Personnel: Joe Jackson (vocals, harmonica, piano); Gary Sanford (guitar); Graham Maby (bass); Dave Houghton (drums).

Reissue producer: Mike Ragogna.

Recorded at Eden Studio, London, England. Includes liner notes by Scott Schinder.

Digitally remastered by Erick Labson at Universal Mastering Studios West, North Hollywood, California.

Personnel: Joe Jackson (vocals, harmonica, piano); Gary Sanford (guitar); Dave Houghton (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Erick Labson.

Liner Note Author: Scott Schinder.

Recording information: Eden Studios, London, England.

A brilliant, accomplished debut, Look Sharp! established Joe Jackson as part of that camp of angry, intelligent young new wavers (i.e., Elvis Costello, Graham Parker) who approached pop music with the sardonic attitude and tense, aggressive energy of punk. Not as indebted to pub rock as Parker and Costello, and much more lyrically straightforward than the latter, Jackson delivers a set of bristling, insanely catchy pop songs that seethe with energy and frustration. Several deal with the lack of thoughtful reflection in everyday life ("Sunday Papers," "Got the Time"), but many more concern the injuries and follies of romance. In the caustic yet charming witticisms of songs like the hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him?," "Happy Loving Couples," "Fools in Love," and "Pretty Girls," Jackson presents himself on the one hand as a man of integrity seeking genuine depth in love (and elsewhere), but leavens his stance with a wry, self-effacing humor, revealing his own vulnerability to loneliness and to purely physical attraction. Look Sharp! is the sound of a young man searching for substance in a superficial world -- and it also happens to rock like hell. ~ Steve Huey

He burst onto the scene a couple of years later than Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, but Joe Jackson completed British rock's Angry Young Man trinity. As evidenced by his '79 debut, Jackson was a bit more eclectic than Parker or (early) Costello, and a touch ahead of both in terms of harmonic sophistication (though he downplayed his compositional chops at the beginning). The straight-ahead guitar-bass-drums trio that backed him on his first three albums was inspired by punk, but clearly more a part of the burgeoning new wave scene, marrying punk's aggression with smart, hooky pop song structures.

True to the spirit of the times, Jackson's irritated by just about everything; tabloids ("Sunday Papers"), his libido ("Pretty Girls"), muzak ("Instant Mash"), you name it. Fortunately, his pop craftsmanship is unerring, so no matter how irate he gets, his anger is backed up with infectious melodies and rhythms. Jackson moves deftly from the punk raving of "Got the Time" to the reggaefied "Fools in Love" and the '60s-ish pop of his first monster hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him" without missing a step.

A brilliant, accomplished debut, Look Sharp! established Joe Jackson as part of that camp of angry, intelligent young new wavers (i.e., Elvis Costello, Graham Parker) who approached pop music with the sardonic attitude and tense, aggressive energy of punk. Not as indebted to pub rock as Parker and Costello and much more lyrically straightforward than the latter, Jackson delivers a set of bristling, insanely catchy pop songs that seethe with energy and frustration. Several deal with the lack of thoughtful reflection in everyday life ("Sunday Papers," "Got the Time"), but many more concern the injuries and follies of romance. In the caustic yet charming witticisms of songs like the hit "Is She Really Going out With Him?," "Happy Loving Couples," "Fools in Love," and "Pretty Girls," Jackson presents himself on the one hand as a man of integrity seeking genuine depth in love (and elsewhere), but leavens his stance with a wry, self-effacing humor, revealing his own vulnerability to loneliness and to purely physical attraction. Look Sharp! is the sound of a young man searching for substance in a superficial world -- and it also happens to rock like hell. [The 2001 reissue offers two bonus tracks: "Don't Ask Me" and "You Got the Fever."] ~ Steve Huey

CMJ (1/5/04, p.6) - Ranked #7 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1979".