It’s 1982 and Joe Jackson was just releasing ‘Night and Day,’ with the soon-to-be-hits ‘Steppin’ Out’ and ‘Breaking Us In Two.’ He also had a minor hit with ‘Real Men.’
This is “the new Joe Jackson band” according to the host. The old band, responsible for ‘Look Sharp!,’ ‘I’m The Man,’ and ‘Beat Crazy’ had broken up, and Jackson had taken a break by putting out his ‘Jumpin’ Jive’ album before returning to pop hits.
In researching this, I learned that his real name was David Jackson, he started playing piano out in bars at age 16, and went to the Royal Academy of Music for composition studies.
For me, Jackson is firmly rooted in the 1978-1988 world of music, even though he continues to this day.
Bonus Track: Prince on Arsenio Hall
Prince took over the Arsenio Hall show this week. This clip is a new version of an old song, “Mutiny,” which he originally wrote for his side group “The Family” way back when. This new version bounces along quite nicely, and has one of the more amazing horn sections I’ve ever seen with him – it’s hard to count but looks like about 12 horn players surround him. Very tight, and a lesson in funky horns.
It’s got a great chorus, too. “Mutiny! Taking back the ship! Mutiny! Shoulda been a little more hip!”
