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Rating: Another artist who, when I hear him, never ceases to amaze me.
Literally, a genius. He has managed to pass through eras, genres, and trends unscathed (with few exceptions), always offering very dignified works and showing that he knows how to "master" the musical matter. There is practically no musical "genre" he hasn't touched: he started with post-punk rock, then excelled in the years of white reggae, and then Latin, orchestral swing, pop, rock, ambient... just about everything.
A superb pianist, a visceral singer, he lived his golden era in the '80s, riding the wave of the rediscovery of certain jazzy sounds. The lounge surely owes something to him as well.
To those who have never listened to him, I strongly recommend this live album, a very fine collection and, as always in Jackson's case, never predictable. It is, in fact, the chronological collection of tracks from an entire career, captured during the best live performances, with different bands: practically the best way to appreciate the ingenious versatility of this lanky Englishman.
Side A (to put it in the old way): the post-punk quartet, with tracks like "I'm The Man" or "Beat Crazy." A monstrous punch, rock without frills, direct, shouted, but also hidden masterpieces like "One to One," played with only the electric piano.
Side B: the New York period band. Latin quotes ("Cancer")("Look Sharp"), and a sound that reflects that glorious period that managed to produce the masterpiece "Night & Day."
Side C: the evolution of the previous quartet, with the addition of guitars and horns. The mood becomes more jazzy-oriented, "Real Men" and "Slow Song" stand out piercing and lyrical. The tall Englishman always commands his musicians, and he manages to bring out the best even if surrounded by a string quartet or a metal band. His genius lies in this: he always manages to reinvent himself in a different way, while maintaining his musical imprint. The proof is the presence of a fetish track ("Is She Really Going Out With Him") offered in no less than 3 different versions!
Side D: the minimal trio. Surrounded by the usual excellent musicians, Jackson offers us on this side the guitar-oriented version of some of his tracks. And, of course, he chooses the most challenging songs, reshaping and reinventing them as only he can. "You Can't Get What You Want...", initially arranged with horns in a pure funky/R&B style, is reimagined with a very gritty guitar, full of harmonics. "Breakin Us In Two" piano and acoustic guitar remains always a big heart-throb.
Joe Jackson has always been famous for his quarrelsome character: live, he often did not hesitate to hush the audience to allow a perfect execution of his songs (!). Venial sins, which we care little about: the important thing is to try to appreciate the musical work of this lanky pianist, too genius to be a younger brother of Elton John, not amiable enough to be recognized as the spiritual father of those little pianists, who are so trendy nowadays...
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