THE JOE JACKSON BAND
Volume 4
(Restless/Rykodisc)
Joe Jackson has always been the red-headed stepchild of the late 70s punk/new wave movement. Forever compared unfavorably to Elvis Costello and Graham Parker (as if the three artists had anything in common outside of writing their own songs, being British and putting out albums in the late 70s), Jackson supposedly has never lived up to the admitted brilliance of his 1979 debut album Look Sharp!, a deserved signpost of new wave songsmithery. If you listen to rock historians, most of them seem to believe Jackson peaked extremely early, and outside of the occasional flash of inspiration (such as "Steppin' Out," his 1982 hit single), has willfully chosen to follow a path of self-indulgence and forbidding experimentation designed to appeal to no one but himself.

What horse feces. The classically-trained Jackson may be a restless musical soul, eager to blaze a trail in whatever direction appeals to him, but that can just as easily be called ambition rather than self-indulgence. He may stray beyond the boundaries of the rock & roll form, but that seems less pretension than an honest desire to explore the limits of his own talent. His compositional skills rank with the finest melodicists of the rock era; his sheer musicality nearly always saves him when his reach extends beyond his grasp. His 80s work in particular proudly stands the test of time; 1982's Night and Day, 1984's Body and Soul, 1986's Big World and 1989's Blaze of Glory—possibly his masterpiece—stand as a creative run to be envied by any artist, especially if his 1988 double live set Live 1980/86 is taken into consideration. Frankly, his artistry was far more consistent in quality than that of either Costello or Parker during the same time period. Though his records in the 90s seem to have drifted into a wilderness that appears hewn for aimless wandering, there is always at least one song per LP that stands with his best. It's past time his place in rock history was re-evaluated and the worth of his best records recognized. Fortunately, his brand-new album Volume 4 provides more than enough impetus.

Recorded with the original Joe Jackson Band (guitarist Gary Sanford, bassist Graham Maby, probably the most underrated electric four-stringer in rock, and drummer Dave Houghton), with whom he recorded Look Sharp! and other LPs, Volume 4 is an absolutely smashing return to consistent form. Not to the sound of the old days, mind you—these four musicians are different now than they were then and not interested in merely reliving the past. The records made by this combination of players—particularly Look Sharp! and I'm the Man—had the sound and style of young turks turned loose in the studio for the first time. The brashness and aggression of youth can't be easily duplicated, and the revived Jackson Band wisely doesn't try. The compositions have grown more sophisticated, the playing looser and more relaxed, the sardonic jabs more apt to slice cleanly like a samurai's katana than stab wildly like a psycho's axe.

The opening track "Take It Like a Man" is a good example. It's a straight rocker, with a driving rhythm, an easily-appealing melody and a trademark Jackson jab at a moronic would-be lover. But a closer listen reveals more under the surface: Houghton's attack incorporates the push-pull of bossa nova into its assertive drive, while Maby's groove owes as much to dub reggae as rock or pop. Jackson's pounding piano line sports a startlingly lyrical touch that's as much Keith Jarrett as Jerry Lee Lewis; Sanford's fiery strumming acts less like the song's vanguard and more like the glue that holds it together. The dismissive venom of the lyric is almost a throwback to the days of "Happy Loving Couples" or "Fools in Love," except that Jackson uses his words less as blunt instruments and more as throwing knives. It's the kind of comeback tune that recalls just enough of past glories to perk up your ears, but with plenty of new ideas to blow away any hints of nostalgia.

The rest of the record follows suit. The 12-string guitars of "Still Alive" add a luscious new flavor to one of Jackson's most winsome pop songs. The juxtaposition of youth and maturity in the lyrics of "Awkward Age" matches the weathered vitality of the soaring melody. The delightfully sugared-up ska rhythm of "Thugs 'R' Us," a poke at white rap wannabes, gives the eye-rolling old fogeyisms a playful edge. The undiluted garage rock of "Little Bit Stupid" accompanies a libretto that can come only from experience. There's a streak of wizened acidity in the beauty of "Chrome" and an adult perspective to the moral qualifications of the rocking "Bright Grey." Best of all are the ballads, "Love At First Light" (which manages to make the cliché of the one night stand interesting again) and "Blue Flame" (which denies bitterness as an impediment to love); both have a harmony between band and leader, melody and performance, conception and execution that is only possible among musicians who have time and a long camaraderie in their pockets.

This isn't to say there aren't a couple of missteps, however. The party-hearty "Dirty Martini," apparently a tribute to the Crescent City, boasts the repeated line "Gettin' down and dirty down in New Orleans," but just can't seem to get down and dirty enough to be convincing. "Thugs 'R' Us" may be funny, catchy and even deserved, but it's not like suburban kids who pretend to be gangstas constitute a moving target; Jackson could have directed his intelligence and sarcasm at a less obvious bullseye. Then there's "Fairy Dust," a parody of a certain strain of gay culture that is a bit too obtuse to be fully effective. Its melody is memorable and its rhythm diverting, but its lyrics are too muddled to escape accusations of homophobia, which is undoubtedly not Jackson's intent. (Listen to the Night and Day track "Real Men" for a more successful realization of a similar theme.) None of these stumbles interrupts the dance for long, however, and the scales hardly tip toward failure.

After spending Volume 4's main disk proving that the reunion of the Joe Jackson Band is no trip down memory lane, the band then does just that with a bonus concert disk, recorded in 2002, of tunes from Look Sharp! and I'm the Man. The set list of the six tunes may be a bit obvious—"On Your Radio," "One More Time," "It's Different For Girls," "I'm the Man," "Got the Time" and, of course, "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"—but the band sounds good doing them again after over 20 years of not playing them together, and they give the songs enough tweaking that they don't sound rote. The success of the performances is just proof that the spark between these four guys still exists and can be fanned into a flame. But then, the album itself is proof of that. Volume 4 will be remembered as another classic in the canon of Joe Jackson. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Ben Folds Five, Ben Kweller, Michael Hall