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Thread: FEATURED CD: Joe Jackson - Body and Soul

  1. #1
    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
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    FEATURED CD: Joe Jackson - Body and Soul




    Today's feature suggestion comes from gryphs also.


    Review from TNT Audio:
    Foreword

    Twenty-two years after its first release here I am writing about one of my favourite albums of all times. We reviewed this album back in 2001 (see Scott Faller's review).
    I've been a Joe Jackson fan since his very first album ("Look sharp!" 1979) and it is not by coincidence that I decided to cite an excerpt from one of his songs in the "subtitle" of this website (taken from "A slow song", Night and day album, see our Home Page)).
    I'm not going to spend many words describing Joe Jackson's Art, just use these adjectives: witty, emotionally and mentally involving, caleidoscopic. His talent touches every aspect of Music: pop, rock, jazz and even Classical ("Night Music", "Will power", "Symphony No.1", "Heaven and Hell" etc.).
    Body and soul

    Released in 1984, after the worldwide success of "Night and Day" (1982), "Body and soul" was a very ambitious project. Entirely recorded in digital with 3M 32 and 4-track machines, this album took a long time to make. For example, the choice of a "good" music hall where to record the album was long and difficult. Finally an ancient Masonic Lodge used by Vanguard studios for classical recordings was chosen for its natural and "lively" acoustics.
    Every attempt was made to pick up the sound and the live ambience of the hall. In "Be my number two", perhaps the most inspired track of the album, only a pair of vintage Neumann M-50 microphones was used to pick up Joe's voice and piano. The whole band was then close-miked to balance every instrument carefully and preserve, at the same time, the "ambience" of the stone-and-wood hall.
    Joe Jackson has always paid great attention to the quality of his albums, even from a strictly technical point of view. Not surprisingly, many of his albums are still used as "references" by many audiophiles.
    "Body and soul" is a real masterpiece, musically and technically. The witty mixture of jazz flavours, rock energy and latin rhythms is something too tasty to be missed. The album contains also an instant hit as "You can't get what you want (till you know what you want)" that is not hard to hear, from time to time, even nowadays on FM.

    From a strictly "audiophile" point of view this album is a must-have. First of all, it is one of the few pop/rock albums that contain a real 3D soundstage. You can distinctly hear the sound of the Masonic Lodge, especially on tracks like "The Verdict" and the already cited "Be my number two". This is quite rare as, normally, electrified Music sounds geometrically "flat" or artificially 3-dimensional.
    Then you have Earth-shaking dynamics. Take the finale of "Be my number two" as an example: the song is mainly based on voice and piano but when it approaches the finale the whole band explodes literally, with thunderous drums and horns...it is hard, for any HiFi system, to fully reproduce this terrific dynamic jump without compression or distortion. The amount of energy required to the amplifier is simply HUGE.
    Another perfect example of "full bodied" drums can be heard in the opening track "The verdict" while an irresistible, precise, powerful and articulated bass groove can be enjoyed during "You can't get what you want". This is one of the tracks that should be listened at hilariously high volume. Make your neighbourhoods dance with you! :-)
    One note about Joe's voice: it is always been difficult to reproduce but "Body and soul" is one of the best ways to fully enjoy it: expressive, powerful, sometimes harsh...your HiFi system should be able to follow all of his "inflections" without distortion.

    This album is/was available both on LP and CD (I own both) and, guess what, the vinyl release sounds way better: fuller, more dynamic and groovy. Even the 3D image is wider and more realistic. The bass lines are fuller, deeper and better articulated. On CD they sound a bit more dry and sterile.
    I know this may sound weird, considering the original master tape was fully digital, but don't ask me why vinyl sounds better. It simply does that :-)
    I'm pretty sure vinyl copies of "Body and soul" are becoming rare and are available only on the second-hand market. On Ebay there are several copies of "Body and Soul" on vinyl and prices range from 5 to 15$. Choose carefully the item to bid on, as second-hand LPs can be damaged by worn out sylii or wrong tracking weights.
    If you can find a decent one, buy it, you won't regret every cent spent on it. Otherwise, even the CD release is fine. A remastered version has been released in 1997 (UK) but I haven't had the possibility to audition it, so I can't compare this to the original one or to the vinyl one.
    Conclusion

    Despite the fact 22 years passed this album is still among my favourites when I have to test some HiFi component. I can't remember how many times I've played this record (CD and LP) but I truly enjoy it every time as it was the first time. Instead of using those boring test records, "Body and soul" is an extremely pleasant way to test HiFi.
    Highly recommended.






