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.

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

• Joe Jackson – vocals, piano, harmonica
• Gary Sanford – guitar
• Graham Maby – bass
• David Houghton – drums

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.