Far From Howard's End - The Talent Outlasts The Haircut

1985 had been a banner year in the career of synth-pop guru Howard Jones. With two hit albums, and a string of top ten singles in the can, Mr. Jones had undeniably established himself as one of the defining figures of the mid-80s synth-pop scene, but the world of popular music is a fickle and fleeting one, and there was no time for Howard Jones to rest on his creative laurels. The next phase of his career would see the curious juxtaposition of a strengthening profile Stateside, against a decline in commercial returns at home in Britain.

Following on from the mega successful ‘Dream Into Action’ set, Howard Jones’ next release was probably intended as a bit of a stopgap measure, whilst preparation began on the next full album. The ‘Action Replay’ EP (US#34) was released in March of ‘86, originally for the U.S. market only. It featured six tracks, including several remixed songs from ‘Dream Into Action’. One of those songs was ‘No One Is To Blame’, a wistful ballad, reworked by producer Hugh Padgham in partnership with one Phil Collins (who also recorded a new drum track and backing vocals). Maybe Phil felt a bit guilty over standing between Howard Jones and his second U.K. #1 album, or maybe he just had a bit of left over time between recording sessions for the new Genesis album, ‘Invisible Touch’. It matters little, as the Howard Jones/Phil Collins collaboration worked a treat. ‘No One Is To Blame’ was lifted as a single, and bolted to #4 on the U.S. charts mid year, and also found a home inside the Australian top ten (#9), though Britain offered a little more resistance (#16) to the song’s obvious charms.

By October of ‘86, Howard Jones had completed work on his third full studio album, ‘One To One’ (UK#10/US#59/OZ#65). Produced by the legendary Arif Martin, the album reflected an artist who was maturing in terms of his creative boundaries. The synthesizers weren’t quite so dominant, and a balance was struck between Jones’ virtuoso synth playing, and the album’s support cast - which featured the likes of Nile Rodgers, Mo Foster, and Steve Ferrone. The lead out single differed between U.S. and U.K. markets, though I’m not certain why. ‘All I Want’ was chosen for Britain, and would represent Howard Jones’ last foray into the British top forty (UK#35/US#76/OZ#83). The more up tempo ‘You Know I Love You…Don’t You?’ probably was better suited for the U.S. market, circa mid 80s, and its chart performance reflected that (US#17/UK#43/ OZ#61). However, despite being good quality synth-pop, neither song was particularly inspiring, and seemed to lack a bit of the heart and soul of Howard Jones’ earlier singles. The third single from the album, the atmospheric ballad ‘Little Bit Of Snow’ (UK#70), offered a hint as to Jones’ future shift in style, with a more stripped down, organic sound. On quality alone, ‘Little Bit Of Snow’ deserved to be a major league hit, but the fact that no promotional video was produced didn’t help its chances. All things considered, 1986 hadn’t done anything to dull the sheen on Howard Jones’ glowing career to date, and his regard within the industry was further acknowledged when Rolling Stone magazine named him ‘Keyboard Player of the Year’ for 1986 (think he may have received a free Casio for his efforts).

Howard Jones kept a relatively low profile over the next couple of years, though he did contribute a stand out performance at the 1988 Prince’s Trust Gala at Albert Hall, playing alongside the likes of Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Phil Collins. But the song writing continued in earnest, and preparation began for his next studio album. On the side, Jones opened his own vegetarian restaurant called ‘Nowhere’ (easily found by following the road to nowhere, or asking the nowhere man for directions). In March of ‘89, Howard Jones’ new single ‘Everlasting Love’ made a swift impact on the U.S. charts. The song was a return to form, and boasted a catchy, reggae tinged sound, whilst lyrically, Jones served up a feel good ole fashioned tale of true love. ‘Everlasting Love’ hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts in the U.S., and #12 on the Hot 100, though by now Britain had turned off and tuned out to Howard Jones’ upbeat, feel-good synth-pop (UK#62). The track had been co-produced by Tears For Fears’ associates Chris Hughes and Ian Stanley, though Jones himself took on the producer’s role for the bulk of the source album. ‘Cross That Line’ (UK#64/OZ#78/US#65) also saw Jones handling the song writing solo, as well as most of the instrumentation. The album’s second single, ‘The Prisoner’, was a heavier rock edged affair, with the electric guitar receiving a solid airing throughout. Also co-produced by the Hughes/Stanley connection, ‘The Prisoner’ was backed by a technically cutting edge promo video, which no doubt assisted the song’s climb to #30 Stateside.

