Joe Jackson: Big World CD Track Listing

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Joe Jackson Big World (1986)
Originally Released March 1986\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Joe Jackson crafted his most labored, serious album in 1984's Body & Soul, so it's no surprise that he made a complete turnaround for its follow-up, Big World. Instead of delving deeper into jazz, Jackson pared his lineup down to a basic guitar, bass, and drums rock combo and recorded all of Big World live in front of an audience in a move to avoid the over-production that bogged down records of its period. Interestingly, Jackson insisted the audience not make a sound during the recording, so this doesn't sound like a live album, except in the spots where Jackson's voice wears a bit thin. And, running over 60 minutes and across three record "sides," Big World is a sweeping album, shifting from a more accessible first side to an experimental middle and closing out with a more aggressive third side. It works, since Big World is the most raw and immediate record of the middle part of Jackson's career. But listeners expecting another Look Sharp! won't be impressed, as this is still a much more serious, concerned Jackson than before. As the title of the album suggests, Jackson is tackling big issues, such as global cultural differences, Reagan-era politics, yuppies, and relationships -- from romantic ones to those you hold with your roots, as on the reflective "Home Town." At times, it works marvelously, and at times the songs are too ponderous and minimal to make any impact. But the best moments, like "Right and Wrong," "Tonight and Forever," and "Home Town," establish Big World as one of the best and most overlooked records of Joe Jackson's career. -- Jason Damas\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n4.5 stars....., June 16, 2006\nReviewer: Scott Rogers (Ga.) (Gainesville, Ga United States)\nBig Joe Jackson fan here. The 1986 release "Big World" still caught me by surprise however. Joe brings it all together here for a remarkable album filled with songs that should have been huge hits for the lad. Joe mixes his insightful lyrics filled with political themes and slice of life tidbits together with some of his best melodies ever committed to tape. All recorded live (the audience was instructed to keep quiet until the signal was given) the production values are killer and the band is extremely tight and well rehearsed. "Forty Years" stands out to me as the track that sums up the album best, however "Right and Wrong" "Man in the Street" and "Jet Set" put you squarely in the middle of the Reagan-era hypocracy and excess of the neuvo rich, and Jackson takes note of things and spins an inteligent answer to this low point of American-led culture of the "screw you, I've got mine" mindset.A good companion to this release was the then-VHS release "Big World Sessions" where we get to see and hear some of the albums compositions. Long since out of print (both, I believe) they are two truly great recordings. I own them both. Find both if you can. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThis album has everything!, September 29, 2005\nReviewer: C. J. Holmes "Wannabe Renaissance Man" (Flemington, NJ USA)\nI'm not a huge Joe Jackson fan, in that I don't own anything by him except this album and Night & Day. But what I have heard I love. And this album is stunning. First off, I love the atmosphere of the whole thing. Recording this live, but with no audience reaction, was a great move. There's an intimacy on this album that is lacking on many albums from the same period. But a great sound is nothing without great songs, and this album has them in spades. I must say that while I like the "poppy" side of Jackson, I LOVE the introspective and deep part. That is well represented in cuts like "We Can't Live Together," (great backup vocal harmonies on this one) "Forty Years" and "Home Town." Listening to "Home Town" makes ME long for my childhood home, even though some of the things Jackson mentions in the song have nothing to do with my childhood. It's just that powerful a song. \n\nOn the more uptempo side, there are other all-time great pop songs like "Wild West," "(It's A) Big World," "The Jet Set" and "Tango Atlantico." \n\nMost artists struggle to put together a consistently excellent album that stretches 15 tracks and more than an hour. Jackson excels, and I am never bored listening to this disc. The only song at all I'm not really thrilled with is "Soul Kiss," but it is by no means a detraction from this great set. \n\nAs others have mentioned, this album is currently out of print. So by all means, do whatever you have to in order to secure this album. It is absolutely worth it. This is easily one of the best albums of the 1980s, and it is criminally overlooked.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nOut of Print? Say it ain't so, Joe! , August 31, 2005\nReviewer: Shawn (IL United States)\nOne of my all time favorites, and absolutely one of the best albums of the '80s. It's hard to believe a CD this great would go out of print, but search around and you can find it. It will be time well spent. \n\nJoe Jackson and his band make some great '80s pop music here, while touching on a diverse collection of musical styles. And, they still manage to be witty and sophisticated (lyrically and musically.) All of this - without synthesizers, drum machines, or synth drums. Maybe that's why the music doesn't sound nearly as dated as much of the music from that time. \n\nI won't go into individual highlights, because this ones all highlights!! I will add this is one of the finest sounding live albums you'll ever hear. There's a crisply recorded natural live sound without a lot of audience noise. I put this right up there with Gabriel's Secret World Live and GD Live Dead as one of my favorite live albums. