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DISCID=90088e0b,93088e0b,a608960b
DTITLE=Jackson, Joe / Look Sharp!
DYEAR=1979
DGENRE=New Wave
TTITLE0=One More Time
TTITLE1=Sunday Papers
TTITLE2=Is She Really Going Out With Him?
TTITLE3=Happy Loving Couples
TTITLE4=Throw It Away
TTITLE5=Baby Stick Around
TTITLE6=Look Sharp!
TTITLE7=Fools In Love
TTITLE8=(Do the) Instant Mash
TTITLE9=Pretty Girls
TTITLE10=Got The Time
EXTD=Look Sharp! (Original CD Edition)\n\nOriginally Released April 1979\nCD Edition Released 1988 ??\nRemastered Edition August 14, 2001\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: A brilliant, accomplished debut, Look Sharp! established Joe Jackson as part of that camp of a
EXTD=ngry, intelligent young new wavers (i.e., Elvis Costello, Graham Parker) who approached pop music with the sardonic attitude and tense, aggressive energy of punk. Not as indebted to pub-rock as Parker and Costello, and much more lyrically straightfo
EXTD=rward than the latter, Jackson delivers a set of bristling, insanely catchy pop songs that seethe with energy and frustration. Several deal with the lack of thoughtful reflection in everyday life ("Sunday Papers," "Got the Time"), but many more conc
EXTD=ern the injuries and follies of romance. In the caustic yet charming witticisms of songs like the hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him?," "Happy Loving Couples," "Fools In Love," and "Pretty Girls," Jackson presents himself on the one hand as a man
EXTD= of integrity seeking genuine depth in love (and elsewhere), but leavens his stance with a wry, self-effacing humor, revealing his own vulnerability to loneliness and to purely physical attraction. Look Sharp! is the sound of a young man searching f
EXTD=or substance in a superficial world -- and it also happens to rock like hell. -- Steve Huey\n\nCMJ New Music Report Exclusive Review\nOn Look Sharp, his debut album on A & M Records, Joe Jackson establishes himself as a strong new force on today's p
EXTD=op scene. Each cut has that "instant pop single" quality; two of which are receiving considerable airplay: "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" and the racey post-punk "Got The Time." Jackson's sound is derivative of Elvis Costello, reflecting the ea
EXTD=rly "British invasion," and is comparable to the first two lps by the Jam. However, Jackson's material is not a rip-off in any form. It's all fresh, slick and polished material. His originality emerges in the rhythm changes and the dominant syncopat
EXTD=ion throughout the album. Jackson's lyrics are definitely a sign of the times. "Baby Stick Around" seems to sum up the seventies: "Somebody telling me the latest scandals, somebody stepping on my plastic sandals...pushing and shoving in sweat, black
EXTD= leather up and down we go chained together." "Pretty Girls" is a catchy one, with its updated funky "doo-doo waps," and warning that the mini-skirt is coming back into style. Look Sharp is a sharp as the shoes on the album cover. It's mod, it's chi
EXTD=c, it's then, it's now. \n 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: David Kershenbaum \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Joe Jackson (vocals, harmonica, piano); Gary Sanford (guitar); Graham Ma
EXTD=by (bass); Dave Houghton (drums).\n\nReissue producer: Mike Ragogna.\nRecorded at Eden Studio, London, England. \nIncludes liner notes by Scott Schinder.\nDigitally remastered by Erick Labson at Universal Mastering Studios West, North Hollywood, Cal
EXTD=ifornia.\n\nHe burst onto the scene a couple of years later than Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, but Joe Jackson completed British rock's Angry Young Man trinity. As evidenced by his '79 debut, Jackson was a bit more eclectic than Parker or (early
EXTD=) Costello, and a touch ahead of both in terms of harmonic sophistication (though he downplayed his compositional chops at the beginning). The straight-ahead guitar-bass-drums trio that backed him on his first three albums was inspired by punk, but 
