Search - Jobriath :: Lonely Planet Boy

In Defense of Jobriath

Brian D. Smith | Louisville, KY United States | 08/31/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In light of some of the more vitriolic reviews, I thought I'd add a few words in defense of Jobriath. Detractors claim he's nothing more than a third (or fourth or fifth...) rate Bowie knock-off. Defenders occasionally go so far to say that it's actually the opposite: Bowie was a "pretender to the throne" and Jobriath was the, um, "real deal". Even though I'm certainly more disposed to the former view, I would say Jobriath qualifies as a solid SECOND-rate Bowie knock-off.



And while "second-rate knock-off" necessarily (and accurately) implies inferiority to the "original", that doesn't make the music terrible, because it isn't... though it is, at least for me, fundamentally flawed. Jobriath is a much more compelling writer and pianist than singer; as others have noted, his voice sometimes proves an insurmountable obstacle... it all-too-frequently embodies the least appealing qualities of David Bowie circa "Hunky Dory": harsh, thin and inflexible. The nasally sneer works well on the lascivious "Street Corner Love", but undermines the more lyrical, introspective material like "Inside" (which is ultimately redeemed by some expert piano work, presumably by Jobriath).



In spite of the histrionics, though, I actively enjoy 8 or 9 of the 15 tracks, the best of which (by some margin) is the previously unreleased "I Love a Good Fight", where Jobriath's whine is less pronounced, replaced by a more natural, full-bodied and powerful delivery. It qualifies as a great, lost glam-rock classic. Also of note is "Space Clown", where Jobriath affects the same phony Cockney accent that Bowie himself affects from time to time. And yes, as the song title would imply, the tune is stylistically derivative of Bowie, as well... though hardly more derivative than Bowie himself was of Lou Reed, Bob Dylan or, uh, Anthony Newley. When the tune is this catchy and poignant, its secondhand nature is beside the point. Jobriath avoids the vocal problem entirely with "Dietrich/Fondyke (A Brief History of Movie Music)" by letting session vocalists do the work on what sounds like a collaboration between Stephen Sondheim and Queen.



As others have rightly noted, Jobriath's memory (and his fans) would have been been better served by including the entirety of his two albums rather than let compiler Morrissey cherry-pick his favorites. But the faithful will want to have this collection if only for "I Love a Good Fight", the superior sound, and the packaging (the album replica-style format is annoying and cumbersome, but includes a helpful essay and lotsa pretty pictures). And the curious have a reasonably economical primer that will help them decide whether or not they want to invest in the pricey, out-of-print lps. Once I've made peace with Jobriath's vocals perhaps I'll do that, but until then "Lonely Planet Boy" will do nicely.



(Incidentally, soundclips for some of the tracks on this collection are provided on the very informative Jobriath Fan Collective site.)

"

Good god

J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 10/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"a very dramatic and theatrical glam rock album that is heavy on the bombastic piano lines and urgent vocal delivery. most people seem to slag this off as a David Bowie rip-off, and the influence cannot really be denied (most noteably on the songs "Space Clown" and "Earthling"), but the honky-tonk funk swagger of songs like "I Love A Good Fight" and "Street Corner Love" are irresistable with their catchy fun melody and their strong lyrical approach. and the sparkly big-heeled tone of "I'maman", which reveals a strong musical stew, brewing with a tight arena rock riff, piano, harpsichord, and a few good wah-wah effects thrown in. these selections on Lonely Planet Boy are culled from Jobriath's legendary out of print records and the whole package has been lovingly presented with the deluxe treatment and tons of great photos."