I was at the library and just felt like checking out a CD, which turned out to be Joe Jackson's "Night and Day," basically, because Joe Jackson(whom I know of because "Steppin' Out," "Breaking Us in Two," and "You Can't Get What You Want" are occasionally played on the radio)ended up being just about the only artist I had HEARD of and had songs that I knew ("Steppin Out" and "Breaking Us in Two") on his CD.

Anyway, so I basically just brought this home thinking I would give those two songs a spin and forget about it soon after, but I decided to give his other songs a chance. I know Jackson has earned a lot of acclaim as a musician and even gets compared to some I don't mind (Elvis Costello, for example), so I thought there might be something good on there.

And there was... actually the only song I DIDN'T really enjoy was "Real Men," (I won't go into why, except to say it was...weird.. and was he referring to himself or a third-party? Considering he married(and later divorced) post this album, maybe the second, but I don't know. I didn't "get" it) and "Slow Song," was said to be over seven minutes long, so I wasn't really in the mood to try it. His other songs, though, I liked, particularly two called "China Town" and "Cancer." The title of the second almost made me skip it, thinking it would be too weird, but I'm glad I listened. It's an odd, jazzy piece with cheery music that certainly contrasts to it's depressing lyrics("there's no cure for cancer, no matter what" is the basic message..). Despite the fact that it was over six minutes long, it did not "feel" that way at all. I quite enjoyed hearing it. And "China Town" is very well- (um) recorded. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I don't know if somebody has "covered" it, or if I just obliviosly heard it before. (There was once a "Sessions at West 54th," or whatever it's called, where Joe Jackson was the guest, that played on my TV set for about ten minutes. Maybe he performed it on there.) I can't really imagine that it would have been on the radio, because it is sort of too "artistic" to be mainstream, not that that's a bad thing. Actually, what I really liked about "Night and Day" is that even though it was certainly made when JJ was in his "pop" period, it comes off as far more than just mainstream fluff. Why versatile artists fail to get the same kind of notice and airplay as say, Michael Jackson (and no, this Joe Jackson is not his father) is SO beyond me(not that Joe would care, though. After hearing "Real Men," I uh, had to find out if those lyrics pertained to Joe's real life. While not much light was shed on that topic, I did learn such things as he is not at all interested in the mainstream scene anymore), because they are the ones that certainly deserve the respect and attention of the industry and general public alike.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying