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Week 10:

Joe Jackson

Artist Introduction

Joe Jackson made a big splash in the late 70s/early 80s then kind of disappeared a little bit. On his “comeback” tour, in 1987 or so, he played at a SI club on Wave Street, off Bay St. My band Diva Jetta was popular then and we did well at that venue- and we opened the show! Really cool. As Vin has already diagnosed, the outstanding member of Jackson’s band is Graham Maby, on Bass. Love, love, love his work.

Uncle Vin Cascella

Is She Really Going Out With Him?

Sunday Papers

Looking Sharp

Personal Favorites

I'm The Man

One More Time

Steppin' Out

Unique Songs

Breaking Us In Two

On Your Radio

It's Different For Girls

Conclusions

Hey Vin- I don’t hear the Cheap Trick comparison but some Police and Predenders are deff there.
The first 3 Pop songs are Jackson’s meal tickets, songs 4 and 5 were my favs to play at band practice. I love #6- musician here! Songs 7-9 are different, so I adhered to the format! And I do like them!

Cascella Family Reviews

Vin Cascella

Welcome to the show Uncle Vinnie! Let’s take a look into your first selection Joe Jackson. Don’t think I know a lot about him besides “Is She Really Going Out WIth Him?” so I’m going to do a little additional research. Is She Really Going Out With Him?: I think this is going to be the only song I know going into this artist. Verse remind me of Jessie’s Girl actually most of the song reminds me of Jessie’s Girl. This song is fine, catchy chorus, fun bassline under the entire song. Sunday Papers: Again the bass might be the strongest part of this song. Now I gotta check if it’s the same bassist throughout all the music or if it's just a session musician. Looks like a dude named Graham Maby is the bassist for pretty much all of Jackson’s work. I like him and I like how the song revs up at the end. Two songs in and I’m still trying to figure out what genre this is… It’s sort of rock but not really. A little glam, a little pop. On to the next one. Looking Sharp: The internet is telling me that he’s “New Wave”, eh. I sort of understand that but in my opinion he’s definitely more on the pop side rather than punk. Time period of the late 70s and the second wave of British invasion fits the mold for the genre. Once again the bass and the drums are the standout of the song for me. Don’t love his voice. Lyrics are fun. This song reminds me of The Stones so that's a good thing. Probably the best track so far. I’m The Man: Okay this is the first song that I fully see that punk influence. I did some research and no one else seems to agree with me but they STRONGLY remind me of Cheap Trick. Someone get back to me on that and let me know if that makes sense. Less lyrical than the rest of the first three tracks but sometimes you just need to yell the same thing 30 times over. Still not really my style but this is now my favorite song of the selection. One More Time: I’m glad that I kept an open mind through the first few tracks, you almost lost me there. These two songs are definitely more my speed and I think I understand why I’m having a tough time connecting with this music. The first music I grew up on was so much more aggressive than this that I’m having a tough time identifying the punk elements. It just comes off as relatively generic to me. Not a bad thing, just a thing. Also shoutout to the bassist holding this shit down. Steppin’ Out: Ooops, you lost me again. This is a worldwide hit?? Yikes. Small note. The background synth/bass reminds me so much of Chappell Roan’s Hot To Go which is also a worldwide hit that I don’t fully understand. Maybe that chord progression strikes something in the masses? Breaking Us In Two: It’s unique. I don’t like it but HOT TAKE… This might be their most punk song so far. Nothing is more punk than a lead singer who can’t sing for shit performing a ballad. Reminds me of the Offspring when he tries to sing. A lot of Post-Hardcore, Screamo, Emo bands I like will end their hyper aggressive and loud albums with an acoustic ballad where they strip everything away and the lead singer fucking stinks at singing but they are some of my favorite tracks. On Your Radio: Train kept a rolling, all night long! Train kept a rolling all night long! The intro reminds me of Aerosmith. I’m back on board, I definitely like them better when they pick up the pace. when Gonna take a moment to just list off other bands that they remind me of. Cheap Trick, David Bowie, The Police, The Pretenders, The Cars… lots of bands that are The ______, …The Knack! It’s Different For Girls: Alrighty last song. Intro guitar actually reminds me a lot of Paramore and a lot of pop-punk bands of my generation. Thats about where that comparison ends. Don’t got much to say about this one. Probably the first song where I really noticed the guitar. The bass still is the standout amongst the band. This is quite the departure from what I typically listen to. Going through all my playlists and vinyl I barely have any music that would be considered “New Wave”. Makes sense considering I grew up in a hard rock household that focused on 70s Rock, 90s grunge, and 2000s Alt-rock while almost completely skipping the 80s. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to appreciate some 80s but mostly focused on the extremes with either dance/electronica or the punk/hardcore scene. Outside of The Police I barely listen to any 80s rock. With all of that being said Joe Jackson really isn’t my thing but there were a few pockets that I enjoyed. The bassist rips and some of the other instrumentals were fun. I liked the energetic songs while the slower more generic songs completely lost me. I am psyched that you’re a part of this, I expect that I’ll be learning a lot of new music with your future selections! 5.4/10

