Look Sharp! (Joe Jackson album)

Look Sharp!
Studio album by Joe Jackson
Released 5 January 1979 (1979-01-05) (UK)
April 1979 (1979-04) (U.S.)
Recorded 1978, Eden Studios, London, England
Genre New wave, punk, ska
Length 36:28
42:55 (2001 reissue)
Label A&M
AMLH 64743[1]
A&M/PolyGram Records
214 743
A&M/Universal Records
586 194 (2001 reissue)
Producer David Kershenbaum
Joe Jackson chronology
Look Sharp!
(1979)		 I'm the Man
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Robert Christgau B[3]
Rolling Stone [4]

Look Sharp! is the debut album by Joe Jackson, released in 1979.[1] Look Sharp! was re-released in 2001 with two bonus tracks, "Don't Ask Me" and "You Got the Fever" the respective b-sides of the singles "One More Time" and "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" originally released in May and July 1979.[1] In addition to the standard 12-inch vinyl release, the record was also released in a special package on two 10-inch discs that also included a Look Sharp! badge. The cover is number 22 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers of all time.

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Joe Jackson.

  1. "One More Time" – 3:15
  2. "Sunday Papers" – 4:22
  3. "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" – 3:33
  4. "Happy Loving Couples" – 3:08
  5. "Throw It Away" – 2:49
  6. "Baby Stick Around" – 2:36
  7. "Look Sharp!" – 3:23
  8. "Fools in Love" – 4:23
  9. "(Do the) Instant Mash" – 3:12
  10. "Pretty Girls" – 2:55
  11. "Got the Time" – 2:55

[1]

Bonus tracks (2001 reissue)

  1. "Don't Ask Me" – 2:43
  2. "You Got the Fever" – 3:37

Personnel

Covers

American thrash metal band Anthrax covered "Got the Time" on their 1990 album Persistence of Time.

American punk band Guttermouth covered "Happy Loving Couples" on the 1997 new wave tribute album Before You Were Punk.

Fictional music group Alvin and the Chipmunks covered "Look Sharp!" as a bonus track on their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1979 UK Albums Chart[1] #40
1979 U.S. Billboard 200[1][5] #20
Year Song Chart Position
1979 "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" UK Singles Chart[1] #13
1979 "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1][6] #21
1979 "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" CMJ College Radio Tracks #2
1979 "Got the Time" CMJ College Radio Tracks #11
1979 "Look Sharp!" CMJ College Radio Tracks #17
1979 "Fools in Love" CMJ College Radio Tracks #9
1979 "Sunday Papers" CMJ College Radio Tracks #20

Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – U.S. Gold 11 September 1979 (1979-09-11)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 485–486. ISBN 1-84195-017-3. 
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. Look Sharp! (Joe Jackson album) at Allmusic. Retrieved 3 December 2005.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Joe Jackson > Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=joe+jackson. Retrieved 7 March 2006. 
  4. ^ Scoppa, Bud (January 7, 2004). "Joe Jackson Look Sharp! > Music Review". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080603075516/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/joejackson/albums/album/130496/review/5943616/look_sharp. Retrieved 10 May 2006.  Published in a revised form as Scoppa, Bud (February 5, 2004). "The Rolling Stone Hall of Fame: The Greatest Albums Ever Made: Joe Jackson Look Sharp! > Review". Rolling Stone (941): p. 62. 
  5. ^ Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at Allmusic. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  6. ^ Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at Allmusic. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
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