The Fat Angel Sings

What a shame Elvis Costello and Graham Parker released stellar albums at the same time Joe Jackson released Look Sharp!, his debut, in 1979. Parker unleashed Squeezing Out Sparks, arguably his finest, and Costello published Armed Forces, also arguably his finest. But Jackson, the quintessential angry young man and every bit their equal, should never be forgotten as one of the classics, and his albums from 1979-1983 are documents that prove he should have been more revered/popular than he was/is.

Starting with the debut, then: Look Sharp! was my introduction to Jackson when I was but a wee lad, and the track Sunday Papers is the reason I started playing the bass guitar. Rife with cod reggae, humor, punk anger, plenty of pop hooks (like the massive hit Is She Really Going Out With Him?,One More Time, Look Sharp and Pretty Girls, and all the rest, really) and…