EXTD=clearly more a part of the burgeoning new wave scene, marrying punk's aggression with smart, hooky pop song structures.\n\nTrue to the spirit of the times, Jackson's irritated by just about everything; tabloids ("Sunday Papers"), his libido ("Pretty
EXTD= Girls"), muzak ("Instant Mash"), you name it. Fortunately, his pop craftsmanship is unerring, so no matter how irate he gets, his anger is backed up with infectious melodies and rhythms. Jackson moves deftly from the punk raving of "Got the Time" t
EXTD=o the reggaefied "Fools in Love" and the '60s-ish pop of his first monster hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him" without missing a step.\n\nIndustry Reviews\nRanked #7 in CMJ's Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1979.\nCMJ (01/05/2004)\n\nAMAZON.COM CUST
EXTD=OMER REVIEW\nRead All About It.... er, forget that, just listen to it instead!, August 19, 2006\nReviewer: Bart King (Portland, Oregon)\nTalk about standing the test of time; LOOK SHARP still sounds incredibly sharp. From start to finish, its creati
EXTD=ve blast overshadows all of Jackson's subsequent work (much of which is quite good!).\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nJoe Jackson's First Album Is His Best, December 3, 2005\nReviewer: The Footpath Cowboy "rockerusa2002" (Suffern, NY United States)\n
EXTD=LOOK SHARP!, Joe Jackson's debut album, is also his best. He had yet to turn into a crank here, and the lyrics are filled with righteous anger and biting humor. "Sunday Papers" is an attack on the press for sensationalizing things, and expresses how
EXTD= I felt when a murder on campus at my old school made the newspapers and the TV news, leading to a fellow alumnus telling me that he'd never wear a school jacket from there to meet his favorite actress, as well as my feelings about how the news sens
EXTD=ationalizes crimes by people with mental disabilities, which promotes discrimination against them. "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" and "Happy Loving Couples" humorously satirize romantic breakups, and "One More Time" and "Throw It Away" show a g
EXTD=uy dissing his girlfriend for wanting a romantic vacation in a country that regularly arrests foreign tourists for trumped-up crimes, which is not surprising considering Jackson's belief that the young Australian tourist jailed in Indonesia on drug-
EXTD=smuggling charges was unjustly convicted. The only problem with this CD is that it's TOO perfect; Joe Jackson would equal it on the follow-up, and then swiftly decline. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAn Excellent Remastering Job!, January 14, 2005\
EXTD=nReviewer: D. Hawkins (Denver, CO United States)\nWhile watching the "Freaks and Geeks" DVD's recently, there was an episode where Sam buys a Parisian nightsuit and wears it to school, all with the hope of impressing a girl. The song playing as he w
EXTD=alks down the hall is "Look Sharp," and it's a perfect marriage of visuals and music. If you watch the episode with the commentary, one of the commentators waxes about how much he loves the song, and especially Graham Maby's bass playing. I couldn't
EXTD= agree more. This is a dynamite album that still sounds phenomenal and that is due in large part to the excellence of Graham Maby. He has to be one of the most unsung bassists ever, but his liquid lines bring the groove to the entire album. The rema
EXTD=stering sounds better than the LP I had many moons ago, and I can tell it's one album that I will never tire of. If you want to "look sharp," you should make this your next purchase.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nJoe's electrifying debut--brilliant
EXTD= songwriting that beats Costello at his own game, December 31, 2004\nReviewer: Dave "missing person" (United States)\nJoe Jackson's debut album "Look Sharp!" was recorded in 1978 & originally released in January of 1979, & what a superb debut it is.
