BUY NOW FROM INTERVENTION RECORDS
Intervention Records' Joe Jackson reissue series has already seen high-quality vinyl pressings of such favorite albums as I'm the Man, Look Sharp!, Night and Day, and Summer in the City: Live in New York. Now, the label is turning its attention to another classic from the Jackson discography, his 1984 studio album Body and Soul. On or around June 5, the label will reissue Body and Soul as a stereo hybrid SACD, playable on all CD players.
Following the breakthrough success of 1982's Night and Day, the singer-songwriter-pianist turned to film scoring for 1983's Mike's Murder. But most of Jackson's score was dropped, with John Barry brought in to re-score the film. A&M Records released Jackson's abortive soundtrack as an album in 1983, and the next year, he returned with Body and Soul. David Kershenbaum co-produced, and musicians included Jackson mainstay Graham Maby on bass, Vinnie Zummo on guitar, Ed Roynesdal on keyboards and violin, Tony Aiello on saxophone and flute, Michael Morreale on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Gary Burke on drums. Ellen Foley and Elaine Caswell, who would sing together in Jim Steinman's Pandora's Box, lent their voices to the LP.
A spiritual successor in many ways to Night and Day - the official sequel album to which wouldn't arrive until 2000 - Body and Soul wore its jazz influences on its sleeve...literally. The cover artwork was in the Blue Note style, based explicitly on the 1957 release of Sonny Rollins' Vol. 2. The cool, brassy, and urbane feel extended to its alternately joyful and poignant songs including the single releases of "You Can't Get What You Want Till You Know What You Want" (a No. 15 U.S. hit), "Happy Endings," and "Be My Number Two."
In its press release, Intervention describes the album's sonic innovations: "Body and Soul is a landmark recording as well, being an early digital recording captured on a 32-track 3M system in New York City's Masonic Lodge. The vast reverberant space of the hall is beautifully drawn, and yet Joe and the band sound positively explosive." The hybrid SACD has been remastered to DSD by Kevin Gray at CoHEARent Audio. The label asserts that "the results are amazing! Body and Soul has never sounded so full-bodied. In addition to the wonderful ambience of the Masonic Lodge, the imaging is more three-dimensional and holographic than ever." Artwork for the album has been restored by Tom Vadakan, and the disc is housed in a super jewel box. Though those with an SACD player will hear the album in high-resolution sound, it will still sound stellar on standard CD players.
Body and Soul is available now for pre-order directly from the good people at Intervention Records for release in June. You'll find the link and the track listing just below!
Joe Jackson, Body and Soul (A&M CD 3286/5000, 1984 - reissued Intervention Records IR-SCD4, 2020)
- The Verdict
- Cha Cha Loco
- Not Here, Not Now
- You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)
- Go for It
- Lolsaida
- Happy Ending
- Be My Number Two
- Heart of Ice
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Thanks, Joe. I had actually reached out to Shane Buettner via email back in January 2019 about the possibility of some type of re-release of “Body and Soul”. At that time he wrote me back that he “had some amazing test pressings of that title and hope to get it out in 2019.” Well, sixteen months and one pandemic later this announcement comes out....very excited for June and that Kevin Gray is handling it!
Really lookiing forward to this. The album already sounded great, but it did suffer from being recorded on a very early digital system; just because it's digital, doesn't automatically mean 'better' of course!
This is great! Hopefully Mike's Murder will be next!
I already have a 24-bit European edition that sounds good. However, it chops off the count down at the beginning of one of the songs which leaves a strange feeling.
Thanx for having the courtesy to mention the names of the musicians on this album Joe (Marcese not JJ) So many do not when these albums come up in discussion. I've always said that this particular band could play anything. A shame he did not keep us together.
I had no idea it was being rereleased. Would love to hear what was done to improve the sound. The original always sounded a bit thin to my ear.
Peace,
Vinnie Zummo