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  2. #2
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    One of my suggestions!!!

    I wish I could articulate what it is about this recording that moves me so much. Both vocally and musically, it sounds like Joe Jackson is speaking just to you. It is not a recording you put on and listen to as background. To truly appreciate it, you must focus to marvel at how intensely personal it is. The sound is so big and spacious. You can hear the music but also sense the space around it. A desert island disc for me.
    "The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best..." - Henry David Thoreau

  3. #3
    Thanks for the selection and the review. Jackson is one of my most favorite musicians of any genre, and he crosses into most any genre. He's an amazing artist and I think he's horribly under rated in my view. Anything he does is an auto buy because he rarely follows a previous album with something the same.
    I have this on vinyl, and sadly have it in storage. I played it til I could see through the vinyl when I first owned it.
    A great review to btw, thanks!

  4. #4
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    I prefer this one:

    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  5. #5
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    What an incredible artist. Love this and all his albums. Time for a new listen to the vinyl :-)

  6. #6
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
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    I never quite got Joe Jackson. His melodies and harmonic ideas seemed a bit too obvious, and I've never been a fan of his vocal style. Plus just the whole forced "I'm a cool jazzer" thing bugged me. Anyways, I get why he was successful but for this kind of thing I'd rather listen to Steely Dan.

  7. #7
    It's a great album, possessing strong musical confidence whilst often showcasing lyrically self doubt and human frailty.

  8. #8
    Member Staun's Avatar
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    Listened to this last weekend. It's a monster. Wish someone would explain to me how some albums just refuse to fade away.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  9. #9
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    Still have this on vinyl and yeah, cranking this up is magnificent. If I were a real musician and had a band, I would insist on covering "Be My Number Two".
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  10. #10
    Member LASERCD's Avatar
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    Never had the vinyl but the CD is one of my reference recordings. "Cha Cha Loco" has holographic soundstaging. Just played it for the Morglbl guys and blew their minds (Graham Maby is a Morglbl fan and was at the Philly gig).

  11. #11
    Great album - bought it on vinyl when it came out. Still love it.

  12. #12
    Member Oreb's Avatar
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    Very good album, from an interesting but IMO very patchy talent. When he's good, he's great (this, Night Music, Night and Day, Big World), but Heaven and Hell and Symphony No. 1 were weak and his Ellington album was a pathetic abomination. It's going to take me a while to forget his mistreatment of that great music.

    Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

  13. #13
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    Not my favorite by Joe, but a solid album. Jackson's albums can be so different from each other and my mileage varies from disc to disc, but this is a pretty good one. "Be My Number Two" is one of the best songs he ever wrote IMO.

    Steve Sly

  14. #14
    Member Mythos's Avatar
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    By far the worst concert I ever went to! I bought tickets to see the Look Sharp Joe Jackson and what I got was Dumpin' Dive Joe Jackson, hell he did not even have a guitar player, most all the crowd hated it as well, we left half way through and Joe has been dead to me ever since.

    If you like horns and stuff that is fine with me, keep buying as Joe has bills to pay like everyone else...

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mythos View Post
    By far the worst concert I ever went to! I bought tickets to see the Look Sharp Joe Jackson and what I got was Dumpin' Dive Joe Jackson, hell he did not even have a guitar player, most all the crowd hated it as well, we left half way through and Joe has been dead to me ever since.

    If you like horns and stuff that is fine with me, keep buying as Joe has bills to pay like everyone else...
    Yea, you never know what you are going to get with Joe. His tours are as different as his albums. The last time I saw him it was just him, a drummer and a bass player (no guitar). It was good, but the show tended to focus more on his jazz side than is rock (or anything else) side.

    Steve Sly

  16. #16
    Just listened to the album this morning. The sound is really amazing isn't it? I have some really good speakers set up and can hear the space he recorded it in. Very full and expansive. Such a great album by an amazing musician, I'm such huge fan of his work.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Mythos View Post
    By far the worst concert I ever went to! I bought tickets to see the Look Sharp Joe Jackson and what I got was Dumpin' Dive Joe Jackson, hell he did not even have a guitar player, most all the crowd hated it as well, we left half way through and Joe has been dead to me ever since.
    ..
    You're lucky to have seen that tour-- The band was great, and it hit much smaller venues than his pop shows.

    I agree with the poster above though that the Ellington album was terrible. And I'd put his previous pop album "Rain" into the "When he's good he's great" category.