Joe Cascella

Alright here we go, an artist I know absolutely nothing about which excites me. Maybe I’ll recognize some tunes, so let’s see.

Is She Really Going Out with Him – Simple and fun going song. Catchy chorus, I was singing out loud by the second time through. This song could be in Grease. It’s very simple, but I like it, fun song.

Sunday Paper – This song has some more rock n roll elements to it than the first. A really strong base, and some solid structure to the song. This is both poppy and a little punk even. Is Joe Jackson early pop punk? The Sunday papers got all the info you could need. I can see being a young man in NYC walking down the street and having this song blaring in my headphones as I just people watch. Another fun tune.

Look Sharp! – Another easily digestible song, and a fun listen. Not too much too it, I like the bass again. I can see his music being played in the Turquoise Tiger at Turningstone, which is my favorite bar in the world. It’s tough to identify a genre, feels like a slightly evolved Mo town now.

I’m the Man – The intro has me immediately thinking of the Ramones. And yup, it continues throughout the song. So yeah, punk rock, good song. It’s sounds like ‘What I like about you’ by the Romantics as well

One More Time – A pretty fast and upbeat song with some pretty solid sad lyrics. All of the songs are just structured really well. I haven’t been blown away by anything, but nothing has let me down either. Decent, well put together music. Is it my style? Not really, but I can respect it.

Steppin Out – This is probably my least favorite song so far. It’s like an early techno beat over some meh sample. I consider this to be generic crap. I am sorry if this is harsh, but I gotta say it how it is.

Breaking us in Two – I don’t know. The deeper I dive, the less invested I am in his music. He’s a decent enough lyricist, but I’m back to not overly impressed with anything that’s happening here.

On Your Radio – Alright, now we’re rocking a little bit. This sounds a little bit like Queens of the Stone Age, well at least musically (maybe a good band of choice for this group down the road). The guitarist is very intentional with his strokes of the guitar. It’s loud and sudden, but on beat throughout. This sounds a bit more like their punkier pop type of music. I’m cool with it.

It’s Different for Girls – I feel like this can be a Billy Joel Song. The intro does remind me a little of Fleetwood right up front, but lyrically and the overall sound is Joel. Which fits into the 70’s rock that I think is what defines Joe Jackson the best.

Overall Rating: This was entirely new to me, yet I feel like I’ve heard a lot of it before without actually hearing it. It’s not totally up my alley, which you will see with my next band choice which is currently my favorite genre right now. I don’t know if I’m right but I’d define it as 70’s soft rock with a small punk influence. The biggest strength is structuring their songs to be consistent and coherent. The leads singers voice is fine, kind of generic for that era. Bass and guitar stuck out to me more than anything, and they play fine music. Overall, I’ll give them a 5.4 ( I just saw my brothers comment and laughed out loud at the exact same score)

Dad Cascella

Ok, we're on to Joe Jackson. Yup, I lived thru the 80's when there was a fairly large void of good solid music, when soft rock and pop ruled the airwaves. I know a few of these songs, so now on to the deep dive, with, as always with me, music, lyrics and live performances.

IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM- One of JJ's most recognizable songs. Simple, basic song with very simple lyrics. A cute little ditty, but at the 2:10 mark we discover, in the lyrics, that Joe can be a dangerous man and a stalker. Meh!!!

