This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979–1989)

This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979-1989)
Compilation album by Joe Jackson
Released February 1997[1]
Recorded 1979–1989
Genre New Wave
Length 156:15
Label A&M
Producer Joe Jackson, David Kershenbaum, Pete Dauncey
Joe Jackson chronology
Heaven and Hell (1997) This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979-1989) (1997) Symphony No. 1 (1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]

This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979–1989), released in February 1997, is a Joe Jackson compilation double album, covering his period with A&M Records between 1979 and 1989.[1]

Contents

Critique

Allmusic journalist, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, states, "... is a double-disc, 37-track collection covering Joe Jackson's commercial and creative heyday. Over the course of two discs, This Is It! runs through all of his biggest hits — "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", "It's Different for Girls," "Steppin' Out", "Breaking Us in Two", "You Can't Get What Want (Till You Know What You Want)" — plus a number of significant album tracks and lesser-known singles, making it a comprehensive retrospective of Jackson's pop-oriented work. While it's unfortunate that the compilation stops just short of his last pop album, 1991's Laughter & Lust, because it was released on Virgin Records, the great majority of his best work is here, making it a perfect choice for fans who want something more — and better assembled — than Greatest Hits, and those who don't want to dig as deep as the actual albums".[3]

In his book, The Great Rock Discography, journalist Martin C. Strong awards the album 8 out of 10.[1]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Joe Jackson, except as noted.

Disc 1

  1. "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" - 3:40
  2. "Fools in Love" - 4:31
  3. "One More Time" - 3:19
  4. "Sunday Papers" - 4:23
  5. "Look Sharp!" - 3:26
  6. "Got the Time" [live] - 4:45
  7. "On Your Radio" - 4:04
  8. "It's Different for Girls" - 3:45
  9. "Don't Wanna Be Like That" - 3:45
  10. "Amateur Hour" - 4:10
  11. "I'm the Man" - 4:00
  12. "Tilt" - 2:48
  13. "Someone up There" - 3:51
  14. "One to One" - 3:26
  15. "Beat Crazy" - 4:18
  16. "Biology" - 4:35
  17. "Jumpin' Jive" (Cab Calloway/Frank Froeba/Jack Palmer) - 2:43
  18. "What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)?" (Bill Meyers) - 3:48
  19. "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" [live] - 4:36
  20. "Another World" - 4:13

Disc 2

  1. "Breaking Us in Two" - 4:50
  2. "Chinatown" - 4:28
  3. "Real Men" - 4:05
  4. "Steppin' Out" - 4:22
  5. "A Slow Song" - 7:00
  6. "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" - 4:55
  7. "Not Here, Not Now" - 5:30
  8. "Be My Number Two" - 4:24
  9. "Happy Ending" - 3:40
  10. "Wild West" - 4:35
  11. "Right and Wrong" - 4:37
  12. "Home Town" - 3:14
  13. "Precious Time" - 3:24
  14. "Me and You (Against the World)" - 3:52
  15. "Down to London" - 4:18
  16. "Nineteen Forever" - 5:45
  17. "The Human Touch" - 5:10

References

  1. ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 485–486. ISBN 1-84195-017-3. 
  2. ^ Allmusic.com
  3. ^ "Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r261011. Retrieved 6 May 2009. 
Joe Jackson
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Stepping Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson · This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979-1989)