EXTD= Yes, the similarity between Jackson and Elvis Costello (the latter of whom already had two albums out prior to 1979) are inevitable, but Joe simply had Elvis beat in terms of both vocal power and sheer songwriting ability. \n\nClearly this album wa
EXTD=s a cathartic experience for Joe--track upon track shows him letting off a ton of steam, & when you match this with the consistently deathless hooks, & punchy performances from the original Joe Jackson Band, the result is an album that is simply ele
EXTD=ctrifying. This is one of those albums where the big hit is merely the tip of the iceberg--"Is She Really Going Out With Him?" is certainly a good tune, but it's kind of thin and annoyingly in-your-face--it makes perfect sense that Joe has come up w
EXTD=ith various different reworkings of this song over the years for live performance, seemingly as a compromise--this way the fans can't accuse him of totally avoiding this signature tune, yet it also gives Joe the satisfaction of knowing he's not mere
EXTD=ly pandering to his audience. "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" gets totally blown away by most of the rest of the songs on this album. In general, he sticks with hyperactive "New Wave"-ish rock & roll throughout the album, and it really feels lik
EXTD=e one of those albums that gets knocked out very quickly, which it was. That's not to say though that there's no variety--he gets in a strong dose of reggae on the sarcastic media slam "Sunday Papers" and on the mellow "Fools In Love", and there's a
EXTD=lso a funkiness to the ultra-catchy "(Do The) Instant Mash" which has incredibly witty & highly amusing lyrics, as well as an infectious, bluesy guitar lick. "Pretty Girls" is a blast--it starts off humorously similar to Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy
EXTD=", & the song is about guys being utterly powerless when it comes to living in a world full of beautiful girls, & expresses a desperate desire for it to be otherwise with some truly mind-blowing lyrics. Each 'side' (in vinyl terms) ends with a thril
EXTD=ling fast-paced gem--"Throw It Away" is a cathartic rant, & the uncanny "Got the Time" is about the frantic rush people find themselves in to get things done. The uptempo, pleading album opener "One More Time", the bouncy feel-good pop of "Baby Stic
EXTD=k Around", & the strutting title track are all gems as well. As much credit as Joe deserves, you've really got to hand it to Graham Maby (bass guitar), Gary Sanford (guitar), and Dave Houghton (drums)--their performances on this album are incredible
EXTD=. This 2001 reissue makes this masterpiece even sweeter by adding some excellent liner notes, plus two non-album b-sides as bonus tracks, both of which are gems--"Don't Ask Me" is another thrilling, fast-paced blast, & "You Got The Fever" is ultra-c
EXTD=atchy & sounds kind of like a blend of "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" & the title track. Plus, the sound quality on this disc is superb. One minor complaint is the flawed job that was done in regard to the insertion of track marks--for instance
EXTD=, if you go to track 5 to hear "Throw It Away", you'll find the very beginning of the track to be 'stranded' at the end of track 4 (I apologize if this sounds confusing, but if you try this for yourself, you see what I'm saying). Apart from that tho
EXTD=ugh, this is an absolutely terrific reissue of an album that was already terrific in the first place. Few artists in music history have been as tirelessly determined to show their versatility & to make 'Big Statements' as Joe Jackson has--the result
EXTD= has been a career with considerable ups and downs, however, this debut album left no doubt about Joe's songwriting genius. To put it a certain way, this is where it all began for Joe--"Look Sharp!" is, without question, a must-have album.\n\nAMAZON
EXTD=.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSharper than the rest, December 24, 2004\nReviewer: Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States)\nJoe Jackson became the first of the angry young men of the British New Wave to score a hit single. When "Is
EXTD= She Really Going Out With Him" cracked the American top 40, he (along with the Cars and Talking Heads) blazed a trail that his contemporaries could soon follow. Like Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, Jackson was a somewhat surly Brit with a rebelli
EXTD=ous streak and a strong sense of pop song skill. Towards that end, "Look Sharp" delivered an energetic dose of crafty songs matched with a crack band. \n\nJackson was not big on relationships, and like Elvis Costello's early work, a broad swath of m
EXTD=isanthropy underscores a lot of Jackson's debut disc. From the confectionary bitterness of "Is She Really Going Out With Him" to the bittersweet "Fools In Love," getting along with the opposite sex is really not his strong suit. Jackson also shared 