SUNDAY PAPERS- Another song I know. And another basic song, though with a slightly more edgier element. A little harmonica lead helps, but not enough. Good bass work. Two songs in and I fear his lyrics may only be about his boring life (I hope not).

LOOK SHARP- Yup, I know this one also. More of a punkish sound with a decent opening but a terrible chorus. "Gotta look sharp" repeated did not work for me. Then in the middle, droning guitar. Should have just let the bass and drums take over. The funny thing is I thought his singing in this one has some better edgier and rocking elements, but for me, not enough.

I'M THE MAN- First thing I thought of was THE ROMANTICS "What I Like About You". Definitely more rocking, with a cool bass leading the way. Didn't particularly care for the chorus, and repeating "I'm The Man" over and over, meh. By the way, seeing the cover of the album I'M THE MAN reminded me of John Leguizamo posing as a gay ruffian in the musical West Side Story.

ONE MORE TIME- Funky, Jazzy guitar to lead, with a cool bass line intertwined. I liked the cool vibe of the music in the song, but I'm sorry, he sings so uncool (song deserved rougher singing). I blame this on the producer. But once again, JJ follows the standard pop progression (Verse, Verse, Chorus) as all the other ones. C'mon Joe, mix it up a little.

STEPPIN OUT- I liked the opening, kind of DEVOish, with a funky beat. Piano work good, though he stayed with pretty much the same chords throughout. Song had a few deeper lyrics, tho that's not saying much from this batch.

BREAKING US IN TWO- Decent pop song, but again, the chorus was so meh (sorry, I know I'm using meh a lot, but for me, the word fits). Watching a live version of this, WOW!!! He was having a bad day I think. And this song could have been cut to 3 minutes instead of 5.

ON YOUR RADIO- Sounding slightly like THE PRETENDERS, I thought this to be a good song, with its choppy guitar chords that worked for me. I just wished it took off to a higher level, which it failed to do. This song I thought also featured his best singing so far, as he stretches ever so slightly.

IT'S DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS- definitely different, a softer song with voiceover, this song was a surprise for me. While the lyrics are kind of syruppy, the overall effect worked for me. And I liked the progression changes. I wished I'd heard more like this. BUT, listening thru headphones, My God, his singing was so flat at points. Again, blame the producer.

So, there you have it. Joe Jackson in the books. I've read in places that JJ was part of the 2nd British Invasion, with his rock/pop unique sound. I'm sorry, but I found very little rock, nothing unique, and classic radio pop standards. His lyrics are not much to brag about, and his band, while I'm sure are great musicians, are never unleashed, nor are they given much room to stand out. Now, I know what you're all thinking. The old man just hates POP( and let's be clear, this is POP music). And you'd be so wrong with that thinking. I have lots of POP and soft rock on my playlist. POP artists have put out so much great music. George Michael "Freedom", Michael Jackson "Billy Jean", and Madonna "Borderline" are just a few examples. I found none of that here. Now, u all know I give much credit to anyone who writes music and lyrics, plays an instrument, produces, and leads the way in a tough business (think Taylor Swift), but I'm sorry, I had a tough time with this one. And we said when Vincent started this little club, we'd be brutally honest. Would I go see him, not with a gun pointed to my head. My rating, 4.9

Mom Cascella

My turn with Joe Jackson. Might be short, but not always sweet.

IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM, everybody knows this one, nice simple pop song.

SUNDAY PAPERS, I knew this also, and again, nice basic simple pop song. LOOK SHARP, liked this a little more because it was a little more rocking.

I'M THE MAN, sorry Joe, I wouldn't exactly call you "the man". Ok song, but I'm starting to get bored.

ONE MORE TIME, I liked the music, especially the guitar, but still sounding like others in this collection.

STEPPING OUT, again, decent pop song, ok with me.

BREAKING US IN TWO, was this longer than all the others, or am I just drifting off? Thought I heard some Pink Floyd influence here.

ON YOUR RADIO, pretty cool sound, and I liked the guitar. We need more of that.

IT's DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS, Yup, that was a bit different. But still fairly generic pop.

So that's it for me, I'm a bit indifferent regarding this listen. Just standard pop, while good at times, nothing exceptional. I'll go 5.0

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