Throughout his career, Joe Jackson has gone out of his way to disprove the early label placed upon him by fans and critics seeking an easy way to identify the English singer, songwriter and keyboardist.
Initially grouped, along with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and others from the era, as an Angry Young Man who emerged from the new wave branch of late-’70s pub rockers, Jackson soon defied expectations by consistently switching genres from record to record over the decades, as you will see in the list below of Joe Jackson Albums Ranked.
After two albums of smart, new wave-influenced pub rock (sorry), Jackson began his lifelong quest for new (and sometimes old) sounds with a creative restlessness that has come to define him. From big-band swing music and sophisticated metropolis jazz to big-idea conceptual works and several trips into classical music, Jackson’s music quickly shed those initial labels.
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Inspired as much by his places of residence as the music around him, Jackson has stamped his albums with a personal seal, even when the music isn’t entirely autobiographical. There’s a continuity from his 1979 debut, Look Sharp!, through the masterpiece Night and Day (1982) and Hope and Fury (2026), even if they’re not always obvious on the surface.
Two soundtrack albums Jackson recorded in the ’80s — Mike’s Murder and Tucker — aren’t included in the list, though they easily could have been, given his many genre exercises over the decades. Like all of his work, their lines can be traced back to the angry young pub rocker itching to break free from the new wave tag. His studio albums, outlined here, tell the full story.
Joe Jackson Albums Ranked
His debut cast him as a new-wave pub rocker. He hasn’t stayed in one place since.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
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