  18. #18
    He was offensive on the night and day tour as well. But i knew he had a rep as being an asshole going into the show, so when he sassed off i expected it. Every other time I've seen him since hes been a perfect gentleman

  19. #19
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Is this prog?

  20. #20

    Yes, it's proggy

    I would say that this album is one of JJ's more Proggy album and that in my book, yeah, it's prog. He is combining classical/jazz/rock/pop strains into a new sound with an emphasis on killer playing, arrangements, and a very original writing style. So what if he's not singing about orcs and wood elves in 13/8?

    JJ is actually a big prog fan and according to his book he saw all the classic early 70's UK prog bands at a concert pavilion at the pier in Portsmouth, UK. He said that when disco came back in the 90's that he was really disappointed b/c he thought that prog rock was going to make a come back too. It did not.

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Mythos View Post
    By far the worst concert I ever went to! I bought tickets to see the Look Sharp Joe Jackson and what I got was Dumpin' Dive Joe Jackson, hell he did not even have a guitar player, most all the crowd hated it as well, we left half way through and Joe has been dead to me ever since.

    If you like horns and stuff that is fine with me, keep buying as Joe has bills to pay like everyone else...
    Are you talking about the Body & Soul tour? Was the show you saw advertised as the Look Sharp show? Sounds like you saw him on his Jumpin' Jive tour... anyway, he's done lots of great tours with and without guitar players... I saw the Body and Soul tour which did have a great guitarist, Vinnie Zummo as well as the great Graham Maby on bass.

  22. #22
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vinniechops View Post
    I would say that this album is one of JJ's more Proggy album and that in my book, yeah, it's prog. He is combining classical/jazz/rock/pop strains into a new sound with an emphasis on killer playing, arrangements, and a very original writing style. So what if he's not singing about orcs and wood elves in 13/8?

    JJ is actually a big prog fan and according to his book he saw all the classic early 70's UK prog bands at a concert pavilion at the pier in Portsmouth, UK. He said that when disco came back in the 90's that he was really disappointed b/c he thought that prog rock was going to make a come back too. It did not.
    Hmm, the fact that he likes prog does make me think more of him - I'm such a snob. Really, I've only heard one of two of his songs back in the deepest '80s. I was really put off by all the guys who cultivated the Joe Jackson look back then. Not fair, but I sort of held it against him. You know that story Laurie Anderson tells about someone saying to her "Oh no, not another Laurie Anderson clone!" and Laurie says to her "Look at me. Look at me!" Well there were a ton of Joe Jackson clones back in the day, for some reason.

    I'll have to give this a listen - I kinda wish he WAS singing about orcs and wood elves though - that'd be awesome.

  23. #23
    Really? I didn't notice Joe being copied for his look, maybe Elvis Costello was... Joe was often lumped in with him at the start of his career, ("angry young man" persona) but I don't think Joe Jackson made a big impact as far as his looks or fashion...

    I do remember that Laurie Anderson quote though...

  24. #24
    More on point, I got this album and saw the tour in Santa Barbara when it came out in 1984. I think it's a great album, and at the time it was Joe's return to working with a guitarist after Jumpin' Jive (which was not his own material) and Night & Day (which was keys-based and a great success through and through - definitely one of his strongest records).

    I think it was recorded "live" digitally in a good sounding room, and it shows. Very dynamic, powerful recording. Especially on the first song "The Verdict". I think in terms of the songs, this album is a bit more spotty than Night & Day, which is a very solid, enjoyable, fun record. I feel the duet "Happy Ending" is a bit cheesy, and "Go For it" is another song I find a bit weak. But the rest is excellent. "Cant Get What You Want ('til You Know What You Want)", is a nice jazzy pop song with a great guitar solo. "Louisida" is a powerful instrumental, & "Heart of Ice", the closer, is unusually uplifting for Joe. "Not Here Not Now" is a great poignant ballad, & "ChaCha Loco" does the Latin salsa thing with big room dynamics. "Be My Number Two" is another strong ballad with real dynamics. The opener "The Verdict" is probably my favorite, very dramatic songwriting perfectly using the dynamics of the recording. The drums and horns sound especially great on this album... At that time, and even now, a huge breath of fresh air to hear "real" live playing recorded so well. In the early 80's that was a rare thing to hear on a current pop record. really a welcome sound.

    fwiw, not "prog" at all to me... Joe got closest to it on Heaven and Hell, and maybe Night & Day II (which is great as well...). What he does is definitely progressive much of the time. He ventures through many styles, but imo, prog is not a huge part of his palette. Lots of great music in his catalog.

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