25 years later, Joe Jackson regroups
USA TODAY

Elysa Gardner

It dawned on Joe Jackson recently that 2003 would mark the 25th anniversary of the recording of his first album, Look Sharp.

"When I picked myself up off the floor," the British singer/songwriter recalls, "I started thinking about some kind of reunion of the band I worked with then. At first I thought that could be kind of cheesy, but then I realized I had written a bunch of songs that would work quite well for the band."

So Jackson notified bassist Graham Maby, with whom he has collaborated intermittently, as well as guitarist Gary Sanford and drummer Dave Houghton, who played their last gig with Jackson in 1980. The four now plan to perform a few shows in the U.K. this September, then head into the studio in October in hopes of releasing a CD next spring. A tour of North America and Europe will follow, Jackson says, "and we may go further afield."