Joe Jackson Band: Volume 4

When Joe Jackson burst onto the music scene as one of Britpop’s angry young men in 1979, he was considered a brash upstart, delivering upbeat punk pop full of the attitude and venom that characterized the “new wave” movement of the moment. He and his band tapped into the universal angst of frustrated youth then, and their live performances fed upon the energy of audiences just as eager to jump around as Jackson himself (I know; I was there jumping).

But time marches on and angry young men grow up, and the original lineup of Jackson (vocals, keyboards, and harmonica), Graham Maby ( bass), Gary Sanford (guitar), and Dave Houghton (drums) went their own separate ways after three fine albums (Look Sharp!, I’m The Man, and Beat Crazy).

Since then, the ultra-talented Joe Jackson’s had a long career of musical diversity (and varying levels of success) with such styles as reggae/ska, Latin-influenced jazz, jive rhythm and blues big band bop, classical piano and symphonic works, among others. Still, every now and again he makes a foray back to his simpler pop music roots.

This time, Jackson has done so with the added novelty of reuniting the quartet of his original band, after 23 years apart. Volume 4 marks the fourth go-round for these four and while fans may be hoping for the same type of musical product of a quarter century ago, it’s just not possible. Years of musical experience have changed what was; Joe Jackson is not that same angry punk of yore, though he looks back in fond reminisce. So while the public may hunger for that impossibility, the truth is this: you can go home again, but someone different lives there now.

This is evident from the first strains of piano on the opening track “Take It Like a Man”. This sounds more like something from Night And Day then anything from the first three CD’s (not that that’s a bad thing). Lyrically, we get some of the old anger — only now directed at the battle of the sexes — a modern lament of how women rule and men have become expendable fools: “Don’t feel so down / You’ll find some job to do / Gangsta or clown / She’ll keep a place for you / You feel her touch / Fingers like icicles / She needs you so much / Like fish need bicycles”.

The Joe Jackson of 2003 is so much more a musician and composer than his younger self that the results are bound to be less accessible, more complex. “Still Alive” toys with an unusual syncopated rhythm that stretches things out (and also emphasizes the “traveling on” aspect of the lyrics too). Jackson remains adept at wordplay, ever the survivor: “You turned me upside down and turned my insides out, but that’s alright / You made me laugh then made me cry then made me shout, but that’s alright / But something keeps on beating in there, I guess my heart survived / I know I said I couldn’t live without you but I’m still alive”.

“Awkward Age” might seem the most likely candidate for radio “single”, an infectious upbeat bit of advice to an awkward youth that turns into a confession that age hasn’t clarified matters any for the narrator and then expands into a call to remain individualistic against the age’s onslaught of advertising and media demands.

“Chrome” is a pretty song about a star of a person, cold and hard and famous, and the fears attached to becoming involved with such a one. “Love At First Light” is a soft piano ballad laced with cynicism, sweet keys backing up observations the day after a night of purely physical pleasure with someone whose name has escaped him, a sad hoping for love beyond the remains of lust.

“Fairy Dust” is an acid take on the modern media’s ridiculous gay stereotypes; “Little Bit Stupid” tries to re-capture the old days, but turns out mostly as a throwaway fun exercise. “Blue Flame” is another lovely ballad, an ode to an illogical love that mixes metaphors of love and war, regret and bitterness, and hope. Jackson is at his best here, subtle and affecting.

“Thugz ‘r’ Us” is Joe Jackson’s nod to the danceable heyday of Madness and other fun ska bands, a bitter condemnation of bored suburban youth’s proclivity toward mimicking inner city fashions and lifestyles, whites wanting to be black, etc.: “I got some mash-ups with Snoop and Dr. Dre / I play ’em louder when my dad’s away / We got a Volvo and plastic chandeliers / Know what I’m sayin’ / It’s boring me to tears”.

“Dirty Martini” is a playful ditty about a night that never ends in New Orleans, getting “down and dirty”. The closer “Bright Grey” again examines the tired ongoing battle of the sexes, lamenting how relationships between men and women never seem to work out well.

So this is what has become of the angry young man — he’s now an older, wiser, astute observer of popular culture and trends with a bit of a bitter take on things that sometimes seems tired. Nothing here is quite as catchy as the best of the old stuff, but that’s not to say Volume 4 should be dismissed. It’s quite a good CD, Jackson’s best since Laughter and Lust or perhaps even Body and Soul, and one that reveals more of its subtle charms with additional listens.

Time has not dulled the musicianship of these four. In fact, quite the opposite is true. While Maby and Jackson have often worked together through the years, Maby, Sanford, and Houghton all have benefited from working with others as well. Reunited, they are an experienced, precision team, able to finesse a wider realm of musical challenges than in years past (and Jackson’s music gives them ample opportunity to display this here).

In addition, this album was recorded in 10 days without computers (no ProTools or sequencers), just live to 24-track analog tape with some overdubbed piano parts, and there’s a real chemistry evident (most songs were 2nd or 3rd takes).

Volume 4 also comes with a special bonus live CD cut when the band were preparing to go on their world tour, featuring six of their nostalgic “old days” tracks. Some see this as unfortunate (as it only points out how less catchy the new songs are in comparison), but I disagree. Here is a band as comfortable with the past as with the present, having fun as they play.

All said, Volume 4 does not deliver the same type of music as Look Sharp!, but manages to provide a good pop record nonetheless. For fans of Joe Jackson, it’s a welcome arrival — easily his best CD in years, even if the acid stances seem a bit labored at times. He proves he still can master pop songs in a variety of styles, but now you need to invest a little more time to fully appreciate them.