Search - Joe Jackson :: Will Power [MFSL Audiophile Original Master Recording]

Joe Jackson's 1987 whammy of a surprise...

ewomack | MN USA | 10/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's Joe Jackson's most neglected album. Why does it possess this luminous quality? Most likely because it contains all classical music. No vocals (unless one counts the boy soprano). No lyrics (unless one counts the few lines the boy soprano sings). Lots of solo piano, woodwinds, strings. Nothing at all that a typical Joe Jackson fan in 1987 would have expected. A polka album would have probably been less of a shock. Jackson's previous album of 1986, "Big World" (another hard to find gem) messed around with multitudinous styles, but nothing whatsoever like "Will Power".



Jackson's 1999 "Symphony No. 1" surprised fans as a big departure. Why? He had already composed and recorded "Will Power" some 10 years earlier. "Will Power" was the real shocker, "Symphony No. 1" a mere follow-up (though much more acclaimed and far less neglected). Far more surprising is Jackson's roots in classical composition. His website lists associations with the Royal Academy of Music, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and a musical directorship of a Playboy Club. Those who thought of Jackson as a composer of "serious music" probably fell out of their chairs stunned when they heard "Look Sharp".



"Will Power" contains some great music. Jackson completely exposed his roots, versatility, and abilities as a composer on this one. "No Parasan" is a slowly building creshendo that explodes into pleasant dissonance at the climax (this song used to scare the crap out of my pet hamsters, especially with the volume cranked, poor guys). The song "Solitude" evokes its name. It feels lonely. The heavy reverb on the boy soprano helps. It also feels a little troubled. "Nocturne" is a gorgeous solo piano piece with Jackson at the keys. This and "Solitude" justify picking this one up. The album ends with "Symphony in One Movement". A sixteen minute beef stew of classical styles (sometimes it sounds a little Bernstein, sometimes Copland, other influences can be heard also).



Lastly, the cover. In an interview at the time of the album's original release Jackson said "I left the cover blank so you can put other records in it if you want to". The CD maintains the LPs philosophy. Nowhere on it do the words "Joe Jackson" or "Will Power" appear. Of course the CD book rectifies this. One of the best pictures of Jackson awaits inside.



Not everyone will appreciate this album. Fans of both Joe Jackson and classical music will likely love it. It still stands up today, and probably will well into the future (assuming that someone makes more copies)."