“And you gotta have no illusions” sings Joe Jackson in the titular track of his 1979 debut—if there are any illusions on Look Sharp!, they’re definitely grounded in some sort of fact rather than works of pure fiction; it is an album of the most erudite by-way-of unhinged rock that came out of the original New Wave. The album borders on Elvis Costello songwriter-ism or Cars-like blowhardiness, but Jackson nimble, and beautifully maneuvers around these group defining mentalities to create some sort of neat and entirely separate mutation. Look Sharp! finds its power in the rakish and agonizingly musical ferocity and conviction of Jackson’s songsmithing - taking the best aspects of all the movements that seemingly collided at the moment, he gravitates towards a much higher and smarter construction with cheeky killers like “Got the Time” or the smooth-FM friendly unrequited rocker of “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”, or the post-piano sidewinder punk of “Look Sharp!”. Rather than “illusion” as he states, the album is full of allusion, but it never grasps at stature of the original; Jackson’s ability as both a showman and creator projects an incredibly fashionable and in-the-moment humility that belies a much more highfalutin conceptual robustness. Jackson banked on his listeners being both of disparate groups as well as influence and rather than relying on his own influences to gain leverage over his audience, he pilots it with a distinct and flavorful reinvention and appropriation. Never one to back down from success though, Look Sharp! was an instant hit, and it’s reasons are clear: it’s just one of those records that makes you get up and belt “Is she really going out with him?” at the top of your lungs, reminding you what a great song really sounds like. Typical Joe Jackson.
Listen to “Got the Time” (Anthrax cover) and “Look Sharp!” (Live in Germany, 1983)
Download “Look Sharp!”