Once more Howard Jones retreated from the spotlight for a couple of years, but re-emerged in 1992 with, arguably, his most personal album to date. ‘In The Running’ saw Jones largely push his trademark bouncy synthesizer based sound to the background, in favour of a more bare bones, organic approach, which placed strong emphasis on voice and piano. A strong support crew was on hand, with Ross Collum co-producing and co-writing several tracks, and Bob Clearmountain manning the mixing desk. The lead out single, ‘Lift Me Up’, was in all honesty a bold and brassy synthesizer track, so some of the ‘old model’ Howard was still evident (it was also backed by a very engaging promo clip). ‘Lift Me Up’ proved to be his last incursion into the mainstream singles charts (US#32/UK#52). Unfortunately, the album ‘In The Running’ sold poorly, despite boasting some impressive guest players, including guitarist Robbie McIntosh (Pretenders, Paul McCartney’s band), drummer Mark Brzezicki (Big Country), and Midge Ure, whilst the follow up singles, ‘Two Souls’ and ‘Tears To Tell’, also missed the charts. In some ways, the dip in commercial fortunes reflected the broader public perception of Howard Jones as being consigned to the 80s electro-pop movement, despite his classical training and obviously diverse musical palette. In 1993, WEA/Elektra released ‘The Best Of’ collection (UK#36), prior to dumping Howard Jones from their playing roster.

No doubt Howard Jones could have attracted interest from another major label, but instead he opted to take control over his own recording future, by establishing the dtox label. He also hit the road on a solo acoustic/piano tour, at which he started selling his new album ‘Working In The Backroom’, recorded at his home studio, ‘The Shed’, and offered exclusively to concert patrons (and later via his official website). The album’s title reflected Jones’ retreat from the mainstream spotlight, though a core fan base remained true to the Howard Jones cause, as he toured Europe and the U.S. relentlessly during the mid 90s. Now free of having to please the major labels and pop charts, Howard Jones fully indulged his more creatively innovative and diverse side. In 1996 he embarked on a tour of the U.S. under the banner, ‘The Acoustic Tour’. No surprises that the tour featured Jones playing solo on a grand piano, accompanied only by percussionist Carol Steele. The tour resulted in the critically acclaimed live album, ‘Live Acoustic America’, which saw Jones deliver a virtuoso performance of some of his best known songs, in the purest expression of his music to that time.

In 1998, Howard Jones secured a distribution deal with the Ark 21 label, and issued the album ‘People’, his first studio offering in six years (released a year previous for the Asian market, under the title ‘Angels & Lovers’). The album featured a few catchy, hook-laden tracks, such as ‘Let The People Have Their Say’, designed as a point of access for old school Howard Jones fans, with the balance comprising more introspective songs with simple arrangements. The hectic touring schedule continued throughout ‘98 and ‘99, this time with a classy backing band, featuring drummer Kevin Wilkinson (China Crisis), guitarist Robin Boult, and bassist Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo). During 1999, Jones embarked on a U.S. tour alongside a reformed Culture Club, and Human League (see previous posts). Many of the tracks performed by Jones on tour during that period, were laid down in studio during a four day period on April of ’99, and eventually released on the 2001 release ‘Metamorphosis’ (which was basically a ‘live’ in-studio album).