EXTD=Costello's caustic wit, with the songs "Sunday Papers" and "Instant Mash" delivering barbed commentary. \n\nBut the key to the success of "Look Sharp" was the musical delivery. Using a variety of styles like the Police pop reggae of "Fools" to punk'
EXTD=s high energy anger ("Got The Time"), "Look Sharp" hinted at the diversity of Jackson's later work. The passing of time may have made him a more elegant songwriter, but Joe Jackson's debut CD still feels as fresh and tangy as it did when he made ski
EXTD=nny ties safe for America in the late seventies.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nYou Gotta Look Sharp!, March 28, 2004\nReviewer: Samhot (Star Land)\nIt's easy for many -- especially music industry writers -- to dismiss Joe Jackson as a pop musician 
EXTD=who possessed nothing more than delusions of grandeur, due to his forays into jazz and classical shortly after his first two smash albums. A pompous musician, or a true artist? Regardless of what side you're on, there's one thing you can't deny: Joe
EXTD= Jackson was/is one crafty, talented S.O.B., and I feel he's a force to be reckoned with.\n_Look Sharp!_ is a smash album with ridiculously catchy tunes, infectious melodies, cynical and ambivalent lyrics, and snappy rhythms that'll be impossible *n
EXTD=ot* to bop your head to. There is literally not one boring, unlistenable tune to be found here: every track is jam-packed with energy, taste and charisma. While the lyrics are quite sarcastic (and hilarious in spots), the music is impossibly upbeat,
EXTD= and refrains from depressing wallowing: leave it to wisecracking Joe to turn something so self-deprecating and sarcastic into something peppy and upbeat -- it almost makes you wonder if Joe is celebrating his own dissatisfactions with love and life
EXTD=. Either way, infectiousness and intelligence are so rare to come by in one package. But Joe Jackson delivers big-time in this department. "One More Time" is a perfect example of how Joe makes something miserable sound so peppy and fun: listen to th
EXTD=ose ironic, almost masochistic lyrics. Yet the music is so driving, tasty and energetic. Of course, many already know "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" featuring those semi-hilarious, yet reflective lyrics, and the muted riff on the verses. "Throw
EXTD= It Away" is a fast-paced, energetic rocker, with Joe howling in certain parts of the track. The title track many may have heard as well: a snappy, tasty number exhibiting excellent musicianship. Listen to the sophisticated arrangement in the vocal 
EXTD=harmonies during the closing parts of the chorus. "Fools In Love" is a reggae-rock number that pretty much speaks for itself, title-wise: the lyrics and Joe's vocal delivery crack me up hysterically. Hilarious stuff. And later, to close out the albu
EXTD=m, "Got The Time" is a fast-paced, energetic rocker in the style of "Throw It Away."\n\nWant something ludicrously catchy and snappy? Want something subtly sarcastic and sneering, but at the same time, utterly reflective, moving and funny? Want some
EXTD= upbeat music good for cruising with your girlfriend, or otherwise? Pick this album up, along with _I'm The Man_. Both are essential Joe Jackson albums.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLooks sharp, sounds sharp, March 5, 2004\nReviewer: Rocco Dormaru
EXTD=nno (Brooklyn, NY)\nJoe Jackson's first two albums have always represented, to me, what was good about the New Wave/No Wave splash of the late '70s to early '80s. LOOK SHARP was Joe Jackson's impressive first dive into those waters. Although not as 
EXTD=consistently engrossing as his next album, I'M THE MAN, this album was a great introduction to the contradictory, self-conscious attitude of late '70s pop. Alternating between comic and pathetic, like "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" to "Fools in
EXTD= Love", the album does have an interesting range. The title cut is probably the most self-conscious in the sense that it figuratively asks, "How should I look and/or behave in this post-punk world? What is the new attitude?" I had just turned twenty
EXTD= when this album came out and, for that reason alone, this cut spoke to me. I worried about having to look "over my shoulder" too. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nBeen there..., January 27, 2004\nReviewer: "howlinw" (California USA)\nThis record is 
EXTD=sharp and energetic, cynical and angry, insightful and perceptive, all tightly-wound frayed nerves. Think a bad night plus too much coffee in the morning for a smart misfit with a gift for melody. It can be a bit much at times but when I'm in a cert
EXTD=ain mood I put this on and it hits the spot. Most people who do "breakup music" like slow, sad songs from what I can tell. Well, this is what I go to at those times. It reminds me that the world of romance, indeed the world in general, is taken too 
EXTD=seriously. People will be people. Girls will continue to go out with big apish guys for no apparent reason. The newspaper will continue to report on all kinds of useless [junk] and neglect real problems. And no matter how cynical you get or think yo
