Joe Jackson: Look Sharp
My knowledge of Joe Jacksons music doesn’t go further than having “Is she really going out with him” in my 80’s mix. Which shows how much I know, as the song was released in 1979.
The cover photo — a dramatic study of Joe Jackson’s shoes — was a happy accident. “I think we just wanted a photo of my Denson’s shoes,” says Jackson, “because I’d just bought them the day before. Brian Griffin took maybe one or two shots of them as part of an entire day spent doing more typical portrait shots.” One of those portraits — with Jackson punkishly pointing a finger at the camera — was used for the album’s back cover. “The shoe shot certainly wasn’t planned or intended to become the cover,” says Jackson, “but when we saw the contact prints, everyone liked the image.”
So what became of the shoes? “The art director borrowed them for marketing purposes,” says Jackson, “and I never did get them back.” In the name of investigative journalism, Rolling Stone has located the shoes — size 8 — in the office of Paulette Rapp, executive assistant to label chairman Jerry Moss. Source: SuperSeventies.com.
The image of Joe Jackson’s shoes was also reused multiple times for other singles which already had their own artwork. I’m not sure why as artwork was already created for these singles.
A&M Records also made these fancy metal pins. Not many other album covers would translate well to a pin.
There’s little info on the art director Michael Ross however the photographer Brian Griffin seems to still be active behind the camera.
Note: it’s “Brian Griffin” the photographer not “Brian Griffin” the dog from Family Guy.
Joe Jackson is also still kicking it in the recording studio with a new album due out in Jan 2008. He also seems to be really hung up on ANTI-smokers. Check this diatribe on his site. Sounds like a holocaust denier.
Is it just me or does he look like the boss villain from a vampire film?
