Interview with author of 'On Track' book

I was able to interview Richard James, author of the forthcoming book ‘Joe Jackson – On Track’, for this website. The book is scheduled to be published by Sonicbond Publishing end of June 2022.

JJ Archive: This is your fourth book in the ‘On Track’ series. What made you choose Joe Jackson as your next project?

Richard James: Following the success of my first book ‘UFO – On Track’ I submitted a list of bands and artists I was interested in writing about. I only want to write about artists whose music I really like; I can’t summon up the enthusiasm for bands like Aerosmith or The Rolling Stones for example. The ‘bigger’ names (Tom Petty, Status Quo, and Joe Jackson) were accepted by the publisher; the more niche bands I like (Budgie, Kings X, Max Webster & Kim Mitchell) didn’t get the nod. Some of my other favourite artists had already been published (Black Sabbath, Rush, Queen). Being a huge fan of the Irish band Horslips I managed to persuade the publisher to go ahead with a book on them which I am in the course of writing.

JJA: Were you familiar with Joe’s music before you started the project? Did you have any of his albums in your personal CD collection? If so, which ones?

RJ: I have been a fan of Joe since ‘Laughter & Lust’ and have every CD he has released.

JJA: Have you ever seen Joe live in concert?

RJ: I have seen Joe live in concert on three occasions and have tickets for his ‘Sing You Sinners’ Tour later this year.

JJA: How did you go about writing the book? Did you first read up on each album or did you start with your own fresh impressions?

RJ: I listen to each album repeatedly, and start writing as I am listening. It’s almost a ‘stream of consciousness’ style; then when a chapter/album is finished I go through it several times, rewriting, adding and editing until I’m happy with it. I do background research on each album and incorporate a moving history of the band/artist at the start of each album chapter as a scene-setting device.

JJA: Your book is part of the ‘On Track’ series. How much freedom did you have regarding the structure of the book? Is it pretty much fixed?

RJ: The brief from the publisher is to write from the perspective of a fan with critical faculties. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, but be honest! They provide a typical review template, but the author is absolutely encouraged to write ‘in their own voice’ as it were. Anything that the editor doesn’t approve of will disappear before publication. With the Status Quo and Tom Petty books several jokes never made it into print!

JJA: The book’s subtitle is ‘every album, every song’. Where did you draw the line? Did you include live albums, soundtrack albums (‘Mike’s Murder’ and ‘Tucker’), ‘Symphony No.1’, non-album tracks?

RJ: I write about every studio album (soundtracks and ‘classical’ output included). I mention live albums within the historical context but merely list tracks and highlight any points of interest. With Joe, of course, he likes to rework his songs into new styles which would make for an interesting chapter but there is a word count that has to be kept to. Any non-album singles are also reviewed alongside the album they are closest to in time.

JJA: Does the book contain photos? If yes, who selected them?

RJ: There are several pages of colour photos. These will include all the album covers and pictures of the artist at various points in time. The publisher selects these. I write a brief sentence or two summarising the album or situation; for example alongside the ‘Look Sharp’ cover picture I will put something like ‘Best feet forward; a sparkling debut packed full of great songs and a clear indication of the direction Joe and his band want to travel in’.

JJA: Working on this book must have been a journey of discovery. What was the biggest surprise for you when going through Joe’s complete oeuvre?

RJ: I found that I enjoyed certain albums (‘Heaven & Hell, ‘Symphony No 1’) much more than when I first purchased them. However, others (‘Tucker’, ‘Night And Day II’) didn’t change my first opinion of them. In general I loved hearing the vast variety of songs, music, ideas and sheer creativity of Joe’s work. His quality threshold is incredibly and consistently high compared to so many others.

JJA: Did you read Joe’s autobiography, ‘A Cure for Gravity’?

RJ: I bought it as soon as it was published and reread it recently when preparing the introductory chapter for my book. Like Joe it’s fascinating and wide-ranging; an excellent read.

JJA: About you personally... What is your background?

RJ: I am a self-employed guitar teacher, and ‘guitarist for hire’ in the East Midlands in England. I teach a wide range of styles to all ages, not just guitar but also ukulele, banjo, mandolin, and bass guitar. I play in musical theatre productions, and also perform solo classical guitar at weddings and the like.

JJA: May I ask how old you are?

RJ: You can ask! Unbelievably I am 60 next month. That’s my physical age. Mentally I’m somewhere between 14 and 25.

JJA: Was the ‘UFO – On Track’ book your first attempt at writing about music?

RJ: It was. I bought a copy of ‘Queen – On Track’ and at the end of the book there was a page from the publisher inviting applications from new authors. I applied and they requested I write an ‘audition’ chapter (I wrote about the first great UFO album – ‘Phenomenon’). This was largely approved of and a contract was issued. I then got to work. Which isn’t work at all; just listening to your favourite music and writing about it. It came in very useful during the Covid lockdowns when all my other work disappeared!

The interview was conducted by Andreas Wostrack on 28 March 2022 via e-mail.

This page was last updated 11 April 2022. To send additions/corrections go to the contact page.