EXTD=u are, you're still gonna fall prey to love. This album laughs at the world, at itself, and turns the mirror on all of us. It's a classic, timeless, and I'm amazed more bands don't cover these songs. Especially after one of their members has gone th
EXTD=rough a breakup or divorce, has stayed up all night, and has imbibed too much coffee.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLook Sharp... SHARPER THAN EVER, January 16, 2004\nReviewer: K F LIGAMMARI (WANAQUE, NJ United States)\nBack in the late 70's when I
EXTD= was a teenager, I purchased this record due to it's unique packaging... A 2 disc 10" "sandwich" album with cool cover art and even a "LOOK SHARP" lapel button. I was shocked to find that the music was incredible as well! Needless to say, even thoug
EXTD=h I still have the record, I haven't heard it in years and stumbled accross it on Amazon. Boy am I glad I did! The album is a total classic that is as fresh as when released sounding even better on compact disc. A MUST FOR EVERY COLLECTION.\n\nAMAZO
EXTD=N.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nClassic New Wave Album, July 24, 2002\nReviewer: Matt Sherrill (Washington D.C.)\nJoe Jackson's debut album is one of the greatest debuts of all time. Before you even pop the CD in to your player, you can look at one of the gr
EXTD=eatest album covers of all time. It shows two shiny, white shoes, casting light upon the sidewalk in front of them. Incredibly cool. Then, the music. "Look Sharp" is filled with varying musical styles. Punk, reggae, pop, and even jazz can be heard a
EXTD=t different points on this record. Another achievement of Jackson's on this record is the songwriting. Much of "Look Sharp" conveys Jackson's cynical views on relationships, dating, and love. This often is presented in a humorous manner, which makes
EXTD= it that much more entertaining to listen to. The album kicks off with "One More Time," one of the more punkish tunes on the album. It goes on to classics such as "Sunday Papers," and "Is She Really Going Out With Him." The latter is arguably the st
EXTD=rongest song on the album. It is Jackson's observations on the men he sees the women around him dating ("pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street..."). Other standout tracks include "Fools In Love" ("fools in love, are there any other k
EXTD=ind of lovers?") and "Look Sharp." Overall, a classic new wave-period album that is both emotional and humorous at the same time. One of the talented Jackson's crowning achievements.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAngry Young Man + Tight Band, June 
EXTD=26, 2002\nReviewer: Timothy D. Shoppa (Bethesda, MD USA)\nI've played this album over and over again on vinyl and now have this new remastered CD. The sound on the CD is better, and the tight band of the original vinyl is still perfectly intact. It 
EXTD=sounds like you're listening to a live set (all the energy you could expect out of any recording session) while the band is flawless; a combination that no other "angry young men" band of the late 70's could achieve. (OK, most of the other bands did
EXTD=n't play more than 3 chords, but that's a different matter.)\nNot all the songs are "angry young man"-oriented, of course. The background of club music is very strong, especially in "Is she\nreally going out with him" and the almost doo-wop "Baby st
EXTD=ick around", but these are executed with a vibrancy and excitement that you rarely see applied to pop-tunes. At the other end of the spectrum "Got the time" and "Throw it away" are pure frenzy that's also musical. I would give anything to go back in
EXTD= time and see the band do these live.\n\nThe two bonus tracks are obviously just "tacked on" to the end of this CD; they don't belong there but I won't hold them against the CD. Just program your CD player to not play them.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER RE
EXTD=VIEW\nAwesome remastering of a landmark album, August 14, 2001\nReviewer: doublehighc (California)\nThe new Joe Jackson CD reissues of "Look Sharp!" and "I'm The Man" are paradigms of CD remastering. Hats off to reissue producer Mike Ragogna, remast
EXTD=ering guru Erick Labson, and the rest of the reissue team for a superb job!\n\nIf you like these albums, these reissues have everything you could want - dramatically improved sound, non-album B-sides as bonus tracks, expanded album art, full lyrics,
EXTD= new liner notes, and a mid-range price.\n\nThis was Joe Jackson's debut album and it still sounds great over 20 years later. This is the one with "Is She Really Going Out With Him?", but just about all the songs on it are excellent. Softer songs li
EXTD=ke the reggae-ish "Fools In Love" especially benefit from the wonderful remastering job - you can hear every bit of the interplay between the Joe and his 3-piece band. YEAR: 1979
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