Steppin' Out - The Videos (The Very Best of Joe Jackson)

Rating:
Summary: You won't see these videos on MTV or VH-1
Review: "Steppin' Out-The Videos" sounds like raw deal; $... for 50 minutes of material. This DVD has no bells or whistles. It's essentially the same as the VHS edition. But since the VHS edition is out of print, you're stuck with the DVD. The videos from Joe Jackson's early years are actual videos--crude, low-budget productions. Vids like "I'm the Man" (taped in what looks like the streets around Covent Garden in London) and "Mad at You" capture the spirit of very early 1980s music video. These two videos, despite their grainy, crude quality, are fun to watch. "I'm the Man" and "Mad at You" seem less contrived than "Steppin' Out," a skin-deep concept video. The nighttime shots of 1982 Manhattan are sort of nostalgic (e.g. the Pan Am building, the Citicorp Center, 60s style crosswalk signs, an old FDNY ambulance). The storyline--of a hotel maid dreaming of a night on the town with a handsome guy--is pretty dumb. The best video is "Down to London." This is the rare case where the video (scenes from a working class London pub interspersed with shots of a chic sushi bar and Piccadilly Circus), is actually better than the song. The rest of the video contains mostly live filler. I recommend "Steppin' Out-The Videos" on the sole basis of "I'm the Man," "Mad at You," and "Down to London." The rest is .... And the video for "Steppin' Out" will surely disappoint. Buy the DVD just to see how bad it is (and to image how brilliant it could have been).

Rating:
Summary: You won't see these videos on MTV or VH-1
Review: "Steppin' Out-The Videos" sounds like raw deal; ...for 50 minutes of material. This DVD has no bell or whistles. It's essentially the same as the VHS edition. But since the VHS edition is out of print, you're stuck with the DVD. The videos from Joe Jackson's early years are actual videos--crude, low-budget productions. Vids like "I'm the Man" (taped in what looks like the streets around Covent Garden in London) and "Mad at You" capture the spirit of very early 1980s music video. These two videos, despite their grainy, crude quality, are fun to watch. "I'm the Man" and "Mad at You" seem less contrived than "Steppin' Out," a skin-deep concept video. The nighttime shots of 1982 Manhattan are sort of nostalgic (e.g. the Pan Am building, the Citicorp Center, 60s style crosswalk signs, an old FDNY ambulance). The storyline--of a hotel maid dreaming of a night on the town with a handsome guy--is pretty dumb. The best video is "Down to London." This is the rare case where the video (scences from a working class London pub interspersed with shots of a chic sushi bar and Piccadilly Circus), is actually better than the song. The rest of the video contains mostly live filler. I recommend "Steppin' Out-The Videos" on the sole basis of "I'm the Man," "Mad at You," and "Down to London." The rest is [no good]. And the video for "Steppin' Out" will surely disappoint. Buy the DVD just to see how bad it is (and to image how brilliant it could have been).

Rating:
Summary: A "Must Have" for Joe Jackson fans!
Review: As a long time lover and follower of Jackson's musical career, I couldn't wait to own this one. He is not often seen on music video, but his performances are colorful. Nice balance of older to newer videos (from "I'm the Man" to "Blaze of Glory", basically a 10 year period--the "A&M years"). For even a casual Joe fan--BUY IT. For a fan to introduce others to Joe Jackson, I would recommend the "Live in Tokyo" DVD instead, as he is at his best in live performances rather than music video.

Rating:
Summary: A "Must Have" for Joe Jackson fans!
Review: As a long time lover and follower of Jackson's musical career, I couldn't wait to own this one. He is not often seen on music video, but his performances are colorful. Nice balance of older to newer videos (from "I'm the Man" to "Blaze of Glory", basically a 10 year period--the "A&M years"). For even a casual Joe fan--BUY IT. For a fan to introduce others to Joe Jackson, I would recommend the "Live in Tokyo" DVD instead, as he is at his best in live performances rather than music video.

Rating:
Summary: Not Just Another Pretty Face
Review: For Joe Jackson fans, this DVD is an essential purchase. Joe Jackson's concept videos are very rare, and they're all collected here. The best of these, and the most recognizable, is "Steppin' Out." Joe is in a posh hotel room, composing a song at the piano. The maid is cleaning in the next room. She takes an evening gown out of the closet and clutches it to her, dreaming of a night on the town. Scenes of New York City are interspersed with Joe playing piano in a ballroom, the maid now wearing the gown and dancing with the man of her dreams. In the concept video for "Nineteen Forever, " Joe Jackson is made up as an elderly man, looking through old photographs. At one point, he looks through a peephole in the wall and sees himself on stage as a teenager, wearing a wig and an Elvis-style gold suit, with a trio of plump ladies singing backup. The visual style reminds me of the movie "Eraserhead," and yet this video manages to make sense!

Of the live songs, I like the acapella version of "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" the best. The vocals and arrangement are unique and sound great. Both "Hometown" and "Right And Wrong" are live versions originally found on the video "The Big World Sessions." Sorry to say, that video is now out of print. "You Can't Get What You Want ('Til You Know What You Want)" is the only live version duplicated on the "Live In Tokyo" video, which was recently released on DVD. Add in some early live performances and a few more concept videos unavailable elsewhere, and you have a highly collectible Joe Jackson DVD.

Rating:
Summary: He's Still the Man!
Review: This DVD is a lot of fun, and brings back some great memories. It is wonderful to see Gary, Dave and Graham strumming, pounding and plucking along to some of the best songs of the late Seventies "New Wave." If you love Joe Jackson as much as I do, buy it! The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because it isn't long enough.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't even aware that this was on DVD, but I snapped it up as soon as I did. I only have a few complaints: First, "Breaking Us In Two" is nowhere to be found on this DVD. Second, it appears to have been mastered from an NTSC conversion of the original PAL footage, so there is some "dot-crawl" noticeable in some of the video panning. Since this is a Region 0 DVD (or so I've been told), I'm wondering why they didn't master it from the PAL originals. Oh well, small complaints. While I'm still disgruntled that there are no serious various-artist DVD video compilations from the 80s, I'm happy to find what I can, when I can. This one's a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't even aware that this was on DVD, but I snapped it up as soon as I did. I only have a few complaints: First, "Breaking Us In Two" is nowhere to be found on this DVD. Second, it appears to have been mastered from an NTSC conversion of the original PAL footage, so there is some "dot-crawl" noticeable in some of the video panning. Since this is a Region 0 DVD (or so I've been told), I'm wondering why they didn't master it from the PAL originals. Oh well, small complaints. While I'm still disgruntled that there are no serious various-artist DVD video compilations from the 80s, I'm happy to find what I can, when I can. This one's a keeper.