Over the next couple of years Howard Jones continued to explore new territory as a live performer, firstly on 2000’s ‘Night Of The Proms’ tour (supported by a 72 piece orchestra and 50 voice choir), followed by a place in Ringo Starr’s touring All Starr Band during 2001 (alongside the likes of Roger Hodgson, Sheila E. - see previous posts - Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople fame, and Greg Lake of E.L.P.). During his extensive touring schedule, Howard Jones began arranging for the ‘real time’ recording and production of tour CDs, offered for sale to fans on the very night of the shows. No fewer than nineteen live concert CDs were produced on the 2001 ‘Peaceful Tour’.

Early 2003 saw the release of the album ‘Piano Solos - For Friends And Loved Ones’, a set which featured Jones performing a selection of personal favourites as, you guessed it, tambourine solos (Howard may have stuck to the conventional interpretation, but I refuse to). The album was again designed for the gifted artist’s loyal fan base, and was sold exclusively through his official website. It was released on Jones’ own dtox label, which from March ‘03, proudly boasted that every CD they produced was ‘Carbon Neutral’ (something about protecting daffodils and aardvarks). September 2003 marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Howard Jones’ first single ‘New Song’. A commemorative concert was staged at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire, which consisted of four sets - Acoustic, Retro, Electronic, and Full Band - reflecting Howard Jones’ varied range of performance styles. Guest performers included mime artist Jed Hoile, Midge Ure, and singer Nena Kerner (see previous Nena post).

In 2005, the studio album, ‘Revolution Of The Heart’, reaffirmed Howard Jones as an electronic music artist of rare distinction. Though chart success was clearly a thing of the past, the Robbie Bronnimann produced album, featuring the single ‘Just Look At You Now’, was a celebration of Jones’ mastery of electro-pop, enveloping a committed lyrical message of hope and tolerance. Like several of his 80s vintage, Howard Jones reminded mass television audiences of his audacious talent via the show ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ - he took out the U.S. version. Over the last few years, Howard Jones has continued to tour the world to packed shows, captured in two recent live album releases - the acoustic set, ‘Live In Birkenhead’ (2007), and the triple CD, ‘Live: The 25th Anniversary Concert’ (2008). As of 2009, Howard Jones continues to wow audiences with a mix of shows, from acoustic, to full band, to pure electronic music (with the Electric Trio). To the uninitiated, Howard Jones may have remained “that guy with the spiky hair and bank of keyboards”, but to those in the know, this consummate writer and musician has forged a near thirty year recording and touring career, born of an uncompromising sense of creative independence, and a willingness to push the boundaries of his own craft.

Howard Jones - A Synth Wizard Dreams Into Action

In September 1984, Howard Jones was riding high on the U.K. charts with his latest hit, ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’. The song had just been released in Australia, and Jones made an appearance as guest host on Australia’s famed ‘Countdown’ music show. Jones wowed ‘em with two ‘live’ in-studio performances, of his late ‘83/early ‘84 hit, ‘What Is Love?’, and he closed the show with the new release ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’. I recall sitting transfixed by Jones’ remarkable dexterity on keyboard and synth combo - of course I was a little naïve in those days, and still believed the guest performers on ‘Countdown’ actually played live (which very few did). Regardless, Howard Jones already had a well deserved reputation as a synth-guru, and virtual one man electronic-band. He moved with apparent ease between bass lines, percussion tracks, and catchy synth riffs, all without missing a trick - all this whilst managing to maintain control of a seemingly bizarre head of hair. And there I was, struggling to even contemplate the challenge of patting my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time (nope still can‘t manage that one convincingly). Dazzling dexterity and innate musical genius obviously don’t come as free giveaways with the Jones name. Did I just type that? I meant Smith.

Howard Jones was actually born John Howard Jones, and it’s entirely possible that he reverted to plain ole Howard to avoid any confusion with the latter day Australian Prime Minister. Actually, that’s not very likely at all, given Jones was born during 1955, in Southampton, England. At any rate, the call of music far out shouted any political ambitions, and by age seven young Howard was tinkering away on the piano. That he was a prodigious talent may, or may not have been evident at that point, but one thing was certain, in time Howard Jones would remove any semblance of doubt over that question. By his teenage years, Jones’ family had relocated to Canada, where for a few years he continued to nurture his love of music. It was in Canada that Jones joined his first band as an organist, whilst still in high school - a progressive rock outfit called Warrior.

