An excellent, comprehensive live document of Jackson's early live work, this double-length album follows him through the stylistic maze that's always been this mercurial artist's stock in trade. It features tunes from four different tours, each with a vastly different lineup/approach. The 1980 cuts feature his initial guitar-bass-drums trio pounding out energetic, relentlessy hooky new wave. In '82-'83 he had traded his guitarist for two keyboardists and a percussionist in pursuit of a more urban (and urbane) Latin-influenced sound. 1984 was Jackson's cosmopolitan pop period, and the sophisticated arrangements show an artist bodly testing his bandleading chops.
The 1986 segment finds Jackson returning to the rock band format, but armed with all the knowledge he'd gained along the way. One of the most appealing aspects of this album is the way Jackson ceaselessly reinvented his songs to suit whatever configuration he was currently working with on the road. This provides some of the most enjoyable surprises on LIVE 1980/86.
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Rock
