trust me, you'll want to get to know him after listening to the CD.

The ironic thing about Jackson is, like the other "new wave punks" of the late 70's/early 80's who conquered the college radio airwaves and who hated pop with a passion (Clover, Costello), he crated amazing pop numbers. "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song full of clever lyrics and a strong hook. "Look Sharp" is a hard rocking number, as is "I'm the Man", where Jackson pokes fun at how people idolize celebrities. He then develops his sound to include more musical quirks to it. "Beat Crazy" includes some salsa and latino rhythms to the arrangement. "Jumpin' Jive" takes Jackson to a completely different atmosphere with jump swing music. Two popular radio staples from Jackson, "Breaking Us in Two" and "Steppin' Out" have Jackson divuldging into jazz and smooth night club romance songs. "Memphis" has Jackson doing a blusey, country sounding rock song. Jackson hits all areas of music, and never has the same sound. That's what makes the album fun, is that there is so much diversity in the music that you'll never get bored, and everything will provide entertainment and very solidly crafted music.

Joe Jackson is ambitious and never content with his music. He is also hugely talented, and crafts his music perfectly. For a guy who hates pop music passionately, he sure can write some pretty solid material.

This is the definitive Joe Jackson cd. It's all his performance songs and hits rolled into a great double cd set. Every time I think to see if I would skip the next song I change my mind, it's like I just ran into an old best friend and I spend the night sit, drink coffee and talk all night.