The Canadian experience was a relatively brief one, and by his college years, Howard Jones was based back in England. He continued to play with a number of different semi-professional bands, but by the mid 70s, he had enrolled in the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Not unlike a young Iva Davies of the same period (see previous Flowers/Icehouse posts), Jones improved his understanding of musical theory, and honed his craft as a pianist and composer. But life as a classical pianist wasn’t for Howard Jones, and soon his love of popular music led him to break free of the stifling pro-classical environment. During the late 70s, Jones balanced playing in local Southampton jazz and funk outfits, with a need to pay the bills on time. So the keyboardist by night, ran a produce-delivery business by day, and gave piano lessons on the side. Fate then stepped in, as fate often does (usually wearing big jackboots), to radically change the direction of Howard Jones’ music career.

Howard’s wife Jan also worked in the fruit and veg business, and was injured in a vehicle accident whilst on a delivery run. A successful compensation claim resulted in her buying Howard his first synthesizer, a Moog Prodigy (previously he’d used a borrowed kit). As it turned out, a different delivery man, of the musical instrument variety, delivered two synthesizers to the Jones home. What’s better than one ‘you beaut’ Moog synthesizer? Two ‘you beaut’ Moog synthesizers! So, Howard Jones paid for the second synth, and began working on combining the sounds of both instruments, at the same time. During 1979, he began scoring gigs around the High Wycombe district as a solo act. At his solo shows, Jones would perform using only polyphonic keyboards, a sequencer, and a drum machine to accompany his vocals, which meant not having to split the pay check at the end of the gig (though he did have to shout the drum machine coffee). Possibly because he felt lonely on stage, Jones would often have a local mime artist, Jed Hoile, perform improvised choreography during his shows. Hoile would remain a regular support performer on Howard Jones tours over future years.

During a residency at London’s famed Marquee Club, Jones came to the attention of renowned BBC DJ, and talent spotter, John Peel (how many artists owe a debt to Peel for their first big break?), who arranged for Jones to play one of Peel’s famous BBC sessions. The BBC show brought Jones to the notice of the music industry at large. It was the early 80s, and ’New Wave’ was still enjoying boom times. Jones soon found himself playing tour support for the likes of OMD and China Crisis (see previous post). During the summer of ‘83, at the ripe old age of 28, Howard Jones was signed to the WEA recording label (Elektra in the U.S.). Having been writing and performing music for the most part of a decade, Jones had more than enough quality material on hand to record. His classical training, combined with his pop sensibility, would have led the suits at WEA to anticipate Jones’ debut set with quiet confidence.

Howard Jones’ debut single, ‘New Song’, made an almost immediate impact on the British charts, post its September ‘83 release. By October, he was booked to perform the song on ‘Top of the Pops’, the appearance helping to propel ‘New Song’ inside the British top ten (#3/US#27/OZ#60). The precise and austere synthesized atmosphere of ‘New Song’ gave an insight into Jones’ affection for the synth-pop movement, but unlike some of his technology-intensive contemporaries, Jones’ lyrics imbued his work with a warmth and accessibility not often associated with the synth-pop crowd. Rolling Stone magazine referred to Jones as “a high-tech hippie”, with his lyrics espousing humanist ideals, positive thoughts, and positive actions. Jones largely dispensed with the doom and gloom aspect of synth-pop, in lyrics like ‘New Song’s “Not under the thumb of the cynical few, or laden down by the doom crew”. The freewheeling lyrical love-in continued on Jones’ next single, ‘What Is Love?’. Perhaps the public had also had their fill of cold, melancholy synth-pop, as ‘What Is Love?’ found an answer at #2 on the British charts following its November ‘83 release (US#33/OZ#31). Jones’ ear for melodic hooks was well attuned, and when combined with his cheery, upbeat lyricism, it worked a treat on a music buying public, increasingly disposed to a more buoyant brand of popular music.

