Blaze of Glory (Joe Jackson album)

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Blaze of Glory
JoeJacksonBlazeOfGlory.jpg
Studio album by
Joe Jackson
Released17 April 1989 [1]
RecordedNovember–December 1988
Studio
Genre Rock
Length57:10
Label A&M
Producer Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson chronology
Tucker
(1988)		Blaze of Glory
(1989)		 Stepping Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
New Musical Express 6/10 [3]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Blaze of Glory is the tenth studio album by English rock musician Joe Jackson, released in 1989. [7] Jackson has stated that the album and the songs themselves were an examination of his generation as the 1980s were ending, ranging from the optimism of the 1950s ("Tomorrow's World") to the politics of terrorism ("Rant and Rave") and the Cold War ("Evil Empire"), to yuppies ("Discipline") and rockers who are well past their prime ("Nineteen Forever"). [8] The title track compares the legacy of a classic rock musician who died young ("...went out in a blaze of glory") with the current wannabes ("They're just cartoons" who "think they're Superman" but "can't even fly").

Contents

Although Blaze of Glory was a modest seller, the resultant single "Nineteen Forever" reached No. 4 in the US Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. [9] Jackson felt the album was one of his best efforts and toured to perform and support it with an eleven piece band in the U.S. and Europe from June to November 1989, and was disappointed with both the critical and commercial reaction as well as his record label's lack of support. [9]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Nick Robinson of Music Week summarised, "By taking a reflective but by no means dated look at his past work, Jackson has come up with a definitive collection of musical styles and moods that flow gracefully – each one showing a different side to his songwriting character." [10] Kevin Murphy of Record Mirror considered it to show Jackson "back to his adventurous and ambitious best" with a "diverse collection of moods that knit together to tell the story of his life from quizzical child to cynical adult". He added that the album is "typical Jackson – all jazz-tinged Sixties brass, string-swamped sentimentality and glimpses of pub rock theatrics – but done with a greater confidence and richness." [5]

Track listing

All songs written, arranged and produced by Joe Jackson. [7]

No.TitleLength
1."Tomorrow's World"4:30
2."Me and You (Against the World)"4:14
3."Down to London"4:14
4."Sentimental Thing"6:09
5."Acropolis Now"4:21
6."Blaze of Glory"6:02
7."Rant and Rave"4:45
8."Nineteen Forever"5:48
9."The Best I Can Do"3:10
10."Evil Empire"3:45
11."Discipline"4:32
12."The Human Touch"5:11

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

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References

  1. ↑ "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week . 15 April 1989. p. 26. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Joe Jackson - Blaze of Glory Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Swift, David (29 April 1989). "Long Play". New Musical Express . p. 33.
  4. ↑ Beattie, Rob. "Refreshed" [Blaze of Glory review]. Q. May 1989.
  5. 1 2 Murphy, Kevin (22 April 1989). "33". Record Mirror . p. 32. ISSN   0144-5804.
  6. ↑ "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  7. 1 2 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 485–486. ISBN   1-84195-017-3.
  8. ↑ Hochman, Steve (30 August 1989). "Pop Music Reviews". Los Angeles Times.
  9. 1 2 "Biography by William Ruhlmann". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  10. ↑ Robinson, Nick (22 April 1989). "A&R: LP Reviews". Music Week . p. 28. ISSN   0265-1548.
  11. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Joe Jackson – Blaze of Glory". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6381". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joe Jackson – Blaze of Glory" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 6, no. 20. 20 May 1989. p. 25. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  15. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joe Jackson – Blaze of Glory" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 15 July 2022.Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Blaze of Glory" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  17. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Joe Jackson – Blaze of Glory". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  19. ↑ "Joe Jackson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts . Retrieved 15 July 2022.
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