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nArguably the greatest album of the 80s, August 15, 2005\nReviewer: Daryl R. Dirham\nNot that anyone asked, but this is my "desert island" record. I think many music fans sometimes entertain themselves by trying to figure out which of their CDs they'd keep if someone put a gun to their heads and made them choose just one. This is it for me. It's not only a great record, but it also pulls off the rare feat of being stylistically diverse without being unfocused. It truly is an "aural travelogue." Joe employs seemingly every musical style he's ever performed or been even remotely interested in. All are done well and with flair, and serve what seems to be the point of the album: to take the listener on a journey through Europe and Asia --whether eating food from a Chinese street vendor in the title track or pondering the clouds of a "Shanghai Sky," or taking a back alley tour through Amsterdam in "Fifty Dollar Love Affair" and lamenting the lessons not learned from WWII in "Forty Years." His post punk roots are revisited on "Survival" and "Jet Set," which mentions more international locales and mocks the American tourists who want their exotica packaged like a Disney attraction. "Tango Atlantico" lurches along drunkenly and features some of the most bizarrely inspired lyrics on the record, referencing a lady dancing with a general while flashing victory signs and smoking cigars. There's the shoulda-been-a-hit "Hometown," including a great melody (that manages to be upbeat and melancholy at the same time) and probably the most nakedly sentimental lyrics of Joe's life. You get the piano-based swing of "Soul Kiss," the pure pop of "Tonight and Forever" and "Precious Time." There's piano ballads, guitar rock, power pop, a musical homage to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"(on the outstanding opening track "Wild West"), accordions, mandolin and on and on. And I could go on and on, but I digress. In all, fifteen tracks of unadulterated creative bliss, sure to keep you company for years to come when stranded on a deserted isle. This baby's out of print (again), but doggone it, get it any way you can. This IS the same guy who hit the charts with "Steppin' Out," but there's a lot more to the man than that. Easy for me to say, but I believe no one's musical education is complete without hearing this album. How's that for an overreaching statement? And I stand by it.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nJoe's Best Album is Out of Print!!, February 10, 2005\nReviewer: D. Hawkins (Denver, CO United States)\nThis bad boy has been out of print since the early 90's, and that's a crying shame. Thankfully, I was able to find a used CD in the early 90's and have kept it close to my heart since then. This album and a half shows the brilliance of Joe in all his incarnations. Catchy finger-snapping Joe is represented by "Fifty Dollar Love Affair" and the still-apt lyrics of "Right and Wrong." Joe's brilliant piano playing is showcased on "Shanghai Sky" and "Forty Years." And just to show he can do it all, there's the pop perfection of "Hometown," which is a song that every person with a soul can relate to. Take out a loan at the bank, beg in the streets, but do what you have to do to get a copy of this masterpiece!\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nThis is a live, direct to 2-track digital recording.\n\nPersonnel: Joe Jackson (vocals, piano, recorder, accordion, melodica); Rick Ford (acoustic guitar, bass, background vocals); Vinnie Zummo (guitar, vocals); Gary Burke (drums); Joy Askew, Nikki Gregoroff, Peter Hewlett, Curtis King, Jr. (background vocals).\n\nRecorded live at the Roundabout Theatre, New York City on January 22-25, 1986.\nMulti-lingual lyric sheet.\n\nOn his previous couple of albums, Jackson had tried on various styles, inhabiting one or two for the length of a record, or at least for a few songs. On BIG WORLD, he brings all his influences together for a constantly shifting amalgam of textures and styles. After the relative excess of BODY AND SOUL, the band on BIG WORLD was scaled down to bass-guitar-drums and Joe, just like the old days. To underline the excitement generated by small-band interaction the album was recorded live to two-track.\nBIG WORLD was initially released as a three-sided double LP, and the tracks touch on everything from Ennio Morricone spaghetti Western motifs ("Wild West") and tango ("Tango Atlantico") to Steely Dan-ish jazzy pop ("Soul Kiss") and dewy piano balladry ("Shanghai Sky"). Ultimately though, the emphasis is on the energetic, hooky pop/rock that is Jackson's strong suit. BIG WORLD also marks a return to the biting sarcasm and social commentary of his early albums, making it an appealing return to (lyrical) form.\n\nIndustry Reviews\nRanked #20 in CMJ's Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1986\nCMJ (01/05/2004)
This rock cd contains 15 tracks and runs 60min 51sec.
Freedb: d00e410f
Buy: from Amazon.com

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