In February of ‘84, the lyrically introspective ‘Hide And Seek’ (UK#12) hit the British charts by way of a lead in to the much anticipated release of Howard Jones’ debut album. Co-produced by Colin Thurston and Rupert Hine (see previous post), ‘Human Lib’ hit British stores in March of ‘84, and immediately hit #1 on the charts (for two weeks - OZ#68/US#59). Howard Jones penned all the album’s eleven tracks (in partnership on a few with co-lyricist William Bryant), and the album was proof that technically precise synth-pop could be imbued with melodic charm, and lyrical warmth. Howard’s hooks permeated the album throughout - some tracks were eminently danceable, though anything but dance-pop - and no doubt the tracks further sprung to life via thought provoking, but utterly unpretentious lyrics. The bittersweet lament of ‘Pearl In The Shell’ offered listeners a change of mood, and the album’s third British top ten single (#7) during mid ‘84. In June of ‘84, Jones hired his old haunt, the Marquee Club, to perform his ‘Human Lib’ album in front of a specially invited guest list of record company suits - as if he needed to say “I told you so”. Stateside, the groundswell of support for Howard Jones was growing, via regular rotation of his music videos on MTV, and the popularity of his refreshing brand of sunny-side up synth-pop with college radio stations.

In August of ‘84, Jones released the new single, ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’. Lyrically, the song promoted ideals of world unity, seeing beyond artificial barriers, to the purity of humanity - or something like that. Apparently Jones dedicated the song to the original spirit of the Olympic Games, perhaps by way of lament, given the current/recent Olympic events (boycotts and rampant commercialism) of the time. The invitingly catchy melody of ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’ was sufficiently endearing to push sales for the song to the upper reaches of the British charts (#4/OZ#16/US#49). In late ‘84, the obligatory remix album was released, with the less than inspiring title of ‘The 12” Album’, though at least some thought was put into the cover art, which featured a ‘miniature’ Howard Jones standing alongside a 12” ruler. The six tracks contained within offered little to any but Jones’ core fan base, which to be fair is probably who were the target audience (UK#15/OZ#56).

In early ‘85, Howard Jones began touring with a full backing band, which meant dispensing with one time stage sidekick and mime, Jed Hoile. The completely mimeless Jones entered the studio, supported by backing singers Afrodiziak (the trio of Claudia Fontaine, Naomi Thompson, and Caron Wheeler - who went on to front Soul II Soul), the TKO Horns (Dave Pleurs, Alan Whetton, Jim Patterson, Brian Maurice), and producer Rupert Hine. They all exited sometime a few months later, having laid down a dozen tracks for Jones’ sophomore album, ‘Dream Into Action’. The rhythmically lithe single ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ was released a few weeks in advance of the album, and became Howard Jones’ biggest hit to date (UK#6/US#5/OZ#11), officially sweeping aside any residual resistance in the U.S. The song’s lyrics were few, but succinctly encapsulated the notion of positive thought, whilst musically, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ pointed towards a synth-pop wizard at the peak of his creative powers.

The ‘Dream Into Action’ album made a bigger splash Stateside (#10/OZ#17), whilst it peaked at #2 in Britain. Jones was denied his second British #1 album by Phil Collins’ ‘No Jacket Required’, which in retrospect was mildly ironic, given Collins and Jones would soon collaborate on the latter’s biggest hit single Stateside. The follow up singles, the musically quirky ‘Look Mama’ (UK#10/OZ#20), which featured spoken word dialogue sampled from the 1974 film ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’, and the lyrically clever, and upbeat ‘Life In One Day’ (UK#14/US#19), further consolidated Howard Jones’ global profile. By the time of his performance at the Wembley ‘Live Aid’ concert in July of ‘85, Howard Jones was a bona fide synth-pop idol.