Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson's lean, stripped-down New Wave debut didn't take off in his native England, but buoyed by the hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him," it took off in the States, and continued selling into the 1980s. Not a great album overall, but it contains many Jackson classics besides "Is She…," including "Sunday Papers," "One More Time" and "Fools In Love."

By 1978, the clangor of punk and New Wave had penetrated the boardrooms of America's
major labels, each of which wanted an Elvis Costello to call its own. So when American
producer David Kershenbaum presented A&M Records with the high-strung, odd-looking,
clever Englishman Joe Jackson, label execs could hardly wait to sign him. In the studio,
Kershenbaum kept the arrangements unfettered and virtually free of instrument... More >

In which an up-and-coming professional entertainer tricks up Britain's latest rock and roll fashion with some fancy chords and gets real intense about the perils of romance. Well, better "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" than "Sunday Papers," the social-criticism interlude, which inspires fond memories of "Pleasant Valley Sunday." (Grade - B)